seven reservoirs swim and run

Monday evenings are when the Carnethy open water swim group meet. A reservoir will be chosen and we'll spend an hour swimming there. I had only made one meet this year and the water was so cold I had real trouble putting my face in it; doing more than half the swim on my back or with my head half-out the water. Work and rain had dissuaded me on every other Monday since so I was a bit under-trained for the 7 Reservoirs run and swim on July 1st.

getting in - warmmmmm

getting out - colddddddd

Last year there were about 20 turned up. I think word had got out (from 2017) that it was great. Quite a few people dressed for the sunshine at the start of the evening and were feeling the cold by the end. (Understatement!) This year that may have been the word on the street (or poolside?) because a mere 8 turned up with only 6 swimming as well as running. It is about 12 miles of running with 7 reservoirs to swim across, which makes for a full on Monday evening let me tell you. Last year I had come straight from work and only lived to tell the tale due to a shot blok on loan from another swimmer. This time I carried a couple of sports bars in the bumbag which also contained the w/p camera. It would take us about 3hrs to get round the course. This year we did it anti-clockwise which I think was maybe better than clockwise.

Torduff was the first and although I got all the way across the end of it, I never really acclimatised and was still snatching breaths by the exit. I was wearing a warm rash top which is nearly as good as a wet suit, so didn't feel cold. It just takes me 10~15 mins to get swimming properly. I was glad it was a short stretch and glad to get running again.

Next up Clubbiedean. Foliage and plenty of it at the entry point (some nettling) and some of the floaty plant type as we got out. I swam this easily, my lungs having been sorted out on the first swim and subsequent run. Probably more about heart rate than lungs. Anyway I felt better about what lay ahead.

quite a longish running section to Harlaw

Another brief swim across Harlaw, then we braced ourselves for the longest swim across Threipmuir. Mike had been voicing his hope he'd be able to walk most of the way across this one, as you would have done 6 months ago when it was almost empty. However it was now fuller than ever and we needed a telescope to see the detail on the other side. Nothing for it but to march in and start swimming. This was when spotting skills came into their own. I'd be away in another world, then look up to see I'd turned 30 degrees and was heading in the wrong direction. It had started out flat calm but by the middle was a little choppy and the wind was adding to the difficulties. Neil called out he was turning back. He was not confident about his swimming skills and had been cheerfully regaling us with tales of a Radio 4 broadcast he listened to earlier about accidents and drownings while open water swimming. I presumed he was calling out to someone else as I was not particularly near but I think I was about the only person who took on board he was heading back. We were maybe a third of the way there. Later Alan started to flag and Mike who is not the most strong swimmer of the group stuck by him to make sure he got across ok. 

It took me about 17 minutes to do the crossing and for the longest time out in the middle it felt like the other side was staying the same distance away while I flapped and splashed my way across. I never felt in any risk but I was pleased to reach the other side and start running again to get warmed up. I also ate both sports bars to stoke the furnace. Alan ran for a bit but when we hit the main path he decided to call it a day and run back to the car park. I suspect being so lean he had lost more core temperature than the rest of us. I was glad of my extra padding for once. Neil had run round the side and swum the dogleg - something we perhaps should all have done, and caught up with us across the field with the new deer fence. The fence meant a less-than-straight line was taken but no huge inconvenience. 

We ran round to Loganlee and after the mild trauma of Threipmuir the deep, dark water of this one held little appeal. The sun was now behind a hill and it was all a bit dark and cold and unwelcoming. It was tempting to swim across the boundary wall dam but there were 2 towers which control the flow of water out the reservoir and a recent drowning in Torduff due to diving near one of these drains was enough to keep everyone well away from the underwater sluice gates. In fact I had ringfenced all that info in a folder marked under no circumstances dwell on this while swimming which is where it stayed all night.

not used to the waterproof camera and kept putting a finger in

Very glad to get out the water and run. By now I was counting off the reservoirs to go, wondering when the ordeal would be over. The running was fine. We weren't even plagued by the flies that came with us last year. Possibly too cold for them. On the upside we didn't have to wait on a large crowd of mixed ability run-swimmers, as we were all roughly similar ability to keep the pace ticking over nicely. A medium distance run along to Glencorse for a shortish swim.

This (above) was Neil pointing to the narrowest point on Glencorse. I recognised excellent sense when I saw it and followed him round the edge to a 2 minute swim across to the least densely foliaged part of the bank. It was still something of a clamber. I thought this was perhaps the shortest swim of the night, but maybe just felt like it, as Clubbiedean, Harlaw and Loganlea all look to be about 2 mins paddling on my gps trail.

Mike emerging!

There now followed a rather nice run to get warmed up. It was only slightly spoiled by the thought of the second longest swim of the night across Bonaly. 

While not relishing this one bit as soon as I got into the water I relaxed. It actually felt warmer on my hands than the air temperature and there wasn't that horrible feeling of the cold water creeping up your body I'd had with earlier swims. Although it was past 9pm the sun was still visible and all-in-all it was a pretty lovely place to be. Hopefully nobody would drown and it would all end happily. About 7 minutes later I climbed out the water. It was nice to be able to relax knowing that was the swim part finished and we had all climbed out alive. Hurray!

And the remaining run was mostly downhill and into the sunset. What a splendid finish to the evening and kind of sells this direction (anticlockwise) as the better way to do the event. 

8 started out - only 4 finished 😭

Oh hang on - and me! 😎👌

Well done team. I'd remembered this was pretty tough last year as it was this year. The combination of running and swimming does add up; particularly getting into cold water 7 times. First few are ok; last few really begin to drag. Swimming in trail shoes is not particularly fun, although the rest of the outfit - a rash jumper - quite well insulated - and swim shorts over running shorts worked well and I didn't feel too cold or too warm at any point. Glad I carried the camera to record it all as it was a pretty evening. Much better than the week before when this event was postponed due to a storm. Now that would have been seriously challenging. Good idea to take a snack for halfway. I had started the thing quite thirsty - meant to make a drink to carry in the car, but forgot and hoped it would be ok. Ended the adventure totally quenched, so I'm guessing I drank quite a lot of reservoir. Didn't really notice but I know from sea swims I tend to swim with my mouth open. Not a great idea. Hic. 

anti-clockwise 12+ miles of running with 7 swims over 3hrs