After spending a good part of Saturday replacing a section of my fence in the cold rain, I was not looking forward to Sunday morning with its similar forecast. However, Ma Nature was kind to us and spared us the precipitation in exchange for a 40.0F lake with some slightly challenging swells.
I made it out to L1 much earlier than the 6:58am sunrise time, so I took a lake temperature reading before the others arrived. I was already wearing my booties and the bottom half of my fullsuit, so I was able to get a very solid take on the surface temperature – identical to the air temperature at just under 41.0F. The lake had some slight swells, but they were quite predictable and more than manageable.
As noted above, I opted to go with my tri fullsuit for the first time since last February as my cold tolerance was still a bit compromised by the tail end of a cold coupled with a week of travel and sporadic sleep. I also added a neoprene hood, gloves, and booties – i.e. my deep winter swim setup. And this definitely made a difference in my overall level of comfort in and out of the lake!
I did a 1/2 mile total, but got out at one point as I had to remove some garbage that I chased down and retrieved in the water. Apparently, there are still some people in this city who fail to realize that styrofoam is not biodegradable…
I felt perfectly comfortable the entire time I was in the lake, although my fingertips started to get rather nippy the last 1/8 mile. Still, it was an easy transition back into my civilian clothes, and I really didn’t suffer from any afterdrop – which is always a welcome bonus!
