Confession: I haven’t swum in six months. I’ve got a new book out about triathlon in which I talk about how brilliant swimming is and how glad I am that I leaned to do it finally. And yet I’ve been to the pool once since September.

I had good intentions of going swimming. Since September I’d kept paying my monthly swim pass fee only to see 30 days go by without it being taken out of my purse. After £120 of unused swimming, I decided to cancel it.

My one trip to the pool since September was back in January. I went for a swim in the Olympic pool with Katie and Liz, but there was more chatting than swimming happening. And, if I’m honest, it put me off going back. Not because of the company but because I’d found it hard; I felt tired, my breathing was laboured – I was worried I’d left it too long and I’d forgotten how to swim.

I’ve had a long standing appointment to go swimming with my friend and coach Chris. I’d sponsored him for a race last summer which had led to me winning a coaching session. But I’d managed to use training for the ultras as a good reason to postpone it. His persistence and keen eye on my race calendar meant that once Paris was finished I had no excuse not to get back in the pool. And with a triathlon five weeks away, every reason to start swimming again.

Just to make sure I could manage not to make a complete tit of myself, I went to the pool on Saturday. I splashed about pretending to help a friend with their crawl for most of the time I was there but did take myself off to do 20 minutes non-stop to test out the arms. It was slow but steady.

Chris and I met at the pool today. He came bearing swim aids, I came with a worried expression. I swam up and down, then did all sorts of drills – some I’ve done before, others I know I should do but don’t and some I’d never done at all. It’s one thing doing a drill and feeling a bit awkward and self-conscious in the shallow end not really knowing what you’re doing, it makes a difference to have someone telling you if you’re doing it right or wrong.

It was good to know the things I’m doing well (breathing, body position and I’ve managed to avoid the dreaded ‘runners kick’) and have a plan to work on the things that aren’t so good (pulling through the water – hey weedy arms).

So now I’ve got my water confidence back, swimming is back on the agenda. I’ve signed up for 8 weeks of 7am sessions with Chris and a few open water events this summer. It’s good to be back.

Chris has hired a pool in Kentish Town, Thursday mornings at 7am, for a group swim session and there are a couple of spaces left if you’d like to join him (and me) for 8 weeks of swimming. Find him via his website or on Twitter for more details.

NB: He didn’t ask me to write this (and I’m paying for my lessons), I’m just helping out a friend.