boooooo…

… I haven’t booed this much since the hockey game last night (I’m a Bruin fan!)… except the difference is that I’m booing myself!  I’m a moron… I didn’t get a picture of today’s swim!  I knew it was going to happen one of these days, when the batteries died or I forgot the camera or something!  Actually we did have some stranger take a pic of us… but when I got home and checked it, there was nothing there?  I’d love to say it was his fault, but I think I probably handed it to him when it was on view instead of shoot… d’oh.

I know we’re all out there to swim… and you shouldn’t need your picture taken just to go for a swim… but I assume people are like me and they like to see the picture… just makes it more interesting to read this when there are pics with it.  Whatever… I like it.

Problem is… this may take a 1000 words now… but picture this, there must have been about 50 of us out today (okay, there was 17, but still a great turnout for the second LOST swim of the season!)… and the water was rough, rollers the size of houses out there (okay, a couple of feet, but still that’s pretty big for our usual Saturday morning swims)… and the water was cold… really cold (okay, it was actually pretty warm, much warmer than last week’s 44F / 6C!).  So how’s that for a description… bet you wish I hadn’t screwed up the picture!

Actually, it was very choppy and lots of rollers… they were going against us on the way out… but it was great coming back… all downhill!  We had a good mix of newbies and old vets out for the swim today, I just love how the word is spreading and there are so many great, friendly people that love to come out and share a Saturday morning dip in one of the Great Lakes with us! 

And, drum roll please…. the water was 56F / 11C! 

Of course, I didn’t tell anyone before we swam, only that it was fairly cold, but still very swimable.  And as it turns out… it was very swimable!  My philosophy / experience is that if you tell people it is 56F, for example, they get hung up on the number and psyche themselves out before they even get in the water.  Now, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t make sense to lie and say it is going to be warm and shock the hell out of everyone when it is cold… I told them it was still going to be fairly cold, but that they’ll be fine… and they were.  It just doesn’t help to fixate on a number.  This is also where swimming with a group helps.  Not only is it safer and more fun… it actually helps you with your confidence.  You see everyone else is able to do it… so you think, “hmmm, I guess I can probably do it too”.  I still want everyone to use their heads and assess their own ability, but just not get psyched out and not swim up to their ability. 

Cool thing is… when we were done our 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back (probably a bit longer actually), I told everyone that they had just swum over a half hour in 56F water… in quite rough conditions… and I think everyone was surprised at how well they had done!  Hey, let me tell you if I had walked down there by myself, saw the rough, 56F water… I don’t know that I would have gone in… and I imagine everyone else is the same… but as a group, well, it turned into a really enjoyable swim.

Then we had coffee.  The social side of LOST… and all is well.

PS.  Hats off to Mel who did the swim today “naked”, I’m just being a bit of a wimp this year, as I’m only doing Ironman, so I’m in a wetsuit, my head isn’t into training in cold water right now, but I’ll join her soon enough… and anyone else that wants to take it to the next level is welcome to join the “naked” group!  I’m gradually pulling people over to the dark side!  Good work, Mel… great training for your Lake O Crossing!  (fyi… 56F is quite cold without a wetsuit!)

PSS.  Oh, I almost forgot… special thanks to Bill Johnson (Mel’s husband), who was out in the kayak… I really like having a kayaker out there, just for extra safety!  Thanks Billy!!!

Great swim everyone!  See you next week!

Cheers,

Rob