Swimming in Natural Water is Full of Surprises

After the Rains
(Note the paddleboat listing because the foot wells in the front
hold more water than the shelves in the back.)

On of the challenges with lake swimming, especially when you are training for an event, are the unpredictable conditions. When I used to lap swim during my lunch hour I knew that the water temperature would be about 80 degrees, there would be clearly delineated lanes, water depth would always be the same and there'd be not much in the way of water motion. Not so in a lake. Every swim is a new adventure.

This week we had a night with over a half inch of rain and since then swimming has been very different. The water level went up way more than half an inch. I'd guess it's about 6 inches deeper around our dock. That means that the sandy place with no weeds just of the end of the dock that was perfect for my water aerobics now makes my exercises more difficult since I'm moving through more water.

The water temperature has dropped noticeably as well. That actually is a plus because it had gotten over 90 degrees so was a bit too warm. The amount and direction of the wind makes a big difference, too. Sometimes we have whitecaps on our little lake and others it is smooth as glass. Sometimes the wind pushes you away from shore but more often the more wind there is the more you get pushed toward the shore.

The location and quantity of weeds is somewhat variable. For the most part my regular workouts help me to know where there are weedbeds and how to get around them. But over time weeds continue to grow so the areas with weeds can get bigger and the weeds get taller. Sometimes weeds break loose and float around. Occasionally the wind blows floating clumps of algae into our bay.

All in all this makes it really hard to feel prepared for the triathlon. There is no way to know what the conditions will be on race day. I just hope that by training in a variety of conditions I'll have a sense of how to handle them. For example, when the wind is whipping up waves, I know I need to get my head further our of the water to catch a breath and if I forget to exhale through my nose I'll be getting a nose full of water blown in. This is where I have an advantage over the other swimmings. I get to train in the triathlon location all the time.

Regardless of the challenges, I am finding lake swimming enjoyable. As long as I avoid the weekends I pretty much have the whole lake to myself. It is wonderful to see the natural environment all around me as I swim. And when I find myself way out in the lake I've gained enough confidence to enjoy a sense of freedom from the sensation of being bouyed by the water. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have this in my life.

Overcoming Inertia

I did get in the water!

Today I did not want to swim even though my training plan required it. I promised myself I would swim at least twice each week. Since Joe and I will be attending a conference the later part of the week, I had to swim yesterday and today to meet that goal. But I was awake half the night (full moon? too much going on in my life?) and by 3 pm was feeling out of energy. The wind was strong so I knew the swimming would be harder. As the time I planned my swim approached my self-talk was dominated by reasons why I shouldn't get in that water. This pattern is very familiar to me.  

The good news is: I did get in the water and I'm proud of myself. Much to my surprise, I actually found myself wanting to stretch the distance farther once I swam to the triathlon turnaround spot.

This too is a familiar pattern. I have a hard time beginning things but once I start I find energy and motivation in the doing. Funny thing is, my dad was like that too. And his mother before him. Is it genetic, learned, a bit of both? Who knows. The moral of the story for me is to somehow remind myself about the pattern when it is stopping me from starting something important.

One thing I did today that helped was to tell Joe I was having a hard time convincing myself to go swim. Fortunately, he didn't try to convince me I should or give advice. He just listened sympathetically (I think his actually response was something like "hmmm".) Somehow admitting outloud that I was having a problem with this helped me to get over it and get going.

Second Ever

Ackley Lake from our Dock

The Ackley Lake Invitational Triathon is back by popular demand. It will be held on Saturday, August 17th. Early feedback and registrations indicate increased participation this year. For example, nephew Tom's son Matthew has registered to do the whole thing! He will be our youngest participant ever at 12 years of age. Friends of family members have also expressed interest.

I know the question uppermost in your mind is whether I will compete again. The answer is yes but on a relay team this year. I found my motivation lessened since I had already proved to myself that I could do it. Then my sisters asked me if I wanted to be on a relay team with them. That made my decision right there. It's a win for all 3 of us. The youngest sister was part of the support crew last year and this plan moves her into the participant ranks. As she walks/hikes frequently for exercise she said she'd take on the run/walk leg. My middle sister did the whole thing last year and so also proved to herself that she could do it. This year she wants to concentrate on biking, with a new bike and more gears.

You guessed it, that leaves me with the swim leg. As you may know from following the blog posts last year this is the most challenging leg for me. So I still feel challenged to be doing that this year. I agreed since I wanted this relay team from the very beginning and it's easiest for me to train on the swim leg living as I do right on the lake.  I took my first swim on July 15th and it went well. Fortunately, after a cool start to the summer the weather has warmed considerably and the water temperature felt great.

I also find myself in a support role for Randy, the biking sister. She and I have been riding together and I've been able to help her figure out more about how to use her gears and manage the race. I may not be the most experienced biking but I have more road miles than she does. I have always liked teaching/coaching so this feels really good. She and her daughter (who is doing the whole triathlon this year for the second time) went on a ride together. I am a social person and exercising with other people really helps me to enjoy it more. We did 7.5 miles on a really hot day and felt proud of ourselves,