Anna

When did you join Spencer Swim Team?

I rejoined in April 2025 (I joined in 2019 and stopped in the pandemic).

What is your swimming background? 

About 10 years ago I did an ‘Adult Improver’ course of swim lessons with coach Steve Baker at the Clapham pool. It was very fun. We did one session on synchronised swimming. The Lifeguards loved that one. 

When and where do you train with Spencer? 

Mondays at Clapham and Thursdays at Ernest Bevin. 

What are your swimming goals?

I’ve got loads. To get fitter and stronger. Tumble turns at both ends as a normal thing. Improve Butterfly. 

What is your best stroke? 

Front Crawl

What do you enjoy about swimming in a team set-up?  

Helps massively with discipline and motivation. 

What has been your best moment as an adult swimmer? 

For me, it’s all about the experience and how it feels to swim fast and strong. I have moments like that quite often and they are increasing as I slowly get fitter. 

What swimming achievement are you most proud of? 

The other week we did 6 x 50s with a tumble turn at the deep end and I did all 6 turns. 

What song gets you in the zone? 

Everyday/ Loud Places feat. Romy by Agnelli & Nelson, Jamie xx

Which podcast or online swimming resource do you follow? 

None. 

What swimming advice would you give to another masters swimmer? 

Brush up on lane etiquette or ask because the other members are too polite to tell you when you’re in the way. Listen to the coach give the sets because otherwise confusion and chaos reigns. Give it a go. 

The post Anna’s Journey: Rejoining Spencer Swim Team appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

Joe

When did you join Spencer Swim Team?                

April 2022

What is your swimming background?                     

I am a lapsed triathlete after having done two Ironman events. I later found that I wanted to continue my swimming journey as this was the event that I enjoyed the most. This led to an enduring love of outdoor swimming, especially sea swimming.  I eventually began missing the pool and the need for some training discipline and rigour that led me to Spencer.

When and where do you train with Spencer?      

Putney and Earnest Bevin, but I do visit Clapham and Dulwich

What are your swimming goals?                               

To get better and quicker each year at my favourite events, mainly 100m front crawl and 100m IM

What is your best stroke?                                             

Definitely front crawl, but I also enjoy the variety of individual medley.

What do you enjoy about swimming in a team set-up?   

I enjoy the familiarity of being in your lane with your training buddies (who support you during those times when you are not feeling your best), and the different coaches who ensure that it is always a fun and varied session. Swimming is often seen as individualistic. But Spencer has brought me real community

How do you keep disciplined to train frequently?              

It is that desire to want to be quicker (at your next event) and just to be fitter.

What has been your best moment as an adult swimmer?              

Plunging into the exhilarating waters off Cornall and immersing myself in the thrill of sea swimming, which offers the perfect combination of adventure and natural beauty. 

What swimming achievement are you most proud of?    

Seven podium finishes at the Staffordshire Masters in 2025, and I hope to do better than that in 2026.

What song gets you in the zone?              

“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

Which podcast or online swimming resource do you follow?        

An Open Water Swimmer’s Podcast, where Will Ellis asks guests to tell their swim story.

What swimming advice would you give to another masters swimmer?                     

My advice to a Spencer masters swimmer is to pace yourself for the 90-minute session, keep smiling, and do everything the coach says or incur their wrath.

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In the first week of lockdown, like many people I began working from home. Having to work in a sub-optimal desk and chair set up, I decided to try and make the best of a bad situation and correct my awful posture by wearing a back brace. After wearing it for only a day or two I developed pain and a bad aching sensation in my left armpit – a couple of days later I discovered a lump. A GP referral and several tests later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Things were a bit of a rollercoaster following that with various tests, biopsies and conversations with the consultant happening quickly in short succession. A week after initial diagnosis I got a full diagnosis, and the team looking after me had already put my treatment plan in place which started on 22nd April. Looking back, there wasn’t much chance to stop, think and reflect, everything happened so quickly, but I’m exceptionally grateful for the speed in which things were done.
So to fill in some questions that may be forming. I caught this early. I’m stage 2a, at diagnosis the tumour was small-ish but at 3cm just tipped me into stage 2 rather than stage 1, but there’s only one tumour and the cancer cells hadn’t spread into my lymph nodes, nor spread anywhere else in my body. All great stuff The journey to recovery will take a while, but there’s no reason why I shouldn’t make a full recovery.
In terms of treatment, longer term research has shown that triple negative responds better when chemotherapy is given before surgery, as it helps nip the cancer cells in the bud early doors. It will also shrink the tumour and hopefully reduce the amount of surgery that I will need. So the plan is chemo, surgery, radiotherapy. I’ve finished part 1 of chemo – 12 x weekly infusions, and now I’m half way through chemo part 2, which is 4 x fortnightly infusions. At the end of chemo part 1 I got a little ‘chemo holiday’ and got to go to my Mum’s in Devon for a week, which was great.
I’ve been working with a physio who specialises in oncology treatment and under her guidance I’ve been able to maintain an exercise regime, albeit nothing like what I’m used to! But I’m allowed to do 30 mins cardio a day as long as I keep my heart rate at 130bpm or under, and I have a daily stretch programme and a strength programme. She also runs stretch classes via video conference that I dial into twice a week. So no gut busters from Steve for me unfortunately! But I invested in a spin bike, so I do my 30mins cardio on the bike followed by my stretches. I think maintaining this small amount of exercise has been key in how I’ve coped with chemo so far. Fingers crossed I can make it through the last two sessions without any issues!
Whilst this has all been quite shocking and, at 34 years old, very unexpected, I feel there’s a lot to be positive about. My prognosis is good and has been from the start, and I have coped well with chemo. 14 rounds of chemo down and I’ve managed to avoid any sickness, I’ve maintained my weight, and have even managed to hang on to some of my hair, albeit it’s now in a very short bob! The progress checks have showed that everything is moving in the right direction. Chemo part 1 shrank the tumour by 30%, which is great news, and in a few weeks’ time when I’ve finished chemo part 2 I’ll be able to update you all on what effect that has had on things after I’ve had an MRI scan. Keep everything crossed for me please team!

On that bombshell……..! As training begins to start back up again I hope you all enjoy getting back in the pools and getting back into training. It’ll be a while before I’m back at training, and even longer until I’ll be competing again but I look forward to those days coming immensely! I’d also like to thank Abba, Laura M, Amanda, Olegas and Rob for their support over the past few months and for covering all the things I should have been doing on the committee – particularly now that pool time is becoming a thing again, thank you team, I really appreciate it. As I finish chemo and recover my immunity over the coming weeks, hopefully I can emerge from shielding and catch up with some of you in person. In the meantime, take care everyone and continue to stay safe. Miss you all!

The post Meet a Member – Laura’s lockdown story appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

Having grown up in a hot climate, I was in the water at an early age.  My earlier memories of training were when I was 10, trying to do butterfly without a breaststroke kick.  At the age of 15 I was coached briefly by Elaine Tanner (Canadian Olympic swimmer) and shortly after that swam for Zimbabwe (Rhodesia as it was then).  Whilst at University of Cape Town, I swam for Western Province where I had one of my most memorable swims.  It was the 4 x 100m Medley Relay – I did the backstroke, Peter Inglis did the breaststroke (South Africa No. 1), Kobus Scheepers did the fly (Ranked 10 in the world) and Jonty Skinner did the free (he had just broken the world record with a sub 50 sec for 100 meters) – needless to say, we didn’t come second.

How long have you been a member of Spencer? 

I joined Spencer in 1991 and had 8 great years as a local member before I moved out of London to Bedford.  My membership lapsed until 1 ½ years ago when I renewed as a country member as I am still in Bedford. Between 1998 and 2019, I did absolutely no training, put the pounds on and am now struggling to get fit.   Amanda saw how I was huffing and puffing after a 50m race last year at the Swim England Masters in Sheffield

Do you have any Spencer memories to share?

My best memories of training with Spencer were at St Pauls on a Sunday morning with Dave Mace pacing up and down the poolside and going to the pub for anti-dehydration liquid after a Wednesday evening sessions at Putney pool.  As far as the meets go, all the British Champs at Sheffield (especially the relays), the worlds in Montreal in 1994 (the 747 ran out of booze on the flight to Canada), the Europeans at Riccione, meets at Vichy and Guernsey and many more 

Where are you based and what isolation approach are you following/have you followed during the Covid 19 pandemic?

I am based in Bedford and have been unsuccessfully trying to do dry land training – I don’t like training when not in water

How have you coped with the break from training?

The saying “flying is lovely, it is hitting the ground the hurts” holds true in my case with swimming – the break from training is fine, the getting back into it is going to hurt.

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it? Any recommendations?

Not yet – the day my gym pool opened, I travelled to France where I am at the moment – no chance of training here as you can imagine or whilst in quarantine on my return to the UK

Do you have a daily fitness routine?

……….  I wish

Which competitions have you missed/will you miss and how will that affect you?

As I was just getting back into it, so any and/or all of them

How is your partner coping with you missing your regular training sessions?

She doesn’t miss the smell of chlorine on my skin or clothes

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to training?

That day after the really heavy training session when you wake up slightly stiff but feeling like a million dollars

Any plans for Open Water swimming over the summer?

As I don’t like pools with a water temp below 27 degrees – not a chance – maybe as a spectator

The post Meet a Member – Anders appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

I don’t have a swimming background. I was a Football, Rugby, Running and Mixed Martial Arts person. I only started swimming 6 years ago because I had a very bad back injury which left me with long term back problems. A sports injury specialist suggested I take up swimming. It was the best advice I ever got. Swimming is the greatest sport and I only wish I had started when I was younger.  

How long have you been a member of Spencer?  

I joined 4 years ago when I lived in Abu Dhabi. Spencer were kind enough to let me join so I could compete in International Events. 

Where are you based and what isolation approach are you following/have you followed during the Covid 19 pandemic?  

I’m currently in Oman where the COVID approach has been very different from the UK. We closed everything very early. In the beginning we couldn’t do anything but go to the supermarket. All the pools have been closed since the start of March and the beaches only opened end of May. The numbers here have taken a sharp rise and we are on a lockdown / curfew again. However, I live next to the beach and can swim from 7am so things aren’t that bad. I have no idea what the future holds for Oman. We will most probably be back in the UK from September. 

How have you coped with the break from training?  

In the first 2 months we couldn’t swim anywhere as everything was closed. Luckily, my specialty is open water and in Oman there are plenty of beaches to swim. I also have a VASA (Indoor swimming trainer) so for the first two months I was using that. We have no idea when the pools will reopen!  

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it? Any recommendations?  

Yes, the water in Oman is amazing, one of the best places in the world to open water swim. You can swim all year round without a wetsuit. The water does get hot in the summer, but you can manage. I love open water; the sea life here is amazing so there is always something to see. I often see turtles, sea snakes, reef sharks and 1000s of varieties of fish.  

Do you have a daily fitness routine?  

Yip, I try and swim 4 – 5 times a week. I also do yoga and the VASA 2-3 times a week. I have also been a vegetarian for the last year and find this has improved many aspects of my training, 

Any recommendations for team mates?  

Just keep swimming, swim anywhere you can when you can. Stay safe when open water swimming, swim with others and use a swim buoy. 

Which competitions have you missed/will you miss and how will that affect you? 

I had a very busy year planned but unfortunately, it’s all been cancelled. I was going to the European champs. I was also going to swim Oceanman Italy, and I had registered for a 30km Ultra Marathon Swim in Greece. Let’s all hope next year will be better.  

How is your family coping with you missing your regular training sessions?  

My wife is amazing – she is a runner so understands the need for training. She always has great ideas and is super supportive with my current plans. Unfortunately, I was made redundant in May so I have all the time in the world to spend with my wife and son. Training any time isn’t a problem anymore ha ha. 

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to training?  

I think the team aspect. I swim with the BSM Marlins in Muscat and we have a great setup with amazing team spirit. I hope if I come back to the UK I can eventually get to swim with Spencer ha ha. 

Any plans for Open Water training or racing over the summer?  

I have a plan to do a 22km Swim here in Oman in September. It will be a self-organized swim. I’m swimming the length of Muscat city. Most people think I’m crazy, but I call it horizontally challenged. 

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I am based in a beautiful part of the country, Portishead just outside of Bristol, overlooking the Bristol Channel.  My fitness regime since lockdown Is to walk for an hour and half at around six every morning.

I have not been able to compete for the last 3 or 4 years due to my husband’s ill health. I did compete in the Royal Navy meet at Millfield back in February In attempt to regain some sort of form but then lockdown came. (Ed. Janet is top of the GB 2020 rankings for 75-79 short course 50 and 100 back)

My local pool has not reopened yet and the latest information is that it will not reopen until September.  I am so looking forward to getting back into the water and hopefully it will not take too long to get back to fitness.

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How have you coped with the break from training?      

Complying with the lockdown rules resulted in watching Netflix, eating chocolate and drinking red wine, nice but not good. Being unable to swim especially when the sea is within walking distance was very hard, but it forced me to try a new type of fitness routine – running – otherwise I would not fit back into my racing suit.  

  Do you have a daily fitness routine?  

I like to do a bit of a mixture, trying to work out what’s best for me. Like a lot of swimmers I am not a great fan of running, but during lockdown I took on the challenge of going from couch to 5K, which started with me shuffling around my local football pitch and I now jog between 5 and 10K every other day. With a friend’s Jack Russell. I do a good 8K coastal walk on the other days. For a bit of fun I have a Hoola Hoop, trying to keep it going for 3minutes in each direction is really challenging my core muscles.

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it?  

I am very lucky to have a harbour in walking distance and with the water temp at 14°C on the day the lockdown restrictions were eased I took the plunge and even with the wetsuit chaffing and head freeze I loved it, just so nice to be back in the water even for a short time. Since then I’ve also been swimming at a local beach with some friends, managing to stay in for an hour and now it’s getting warmer in a local sea pool without the wet suit.

How did you get on with the Virtual Challenge?                                                                                         
I enjoyed doing the Spencer Virtual summer challenge with my team mates, and also my own individual challenge. I joined a local  running club and have taken on a challenge to run 100 miles in July and to get the miles in I completed a NHS virtual half marathon last week along an old railway line known as the Camel Trail, flat but still brutal.       

Which competitions have you missed?

I was so looking forward to competing in Budapest especially the open water swims as I was entered in the 3K and 5K. It would have been my second European event – the last being in London, which I understand was not a great experience for most swimmers, but for me it was a childhood dream never to be forgotten. Also missing the British masters in Sheffield this year, where I love swimming in the relays, big thanks to Amanda for her organizing skills. Club La Santa is always a favourite, as it comes at the right time of the year and great for camaraderie and also so nice to swim with team mates.

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to training?          

I am looking forward to getting back into my routine and training once a week with a masters group, which adds some variety into my schedule. I try to train every day and swim with a friend on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, who also enjoys IM’s especially the 400 metres – challenging but rewarding when done. We then go straight into Pilates class still wet and smelling of chlorine.

  Any plans for Open Water training or racing over the summer?  

With most events having been cancelled or becoming virtual, I am looking forward to a sea swim in August that’s from Port Gaverne to Port Isaac and back again which is 2.4K. I will keep swimming as much as I can weather and sea conditions permitting.

With leisure centres opening up again, happy swimming everyone and look forward to seeing you all soon.

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I’m based in London and usually swim twice a week with Spencer at Crystal Palace and Ernest Bevin. I also swim at Tooting Bec lido a couple of times a week through the summer. 

I am a physiotherapist at King’s and we were hard hit by COVID. I was redeployed to work on the wards, still as a physio, but helping to get patients strong enough to go home ASAP, as well as carrying out general nursing tasks and managing a team of amazing colleagues. My usual workload all stopped, my rota changed at short notice, all leave was cancelled and PPE became a daily chore; so training was a big release from work life both physically and mentally. I cycled or ran to and from work everyday, taking advantage of being allowed out twice a day during lockdown!

How have you coped with the break from training?

I usually train for triathlon so I was still able to keep up two thirds of my usual routine, and replaced swimming with yoga and HIIT sessions. I think the break actually did me good initially but then I was itching to get back in the water.

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it? Any recommendations?

I started going to Divers Cove and Shepperton lakes on weekends, but the time taken to travel there and back reduced my motivation somewhat. Thankfully Brockwell lido, directly on my route to work has reopened and I swam there for the first time last week. Having a line to follow and clear cool chlorinated water felt fantastic,  although apparently we’re not allowed to do butterfly (sorry Steve, I tried!!).

How are you getting on with Steve’s gutbusters/virtual challenges

I’ve not been doing the gutbusters – running, cycling and HIIT has kept me busy enough! I didn’t have any swim competitions planned until Nationals in October but I was supposed to be doing a full Ironman in June which has been postponed to next year. Setting some mini training goals has kept me motivated and I’ve done two virtual half ironman triathlons and some virtual running races, but I don’t get the same buzz as a real competition. I’m hoping to get in a late season open water or tri race but I expect it to be more of a time trial than an actual race.

Any recommendations for team mates?

I would say just enjoy the break from intense training and do things you enjoy to keep active and healthy. Exercise is great for our mental well-being and is one of the only things within our control at the moment. Make the most of getting outdoors with no pressure of hitting targets or reaching competition fitness.

How is your partner/family/housemate coping with you missing your regular training sessions?

Apart from whinging about big scary fish in the lake and missing the smell of chlorine, I think I’ve been a joy to live with…

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to training?

I miss training with my Spencer buddies, having a good natter during recoveries (again, sorry Steve) and the post session exhaustion and hunger. I am looking forward to some juicy endurance sets, mixing up the pace and strokes/drills, and can’t wait to feel fit again in the water! 

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I am based in East Dulwich, where I have been enjoying some moments of quietness and contemplation whilst lockdown was observed more rigorously by everyone else – being asked to stay at home and cut off social contact appealed to the introvert in me  . With that said, it’s not like this was a period of respite for me anyway as I continued to go into work during this period, as I work in a hospital. This was enough to help me keep a sense of regularity to daily life, as things were definitely different during this period at work though. One could sense a different atmosphere in the air, just by stepping into a hospital.

How have you coped with the break from training?

I think I coped well, even though I really miss being in the water. I think that’s where I find my balance and equilibrium, and I miss that feeling of my body, fingers, hands and arms gliding through water. But I am also missing hiking, and going for trips where I just walked and there were no other worries in the world for a while. Both are good to reduce my anxieties… 

Like everyone else, I think, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions. There was a phase where I was putting on weight, then where I lost lots of weight, then moments where I felt like getting really active, as well as other moments where a sloth would have been proud of me. And of course, moments where I felt excited, and others where I was feeling a bit more uncertain. It’s life…

Having a bike really helped me to get through this period. I was cycling every single day early in the lockdown, enjoying going up and down the hill around the Crystal Palace area (and over time, and with the relaxing of restrictions, to places further away). It was also a good opportunity to go for really long walks and go through alleys and corners that I would usually ignore. But that was mostly leg work. I struggled and couldn’t find anything that could exercise the upper body as naturally as getting on to a bike for exercising the legs .

Having all sorts of plans and things I could work on and getting distracted also helped, to keep me motivated. I started doing yoga, then I gave up. I tried to do home workouts, then I gave up. I tried a few guided mindfulness sessions, and the handful of times I did them they were good, it might even be something I will continue doing from time to time…

I was definitely happy having ample time to go through a photography course I had started a while ago, and getting more confident and comfortable using manual mode on camera. It was also a good time to catch up with all the books I have on my “to read” list (ongoing process), but I didn’t make things easy by ordering more books early in the lockdown…. Mostly, I have been busy, or distracted. Ohhhh, and I am growing my hair 

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it? 

Hmmmm, it was disappointing that Brockwell lido was closed, as that would have been very convenient for me during this period (it appeals to my lazy side ). So, I have to say no. I haven’t been in the water for swimming… until this week. I had read from other Spencer members that they were able to do open water swimming, so along with curiosity and some natural envy (as in “Oohhh, I also wanted to be in the water doing that”), I tried to understand how to make swimming happen again. Initially there was resistance. I wasn’t that keen on going for open water swimming with my surf wetsuit, but after I realized I was just making excuses, I booked myself in for an afternoon slot at the London Royal Docks. And it was great!!! That feeling of breaking into the water, and my body moving in the water is fantastic. I can’t say much about actually swimming, as my form was poor for freestyle and again the surf wetsuit, but I did spend a good amount of time in there, even running into the next time slot

But before the swimming, and on my walks, I also came across a place where I could do standup paddling, and I imagined, also open water swimming (which turned out to be accurate, but I haven’t tried it there yet). I got really excited about standup paddling, as I had been looking for ages for a convenient place to do it nearby, as I think it is great to work on my balance. It just doesn’t fully count as me getting back into the water because I did not fall off the board…. 

Do you have a daily fitness routine?

No. I am lazy.

I thought about developing a routine earlier, but I quickly gave up. It never really got me excited, whereas going for bike runs around the place (particularly with empty roads) was so much more enjoyable and engaging, particularly being able to cycle to places and then take photos. 

Having said that, I can proudly say I completed the “Virtual summer series – I”, challenge of the summer, for which I received a certificate. It made me feel really good and happy that I could finish something. It was the right mix of being challenging and appealing to my lazy side, as I was already regularly doing two of the four activities so I had the feeling that the challenge was completing itself without much effort…

Which competitions have you missed/will you miss and how will that affect you? 

None. I am not a competitive person. Also, I don’t like to lose and I usually finish last. Because of that, and to reduce cognitive dissonance regarding my self-esteem vs competing and losing, it’s better to think that I am just swimming leisurely …. 

I think I am a little unlike the average Spencer’s team member though. When I was little, and was having regular swimming lessons, the teacher did approach me to join the competitive team, for me to train more regularly and then compete with other clubs, etc… But I was just a kid, and when my father was asked, his decision was to say no. So I never came to fully develop my swimming potential, and a healthy competitive attitude, I guess. Nonetheless, I did continue having swimming lessons throughout adolescence, and on my own afterwards. That has become a regular activity that I don’t like to live without for prolonged periods. I am enthusiastic about it, just not competitive enough to keep up with someone who has been doing it competitively for years. Again, losing sucks, and at this stage, being lazy is just taking the best out of me :/

I would like to say I can consider myself entering some competitions… but that’s mostly a distant future thought. With me, it can take a little bit of time from having an idea about doing something, and then actually doing something about it. But I also wouldn’t know where to start. Again, lazy….

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to swim training?

Firstly, getting into the water. At this stage, getting into a swimming pool will be just enough for me, the feeling of getting and being in the water. Then, gliding through water and feeling my fingers running through water. At some point, doing all the strokes, and a personal objective is to continue to develop and work on my freestyle technique. Years of being lazy whilst swimming on my own and without coaching, made me take my eye off how poor my freestyle form was, and unless for very intense short sprints, I stopped experiencing that natural connection of arm and leg kicking for freestyle. This means I mostly swim freestyle with arm pulling and residual leg kicking. I need to master the lazy side of me that says that the better my leg kicking for freestyle gets, the less heavy the session will be for my arms and the longer the distances I can swim without getting tired 

Any plans for Open Water training over the summer?

I don’t know about training, but plans to go in the water for open water swimming, yes. Definitely. That was actually one of the reasons why I joined Spencer swimming club. To be more comfortable with longer distances without getting as tired. 
Open water swimming has been a “goal” of mine for years now, though I haven’t actually done it many times since I first tried it with a friend in the Lake district. At the time, I did it for the fun of it, and I did enjoy the freedom to swim 360º. Nonetheless, I do get concerned about getting my feet getting trapped by kelp that could wrap me and take me to the bottom of the lake, or somehow I stop kicking because I am tired and then I sink to the bottom of a lake and I have no idea of how deep it is…. 

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Where are you based and what isolation approach are you following/have you followed? 

I live in Putney together with my partner, we are renting a room in the house of a friend. Luckily isolation has slowly come to an end, I was working from home and my partner was furloughed. So the approach was ‘routine’. I would get up in the morning to prepare to ‘Work from home’, we would go for a walk at 12pm for an hour, my partner would cook lunch (how lucky am I) and then we would watch a movie in the evening or go for another walk. 

How have you coped with the break from training?

I missed (and still am missing) swimming as it would give me a full release of anything and provided a great workout. I created a new routine from walking, yoga and it was super nice to join Olegas and some of the troops for some morning workout. 7 weeks ago a good friend of mine who is a body worker, had invited me to join his online rehab / mobility program for 12-weeks to work on an old compensation pattern. This has been super. 

Also, friends, connections and Hoda have been super supportive of just saying ‘hi’ and checking in what’s up. 

Have you managed to get back into the water yet? If so, how was it? Any recommendations?

I did have a chance to swim at a remote beach in Bournemouth with Sara Newman for 30min, it was my first swim after ‘ever’. 

How are you getting on with Steve’s gutbusters?

Haha, gut busters indeed. I was super grateful that Steve was so thoughtful and provide us with a program. It helped to anchor my attention. When I started the mobility training of my friend I ‘paused’ for the moment as old compensations were triggered and I needed to practice a bit more patience. 

Any recommendations for team mates?

Everyone is already doing such a great job – I guess to focus on something you are not so good at, have a weakness and give it some attention. 

Which competitions have you missed/will you miss and how will that affect you?

All – lol! I was just getting back into the racing so I was ok but of course missed the progress in my swim training that competitions provide. 

How is your partner coping with you missing your regular training sessions?

Love this question, all good! We had the chance to spend more time together but maybe I was sometimes a bit more emotional than usual as swimming helps me to even out my inner landscape. 

What are you most looking forward to when you can get back to training?

Guidance, butterfly, a full workout, the team mates. 

Any plans for Open Water training or racing over the summer?

It has been a great opportunity that the pool were closed as I wouldn’t have considered in the sea. When I had the chance I really enjoyed it and would love to do more of it. 

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