Swimming El Mar Bella

Last weekend my first official U.K. swim event was a non event. I took the train to Nottingham only to find that the swim at Colwick Lake had to be cancelled due to algae concerns. You can’t do anything about algae so it was just unfortunate, but disappointing nonetheless. On the plus side, the Nottingham non-swim made me even more excited about this weekend’s swim in Barcelona.

I woke up this morning feeling very average which didn’t bode well – I didn’t sleep great at my hostel and I was probably a bit dehydrated with the hot weather here in Spain. A walk to the beach from the metro and a croissant helped me perk up. And then there was the sea… It was amazing. Calm, glistening, expansive and calling me! I think I’ve been getting a bit of ocean withdrawal in London so I definitely soaked it all in.

Water temperatures were a bit cold for the locals who wore wetsuits. For me, 18c was very comfortable, especially with the warm air temperatures that Barcelona is enjoying this weekend. The swim which was organised by Neda el Món was 5.7km and went from San Sebastián to El Mar Bella along the Barcelona coast. 

I enjoyed every moment of this swim. I felt strong. Water was lovely.  Paddleboarders were great at keeping me in a straight line. I had a few bits where I was able to get a bit of a draft but mostly swam on my own (I think I prefer a bit of space). I was particularly pleased at catching a group and then dropping them in the last 1.5km. The water did chop up near the end but I think this affected the 3.6km and slower swimmers more. 

And a great atmosphere. I tried my Spanish out a few times with other swimmers but it was a bit rusty. I did meet some lovely swimmers from UK and Australia who have inspired me to think about doing a few more European swims. I do need to do a decent amount of UK swimming however as I have a couple of long swims that I need to be well acclimatised for.

Love summer!