Ice Shelf Breakup

Spring is coming - exciting news. We just sprang forward so it will be light until about 7, which will be so nice. This week is supposed to be in the 50's and lots of sun. It's always nice this time of year when we've gotten through the worst of the winter months and the dark. But, of course, it does mean that the lake is warming up again.

I took this week off of swimming/dipping because it was a busy work week - I had to work until 7-8 three nights, which was a pain. (and next week I have to work late twice. Boo) Also, though, I wanted to let my fingers recover a little more - they are still numb at the tips from the Big Swim in VT, though sometimes I can feel like they are starting to get feeling back. Anyhow, I was excited to to get to the lake for a Saturday swim since it's been so long.

When I got there it was sooo windy - 30-40 mph gusts, and I seriously questioned my life choices. The ice is all broken up and starting to melt, but walking down the dock I could see that the individual chunks are still thick. So, I decided that I wanted to get in one last shot at climbing on the ice - I mean, who knows when it will be back?

Because of the wind there was ice all the way to shore. I could either get in between the docks where the agitators are or further down the dock on the other side, where it was a little risky in terms of getting out. Climbing on the ice over the agitator seemed like a really bad idea, because what if you fell off in the wrong direction? So, I slipped off the edge of the dock into the water in a hole in the ice, hoping that I could use it to get out later (spoiler, it was pretty easy to get out with the ice around). 

The water felt so good! It was chilly at first, sure, but then I felt really amazing. I wore my thick gloves and my booties, so my hands and feet were fine. The first minute was, of course, a little brisk, but once I got used to it I was like "why haven't I been dipping more?" It's funny how you get that calm/adrenalin rush at the same time, and feel just amazing. I tried to climb on some of the ice chunks - one just cracked, a second moved around a lot, but I was able to get on top of it, but not to stand up. It was really fun and for the first time I didn't cut myself! Anyhow, the water was about 36 and I stayed in for about 5 minutes, warmed up and headed home. 

I feel like the water is going to be getting warmer and warmer, and swimming will feel easier and more refreshing as it does :)

Success!

I just returned from the winter swim festival, and this year was awesome! Especially because I completed the 200 and felt great doing it. I thoroughly expected to be last, but I actually was third to last, and beat the woman who I swam against!! Not that time is everything, but I was so happy with how I did.

We stayed at a new airbnb, which we all really liked and will try to book again. It was right on the water and had lovely views, a nice kitchen, and enough space for all of us to have space...  The only flaw was that we could have used one more bedroom. Every morning I cooked breakfast - pancakes Friday, french toast Saturday and cinnamon rolls Sunday. We also had a big group for Saturday dinner, where we had Thai food. And, I was able to get my laundry done :)

The big event, of course, was the swimming. The first event was the hat race - I went a little political with an anti-ICE sort of thing out of paper mache. It took a while to make, and I had a lot of fun with it. It's only a 25 meter swim, but it's good to get into the icy pool and see what it will be like. 

The big race, of course, was the 200 on Friday. It was 17 degrees out, with 20 mph winds and a "feels like" temp of 1. The water is 31 degrees and on Friday you could see it freeze over between swimmers. The 200 was after lunch, and I was so nervous about it, but I reminded myself that I'd done it so many times in practice and been fine, it was just like any other swim, and I just had to pace myself and go for it. When they said to go I took off a little too fast, and by the end of the first length was feeling a little breathless. You are required to have a spotter for the swim, and my friend who was spotting me told me to slow down a little after the first length, which was really good advice. I felt a little puffy, and could feel the strain in my body in the second length, but by the time I was 1/4 of the way done I could tell I was solid and I started to feel more confident. By the end of the second lap I was feeling strong and started to try to focus on my stroke and swimming more efficiently. And by the fifth length I knew I was going to make it and I started feeling good. I was so psyched when I finished and actually beat the person who I was swimming against. It felt like real redemption from last year.

After the swim I went into the lovely warming hut and got to dunk my hands and feet in hot water. They had these socks filled with rice that they microwave for you that feel so good. It was such a good feeling to sit there and warm up, knowing I had done what I set out to do, and feeling like a bit of a bad ass, because it was HARD! I was so happy with it. It took me about 5 minutes and 15 seconds, so for next year I'm going to try to be a little faster.

The second day of the festival I volunteered as an escort, walking swimmers down to the pool and then back up to the warming room after. I really enjoyed it, though I was a bit exhausted by the end of the day. The weather on Saturday was beautiful, sunny and no wind, and warmer - about 20-25 degrees. I went there with three layers on, and immediately had to take 2 of them off because I was sweating. After they have a dinner and awards and such, and then we all chilled at the house. It was so nice out that I thought I would swim the 100 on Sunday, but by the time Sunday morning came along it was windy again, snowing and cold. I had done what I came to do, and decided that I didn't need to go all crazy, so I just did the race I was registered for which was a 4 person relay where we each swam a 50. We had a team of folks from my swim group, and I offered to go first because you stay and cheer your teammates at the end, and that's really cold when you are wet. Two of the other swimmers did the 100, so I though it would be better for them to go later. Anyhow, when I got in the woman in the other lane was so fast that she was almost finished by the time I turned around. Now that's the type of swim race I'm used to :)  I think I built it up in my head as not being a big deal because it was so short, but it was still really cold in the water. After I went into the warming hut and really enjoyed holding one of the hot socks.

I was bummed about the snow because I had to drive home, and I was worried the roads would be bad. I left after lunch and it was totally fine - a little slippery at first, but no real concerns. I got home and plan to sit on my couch for the rest of the evening. All and all a good weekend, and I'm so glad it's over :)

Six Days

Six days from now the big race will be over - I hope it goes better than last year. I've been doing some practice swims, one or two a week, and they seem to be improving. Today I actually felt like I was able to swim with a little technique! I really didn't want to go for a swim today, in fact I was really close to bailing on the whole thing and not going to the lake. I finally talked myself into going by telling myself that I could just dip around and maybe climb on the ice shelf, I didn't need to swim. When I got there, in my head I was not going, but then I just put in my ear plugs and goggles, just in case. And when I got in the water I just did it. And it was fine.

There is still a lot of ice - I went last night for what really was just a dip, and the dock we usually go in from was clear of ice on both sides. Today, though, it was iced all the way up to one side and we couldn't go in that way. On the other side was a flock of geese, and I didn't want to bother them, so I went in the far side of the dock. I got in the water, breathed for a few breaths, and then just went for it. I counted 160 strokes with each arm, which should be about 200 meters, and then got out. 

Of course when I started swimming I was focused on breathing and how cold my face was. Once I got used to it, though, I really worked on reaching with my arm, getting a good catch and pulling strong. I noticed I was moving my arms more slowly, but I think I swam faster. It felt good, and I was glad that I could pay attention to my swim stroke while in the cold water (according to my watch it was 35). After, I warmed up a little, chatted with the two other people who went for a couple minutes, but we quickly decided to get in our nice warm cars and go home.

I got a little shivery on the drive and came home and decided that a shower was in order. The shower felt so nice, especially on my feet - I flipped the thing so that the tub didn't drain and got to stand in a pool of hot water. It was an excellent idea which I will continue in the future.

There is a big storm coming today, it just started snowing and is supposed to snow all night, then turn to freezing rain, then just rain. It sounds like it will be a full day thing, so I have plans to spend tomorrow on the couch with a book :). Monday is a holiday, and hopefully things will clear up to allow a final dip before the event. 

Mock 200's

The big festival is less than three weeks away. Time to get training again, even though the ice shelf is still there and calls to me a bit. I went to the lake both Saturday and Sunday and swam a 200 each day. It was hard!! Especially on Saturday because it was windy (like 20 out with windchill) and the water was a little choppy.

The water is around 36 now - I wore booties and gloves, though in fact my feet were fine and I think I could have done it without them. Both times, getting in and getting started was the hardest. The first 10-15 strokes are OK, then the next 30-40 strokes are so hard, and then it's fine. Yesterday I pushed through it, today I had to take a short break in my swimming to catch my breath, but just for a few seconds. After about 40-50 strokes I could feel myself acclimatizing and swimming felt hard but fine. When I got out after the first day I was actually not even that cold, except for my hands. Today was a little harder. But, both times I was there with some guys who were shivering and looked pretty after droppy. So, I felt good about the cold prep.

My swim technique does still need a lot of work. Every now and then when I'm swimming at MIT I can feel that I'm getting the stroke right, and I find myself catching up to the person in front of me. But it's not consistent. At the lake with the cold it's really not that consistent, but once I get through the really cold part I'm getting a little better at trying to use good form. I have one more swim lesson this week, and then a couple weeks of practice. I could try swimming at work when I'm on campus - I've never been to the pool there, but I hear that there is open swim. But probably I'm just going to keep going to the lake...

Back to the Ice Shelf

It was pretty warm last night and today, so the ice shelf was a little thinner, but still we swam out and enjoyed it. It was fun to be out there with two other people, though I was a little nervous about the thinness of the ice and our weights together. We did a little dancing around and photos, and then went to get off - as I got down on my stomach the ice I was on broke off and I just sank into the water. 

When I got back to shore I realized that I'd cut my knees up - they were dripping blood. I didn't really have anything to wrap them up in, so I just stopped the bleeding and got dressed. When I got home, they were pretty gnarly, but honestly didn't hurt much.

It's supposed to snow tonight and then we are having a polar vortex, so lots more time to play on the ice shelf I hope!

Ice Shelf!!

I finally stood on the ice shelf!!!! It took almost 3 years from my first swims when I saw others climb on it to today when the conditions were right and I was able to, but I did it! Yay! I have to say, it was a little scary and a little awesome, and I'm hoping to do it again tomorrow.

We've been having a lot of cold weather this month, but for a while it was so windy that the lake didn't freeze over. Yesterday I went swimming after dark and the part of the shelf that was close to me was too thin to stand on, and I didn't feel super comfortable swimming out to the further part. But today, in the daylight, it seemed very doable. I got into the water between the docks, swam out to the ice, and kind of tested it. It felt super thick, and didn't crack at all, so I thought it would hold me. I did a shimmy from the water, going onto the ice on my stomach, and then got my legs up on the ice. There were no cracks or other noises, so I got my feet under me and stood. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty scary. I hadn't worn my swim bubble, and felt like if I fell through and got stuck under the ice it would be a thing. But, fortunately nothing even cracked as I got my legs under me, and so I slowly went for it and stood up. It was awesome. I stood on it for only a few seconds, just enough time to do a little dance, and then I got back down and did a backwards slide off, back into the water. Achievement unlocked!

The water's been about 34 for the last couple of weeks, and I'm sort of starting to get used to it. I was in for 7 minutes today and it didn't feel that bad. I had on booties and gloves, and my hands were cold, but otherwise I felt fine. Even after getting out, I had to do a little jogging around to warm up, but it wasn't that bad. Hopefully this is a good sign for the swim festival - I haven't been swim swimming for a couple weeks because of the cold and looking for an ice shelf. I'm going to have to get back into practice runs once I get over the ice shelf excitement.

This other video is just fun:

33!

It's getting even colder! Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 40's for a hot second, but otherwise it's looking really good for ice!!

Yesterday it snowed in the morning - a nice light snow that was pretty and actually quite packable for snowballs, but not difficult for driving. So perfect. I went to parkour and then met a friend at the beach. The lake was starting to ice over, but wasn't frozen completely, and near the beach there was about a 15 foot gap in the ice next to the shore, where I was able to swim. It was so fun going for a swim while it was snowing and I really wanted to do a practice 200. I walked into the water, got my bearings (ie peed, because it's an autonomic response to such cold) and then went for it. The first length was brutal, but I pushed through it, turned around, and then had a lap that was easier. On the last length, though, my goggle started leaking, and then filled up with water. I had to swim back with my eye closed. And, it was so cold! I finished and took the goggles off, but had to walk out of the water with my eye closed and towel off before I could open it. It felt puffy and I felt a little nauseous. I wore my gloves again, but my hand were still freezing, so I think focusing on warming them helped the discomfort pass. Anyhow, the water was down to 33! I felt pretty good about that swim. After a little beach warm up I went to meet a friend for climbing. In the car I had some definite after drop with a good shiver. Fortunately there was a little bit of traffic and I blasted the heat and tried to warm up. It was a nice day of climbing - I actually did a 5.10c, though I really didn't think it was that hard. I did have to rest 3 times, but still...

Today a group of us went for a swim. We arrived at the beach and it was frozen. The ice wasn't that thick, we could break through it with a stick, but it was think enough that it would have required breaking through. I kind of wanted to swim there in the ice, and just clear a path, but wiser voices prevailed. It's so easy to cut yourself on a shard of ice and not even feel it because you are so cold. So, we went to the dock. We had a pretty good sized group and it took a while for everyone to get ready. I started getting antsy, and wanted to get in, so finally I just did it. I thought about diving, but one of my friends was all "you could have a heart attack," and even though I didn't think I was going to, her disapproval got to me, and I walked in. 

The best thing was that there was an ice shelf!! There hasn't been one there since I first started swimming, the first season, before I felt confident enough to swim out to the shelf. The last time there was an ice shelf I just watched all the other crazies climb out on it, but now I feel much more ready to do it myself. Unfortunately when I got to the shelf it was too thin to stand on - I tried putting my weight on it, but it just broke off. It's supposed to be cold again, so hopefully it will freeze over for real this week. It would be so exciting. Anyhow, I stayed in for about 6 minutes, but didn't put my face under at all. After, with the sun, the warm up wasn't that hard - we did a little dancing and some chatting before heading out.

A good weekend of swimming, with promises for more good stuff to come!

34

It's getting colder out! We've had a bit of a cold spell, and the water at the lake is at it's coldest ever that I've measured - 34. Which is cold. It's been even colder out of the water - it's been super windy and cloudy, both things that add to the chill after the dip, and the lack of desire to get into the water in the first place. Because of the wind, the water isn't really frozen except around the edges. Someone told me that Walden is frozen now, as are a bunch of other lakes that are more protected from the wind.

I've been swimming/dipping at the lake 4 times since I last posted on Saturday. Sunday I went and did another practice swim of about 200 meters in 36 degree water. It was cloudy out and when I got out of the water I couldn't feel my hands. After they warmed up they still felt chilly, and I had spots on the tips of my fingers that were numb.  I feel like the feeling has returned, but I've been wearing neoprene gloves since then. 

Monday I returned to my swim lessons at MIT, where I swam 1400 yards. For some reason my watch picked up my crawl as butterfly - I know my stroke isn't perfect, but seriously? It turns out that this isn't an uncommon thing with the apple watch, so I will live with it. 

Tuesday I met a friend at the dock in the afternoon at my lunch break. It was sooo cold out, according to weather underground it was 22, but 9 with windchill. While we were getting ready, an animal control officer snapped a shot of us and wrote "-5 wind-chill. These two are BEASTS." So maybe it was -5, I feel like we should go with what the nice animal warden says. Anyhow, the water was so choppy with the wind that I didn't even want to swim breast stroke with my head out of the water. I wore booties and gloves and walked in and just treaded water for about 3 minutes. It was warmer in the water, 37, but of course it felt pretty cold, especially with the wind. I had to get home to get back to work, which was just fine because it was too cold to hang out.

Thursday and Friday's dips were in the dark and the water was down to 34. Because it was dark out they were dips, not swims. I was thinking about a swim tonight, but that was just crazy thinking, it was way too cold without some sun. Both times I stayed in for about 5 minutes and felt fine in the water, ok after coming out, but then cold for a while after. Still, successful dipping! 

It's six weeks to the Big Swim, definitely going to keep plugging away with the practice and crazy dip schedule. I am going to keep wearing the gloves because I don't need it to take until summer to feel the tips of my fingers again. And I'm going to try to swim swim whenever I can, meaning when I can do daytime swims. 

In other news, I have been going to a new yoga studio that's in the same place as an old studio I used to go to pre-covid, and I'm pretty happy with it! My favorite yoga instructor doesn't teach there, but I had a new instructor this week who shares on her page that she's a witch, so that's got to be the next best thing. I've had several instructors there and they've all been good, and it's a little less expensive than the last place I was going, so that's a win too. 

36!

I'm in full training mode for the winter swim fest - today it was about 31, but with the wind felt colder = somewhere in the low 20's. Perfect for a swim at the lake. I met a friend there at 2 for a practice run. The water in most of the lake was pretty choppy with the wind, but fortunately the beach was not too bad. 

We were doing our usual procrastinating routine, chatting about life and what a stupid idea it was to go for a swim, when this guy in a pancho, carrying a little drum came down to the beach. He said some friends were joining him for a dip, and sure enough this gang of hippies soon arrived. They were all cool, of course, and we chatted for a bit. The guy with the drum did a little song and chant, and everyone stood in a circle with their eyes closed swaying along. As they were drumming we finished our prep and got to it with the swim.

I did it festival style, wearing only my swim suit, cap, goggles and ear plugs I walked in up to my waist and then went for it. It actually didn't feel that bad, except of course my hands were freezing. I swam 2 laps, four lengths - I now just count to 40 strokes for each length and then turn around. It seems to be just about perfect for the 200. I could see that my friend was swimming for some of the time, and then she walked one length, and then swam again. After she said she forgot ear plugs and the cold water in her ears was just too much. I can believe it! I could also see the hippie drummers in the water - not all of them but a good number. We finished, high fived, and got out. According to my watch the temperature was 36, which is the coldest swim so far this year.

When I got out my hands were so cold I could barely move them, but the rest of me was fine. I stuck them in some hot water and they felt better right away, then I poured the water into my foot bucket, stepped in, and went about warming up. It was really cold with the wind, so we decided to sit in my friend's car. We enjoyed some tea and chatted for a good hour before heading out. My friend is going to be my spotter for the 200 at the festival, and has promised to prevent them from making me get out of the water - it's taking me almost 7 minutes to do the swim, which is still not within the minute limit, so she may have to fight someone :)

I'm planning to go again tomorrow. I think in some ways swimming is easier than dipping because with dipping I always feel obligated to stay in for like 10 minutes, and for the last few minutes I'm just sitting there feeling cold and wanting to get out. This way I am at least moving and out when I finish. 

New Year's Ski

I worked yesterday and got through all of my vacation email and such, and I really wasn't excited about work today, so I decided to take a personal day and go skiing. Skiing is personal to me, right? It was a great idea! I went to pat's peak, which remains my fav mountain, and got in about four hours of skiing, which I think is kind of my limit on how long I enjoy it in a day.

I kind of overslept and when I got up at 8:30 I was trying to decide if I should go or not. But then I had taken the day off, it was going to be beautiful out, and I don't know if I'll have a lot of other opportunities. So, I decided to go, even if it was a little later than I usually like to. I left home around 10, stopped at the concord rest area for a bio break and to get an egg salad sandwich, and then arrived at the mountain around 11:30. They have a new RFID system, so in the future I can just reload my card, saving time buying tix - yay! Although I wound up parking in the second lot, the trails were really open and there wasn't any line at the lifts until around 1 or 2, and even then it was short. I really enjoyed the longer trails, and loved going down the long greens. According to my watch my longest run was over 6 minutes, and I got up to 25 MPH! My slower runs I was only going 17-20 miles max. According to online sources, that's kind of an intermediate speed, but the online sources don't know that I was on a green :)

I worked a lot on my edging, bending my knees and leaning forward, and trying to keep my body facing down the mountain. I notice that as soon as I become uncomfortable I stand up taller and snowplow my skis (like when this dude came from behind me and almost crashed into me. That was a not fun moment.) I also worked on making a shorter S pattern with my trail, rather than going back and forth across the entire path. I think that's when I started to pick up speed. 

By the end of 4 hours I was getting pretty cold and the mountain was filling up with school groups, so I headed out. The drive home was kind of stressful because there was a ton of traffic, but fortunately it's "only" an hour and 20 minutes drive, so it wasn't too bad. I'm sitting on my couch feeling pooped now! 

Hello 2025

A good start to the new year - I did yoga that started at 10:15 and finished at 12:05 last night. It started with a regular, pretty flow-y, not unintense class for about the first hour, then moved to a more restorative, yin practice for about 40 minutes, and finally finished with an extended shavasana. The class was super crowded - every inch of floor was taken and people were pretty on top of each other. At first I was a little annoyed because the woman next to me didn't move over at all when I first got there, so we were extra smushed, but I let it go. Later she fell asleep and started snoring - ha! Anyhow, I really liked the class and felt really good after. 

We had a group plunge at the lake, with meeting at 1 and plunge at 1:30. It was so fun to have everyone there, and some newbies came as well! And, there was a news crew from the local TV station, which was kind of fun. It was pretty warm out again, and the water was so smooth, it seemed like a shame to waste the day just dipping, so a few of us did a 200 meter swim. I think the news folks were impressed, and they asked us a few questions as we came out. I was cold and not really that articulate - they kept asking me why I did cold water swimming, and I kept saying it was an adrenalin rush, and I liked the community, but I think they were looking for something else? Anyhow, there was a brief clip of me saying I was in for about 6-7 minutes, and the voice over called me a "diehard."

My hands were cold after swimming, but not that bad, and I felt good. During the swim I counted my strokes (40 for each length) and worked on breathing through it. I do think I need to work on my speed a little - I was still in for well over the 5 minutes allowed, but it's a real balance with how hard it is to breathe while swimming in the cold. This weekend is supposed to be really cold again, so it should be good practice!