Food plays a big part in swimming for me. I love food. I grew up with a mum who is a wonderful cook and with two much older, hollow legged brothers there was always plenty of it around.
Obviously a love of food has its drawbacks. Swimming, whether inside our outside, offers me a way to burn off a bit of that nosh as well as give me an excuse to allow myself the odd bit of cake. Speak to any open water swimmer and cake eating is usually an activity that goes hand in hand with drying off after a dip.
Over the winter though food plays an even bigger part in my swim regime. When I’m freezing after a dip, maybe suffering a spot of afterdrop ‘Tis The Season Day 13 – Afterdrop nothing warms me up quite like hot food. A huge bowl of soup, a big hearty roast dinner, a bowl of porridge are my go to foods. It’s not unusual to find me cooking a roast dinner in full post swim kit on a Sunday. A tactically timed swim and a bit of planning on a Sunday afternoon means I can come home, whack the Yorkshire puddings in and fill my boots on hearty winter food to warm me up.
I’ve also learnt it’s possible to eat soup, noddles, crisps and flapjack in the shower!
Open Water Wheway 