It’s been a while since I’ve shared any swimming updates but I still stand by the fact that learning to swim as an adult was one of the best decisions I ever made.
A decade on from making that decision and yes, I spent more years not swimming however, for the past one year plus, I’ve been swimming consistently. And making progress.
Swimming Goals
Last Summer, I decided to sign myself up for lessons at my local pool as I had my eye on the Swim Serpentine Two Mile event, in order to get my hands on the London Classics medal.
At that point, I’d already completed Ride London Essex 100, had no plans to complete London Marathon and couldn’t swim 10m let alone 3219km. But our goals should be Big, Hairy and Audacious, right?!
As it happened, I got a place in London Marathon for 2025 and completed it so now all that’s left between me and the classics medal is this 2 mile open water swim.
Since I’ve been swimming consistently, I’ve relearnt and become more confident / comfortable with front crawl. I’ve worked on breaststroke. I’ve learnt backstroke and now love it. I’ve also learnt to dive and I am currently learning how to tumble turn.
I’ve been working on getting in the pool more often than my weekly lesson so I don’t lose my feel for the water. While there’s a year before the next Swim Serpentine event, I’ll continue working on my confidence, endurance and getting some open water practice in to see when it’ll be feasible for me to attempt a 2 mile swim. So fingers crossed.
– one third of British adults cannot swim, and the proportion appears to be rising.
The SPectator
Meanwhile, I was contacted by The Spectator for a feature on their podcast episode talking about learning to swim as an adult, the rising number of adults who can’t swim and the disparities between different communities.
Listen To The Spectator Podcast Episode:
And, incase we’ve not met before, I’m Elle – the creator behind ‘keep it simpElle’. I’m a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Cycling Coach based in Essex.
I absolutely live for supporting women to choose and find their strong, be that through cycling, running or general fitness.
When you’ve had a listen, please leave a comment below or on my social channels to let me know what you think.
Happy listening,
Elle
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