With the confidence of lake swimming under my belt, the first channel swimmer who I interviewed was very keen to share his experiences. He told me of how he had trained, how he knew he was ready, how it was all about mindset, and also all about having a lot of fat reserves.

As we talked, he asked me if I had ever swam in the Channel. Then, I realised the first flaw in my plan. As obvious as it was, I was focused on mind-over-matter, and not on actually whether my body could endure the wild wave that the sea can bring. I had been thinking that it was going to be all about long distance, knowing that I could have swam 100km if I needed to, and knowing that I could swim for hours in British lakes but without considering the windy and wavy conditions.

The sea was calling me.