The only way is Essex

Is Upminster London? Technically speaking we are firmly in the county of Essex, a Romford postcode and er well, the countryside; on the other hand we are at the very last stop eastern stop of  the District Line of the London Underground. The Urban Swimmer says yes it is, and moreover, his blog his rules...

 

A week Saturday TUS took part in the excellent Orion 15, a 15 mile cross country run across Epping Forest, and last Sunday he ran in the Reading Half Marathon. Consequently all this running has rather disrupted his pool schedule. A good time then to recall one of last summer's visits to this far east of London's pools: gateway to the exotic East, Upminster. Better still because the pool in question is not a public pool and thus to TUS, all the more appealing for it's inaccessibility.

The pool in question is that of The Coopers' Company and Coborn School, a secondary school and sixth form. How does one get access to this facility without breaking windows, trespassing and incurring a restraining order from being a suspected kiddie fiddler? One must enter the Havering '90 Joggers annual Aquathlon. For the uninitiated, that's a swimming and running race. The Joggers event takes place in August, and since the swim is 400m and the race is 5k, even beginners should make it round without too much pain. TUS rather likes the format of the Aquathlon, and can't really understand why so many distance runners/swimmers end up as triathletes. Has it not occurred to people that using a two wheeled vehicle is basically cheating, and not that far removed from turning up at an Olympic 100m final on a moped. Maybe just me then...

Nothing quite like the pleasure of watching other people exercise when you've finished.

The pool itself reminded TUS of his own school days. Not that his school had a swanky pool like this, but secondary schools have a sort of universal feel. All those wood floored gyms, walls covered in students art and officious looking school notices, a slightly damp odor. Anyway the pool is 25m, and if you take part in the event you'll swim in four lanes, keeping to one side of a lane you share with another swimmer usually a length ahead. That can lead to an occasional banging of arms but TUS unharmed rather than unarmed.

Anyway it's a pleasant little local event with the air of summer sports day and TUS thoroughly enjoyed himself. If your interested check out the joggers website, though at time of writing, the 2012 event had yet to be announced.