The traffic was bad and drivers ill-tempered on my way back from training yesterday morning, which can only mean one thing: schools have restarted. That, combined with a sudden change in the weather, signals that the end of our brief UK summer is approaching. But luckily, it's not yet the end of the outdoor swimming racing season. This weekend I'm off to Jersey to take part in my first ever swimrun event. I'm doing the 'sprint' version, which has a higher proportion of swimming to running than most of these things, but still includes nearly 15km of running - a distance I've swum more often than I've run! My racing partner is Helen Webster, editor of 220 Triathlon Magazine, who's just been in Sweden for Ötillö, so at least she knows what she's doing. The weekend after, I'll be in Spain for Marnaton's 6.5km swim from Cap de Creus to Cadaquéz and then on 23 September it's the Hever Castle Swim, which we're supporting -- meaning you can save 10% off the entry cost with code "SWIMOUT". Also, see below for details of a new charity swim in London on 22 September.

Our September issue of Outdoor Swimmer is on sale now. If you don't yet read the magazine, I encourage you to do so as we publish all our best content there first and many stories are exclusive to the magazine. I've had three people this week tell me "it's their favourite magazine ever." Options include:

• Subscription to the print magazine + get a free pair of flip flops - see here
• Subscription to the digital version of the magazine - see here
• Buy the current issue in WH Smiths or from us directly - see here