On the day of the Mencap Mile

On 30th September I swam the Mencap Mile for charity. It was good though I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, I did enjoy it. I did the swim outside in Dorney Lake in Surrey.

I felt a tiny bit nervous, a little scared but on the whole excited and raring to go.

It was enjoyable but I could have done better and swam more of the lake. But at least I’m not like some people that didn’t even go in the water – after all it is for a charity and one that I work for.

The water was freezing and that’s why I got out halfway. I could have carried on to the finish line but it was just too cold for me. I was swimming with two of my work friends: Tom and Katy. There was one point I had to stop because my swimming hat fell off too.

Tom and Katy were better swimmers than me because I got out half way. They carried on doing the whole lake. I let them carry on to the finish line for Mencap. I met them after to see them finish - they looked very cold.

After the swim I felt relaxed. Knowing that I did half of the lake is better than nothing. I did not feel the way I felt at the beginning (scared and nervous). I felt pleased with what I did in the first place.

Next time I think I’ll put my foot in first and test the water and then I will start swimming slowly and build up. I won’t stop so soon just keep swimming and without talking about films like Titanic - the water was that cold! Next time I will do more training and more swimming to get ready.

I will definitely swim the Mencap Mile again because doing things for charity is always important and it’s always a good challenge.

So far we have raised about a thousand pounds for Mencap. Hopefully next year we will raise more money. You can see our fundraising page if you would like to make a donation online!

I also blog on the Raising Your Game website.

Read the report and find out swimming records from the Mencap Mile 2012.