Date: Friday June 3rd
Today is a mixed bag of swimming indoors and out, first up is an early morning dip in the indoor lap pool, focus pace control and picking up the speed……
Session 1: 6:00am Masters Swim Practice = 2750 meters
5 x 50’s Drill 25 Fist Drill/ 25 Catchup Stroke with 10 seconds rest
400 Aerobic Cruise 75% effort
21 x 100’s on 1:40 Interval, every 3rd and 6th Good effort, every 7th Ez
Session 2: Green River Reservoir
Paula and Deb survey " Italy's Boot Route"
Late in the day it is off to the Green River Reservoir to meet Paula and Deb, Paula is paddling today and we are off to explore a new arm of the reservoir, I decide to name it ” little Italy”, because it’s shape looks like Italy, I remember from school, the saying, ” Italy kicked Sicily into the sea”, well there is no Sicily at the Green River Reservoir but it sure looks like a boot, check it out……
Italy's Boot, see it.... in the lower right corner, that's me taking the photo!
Paula and Deb discuss the course, then Paula gets in the kayak ready for a ” push out to sea”, meanwhile I am looking at the trees swaying in the wind, their leaves look like a pack kindergartners on their first day at school, all excited and darting furiously from one direction to the other, yip that is what the trees look like. Then there are the waves, white showings of color at the top of each, looks like hundreds of seagulls riding the top of them, ” “white caps”as I was taught to call them, as I am looking out to the water Deb announces the following ” just a few white horses today”,” just a few !”I say to Paula, “looks like the cavalry out there”, we laugh and Deb states matter of factly,” I see the positive”, she does and that is one of the many reasons she is such a great support….. I saw white caps, she saw the areas there weren’t any, she was right!
Fortunately I rather enjoy the fight of the waves, it sparks me to swim harder and I am always warmer in the rough water, so we head out, off to conquor Italy’s heel, the wind is behind us and we zoom down the long narrow inlet, so narrow I can see lots of scenery on the shoreline, an island here, a point there, very entertaining. Then we arrive at the boot, Paula asks me if I want to swim into the heel ” absolutely”, we do and it gets very shallow, for fun I launch off the bottom with the highest vertical jump I can ” look I can touch”!!
Then we head for home, now is where the work starts, Paula is battling in the kayak against the headwind, it is holding her at a snails pace, we weave our way up the boot and pass Blueberry Island, PHEW not long now, we are less than half a mile from the canoe launch but the wind is stronger now and Paula, “Flat Stanley” and the kayak are barely moving, I slow down my stroke, I stop and tread, I turn my head and look back towards Paula, I want to stay by her and am getting so cold waiting, I swim ahead a bit spinning my arms fast to warm up, then turn and wait, by now I am at the point, at the mouth of the canoe inlet, Paula is nearly with me, we are going to make it, we paddle in together.
My teeth are chattering, I head straight to the mini to get warm clothes on, I warm up quickly today, good reminder to us, I have to keep moving to keep warm.
Next up 2 Hours at 10am, I am excited, this will be my longest 60 degree swim to date, how will we do and where will we go, I’ll keep you posted.
Swim Time: 1 Hour 15 minutes
Air Temperature: 61 Degrees
Water Temperature: 62-64 Degrees
Today we are swimming to Italy, it