It’s been a funny one with my attitude towards swimming recently because I’ve always been a water baby but I’ve been psyching myself out with how much work I’ve got to do before my triathlon in the summer.

I learnt to swim when I was really young and I’ve always loved being in swimming pools although deep open water has proved tricky. Two summers ago a week of triathlon training in the South of France helped kick that fear to the kerb and I’ve since learned to scuba dive which has helped even more. So the fear has nothing to do with being in the water, it’s all about how much work I’ve got to do on my technique and how I need to work on my cardio fitness, my least favourite thing to do.

Last week I took all of the pressure off and just took myself for a swim. The aim was to complete 20 lengths (1,000 metres) at a leisurely pace, all at breast stroke. Once I actually got into the water and out of the freezing air it was simple. One stroke at a time, count down the lengths and before I knew it I was done. I could have carried on but I decided to quit while I was ahead and still feeling fresh.

Normally when I get out of the water I have to jump around on one foot to get all the water out of my ears, a problem I’ve always had. Family holidays used to end with me screaming in pain from ear infections after spending every day underwater perfecting my handstands and dolphin impression.

However, this time I tried SwimSeal, a product that protects the ear canal with a waterproof coating. It acts like the natural earwax that protects our ears on an everyday basis. After exposure to water that earwax can be washed away, which leaves the ear open for water to get in. SwimSeal stays put for 2-3 hours unlike the earwax so the protection is long-lasting.

I put a few drops in each ear before I got in the pool and although a bit leaked out down onto my neck my ears didn’t feel greasy at all after the swim. It contains tea tree oil, which makes it smell lovely as well as giving it an antiseptic quality to make sure no bacteria get into the ears. I didn’t have to do any one-footed jumping this time and my ears feel as good as always.

I’m going to keep using Swim Seal throughout my triathlon training because ear infections? I ain’t got time for that.

Disclaimer: I was sent a bottle of Swim Seal to try out but as always all opinions are my own