Dear fellow swimmers,
Last weekend I was in Montenegro for Ultraswim33.3. I’d trained consistently through the summer and raced well at other events. I was confident – perhaps overconfident – of my ability to swim 33.3km over the space of 4 days. On the second day, I struggled with breathing. I get asthma, but this didn’t feel like asthma. It was like I’d lost half the depth of my lungs. Any effort made me dizzy. Swimming became almost impossible. I don’t have a diagnosis but swimming induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE) is a possibility. The symptoms continued even after leaving the water and resting for several hours. After being
examined by the team medics, I reluctantly took their advice and decided to withdraw from the event.
I made the most of the next two days by joining the media boat and helping the event photographer. I enjoyed seeing the swim from a different perspective and I’m sure
I got better views than the swimmers. Five days later, I’m still not fully recovered (but I am recovering) so I know it was right to abandon the swim but I can’t help feeling disappointed. This is a swim I’d have loved to complete. There are lessons to be learned. Swims don’t always turn out as we expect.
We’ll have a full review of Ultraswim33.3 in a future issue of Outdoor Swimmer. For now, I just want to say congratulations to everyone who completed the swims and the team who made it happen. It’s an ambitious concept and I’d like to see it grow and succeed. And I want another go!
While I continue to rest, read on for advice for adopting two modes for your swimming training, be inspired by our favourite books for swimmers, and marvel at the story of five novice swimmers who broke through their own personal barriers to swim the Channel.
