I took another cold bath Thursday.  Similar sort of reaction as before, except this time I managed to keep my head covered with  water (with nose and mouth out so I could breathe) for around 4 minutes of the 20 that I was in the water.  

I had gone out for a shirtless run in +2C temps just before that so was cool from the run so found that it took me a lot longer to warm up than the previous day.  I did not find it unpleasant though.  Maybe I am just getiing used to the feeling now. 

Friday I had a 5 minute cold shower instead as time was limited. 

This week I am headed to Scotland to meet up with an acquaintance that is much more experienced than I am with dealing with the cold.  We have agreed to run and swim together on at least one or 2 occasions whilst I am there.  Snow and colder weather (down to -5C) is forecast so hope that there will still be some snow on the ground when we run (probably in Speedos or thong swimwear). 

Keep watching this space.  I have my camera packed too so maybe you will get a photo or 2 as well in the coming days.

On Monday I could not sleep so went out for a run at around 05h30 in the dark on one of my normal runs using a head-torch.  It's quite a different way to run as the limited light means you need to tread a little more carefully.  As I had more time than normal for a run I decided to run to the little stream where I knew I could get a cold water dip in.  And as it was so dark once I got to the woods I decided to strip off my shorts to get maximum cold exposure and got around 10k of the 14 k run in that state.  It was not that cold (maybe 5C) but it was a little misty.

Once at the stream I took the plunge and spent around 5 minutes in the water and then carried on with my run.  I dont know what the temperature of the stream was but it did not feel much colder than the air and my body got used to the temperature quite quickly.

I warmed up a bit on the run home and then took a cold shower to wash the mud off me.  I did not shiver much on the run, swim or shower but as I was warming up afterwards I did shiver quite a lot.

I am away from home for a few days now and have been pursuing some more cold weather and cold water activities that have been interesting.  I am further north in the UK than my home town and the water  out of the tap is definitely much colder.  So today I also took a long cold bath after I woke up.

I managed around 20 minutes.  The shivering started at around 8 minutes and lasted quite a while.  I managed to keep my head under the water for a few minutes too which is an improvement over past times I have tried that.  I noticed that towards the end my heart rate had slowed a bit but did not have chance to see how much slower it was.

I shivered quite a lot afterwards while warming up but my hands and feet were OK and seemed to recover mobility quite quickly. 

The weather is due to get colder tonight so I may try and get out for a run in the morning in below freezing temps around where I am staying.  I will let you know the outcome. 

Well. Christmas and New Year have come and gone and I dont have a lot to report here.  December in the UK was wet but not that cold. I had many shirtless runs and the occasional cold shower but nothing worthy of a blog entry.

Today, however I did something I have not done for a while. I ran a cold bath and set the timer for 11 minutes (it was supposed to be 10 mins but I went over and couldnt be bothered to reset it). I dont know what temp the water was but I guess around 8C or 9C. I started the timer as I got in and then lay down to enjoy it. No cold shock, rapid breathing on getting in so I guess I am still conditioned!

Taking a bath or a swim is much different from a cold shower. The water is all encompassing and envelops the body in a cloak of cold.

I got to about 8 minutes before some shivering set in but that soon passed and at around the 10 minute mark I decided to put my head completely under the water for the last minute leaving only my nose and mouth out. In the past I have not been able to keep my head under the water but this time I managed to do it.

After the first 11 minutes were over I still felt OK so I styed in the water and set the timer going again with a resolve to stay the full 11 minutes (which I did). The shivering increased over this second session to the point I was shivering quite uncontrollably at one stage. This was not uncomfortable, and in some ways it was quite exciting and enjoyable as I have not experience this for quite a long time. As with the first time, for the last minute I kept my head under the water.

As I write this I am in warming up and having the occassional shivering session. One of my fingers is still white from the cold with little circulation but other than that I feel good and quite invigorated.

I will probably do this a few more times this coming week as I am off to see a fellow runner and cold water swimer in Scotland the week of 14 January. I hope to report back on at least 1 or 2 run/swim combinations while I am there. He has promised to take me to 2 of the local lochs for a swim in them. They should be at around the 5C mark by now so it will be interesting, especially as we plan to run to and from them in just our speedo swim suits.

 For the record my weight seems to be staying pretty constant at around 66Kg.

A missed opportunity?

I have to say that the expected run on Friday did not happen. However, I made up for it with a 9km run in -2C on Saturday and a longer 12 km run today also starting off in -2C temperatures. The sky was blue, the air crisp and fresh with hardly anyone around, even at 08h30 in the woods and on the trails. All in all it was a great day for a run The ground was crisp underfoot making some of the muddier sections like walking on a sharp stone pebbled beach - a little awkward and to be taken with great care to avoid twisting an ankle! It was a good shirtless run and not without people noticing me. I was hooted at twice by passing motorists and asked by a another "Are you mad?". That sort of thing seems to happen more in cold weather than in the height of summer. The man who shouted at me probably would have thought me even more mad if he had seen me take a cold shower at the end of the run. The water didnt seem that cold after the freezing run though - even kind of warm on the skin. I guess that is true in the extremes of Estonia and other places where they do ice swimming. It must be a relief to get in water close to freezing (0C) as it is warmer than the -10C to -20C that the air is on your skin. I long to have that experience. Maybe this year I will get the chance.

November Update

Well, it finally looks like the cold weather is arriving in the UK. THe temperature this morning was well below freezing with ice on the cars and a frost on the ground. Monday's run this week was the wettest and probably coldest run so far of the winter. Monday was not particularly cold (6C) but the rain and wind certainly ensured that my skin was quite red when I had finished my 10k run. I warmed up gradually and then had a cool shower to rinse the mud off. For a lot of this month I have been away (which is why you have not seen many posts)in the southern hemisphere, which does not equate to cold temperatures there. In fact, the 3 or 4 runs that I did do there were in temps that were a balmy 16C-20C followed by a dip in a swimming pool that was around 24C (and that was at 05h30 in the morning!). For some people that would be cold but for me that is probably too warm. I saw lots of other runners out on the roads but I was the only one without a shirt. No run for me today, as I am travelling in the UK and have other things to do, but hopefully I will have more to report after the weekend. I have a run planned for Friday and Saturday mornings. With a bit of luck the starting temperatures will be below freezing on both days.

As mosty regular readers of this blog know, most of my cold weather activities are centred around running as well as a few cold water showers and baths. I have been running shirtless through the past 2 years now, I can only think of one time when I actually wore a shirt to run in and that day it started out at -14C. I did take off my shirt half-way round the 11km route that I was doing that day and finished the run shirtless. The weather in the UK has warmed up a little since my last post so it was a warm 11C at the start of the run (although it is supposed to be getting colder later this week). Just over three quarters of the way around the route there was a farmer out with his dogs in the field and he echoed and probably the most often spoken comment that I hear: "You're brave!" To be perfectly honest, I don't feel brave at all - it's what I do every time I run. I feel normal. I am sure it's the same for the winter swimmers when they are seen in the ice covered rivers and lakes. I am sure they feel "normal" and not some kind of freak as they do it all the time. The fact that the person that is observing you does not do that activity or would ever consider doing what we do themselves somehow means that they need to comment. A normal "hello!" or "what a great morning!" would be a much better greeting and would invite a normal conversation. Instead I often feel I have to justify why I am running the way I do. Unfortuately, I am rarely able to think of a witty or smart comment as a put-down to the person relating the comment. What kind of comments do you get when people see you doing something unusual and how do you react? Let me knowl

2012/2013 Winter Season

I think it's about time to fire this blog up again for the winter season. The temperatures have started to drop here in the UK and the rain is becoming more persistent and cold too as we head into the latter part of October. There has not been a morning where the temerature has been below freezing yet, but I am sure that one is not too far away. I have been running throughout the summer, shirtless as usual, and now that the water temperature out of the taps is cooling down to a point where it feels a little colder on the skin I have started to step up the cold water showers in the morning again. A nice fresh start to the day. If you are still around and reading this drop me a comment or two to let me know you are out there. Also would welcome any stories you have to share. All the best.

First Sea Swim of the year

Hi All

Managed to get a few days away at the coast this past weekend. Also managed to get a couple of 10k runs in first thing in the morning which I followed up with a swim in the sea to cool off.

The sea temp was around +9C and the air temperature just a little cooler than that at around +7C. I got a few stares from passing folk and at least two people say "you're brave" (why is that the phrase that more people use than any other?) as I ran past them.

A great weekend away but not nice to come back from the great outdoors and have to work in a stuffy office. Here's looking to the next time I can get away.

You forgot about me didn't you?

I know it's been a long time since I posted anything here. But there is some good news! I have been exploring my local area some more and finally found a place where I can get immersed in relatively clean river water on one of my local runs. I have tried it out twice on my early morning runs over the past 3 weeks and it is great. A little exposed for a naked swim for my liking but OK as long as there are not too many people around (I nearly got caught out this morning!).

I hope to take some pictures next time I get out there for you all to see.

We have been having some great sunny weather in the South of the UK recently. Hot, sunny days but cool and clear nights whcih makes for some great contrasts in temperature. For my runs the past 2 days I have left home in 5C temps and then passed through valleys with frost on the grass and a noticeable chill in the air. Half way through this morning's run I swam in the stream for around 4 minutes. I estimate the water temp to have been around 6C. It was certainly a lot colder than the cold water (10C) bath I took for 13 minutes at home last week.

I think we are headed for some colder weather in the coming weeks - so keep watching.

I have been updating my youtube account with the best of this winter's cold water swimming vids (Eeven more cold water swimming videos) so pleas drop by and take a look: http://www.youtube.com/user/tremendimouse

Leave a comment here or on Youtube if you like what you see.

Till next time.

Snow Run

The first snowfall of winter started overnight last night and it was still lightly falling when I set off for my normal morning run today. Temperature was around freezing with a light westerly wind, so not too cold compared to some mornings. Great to get out and feel the snow on my shirtless body. Just a pity you cant run naked!

Winter arrived today

Its been a long time coming but today was the first time this winter that we had a really cold start to a day. For some of you -3C is not so cold, but for the south of the UK -3C is pretty chilly. The temeperature did not stop me from getting up early to run with my mates though - shirtless of course (the only one as usual). It was a great run, not too fast not too slow - 10km in around 55 minutes. Temp at finish -1C. so a complete sub-zero run, the first one of that sort for the season.

It was a clear sky, moon still out in the dawn light to be replaced by an orange sun a few minutes later. Great to see the frost glistening on the hedges, trees, fences and grass as the sun came ever higher in the sky along with the mist hanging low and burning off in the valleys.

I really like running in winter, the scenery is great. Even saw a deer running away from us across one of the fields. The hot coffee afterwards was also a great way to warm up and get some feeling back into my fingers!

Till next time........

Winter is Coming

As the weather is cooling down here in the UK now, I think it is about time to get back to the origins of my blog - my experiences of cold water. There has been a relatively dramatic drop in temperature in the UK over the past 2 weeks. From basking in >20C sunshine to the first hard frost of the winter last weekend (1C) has barely taken 10 days!

To give you all an update on the running. I have continued to run shirtless through the summer and will continue to do so through the winter this year if at all possible. I have run all my races this year shirtless (often being the only person in the race to do so) and although I have put in a personal best (PB)time in a 10km run early this season I have not been able to improve on my half marathon PB. I did improve upon my time for one of the half-marathons that I did the previous year by around 5 minutes, so my training can't all have been in vain. I still weigh around 67kg so not much fluctuation there either.

With the weather cooling down, so has the water temperature out of the tap too. I am starting to take cold showers again after a summer break (2 with only cold water this week). I find that in summer the water is tepid and not as enjoyable as either really cold or really hot. So I tend to mix it up a bit depending on my mood in the summer. I am looking forward to the water temperatures getting down into single digits again (i.e. below 10C/50F). Also planning to take some cold water baths again to get used to full immersion. I am still looking for a good place to swim outdoors in the winter. If I find a place I will take some pics and post them here.

That's all for now. Drop me a mail or leave a comment as to what you are goin to be doing this winter.

Vacation and more

Well, my short break in France was really good. I spent a lot of time in the sun. I had a great time running along the beach totally naked in the early morning and then relaxing naked in the sun building up a healthy tan for most of the rest of the day. Just being out close to the sea is so relaxing. I had a few good run's along the beach and on the paved tracks that run through the forests on the West coast of France.

Being able to shed all vestiges of clothing is a great way for me to relax, no encumbrances, just hanging free and easy and taking in the sun.

I went camping on my own, which was not as much fun as when travelling with other guys and enjoying a glass of wine together at the end of the day. I did not manage to get to stay at a naked campsite this time, but that may well be an option if I get away on my own again next year.

Now that summer is almost over here in the UK, I have started taking a few cold showers again. Starting early to get used to the cooler water temperatures is certainly refreshing, especially after a good morning run.

I am starting to play with pain control again. Focusing on my nipples as the pain centre. I found few clamps and clips that I play with, putting them on and pulling and twisting as well as keeping them on for varying amounts of time. Would surely like to find someone to play with to test each other out. if you are interested, drop me a line or leave a comment.

I am still running and keeping my weight down. I need to still drop about 3 or 4 more pounds to get the body fat% down. Will try cutting down on food intake for a while and see what happens. perhaps up my mileage this week a little too to around the 50km (30mile) mark

Till next time.....

July Update

Hey, I know it's been a while since my last post. No excuses from my side - just not felt I have much to report. Have been keeping up the running and having a few cold showers. Took part in a half marathon a few weekends ago and put in a time of just over 1h47m - a few seconds off my personal best so am happy with that.

Hoping to get a vacation in late July/early August. If you want to join me, let me know by return mail or in the comments section. It will be an active holiday (run/swim/cycle) as well as tons of time for nude tanning and whatever else happens to come along. Would be nice to have some company.

Am gonna try and stay as naked as possible while I am away - may even try and find a naturist campsite if I can to be nude 24x7.

Another update soon.