What a great day for a swim!!! !Well...most days are a great day for a swim! Liz, Jim and I decided to take the plunge at Lake Lillanonah up in Hawleyville CT. Both Liz and Jim have opened their seasons already but today was my first day outside...I WAS PUMPED!!! Water temp was 54, air temp was 55 and there was a cold wind (with wind chill it felt like 30 degrees) that was against us on the way down and at our backs the way back. Luckily the sun was out. It took us about 10-15 minutes to get fully submerged and there was talk of bailing. But in the end we were pretty tough as the fishermen looked on from their down jackets on shore telling us how crazy we are! Tell me something I don't know. I was nervous as I finally lost the Channel weight so this was my first time back into open water in cold temps at 35 pounds down. Jim was in the same "boat" as he lost a substantial amount of weight since the close of open water season late last fall.
Once we started swimming I felt great! Water temp was not bad at all, no stinging or burning. I just felt the tightness you get the first 3-5 minutes while your blood re-routes from your limbs to your core. Protective mechanism where the body sends the blood to the core to help keep your organs warm to help ward off hypothermia. It's always toughest to get the face in...other body parts hurt too but face is the worst. Once we were all moving it was like riding a bike. We headed down about 40 minutes against the winds and decided to make our way back. The wind at your back can have a devastating effect on keeping the body temperature up. As soon as we made the turn I felt the cold starting to effect my body temp. I sped up to try and warm the body up some...I was nervous with the weight loss and the wind chill I might start going into hypothermia. It was a really quick swim back. We finished off around 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Honestly, there is nothing better than being in the open water with friends and enjoying the sights around you. The things I noticed: there weren't any leaves on the trees; there were a TON of trees down due to the most recent storms; there were two Eagles soaring above us; a few of the beautiful houses have upgraded their landscaping; the clouds subsided about 45 minutes into the swim and it was a bright sun; and all of the fisherman had pants/jeans, sweatshirts and down jackets on!!!
The best sight of all...the steel bridge (seen from road in photo but the view from the water is much cooler). Not as cool as 360 Bridge in Austin but a really cool sight when you're heading home. Forgot the waterproof camera...next time!
