On 22nd February 2020, Welsh ice swimmer Cath Pendleton made history by becoming the first person to ever swim an Ice Mile inside the polar Antarctic circle. She swam in Hanusse Bay in latitude of 66:56 South. Cath is a single mum to two gorgeous girls and doing exercise has always helped her to manage her mental health. Cath discovered her passion for winter/ice swimming in September 2015, since then Cath has tried to go swimming everyday and she refers to it as her "Reset Button”. Cath’s dream is to complete the IISA Ice Sevens Challenge next year and is looking to get back into long distance swimming as-well. Cath is always up for an adventure and enjoys inspiring others to give new things a try. After listening to Cath, she will inspire you to give open water swimming a go!! You can listen to Cath on the Tough Girl Podcast. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss out. The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
Listen to Cath Now!
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Show notes
Her passion for ice swimming
Growing up as a water baby
Being a natural in the water
Joining the Royal Air Force
Starting triathlon in her 30s
Having her time to swim
Falling in love with open water swimming
Loving the freedom of swimming and being in the water
A winter swimming gala…
Having a bad back
Deciding to ditch the wetsuit
Getting addicted to the buzz from open water swimming
How does ice swimming work…
Start in the spring and keep going
How long to stay in the water?
1 minute per degree of water temperature - but it does depend on the person
Never swim alone and make sure you have a good warm up routine for afterwards
Becoming the first welsh woman to swim an ice mile
Struggling to find enough cold places to train in
Needing to have a good team around you
Not being able to have cold showers
Why ice swimming will be with her for life
Swimming in Antarctica
Ice Sevens Challenge
Doing a zero ice mile
Deciding to swim the English Channel
Having 18 months to train for the English Channel swim
Paying for the swimming challenges
Being followed by BBC Sports Wales
The challenges of swimming the English Channel
“Thank you, I’m having a nice day”
Keep your head down and keep swimming
Positive self talk…
Always needing the next goal
Heading off to Antarctica for the big swimming challenge!
Dealing with the pressure of the swim
Being the first swimmer
Getting into the water
Dealing with cold water shock
Why the recovery is really hard on the body
Dealing with the After Drop
Making sure you warm back up properly
Confidence and self belief
Getting to represent Team GB in Ice Swimming
Why you have to train
Follow along with Cath on Social Media
4 more big swims to go!
Feeling frustrated about not being able to plan future challenges because of Covid
Building the swimming pool in the garden
Top tips for getting in the water
Social Media
Facebook: @CathPendleton Instagram: @swimcathswim Twitter: @swimcathswim
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