After a couple of weeks where we were agonizingly close to 60F, we finally broke through that ceiling and enjoyed a 5:15am swim in some refreshingly warmer water!
Five of us made it out to L1 just before sunrise – although there really was no show to the east due to the grey, overcast skies. But despite the lack of sunshine, the lake gave us a break, coming in at a very pleasant in-swim reading of 62.4F. So we wasted little time starting our swim.
The initial entry was slightly bracing, but nowhere near what it had been just a few short weeks ago. I went in with just my jammers, cap, and goggles, and was able to do 1/2 mile without any discomfort. In fact, I made the call at the 1/4 mile mark to continue swimming and make my first beach landing of the year (yay!).
After exiting the water at Oak Street Beach, I did a quick jog back to L1 to stave off the slight afterdrop that was trying to make its grand entrance. Fortunately, that worked perfectly – although it is quite obvious today that I have neglected my running muscles!
While I’m looking forward to summer, I have to say that I much prefer these lake temperatures over anything higher. This is because once the mercury rises inside and outside of the lake, we get more algae, more boat fuel, and more garbage thanks to all the yahoos that descend upon the lakefront like a plague of locusts. Funny how we never have to deal with that in January!
