Sunday May 12, 2024 Wind: from S 5.3 m/sec (12 mph). Air Temperature: 19.9 °C (68 °F). Water Temperature: 5.22 °C (59 °F) Today at the lake, it was sunny and warm, and the water was choppy. There were kids and adults playing, laughing, and speaking Spanish in the shallow area. There were families everywhere, clustered around tables full of food. The activity in the water had loosened the icky brown furry stuff that grows on the lake floor rocks all winter, turning the normally clear water into a soupy mess. There were clumps of the furry stuff in the
Category: Lake
Just Keep Trying
March 29 Friday Wind:from NW 6.6 m/sec (15 mph); Air Temperature:1.3 °C (52 °F); Water Temperature:10.42 °C (51 °F) Today at the lake it was sunny, and I felt hopeful as I approached the beach because it seemed almost like a Spring day. I started off swimming south toward the boat launch. I tried swimming crawl, but I had to switch to breast stroke. I’m so out of swimming shape after taking off a few weeks. I’m also so exhausted from all the stress with my family and my financial & housing situation now that I just don’t have anything
Night Moves
February 27, 2024 Wind: from S 4.0 m/sec (9 mph) Air Temperature: 6.8 °C (44 °F) Water Temperature: 7.45 °C (45 °F) Today at the lake it was dark, windy, and cold. I met my new swim buddy, S, at the other beach for a night swim. I usually find parking right near the beach, but tonight I had to park a block away. No biggie. S hadn’t been in the water in a long time, so she wasn’t sure how long she’d last. I couldn’t get my second headlamp to work, so I couldn’t put it into her tow
Stayin’ Alive
2/25/2024 Wind: from S 11.1 m/sec (25 mph). Air Temperature: 9.3 °C (49 °F). Water Temperature: 7.73 °C (46 °F). Today at the lake, it was clearly not a good day for swimming. The wind was fierce, and there were huge waves – whitecaps, even – crashing against and dispersing the pebbles on the beach. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to get in. The wind was blowing so hard that my cap starting rolling across the beach. I saw a kite surfer in the distance, way down by the boat launch. I knew it wasn’t smart to swim in that sort
Get In No Matter What
Feb 16, 2024 Wind: from SE 6.1 m/sec (14 mph). Air Temperature: 9.1 °C (48 °F) Water Temperature: 7.55 °C (46 °F) Today at the lake it was sunny and blustery. The water was really choppy, but I was desperate to get in the lake after not exercising for five days. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if my gear is wearing down, but I was leaking everywhere today. The water was crazy cold, and it was flooding in through the neck and seeping in through the back zipper. I had to start and stop about seven
Following the Sand Ridges
Jan 25, 2024 Wind: from S 2.5 m/sec (6 mph). Air Temperature:10.4 °C (51 °F). Water Temperature:7.67 °C (46 °F) Today at the lake it was much warmer outside, but the water was still cold. It’d been nine days since my last swim, and I was desperate to get in the water. I went to the night beach with J, who planned to do a land workout while I swam. There are cement steps that lead from the main walkway to the beach, so they are great for a leg workout. There are also two benches, so J was able
When Motivation Gets Me To the Lake
Wind: from N 4.4 m/sec (10 mph) | Air Temperature: -4.1 °C (25 °F) | Water Temperature: 8.03 °C (46 °) Today at the lake it was cold and clear, with snow-covered mountains in the distance. I met R, a young man I met a couple weeks ago on the beach. I would never have made it outside if not for meeting someone. In fact, I’d already decided not to go. But I got the message from R that he was up for swimming. Grateful for that. I arrived before he did, so I got in the water and started swimming.
When You NEED a Swim
Does anyone else get ansty and start feeling like you’re in a funk if too many days go by between swims…..cause I really get desperate for the lake after a few days. This photo is in Solna, Stockholm. One of my favorite swim spots during my three months there. The water was clean and cool. I could pull up and see beautiful parks on the shore. I had a fun swim buddy I got to swim with several times. It was just a 15-20 min bike ride away from where I was staying. I’m seriously thinking of starting a swimming
Colder
Jan 7, 2024. Temp 40 F. Water temp 47 F. Today at the lake it was cold. Colder than usual. Still 40 F, but everything felt colder. I went with my neighbor, S, and we were both feeling cold as we assembled our gear on the beach. The hardest part of winter swims is getting out of bed. The next hardest is getting to the car. Once I’m in the car, on my way, I’m good. Then there is another big pause on the beach. Am I really going to willingly walk into that cold water? I got ready quicker
Better With a Buddy
Weather Data 12/17/2023 07:02 PM PST | Wind: from NW 2.8 m/sec (6 mph) | Air Temperature: 7.8 °C (46 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.25 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Data) Today at the lake it was sunny, and I felt hopeful. I was late meeting my swim buddy, K5, because I thought I forgot my gloves and had to go back home when I was halfway there. I hate being late for swims. I haven’t been swimming with K5 since April. Injuries and other things have kept her out of the water. She is a complete trooper, in
Friendly Peeps at the Park
Wind: from NW 3.8 m/sec (9 mph) | Air Temperature: 8.2 °C (47 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.39 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Weather Data 12/14/2023 ) Today at the lake it was chilly but not cold, and the water was nice and flat. There weren’t many people in the park. I saw two or three people walking on the trail I the distance. A lady and her grandson pulled into the parking spot next to mine, and she said, “there’s that crazy lady who swims in the cold water.” It was a pleasant opening. We chatted as we
The Escape I Needed
December 11, 2023 Today at the lake, the water was cool and cold and perfect. All my stress dissolved. In the water I can other have superficial thoughts because my brain empties. Or, more like my thoughts are surface, observational, fleeting. There’s some sand on the bottom. There’s some seaweedy thingies. There’s some wilting milfoil. There’s that rock that marks the edge of the swim area. I can’t worry about anything in my life because in the water my brain doesn’t work like that. I didn’t even hate on the birds today even thought there were globs of white poop
Malmö Rocks
16 October 2023 Monday. Cold, windy, sunny. Today in Malmo, I rode my bike to the skateboard park, then I headed towards the beach. The first swimming place had a lovely wooden deck and little jetty/dock thingies you could walk out on, with ladders into the water. People were taking photos because nobody in their right mind would swim there now. It was quite windy today, so the waves were too strong for swimming. It was cold, too, but I have a wetsuit. I pedaled all over this fancy, new part of town, wondering how much $ I would need
Big Wind, Big Waves
7 Oct 2023 Today at the lake it was crazy cold and windy. Like wind-chill cold. The temperature was 47 F, but it felt like 20 F. F!!! I arrived early so I could get my wetsuit on properly and be ready when my swim buddy arrived so she didn’t have to wait for me to get into the water. I arrived too early, so killed time taking photos of the waves. I’m bummed that they don’t look as big as they were. I didn’t notice, but H commented that the city had taken down the rope and bobber thingies
No Pain in the Rain
Tues, Oct 3, 2023. Stockholm. Today at the lake, it was pouring rain. I made plans to meet my new swim buddy, H, at her beach, but I was late getting up, so we pushed the time out a bit. Even with that, I was late because Google Maps said it would take me 13 minutes. It took longer. By the time I arrived I was all the way soaked and a wee bit cold, but I didn’t care. H was there in her giant swim parka, and we were just as happy to swim in the rain. I struggled
Return to Odensvi
Today ate the lake, the water was chilly and flat. My host took me to the same lake that her friend took me to last week. It’s a lovely setup, with a large playground for kids, lots of picnic tables and places to cook food, changing rooms, and a nice beach. The U-shaped dock is ideal because it creates a safe, enclosed place for the kiddie and a place for swimmers to enter the water. I love that they have a ramp for helping people in wheelchairs get into the water. The water felt soft and silky on my skin. I
Cows, Sheep, Violets
Sat sep 9 6:27pm Skaftekulla badplats Today at the lake I didn’t want to get out of the water. My host drove me to a remote lake next to a cow and sheep pasture. It was perfect. The water was cool and flat, and I could see little skirmishes on top of the water here and there where water bugs where doing their thing. There were lots of huge rock formations – one, really, that we had to walk over and around to reach the dock. There was a little forest area surrounding the lake, and there were a few
Storsjön
Weds Sept 6, 7pm Today at the lake I took a bus 30 minutes away to try a new swimming spot in the tiny village of Edsbruk. I got off at the wrong stop, so I had to walk almost a mile, but I didn’t mind. Maybe it was only 1/2 a mile. There were huge rock formations surrounded the swim beach, and then a little back beach on the other side where I saw lots of little motorboats. There was also a diving board. And, if you’ve got time to kill, a tiny bookcase library. Naturally. I got changed
Swimming Wimmin in Sweden
Friday Sept 1 grey and cold and rainy. Today at the lake, we cancelled because of rain. But by the end of the day I was having a fit over my lack of wifi options, and my host’s friend, Y, and I decided a swim was necessary. So glad that I was smart enough to disengage and change gears. A swim is always in order. We drove to her lovely farm house in another village, then we drove to a huge lake. There was a large, maybe three-story building near the lake that housed a cafe, a community center, a
So Såduggen
Monday August 28, 2023 Today at the lake, I swam in a beautiful, clean lake, Såduggen, surrounded by trees and blue sky. It was glorious. My host drove me to a lake about 10 miles away. There was nobody there, which seems bizarre to me because where I live there are always people around, even if just a few people walking their dogs. But this is a rural area. The lake looked amazing and inviting with a tidy dock system that organized several swim areas: shallow space for tots, a protected area for others, then two parallel docks that lead
Jellyfish
Thursday, August 24, 2023 Today at the lake, I swam with the jellyfish. And I rocked. And I think they might have, too. It’s about a mile or more to bike there, and the bike is too small for me, so it’s a bit tricky because my feet sometimes hit the front wheel. But I am getting it done. And I walk on the hills. There was a young Italian couple at the beach today, and they weren’t swimming. I asked why, and it was because of the jellyfish. I told them that I was afraid of them too and
Seven Lake Witches and One Little Dead Fish
Temp 56 F Water Temp 64 F Today at the lake it was grey, so there were not tons of people at the park. We had a record turnout today: seven lake witches!!!!! I have been trying to get a regular gig with other women swimmers for two years. Finally! One woman could only stay a few minutes, one was a beginner, and another one had not done this in a long time. So once we chatted a bit we all got in together before heading in our own directions. The water was still kinda of hazy, but I could
Water Warming Up
Temp 78. Water temp 66 F. Today at the lake it felt blazing hot in my wetsuit. I was very eager to get in the water. We had a new swimmer today, so I was very excited to welcome her into our little group. We chatted a bit before we got into the water, and she, too, broke her leg (and her arm) and had to get surgery. We compared scars, but most of mine were covered by my wetsuit. It’s so odd that as soon as we started talking about it I felt noticeably different. Like maybe it wasn’t
Don’t Let the Sun Fool You
Temp 51 F Water Temp 55 F. Drizzly, grey day. It’s been raining all day. Today at the lake, it was grey and raining. I should say “still raining” because it’s been raining all day. I decided to change up my gear because I felt too warm the other day, but it ended up being a big mistake. I swapped my hood for a thermal cap, my 5mm gloves for my 1mm gloves, and my two layers of neoprene socks for my Vibram FiveFinger shoes. I also brought shorts and a t-shirt for my after-swim gear and left my warm