3-19-10
Made three tries - down the ladder, from the beach, from another area on the rocks - and didn't get to the immersion plus stroking phase. Water is probably in mid-40s. It's a lovely warm day, with cold rain and snow predicted for the weekend, so I had to try. A Russian has been swimming all winter, wherever he is not iced out, so I know it's possible. For some. The real season doesn't start until first week in May, 50 deg water.
Lake Michigan
Workout suit
:)
Took my first OW dip of the year at Canyon Lake in Arizona. The air temperature was 76, and the last recorded water temp was 53. We've had a ton of rain and lots of snow in the high country, so the lakes are much colder than usual.
I wore my sleeveless wetsuit since I knew it would be cold (sorry, I'm not a purist) and my arms stung a bit (we Arizonans have very thin blood due to the triple-digit temps we get in the summer), but my face felt absolutely frozen! :bump:I wore two swim caps and used ear plugs so those parts of my head were fine. It was just my face that felt so horribly cold.
I found I couldn't swim more than 20 strokes without having to stop so my face would warm up. I ended up swimming about 200 meters.
It's been a long time since I've attempted to swim in cold water. I'm a native Californian and used to swim in the ocean without a wetsuit, but since moving to Arizona 9 years ago, I've become totally acclimated to the warmer temperatures and anything below 70 feels cold to me now. I could really use some tips on how to acclimate my face to colder water temperatures.
Took my first OW dip of the year at Canyon Lake in Arizona. The air temperature was 76, and the last recorded water temp was 53. We've had a ton of rain and lots of snow in the high country, so the lakes are much colder than usual.
I wore my sleeveless wetsuit since I knew it would be cold (sorry, I'm not a purist) and my arms stung a bit (we Arizonans have very thin blood due to the triple-digit temps we get in the summer), but my face felt absolutely frozen! :bump:I wore two swim caps and used ear plugs so those parts of my head were fine. It was just my face that felt so horribly cold.
I found I couldn't swim more than 20 strokes without having to stop so my face would warm up. I ended up swimming about 200 meters.
It's been a long time since I've attempted to swim in cold water. I'm a native Californian and used to swim in the ocean without a wetsuit, but since moving to Arizona 9 years ago, I've become totally acclimated to the warmer temperatures and anything below 70 feels cold to me now. I could really use some tips on how to acclimate my face to colder water temperatures.
