Snowdon, Snowmen and Pot Noodles

Aqua Sphere Snowman Mile 

Jo Mitchinson - Team Aqua Sphere UK athlete

“Can you actually camp?” That was the first message I received as I approached my campsite in Snowdonia. I’d stopped at what my phone said was the last Costa before I arrived, for one last 'just in case' Americano.

As a generally organised person, I was confident I could pack for 3 nights in a field on my own before a race. Unfortunately, my confidence waned as I lost internet access, then phone signal & turned onto a farm track in the pouring rain. Composure regained, I set about pitching my tiny tent in the horizontal downpour. Then the inflatable mattress. I didn’t want to get it wet on the floor while I pumped it up so I congratulated myself on my initiative and began inflating it in the front seats of the car (Skoda Citago!). My first camping malfunction of the week was being unable to prise the fully inflated double mattress back out of the car again. Eventually I had to let some air out, place the mattress in the tent and pump it back up. This turned into a lightbulb moment when I realised that putting it in the tent then inflating was probably what the manufacturers thought most idiots would do in the first place!! They clearly hadn’t banked on this idiot. 

Camping malfunctions 2, 3 & 4 followed quickly. Number 2 was when I noticed that for 3 nights in Snowdon and then 4 in South Wales I’d only packed flip flops as footwear despite the horrible forecast. I therefore proceeded to wear fluffy socks and my Havaianas pretty much everywhere.

Number 3 was realised at dinner time. Congratulating myself on my ability to use a camping stove to boil water without torching my tent or my eyebrows, I reflected on my food selection. Mange Tout, 1kg of carrots, 4 pot noodles, Pringles, coffee and a bottle of gin. 

 It had seemed like the essentials from home. Water added to Pot Noodle 1 and I searched for a spoon to stir it. Nothing. No cutlery packed at all. So, I improvised- stirred it with a carrot before catching as many noodles as I could with one of my 5 a month before tipping the rest of my dinner straight into my mouth!

The following morning I woke up and it was still raining. I got excited when I saw I had the smallest patch of internet access and used it to check the weather forecast. I was surprised to see that my iPhone seemed to think I was not currently sat in a field being rained on, nor had it rained all night, nor would it continue to rain for most of the day. Camping malfunction 4 was that I simply could not shower in the 5 minutes that my token (cost £1!!) allowed me. The first shower I took resulted in only one leg getting shaved (had to do the other one on the morning of the race)!! Slightly frustrated I got dressed and set off in search of some shops. I found a Costa in Bangor that kept me happy!! 

That afternoon my sister-in-law and her family arrived. She was also racing the Snowman Aqua Sphere mile. Within about 10 minutes of them pitching their (very impressive) Teepee the sun came out and stayed out. Snowdon in the sunshine was a vast improvement and my brother-in-law pointed out Mount Snowdon to me for the first time. It had been impossible to see until that point.                      

                

                                        

I took the opportunity to wash my fluffy socks, only to get camping envy when I saw another camper getting a small rotary washing line out of their car and hang up more washing than the entire selection of inadequate clothes I’d packed for a week. I needed somewhere to dry my socks, so I used my available resources as best as I could!! 

Breakfast on race day was another Pot Noodle - it's just what I'm used to and has become part of the routine. The race wasn't until 2pm, so we had a relaxing morning on the campsite, stretching, packing my bag, unpacking and repacking (just to check my double checking) and then we headed to the lake. The weather was good, no wind - but I was nervous about the temperature. I know that 16 degrees is tropical to most OW swimmers. To me, I'm afraid it belongs firmly in the 'this might take me a while to get in' category. I just don't like the cold and find it hard to believe that I once raced in sub 2 degrees without dying. A mile in 16 degrees (even in my Aqua Sphere SL Pursuit -Wilbur) was going to sting a bit. 

Sure enough when it was time to get in for the in-water start, I was shocked at how cold it was and how warm other people seemed to be finding it. As someone that hates fish, I was also perturbed that the water was crystal clear. I might be considered a freak at this point, but I honestly prefer my water murky. When I can't even see my own hand that's when I'm happiest. If it's clear my mind throws fish images at me constantly and even the water moving a patch of weed is quickly flipped into a shark, man eating pike or something else that wants to eat me. The gun went and we were off. The start was the usual battle of elbows and leg kick that I've come to love and within about 200m it settled. I was well placed to sight the buoys and got a good line around the turning marker at 400m. This was when I took the lead and then I just focused on keeping a good racing line, sighting efficiently and keeping my stroke long. 

By the halfway point my feet were cold and it became a battle to keep my head focused when my brain kept reminding me that not only were my feet burning with cold, but also that it was a run-out finish. At 1200m they'd given up and gone numb, which was preferable and as I headed back towards the shore, all I was thinking about was spotting the exit and choosing my racing line. I had no idea where the other competitors were - but was well aware that there were some excellent swimmers behind me that were going to come at me strongly until the very end. I spotted the finish gantry and adjusted my stroke rate so I could introduce my legs a bit to warm them up before running. My running is so poor that I have to swim until I literally run out of water, then I am relieved to still be able to stand up and then I 'dollop' (as my husband - annoyingly an ex GB runner - calls it) over the line. If it's ever close for a position at the end, I've lost it. I have to accept that running is the one thing that my surgically repaired knee hates - so to be faced with an uphill, barefoot run is my worst nightmare. I did the best I could and was incredibly relieved that I had just enough of a lead to accommodate my appalling run and win the race.

I was really pleased with my time of 20:00.00, which equates to 1:15 per 100m and reflects how I've trained recently. Standing with my nieces (both wearing huge foam hands by this point), to watch my sister-in-law run out of the water in 30 minutes was really lovely. To share taking part in a sport you love with other people is very special. Incredible to remember that she has always been so scared of OW that the first time she even went in the sea was only last year! 

After the presentation, it was back to the campsite and into 'holiday mode'. I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever OW race in Wales, and Snowdonia is certainly stunning. My camping skills leave a lot to be desired however, and if I get the opportunity to return to this race next year I will definitely take cutlery, a pair of trainers, tonic for my gin and more coffee filters. But - I survived. So in answer to the first text; Yes, technically, I can camp. I just prefer not to, unless the weather is stunning, the showers are warm and as long as I need them to be and there is a Costa right next door! A lovely way to end the season and I would highly recommend this race to others.