It took us until the 20th of August 2015 to get the wetsuits out again. We'd been waiting for:
1. a day off
2. a nice day
3. a day off that was a nice day
4. a day off that was a nice day and we weren't already too knackered.
Last Thursday was that day! Our friend Gibson came too - we parked a car in Innerleithan and drove up to Cardrona to leave the other car (have you ever tried to drive whilst wearing a wetsuit? not easy let me tell you!).
When we got into the water it felt freezing! However as always once we had adjusted to the temperature it was fine. Over the next couple of hours we pottered our way down the Tweed, floating, walking occasionally, and swimming. Or sometimes just bumping over the rocks and following the flow.
It is really relaxing! You really can't think too much about anything else but what's around you. Real life feels far away; you feel like you're in your own little world. You feel a sense of calm come over you as you float along.
Nothing is worry-free for me however, and I can't fully let go, even when I try. I close my eyes and then panic about where I'm going to end up. I get anxious as we approach the rocky parts as I'm scared I'll hurt myself. I have an unshakable feeling that someone is going to come and tell me off (why?). However, floating away down the Tweed is probably the closest I've come to feeling relaxed in a long time.
The swim Dave and I did last year was the same. It was late in the day on the 13th of September, 5 days before the referendum, and the Tweed provided an oasis of calm and an escape from the craziness. We ambled down river for around four hours, and although exhausted by the end, we were glowing from just being "out there".
What followed was Chinese food, a hot shower and a good night's sleep.
Not the case last Thursday. It was bad planning on my part to start a new fitness class on the same day, but the opportunity to swim that afternoon was too good to miss. In the evening I went off to Lauder to experience 'PiYo' - official definition: Pilates + Yoga + nonstop movement! PiYo combines the muscle-sculpting, core-firming benefits of Pilates with the strength and flexibility of flowing yoga movements. You’ll use your body weight to perform a series of continuous, targeted moves to define every single muscle—big and small.
It was incredibly difficult!! I was ready to give up after one class but I'll try to stick with it as hopefully it'll get easier and also I don't indeed to swim 3+ miles in a river prior to each class!
Safe to say I was in agony for the next few days. But it was a very enjoyable day off!
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