Why are you Swimming??

There's something just wonderful about being just you and the open water, isn't there, Mike. It's a zen you can't find in a pool. I'm envious you have some good OW near you even though it's chilly (you said 72 was balmy?!). There isn't anywhere here for over an hour away. Sigh... I'll live vicariously through you. :)

I also find something zen about swimming in the rain and wind. To do so in open water is even better. Sure, it will be rougher water with wind, but I love a good long swim in rough water every now and then. And I'll hope for a balmy water temp of 72 next Saturday at Big Shoulders. Only once in the 8 years (6 swims and 2 cancelled due to water too rough) I've been there has the water been that warm.

(stolen from a friend about other exercise) 1) Because I can. 2) Because if I stop, I won't be able to.

I was in England a few weeks ago visiting some friends I'd met on a SwimTrek. We did a nice OW swim in a pond outside of Windsor somewhere. It had buoys set up for about an 800m loop that we did a few times. There was pond/weed debris that was tiny, but it made you feel as if you were flying fast as you swam through it. Amazingly enough, the water temp wasn't nearly as cold as I was afraid it'd be. It was about 74, definitely at the bottom of my cold range (I'm a wuss), but so nice. Plus it was fun to move at the same speed as one of the girls - we paced well together in the Maldives and then got right back in the groove again here. Really a delightful morning.

I've done the Henley Classic in England twice now. It's a 2.1K course set along the rowing course for the Royal Regatta and is held on the Sunday before the regatta begins. The first year, the water was 61 with a stiff head current (my profile pic from this swim). Last year, the water was 77 and minimal current. Both were fun swims. And while I was there both times, I got some swims in a lake in Dorchester that had a 1K buoy course set up that I circled a few times. I've been amazed at how the British have taken to open water swimming (the call it "wild swimming"). People of all ages and abilities in the lake swims on weekday afternoons. It's hard not to get addicted.