8,820

That's roughly how many kilometres I've swum just since I got back into the pool 25 years ago.  8,820!!!!!!  It's only 7,444 from St. John's to Victoria, so I've swum further than the length of the whole country!

I find that hard to believe, but I just did the math.  That's a lot of swimming!  For years, I did the Lake Windermere 2K Open Water Swim, but haven't for the last few because they moved the date up and it was just too cold for me without a wet suit.  Hey, I'm not going to buy a wet suit for one swim a year!  (This picture isn't me, but it gives you an idea of that beautiful lake.)  

Lake Windermere swim.  The lake is a tributary of the mighty Columbia River, so it's quite a thrill swimming it!

This is me pushing off, with my trusty Swim Buddy.  Belted around your waist, it just bobs along and is a handy safety device, if you ever need one.  I haven't, but it's always there.

Just thought I'd record my stats so they will be in volume 14 of my blog when I next publish one for my grands to read -- if they ever get around to doing so when I'm gone.  

Am I impressed with myself?  You betcha!