Like the sweatshirt says: "Grin and bear it"

                                                                                                    10-25-11

     It's easy to talk a big game when the water temp is still in the 60's, but when it dips below and the outside temp is 50...well the tune has a different chorus.

     Luckily I have an awesome brother that made time to come out a couple days early so I didn't miss out on a swim this week.  We met at Bountiful Lake around 5:30 and stepping out of our cars we instantly knew it was gonna be a cold swim.

     After setting up our gear on the east pier we were already getting kinda chilly just standing there so we did a few laps around the area to generate some heat and warm up.  We headed back to look at the thermometer that Josh had put in the water a few minutes before to see what we'd be up against this week.  Josh looked up at me and all he said was: "We are dead."  Encouraging right?

     This is what we've been waiting for, the temp to drop below 60 and bring on the cold, and with a reading of 57 we got our wish tonight.  After having done this at the end of this past winter we knew how that would feel and contemplated the course to take.  We decided on just a short swim out to the South pier and back to the East.  Josh dove in and after a few strokes I jumped in after him.  Like always there was the initial shock to the body and some tingling on the skin but really didn't feel too bad.

     When I caught up with Josh we both quickly said we felt good and wanted to keep going.  From the South pier we headed toward the island and then made our way back to the East pier where we started. I thought that for sure today I wouldn't be able to keep my head in the water but to my great surprise I was able to.  The only thing that bothered me was after awhile my muscles got tight and I felt like I really had to use a lot of effort to make any distance.

     In Lynne Cox's new book Josh told me about how she talks about going for a little jog after one of her freezing swims and said that it really helped in warming her up.  So when we pulled ourselves out of the water and got dressed we did a quick jog and I gotta admit even with the short distance today of 1/4 mile I could tell a difference with adding the jog and think I will continue that.

     It was another great swim and I am so excited that it's getting colder and look forward to seeing what I can do this year!

You're Getting In There...On purpose?

                                                                                              10-20-11

     Tonight was our second meeting for WFPBC.  Walking along the path to the East Pier there were a pair of couples walking toward the parking lot and asked me: "You're getting in there?" with the second couple following up with: "On purpose?"  Well...Heck yes I'm getting in there!

     For me week 2 was filled with more anticipation after a somewhat disappointing temp from week 1.  Although it wasn't a significant drop, just 2 degrees (63 to 61), it was a good sign that it's getting colder.  Gords dove in off the East Pier while Josh and I jumped in after.  The initial plan was to swim to the West Pier and back but when we got there the three of us felt pretty good and made a course change around the island and back to the East Pier.

     My headaches were a problem until I reached the back of the island then my head warmed up and I was able to put my head in the water and stretch out my stroke.  At about the same time I noticed the muscles in my arms were getting tight and was taking more effort to swim.  I wondered the rest of the way if the cause was me being out of shape or if it was the cool sinking into them.  Since it was just a half mile I figured it was both but more of the water. 

     Getting out of the water I felt great and I don't think anyone was shaking.  It was another great week and continue to look forward to new challenges.

Wasatch Front Polar Bear Club

                                                                                                      10-13-11

     Today was the first swim for the new Wasatch Polar Bear Club.  With the cooler weather the last couple weeks I've been getting excited for cold water season.

     Josh, Gordon and I met at Saltair and headed out to Black Rock in Josh's car.  It was a nice clear day and close to 70 degrees.  When we were walking in the water it was cool but not cold.  I think the temp we ended up with was 63.  So although it's not 'Polar' yet it was still a great chance for a swim.

     The water was the clearest I've ever seen it at the Great Salt Lake and was awesome.  I also pulled out my SSD to try out tonight for the first time...I forgot to get it out at La Jolla.  I'd heard Josh and others talk about not noticing it behind you when swimming but I still wondered if it would be an annoyance.  Thankfully like the others I didn't notice it in fact I forgot that I even had it with me.  Before we turned back to head for shore we layed back and relaxed in the water for a few minutes and I learned just by chance that you can lay your head on the SSD like a pillow and the strap will support your back so it's like a bed, it was really comfy and fun.

     Although the water was in the 60's the plates in my head got cold and gave me a headache for the first few minutes but was able to warm up and felt great.  The only bad thing is that the salt let me know that my lips were a little dry because they were stinging the whole swim but still had fun.  I was also worried about my shoulder because it had been hurting for a few days but after being home from the swim it feels like its back to normal.  Guess my new medicine is swimming therapy :)

La Jolla Cove

                                                                                         9-20-11

     While the nephews were excited to go to Legoland, I was trying my best to be patient waiting for La Jolla Cove...And it did not disappoint!!!

     At Alcatraz the signs warned against Sea Lions, at La Jolla cautions plastered the rails lining the walkway about  dangerous riptides.  The whole family played on the beach for a few minutes and the signs were right, the riptide would pull your legs out and drag you into the deep blue if you didn't pay attention.  I'd never felt anything like that before it.  After hanging out on shore and playing Josh and I couldn't wait any longer and headed into the water.  While wading in the cove Josh brought up an interesting point about the salt content.  He wondered if we'd even be able to notice it after spending the summer swimming in the Great Salt Lake.  I hadn't even thought about that and after swimming a few yards I noticed that the taste was missing and had to lick my lips to make sure the ocean still had salt in it.

     Leaving the cove we swam above the local fish population which was both exciting and eerie.  Even tho they were just small fish it's visual proof that you are out of your environment and in someone else's.  Out in the open the plant life kept sneaking up on me when I would take a breath.  Rolling my head and putting my face back in the water I'd be surprised by kelp right in front of me and then be swimming over the top of the slimy and sometimes even pokey plant.  We also had a few seagulls dive bombing us on the way to the buoy that we got a kick out of.

     Even tho I'd been away from swimming for a few months before getting in I was feeling great and when we were a couple hundred yards from reaching shore I lifted my head up and to my right there a couple Sea Lions playing about ten feet away from me!  It was pretty awesome but I gotta admit it kind of freaked me out being that close and I headed back in a quicker pace.

     We did about a half mile round trip and had a blast.  I'm so happy I finally made it to La Jolla and hope to get back there for a race.