Swim Report – October 3, 2020 – Omega Man Edition

After eschewing L1 since March, I finally got a chance to make it back to our world famous swim site while the lake is still withing striking distance of 60F!

Sunrise is at 6:50am these days, so it’s not necessary to rouse oneself in the wee hours of the morning. While this makes it easier to get moving, there is a trade off. Namely, you don’t get the solitude and tranquility of the mornings that fall on either end of the summer solstice. But “lucky” for us, this whole COVID-19 mess has severely curtailed lakefront activity – indeed, activity in general. So even with the later sunrise time, the L1 area and the surrounding neighborhood still had a rather post-apocalyptic feel with the absence of so many people out and about. However, the lake is still the lake, and it was absolutely wonderful this morning!

The air temperature came in at a crisp 45F at 6:30am, and the lake itself was a bit agitated with some light swells. But these only seemed vigorous because of the high lake levels. In reality, the lake was fairly calm and easily navigable – especially with a surprisingly mild 59.8F mercury reading (in-swim).

Before getting in the lake, however, I had work to do. The area around L1 had become perilously slippery due to the accumulation of algae and slime generated by continual immersion from the high lake levels. This made ingress into the lake nearly impossible without facing the risk of a fall on the declining slope leading to the ladder. So armed with my trusty bristle broom – and not caring about the bewildered looks of the occasional solo runner – I proceeded to give the concrete a good scouring to secure access to the lake.

I went in the lake with just my jammers, but I did use a neoprene cap to keep my head warm, and this made a big difference in my overall comfort level. Even with the slight swells, the swim was very easy, and I was able to practice my bi-lateral breathing – something desperately in need of improvement!

I was feeling pretty energetic, so I overshot the 1/8 mile mark and turned around just before the 1/4 mile point. In total, I’d estimate I got in a bit over 1/3 mile before calling it a day. I could have gone longer, but I had to get back home before Hurricane Joseph and Tropical Storm Nicholas arose from their autumn slumber.

Happy October!