Brisk

If you know this beach, you know what a treat today was. No wind, no boats, crystal clear water.

Today was a special day, an intimate swim with a small handful of people and excellent shore support. We had the most perfect conditions imaginable on a November afternoon. The air was a lovely 60 F and the water was well... that's up for debate. Thermometers read 51 F but three hours after getting out my right big toe is still protesting. My goal with today's swim was to get in without pausing longer than to splash water on myself. My typical entry involves using my buoy as kickboard for the first few minutes until I put my head in. But I did it! I got in and started swimming right away, only a brief pause to ah... um... make a warm spot.

Getting in.

My swim was fantastic and exactly what I needed, but I set myself up for success today. I bagged an impressive 10 hours of sleep last night, had a big breakfast, and was well hydrated by the time we got in the water at 4:30. Knowing that the water temperature had dropped since last week (it was 54-55 F) I decided my max time in the water would be 35minutes, I stayed in for a hair under 29. Shore support did a great job helping me get out of my suit and bundled up with a mug of hot Tang. The weather was so nice that we elected to warm up on the beach rather than in a car and made a cuddle puddle of a sleeping bag, coats, hot water bottles, and fluffy hats.

Thanks to the expert advice of a fellow winter swimmer, I tracked my time out of the water too. Once on shore, I started my watch again with the idea to stop it when the 'real' shivers start that indicate the after drop, and to stop it again once I felt safe to drive. From the time I got out of the water until the after drop was 11min. and I was ready to drive after half an hour. At this point my body feels back to normal and my stress levels are more than cut in half from before the swim.

Okay. Enough fun. Back to the world of assignments, readings, and APA.

See you next time!