5 weeks to go to the 20th Annual Chicago Masters' Big Shoulders Open Water 2.5k and 5k swim.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway of Swimming! But without the flags!
www.bigshoulders.org
This swim is also part of the USMS H2Open Series and the Great Lakes GLOWS series, all compelling reasons to attend the church of the 5k butterfly.
For those unfamiliar with the venue, swimming can be done at Ohio Street Beach any day (short of bacterial counts high enough to close the beach), so a trial swim along the seawall in the days preceding the meet is easily done.
Lake Michigan temp has been much warmer this summer. We don't need woollen leggings and ski caps after a 6 a.m. swim.
:)
You guys are a lot tougher than me!!!! I'd be proud if I finished that swim. I bagged it after 25 or 30 strokes, a serious sissy!! I will be ready next year for whatever the weather throws our way!!!
Come on up for some cold lake swims in advance. That will also take off a bit of the pressure and mystique of B Shoulders.
Words like "tough" and "sissy" don't apply if there is no chance to acclimate even a little to swimming in colder, rougher water. You made the right choice to leave the water. I wouldn't second-guess, compare, or feel bad about the decision.
'K?
:)
My pep talk came after the second buoy the first time. I realized that not only was I going to survive and finish, but that I wasn't even very cold. I realized I had wasted so much time belly-aching and swimming slowly that a decent time was impossible. I will definitely know better next time I face such conditions.:)
hehe we are alike. One of these days I have to just swim a race from start to finish and not waste so much time analyzing when I should be swimming.
Come on up for some cold lake swims in advance. That will also take off a bit of the pressure and mystique of B Shoulders.
Words like "tough" and "sissy" don't apply if there is no chance to acclimate even a little to swimming in colder, rougher water. You made the right choice to leave the water. I wouldn't second-guess, compare, or feel bad about the decision.
'K?
:)
agreed. Absolutely nothing to do with tough or sissy. I was just lucky to have been able to get in the lake a couple of times that week to get used to it.
Words like "tough" and "sissy" don't apply if there is no chance to acclimate even a little to swimming in colder, rougher water.
Agreed. That said, I think sometimes people underestimate what they're capable of in this domain. Physical acclimation helps, as one's body learns to redirect blood flow from the extremities to the core. This requires actual cold-water practice.
But mental acclimation is, I think, more important than commonly realized. The knowledge (and acceptance) of extreme discomfort for the first few seconds and possibly minutes after entering the water. The knowledge that loss of sensation in your extremities is not necessarily dangerous. The acceptance of post-swim shivering, and knowledge of best practices in dealing with it.
I know Lynne Cox has written/spoken about this at length, though I don't have links handy.
I keep thinking about the distinction between "comfort" and "safety." I doubt the water at Ohio Street Beach Saturday morning was "comfortable" for anyone - especially with the wind and cloud cover. In fact it was probably moderately to severely uncomfortable for most. I know a few people visited the medical tent afterward... but I'm pretty sure nobody went to the hospital.
It should also be noted that 586 people finished the race - 394 in the 5K and 174 in the 2.5K. Assuming all 800 registrants showed up, that's over 70% who took the plunge - and finished. Given the conditions, that's pretty impressive.
Much of that knowledge comes from actually doing it. If you don't get a chance, you don't understand what your physiological reactions mean when you are suddenly plunged into a novel situation.
And even experienced cold-water swimmers can get hypothermia.
(Your big chance is coming up, evmo! Record is 42 consecutive months' dip off the Point! Photo from the makeup New Year's plunge, Jan. 30.)
Much of that knowledge comes from actually doing it.
Absolutely!
(Your big chance is coming up, evmo! Record is 42 consecutive months' dip off the Point!
Marjorie, that is crazy. I am not nearly that tough, and possibly even a sissy :)
Absolutely!
Marjorie, that is crazy. I am not nearly that tough, and possibly even a sissy :)
The New Year's dip is compulsory. And there's FIRE afterwards!!
No more doggie ? :(
Maybe I should bring Patch. She jumps in even when there's icebergs!
As of Oct 1, plan is I'm out of the house. That means no more Sophie for me.
