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Original poster

Cold water swimmers - anyone doing the polar bear/penguin challenge?

84 replies

PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 21/09/2022 09:32

Full details here polarbearchallenges.com/
I've just signed up as a penguin. Although I don't wear a wetsuit I couldn't swim without my boots and gloves. I'm hoping for gold standard, 250m twice a month and a total of 1000m every month.
Would be good to have some moral support!

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Original poster
PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 19/10/2022 13:20

Hi @Billybagpuss Welcome to the group.
I had my pre-work swim this morning. Water temp was 12.5 degrees. Not too cold but quite windy. Almost waves in the Serpentine and a lot of spray in the face. Wish I'd worn goggles! Spent alternate lengths swimming on my back to avoid the spray. Standing in the shower after was also tricky as the wind was blowing the water sideways.
Only 2 weeks now to the challenge starting!

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Billybagpuss · 16/10/2022 08:48

Sorry guys just seen this and would love to join in but probably won’t sign up officially but would love to join in a community chat.

I lake swim in skins with gloves and socks so penguin for me and easily swim gold level penguin each month.

Its interesting now it’s dropping 2 weeks ago we were in for 50 minutes and did 1250m last week 40 minutes 750m and Friday 20 minutes and did 500m

I think maybe 1 more week before the wetsuit comes back out. This week had the first cold chin feel since probably March.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/exercise/4039965-Cold-water-swimmers-including-sea-lakes-and-rivers?page=29&reply=120775236

This is also a good thread.

Errolwasahero · 16/10/2022 08:34

Hi there, I’m in the south west of Scotland so sea swimmer… have only had a few dips this year but I would like to keep going… ill with covid though at the moment! Will have a look at the challenge but well done for getting in the water!

Original poster
PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 16/10/2022 08:21

@FiveGoMadInDorset @milkfromthesleepycow
How's it going with the swimming? Water temperature is slowly dropping. So far, I'm still in just the swimsuit but it won't be long before I add the boots and gloves. That's the main reason I could never do the polar bear challenge.

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Original poster
PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 05/10/2022 12:26

I had my pre-work swim this morning. 750m, that's 3 laps of the lido. Quite cold getting in but warmed up once swimming. Water temperature about 14 degrees.
Hyde Park is lovely to swim in but the club only has the use of the Serpentine from 5am to 9.30am. Nice for the pre-work swim but means an early start at the weekends. I try to swim twice a week and will aim to keep this up through the winter.
Plenty of swans and geese this morning, as always. But also a heron today, just standing in the water. As I swam past on one lap it reached into the water and brought out a fish, couple of gulps and swallowed it!

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FiveGoMadInDorset · 01/10/2022 19:18

Oh I am tempted, I am trying to do ,y first year of swimming through, it may be a shoulders under and out person. Also in south west so it’s the sea, was in this afternoon and it was lovely

milkfromthesleepycow · 30/09/2022 12:05

Thanks @PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle

I'm in the south west so it's the sea for me. My local spot has bouys out but I'll have to swim 400m minimum if I want to use them to calculate.
Have tried with Strava gps before and it was wildly inaccurate- at one point I was apparently swimming on the road 😂
I am a little worried that the weather / shift work patterns will mean that I fail to make the distance

Hyde park sounds lovely. Want to keep updating the thread for encouragement?

Original poster
PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 30/09/2022 07:04

@milkfromthesleepycow looks like it's just you and me then!
Where do you swim? I'm in London so swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park. 1 circuit of that is 250m so it's easy to measure my swims. Last winter I was able to swim that distance every time so I think the gold standard is achievable.
I aim to swim twice a week, barring the occasional cold.
Hope all goes well for your swims

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milkfromthesleepycow · 24/09/2022 08:13

@PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle this looks great! Thanks for sharing.
I'm going to have to find a swimming group to go out with as my regular swimmers are off to sunnier climes for the winter, but it does look like there's one local to me
I'll definitely be a penguin, either gold or Antarctic, will have a closer read of the rules Grin