Ross Swimming Pool

4:15am start this morning! I’m planning a swim on the way down to Somerset, but I don’t really think through the logistics of booking a 6am session at Ross-on-Wye Leisure Centre the night before.

I’m half hoping to still be snowed in, but it’s magically disappeared overnight. In 24 hours we’ve gone from daytime highs of 1 degree to 8 degrees, and rain.

Take the M50 off the M5 and head through the rain and dark towards the Welsh border. Arrive right on 6am, play the usual game of where’s the car park entrance, then make it into the changing rooms just after the session has started. I can just about see through to the pool deck between the cubicles and lockers, and spot what looks like a pretty full fast lane.

Quick stretch. First swim in ten days, I’ve not been in the pool since heading over to the launch morning at the new Lichfield pool last week.

Out on to the pool deck. Not bad. It’s a 25m, four-lane pool, a typical small-town setup. I do like the fish-inspired graffiti surrounding the pool deck. Slightly unusually, the fast lane is actually labelled the Advanced lane (and on the other side of the sign 'Advance' lane). There’s some sort of casual semi-organised session going on. The lane is open to the public, but the medium lane pace looks too slow, so I jump in anyway.

That quickly causes problems. There are six swimmers of mixed pace doing 200s, with seemingly lengthy rests between each one. I decide to bash out a 1600m and try to stay out of the way. Or possibly very much in the way. Accept the holdup every few lengths and get on with it.

The water is super choppy and I swallow more water than I’d like. I’m definitely feeling the ten days without swimming, plus the extra Christmas 2kg.

Halfway through my opening mile I suddenly get lamped right on the right goggle by a swimmer in the next lane. We must both be a bit close to the ropes - but his arm must have been right over! Quite why he’s swimming with a closed fist, I’ve no idea - i'll enjoy the bruise later.

I switch to a descending set, 400, 300, 2...100... lifeguard blows the whistle. Turns out they’re very serious about the 50-minute session. Everyone out for ten minutes before the next one starts. I finish up on 2.4km for the morning, about 800m short of my usual base swim, but it’s a new pool on the list so I’m pretty happy.

Swim done, I head back to the changing rooms. The locals are complaining there aren’t any free cubicles. Apparently a quick swim, then leaving your kit in a cubicle while you take a gym class is a thing here, and it’s a hot topic.

The shower situation isn’t much better. I’m heading straight down to work so I need a proper shower. Only three cubicles are working, so I end up queuing for ten minutes.

Quick drive over the bridge to Somerset. My cereal bar has done nothing to solve my furry mouth. I keep getting this after swimming in certain pools, must be the chlorine they’re using. I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut underwater!