There will always be a race I'm not winning

on a hard-won open water swimming medal

Morning mist and dead calm – Glendalough’s Upper Lake is ready

It’s been a week since I took part in the Glendalough National Park swim; a week since I swam 1,500 metres in open water in Ireland; a week since I reached my swimming goal for the year.

“You’re going to be awesome,” Brian said as he kissed me before the start. I just wanted to be ok. Looking at the marker buoys in the misty distance, the enormity of my undertaking doomed on me. Only a week before, a training session in the sea had left me with a nasty friction burn on the back of my neck, which meant no more swimming while I scrambled for topical treatments and prayed that it would heal enough for the event. Adding insult to this injury, my period unexpectedly started, heavy and unrelenting, 24 hours before the challenge.

Quietly, I made my way to t…