We had some early hints of Spring this week, but Old Man Winter sure wants us to know he’s still in charge for now!
Gordon and I met out at L1 yesterday, and the lake was in a rather foul mood despite having an amazing sunrise in the background. A steady wind from the north gave us some decent sized swells, but the real challenge was the chaotic chops that obliterated all possibilities of having a calm, leisurely swim. Undaunted, however, we persisted.
The first thing I noticed when entering the water was the diminished “sting factor” that has been present the past few months. This was a very welcome sign, and it indicated that the lake temperature was starting to move out of the winter basement – i.e. 35.0F and below. And my watch thermometer definitely confirmed this – with the official in-swim temperature coming in at 37.4F (hooray!).
While we definitely lucked out with the lake temp, we didn’t get any other breaks while in the drink. The heavy chops made it impossible to get any sort of swim rhythm, and the continual buffeting from all sides was like having Lake Michigan wring you out like a wet rag for the duration of the swim.
Still, despite all the in-swim entertainment, I managed to pound out 1/3 mile altogether. And the afterdrop, while still present, was a mere whisper of what it was in January!
Sunrise!
Congrats to the couple!
This is the first time I’ve heard 37 degree water described in such warm and glowing terms. That’s … special.