3000m 1:07:22 (NOMAN Ibiza to Barcelona, swim session 4)

*42 days until the race*

I decided today would be swim day. After cramping up in the pool after my rowing session a couple of days ago my plan today was to relax in the water and just swim without pushing too hard. When I arrived at the pool the lanes were quiet so there was no temptation to race anybody and I got into a rhythm very quickly and pretty much stuck to it for the next hour and seven minutes!

A few times the lanes seemed to crowd up a little so over the course of my 120 laps I probably surged for about 15 just to keep clear of traffic and pass slower swimmers.

I had a good day at work and some of my race admin paid off after last night – my alma maters Lancaster University (BA Criminology) and Bushey Meads School (GCSE) put out the word about the row and I got a retweet from West Bromwich Albion who I have supported since I took my first breath! Added to this great bunch is Chris Liebing (0ne of my all time favourite techno DJs) who favourited a tweet about the campaign and the row.

All of the above conspired to put me in a good frame of mind for an endurance workout and throughout my swim my thoughts remained peaceful, still and happy!

Tomorrow I find out what it’s like to row in an ocean rowing boat on the waters of the Thames – it should be an interesting evening so expect some decent photographs accompanying tomorrow’s post!

NOMAN raises awareness about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related cancer epidemic in men and women, and campaigns for universal HPV vaccination, while challenging participants to extreme endurance races across the world.