Sunrise arrived at Ladder #1 at 6:12am, but it only stuck around for about five minutes before disappearing into the overcast skies. This gave us an unseasonably chilly swim area for a late August morning.
The official water temperature came in at a surprising 64F with no thermoclines (cold spots). This is good news for all those doing the Chicago triathlon tomorrow. However, all we need are some strong winds to stir up the lake and we could be back in the 55F range.
I opted to wear a full wetsuit this morning, and I probably could have gotten away without it. There was a slight current going towards the beach that made things a bit more of a challenge on the return leg of the swim. But overall the water conditions were pretty mild in terms of both temperature and chops.
After the swim I shed the wetsuit and swam around Ladder #1 for 10 more minutes without ever getting too cold. Once out, though, it was a different story. The breeze had picked up and the skies were completely overcast – two things which made the 62F air temperature feel much, much colder. But as always, you really should have come out…
Brief but glorious
