Fifty Degree Swim

Randy climbing out after 400 meters in 50 degree water

 

Friday I drove back to DSU to get in another swim. From now until June 1, I need to get in as many yards as possible. When I started to exit my truck at the natatorium, I got this sickening feeling inside. I forgot to bring my swim bag. Who does that? Luckily, I had an old towel and a pair of goggles on the back seat so all was not lost. I had planned on doing a lot of paddle work, but putting in some yardage was the main thing. I had swum 450 when Mark Blackwood walked up so I stopped and we chatted a bit. He left to go the the gym for a treadmill run and I did another 1200 when he showed up again. After he left the second time, I decided to swim until the pace clock flipped to 00:00 and then start a 33 X 100 set @ 2:00. I got in another 1000 and then rested a couple of minutes waiting for the pace clock to get right. The 100s set went pretty well, but I got tired after 25 of them. I finished with an easy 50 giving me 6,000 yards for the day.
Saturday I decided against running to allow my left shin more time to heal. Instead, I did repeats of a circuit on the bike trainer and some weight lifting. On the  weights, I did squats, overhead presses, sled drags, and shrugs.

Sunday afternoon I met Randy at the pond. The air temp was in the 60s and the water was 50. Randy lives in an apartment building that has an outdoor pool, and he has been getting in every morning before work. I am the one who got him started on this cold water stuff, but he has taken off and left me in the dust. He wanted to go the distance of his upcoming swim in Chattanooga. I drove him to the far end, and the plan was for him to swim back while I drove beside him on the levee taking pictures and being there to help if he got into trouble. He was in the water ten minutes, got out in good shape, and never started shivering. Then it was my turn.

Me scooting along in the coldest water of my life.

I hadn't been in cold water since December 17th, I think, and this was a record temp for me. I suited up because I was hoping to get in some real distance. If Randy had not been there, I most likely would have gotten out. The pain on my hands was indescribable, and I thought they were going to go dead on me. Overall I never got too cold, but the hands, arms, and face were pretty intensely painful. Eventually the hands did feel better. Randy followed along on foot, taking pictures and being close in case I got into trouble. When I made the entire circle and wound up back at the truck, I should have gone for another lap, but I wimped out and quit swimming. I made .72 miles at a pace of 27:12 per mile, and was amazed at how tired my arms became. Short course swimming just does not prepare the body to swim open water. The muscles get a rest every eighteen strokes. When there are no walls, the muscles have to just keep working and working and working. Big difference.

For the week, I

ran only 6.63 and
walked 2.81 miles
biked 111 minutes on the trainer
did dry land three times and
swam 17,793.28 meters.

Although that's not a huge amount of swimming, it is a record for me for any week in the month of January. December and January are the most difficult months to get in distance. I pretty much take December in stride considering it my off season. But by the time January rolls around, I begin to get a bit antsy. It was a good week for me swimming in January. Maybe I can top it next week.