There's no denying it, the lake is getting colder. Yesterday at the beach, Mike said that the buoy thermometer has dipped below 70 for the first time since early July. I'd be kidding if I said I can't tell. You'd think one or two degrees wouldn't matter, but believe me, they do.
I made three round trips to the tennis club this week without my wetsuit. The two where I chased Geoff were fairly comfortable; he is faster than I am but I can keep him within a few strokes if I try hard. Exertion translates to warmth, at least for a little while.
It's one thing to swim 40-45 minutes in this temperature, it's another to swim for 1.5 hours, which I plan to do tomorrow as a perfect training session for the 3 mile Gatorman coming up Sept 13. So I called in the expert, Brendan, who is a veteran distance open water swimmer (he swims outdoors 5-6 months per year and I don't think even owns a wetsuit) to help me through it. He suggests vaseline, a silicone cap, and, wait for it...earplugs. To wit:
I prefer the basic 'silicone wax' type ear plugs that you mold into your ears. They are basically one-use ear plugs so buy a box of a dozen or so. I get them at Rite Aid but I bet you can get them at any drug store for a couple bucks.
Other than that - the thicker 'silicone' caps are also a bit warmer. The kind that come down over your ears and cover the back of your head down to your neck. When your head is warm, you can feel a lot more comfortable.
Last thing you can do is grease up a bit - just bring a jar of vasoline and lather it on. Arm pits and joint behind your knee lose a lot of heat. Be sure and have a rag to wipe your hands off because its a mess if you get that on your goggles. It usually washes off by the end of a 3 miler.
Well, nobody ever said open water swimming was a glamorous sport.
Today I ran 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. My knee hurts, but I am sick of feeling floppy.
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