The in-swim lake temp came in at 49F, signaling the beginning of the Lake Michigan’s fall turnover and ending the unseasonably warm streak we’ve been enjoying over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, Mother Nature cooperated this weekend and gave us a swimmable lake and abundant sunshine to take the edge off of both the colder lake and the 40F air temp.
I added a thermo rash guard to my jammers and neoprene cap which added to the overall comfort level during the swim. I’d also done my cold water prep (i.e. progressive cold shower) about an hour earlier which made a huge difference in quickly acclimating to the water. While there were some high volume swells, they were quite manageable, and I was able to get in 1/4 mile pretty easily.
Post-swim was a bit of a challenge as I had to carefully time my exit up the ladder to avoid any rogue waves knocking me off. But the real challenge, as always, was dealing with the afterdrop while scrambling to get back into my dry clothes. I did this as quickly as possible and made a rapid trek back to my car to sit in the heat for a while before heading back north.
But overall, it was a fantastic way to start out the day. Plus we had an amazing mid-autumn sunrise as a backdrop to the swim!
