The lake was a bit more agitated this week, so I couldn’t get an accurate surface temperature with my pool thermometer. The reading came in at 39F, which we all agreed was likley way overstated. So the four of us geared up right away and eased into the lake – with the 2-3 foot swells continually reminding us of who was at the top of the dominance hierarchy.
I waited (waded?) in the water around L1 for a few minutes until the sharp stinging on exposed areas of my arms and legs finally subsided a bit. But since it never really stopped altogether, I figured I had best just get the swim started and hopefully get some relief along the way.
The in-swim mercury red 35.2F, and it sure felt like it! Fortunately for us, the air temperature was a furnace-like 37F, so we had some relief post swim.
I did just over 1/4 mile, a bit less than usual as my finger tips were really starting to get uncomfortably cold. I’ve had these gloves for at least 4 years, so I took this as a sign that they are now overdue for a replacement.
Having learned my lesson from last week, I got out of my swim gear and into my dry clothes much quicker this time thanks to my choice of looser fitting garments. Because of my rather minimalist winter swim setup in the lake, I experienced a rather intense afterdrop that took about 20 minutes to subside.
However, I was fortunate enough to have found a parking spot on Astor Street just on the other side of the pedestrian tunnel. So it was just a short, mad sprint to the comfort of a heated car.
I’ll take a quick win wherever I can get it this time of year!
The last swim of Autumn 2017!
