Kenosha YMCA Aquatic Center

YMCA pools in the US always pose a problem when naming these posts. While the building is the Kenosha YMCA, the pool is actually called the Robert M. & June M. Kueny Aquatic Center.

After an eventful journey out to Chicago at the weekend, everything starts with a 'technical' delay at Heathrow that keeps being pushed back until we are waiting for almost three hours.

In brilliant fashion, British Airways has two flights heading to Chicago from two gates at one end of Heathrow Terminal 5's B gates. They share the same seating area and have near-identical flight numbers. Both flights are delayed and now both are leaving at the same time. You couldn't make it up. Even the gate crew have to keep correcting themselves and being very careful with the announcements.

Anyway, nine hours later, we reach Chicago airspace and learn there are severe storms, so flights are being rerouted. We continue another hour south to Cincinnati. There are four BA planes on the ground here, so it looks like they have brought everyone into one smaller, completely unprepared airport.

We're first off the plane, and not trusting British Airways to have a plan, head straight to the Alamo car rental counter. Book a room at the Hilton in the city and head off to enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks and drone show on the bank of the Ohio River, alongside the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium. Happy 250th birthday, America!

After a four-hour drive up to Chicago the next day, a walk around the city, followed by another hop into Wisconsin, I'm now in need of a swim. It's been a couple of weeks since Coniston Lake District swim back in the UK, and between travel and a week on the beach in Menorca, I've only managed about 6km in the last two weeks.

So as i'm heading up Green Bay Road towards Milwaukee, I've found a great-looking YMCA pool in Kenosha, just off the highway.

Arrive at the pool, park and head in. The facility is huge, with seemingly every sport under one roof. After driving for 30 minutes through beautiful rural Wisconsin countryside, I wasn't expecting quite such a pool of impressive quality.

The lovely lady at reception takes a few details and gives me a free day pass.

Head past the large open-plan gym and into the locker room, you can't miss them, they're signposted MENMENMEN!

Find an empty locker, chenged, swing the arms then spend a couple of minutes wandering around the various changing-room areas to find the door out to the pool deck. Eventually, I have to ask someone, who walks me past the sauna, steam room and whirlpool doors, all clearly marked, to a plain white, completely nondescript door - Apparently, the sign fell off a while ago and hasn't been replaced yet!

Step onto the pool deck and it's a light, bright pool hall, with a 25-yard, eight-lane pool stretching from a very shallow 3.5 feet down to a deep end with diving boards.

There are only two swimmers in the pool, leaving six free lanes to choose from. Jump into a middle lane and make a start.

The water is perfectly cold and clear. There is no real plan, so I count down 30 minutes on the large LED pool clock and cruise through some easy-paced laps. Two thousand yards done, followed by a couple of warm-down 100s, and that's enough for today.

Swim done, quick shower and change then it's another 30 minutes north to Milwaukee, and hopefully a sports bar showing the USA v Belgium game.