I spent some time yesterday doing for a friend and myself what I do for my clients – thinking through and writing out an overall plan that will take us to an amazing challenge: our first SwimRun event just twelve weeks away.

Friend and fellow Bri Tri coach Rachel and I are dipping our toes in to the world of SwimRun events, aiming to take part in the Great North SwimRun at Lake Windemere in early June.

SwimRuns are growing in popularity with some extraordinary challenges out there. They originated with the Swedish Otillo events involving swimming from island to island, running over the islands on to the next swim, carrying your kit and key essentials and all performed as a team of two, closely tethered together.

Rachel and I are starting relatively modestly – going for a middle distance event made up of five swims and five runs. If it proves to be as enjoyable as I think it will, the aim will be to do bigger events next year, such as the Isles of Scilly Otillo.

It will be a challenge for both of us. Rachel is just getting over a long running injury and I’m feeling pretty out of shape, having only done light training without a focus for too long.

And that’s where its great to now turn the mind and body to a clear and definite challenge ahead. Now I’ve drawn it out, twelve weeks does not seem far off at all – but that’s where we are and it feels good to have figured out a plan to prepare for the specifics of the event, how to gradually build up and get to where we want to be.

I’ve lined myself up for several other big swim events this year – including the wonderful Bantham Swoosh and a return to the awesome River Dart 10km, both in aid of the charity Level Water which gets disabled children swimming. More details to come.

But for now… its all about gradually upping the number and length of weekly swims and runs, getting used to swimming and running side by side, putting in some runs to and from the pool and trying to stoke up the courage to get into the sea to start acclimatising!

My training ground awaits (though I'm not sure I'm ready for it just yet)