Wednesday September 15th, where is that Indian summer? Today it is rainy, the sky is black and it is 53 degrees, it looks more like Halloween than one of the last days of summer, last night brought heavy rain and thunderstorms with a low of 40 degrees, the water is sure to be cold, every time I say this at home my son replies " Mum isn't that what you want", no one says it like a kid and he is right! I am reminded of the saying " watch what you wish for, you might just get it!" I know it is going to take more than a wishbone to get me ready to attempt the English Channel, it is going to take backbone and today is no exception.
2pm is our scheduled rendezvous at the Green River reservoir, I arrive and walk down to the canoe launch with all my swim gear in a large soft grey cooler, wearing cotton sweat pants, flip flops, a T- Shirt and my hoodie, inside my bag are mittens, my hat, a towel, goggles, cap and other bits & bobs like sunscreen, body glide and chap stick to name a few. I am getting chilly already, I begin regretting not making the adjustments to the cold day and bring a blanket and some heavier clothing for after the swim, " she'll be right " I say to myself a good old Kiwi saying, I'll tough it out!
Paul, Cara and Deb all members of my EC my training crew are with me today, I couldn't feel luckier or more supported, both Paula and Cara are willing to swim in wet suits with me in the 64 degree water, I am wearing my Tankini and Deb is bundled up and in her Kayak, the emerald eyes cat statue is strapped to the front of her boat and there is a new team member with us today, Deb's new dog Paquite, a puggle I think, he is equipped with a puggle sized life jacket, he is small and jolly looking with eyes that melt your heart, how can I say no to this little guy if I have a thought of bailing out from today's swim, I have to go!
We all meet on the shore, I show them the new course on the map, it is a 3 lap course, out to Blueberry Island and back 3 times for a total of 3.3 miles. The plan is to stop after each lap for " a spot of tea" as we say in New Zealand, Deb has the thermos and is ready to go, she is also going to count my strokes at the 15 minute mark and give me a build speed signal at 20 minutes and a pickup sprint at 25 minutes, oh and did I mention she was going to paddle with Paquite on her lap while she does all this while I am swimming, I have told you before Deb can do anything and she did a fine job piloting me today!
We are off, I have a new "add" to my equipment bag today, ear plugs, I have been meaning to get some for weeks but kept forgetting, they keep the water out of your ears help reduce heat loss from your head, they really made a difference and everything was less noisy, the water is really loud when you are swimming,
the down side is when we stopped at the end if each lap today I could hear little to no words from my training crew, Cara was talking to both Deb and Paula at our tea break, I felt like I was watching a silent movie and desperately wanted to know what the chatter was all about!
Lap one was good, cold at first then I warmed up, the air temperature and wind were cold on my arms and shoulders, I keep driving my entire head under water to warm it up as the water was warmer than the air, going around the Island was shallow and I bottomed out a few times laughing to myself and grinning at Deb as my belly rubbed along the bottom, I wonder if she could see my grin or if perhaps she thought that was a grimace frozen on my face? The return leg of the first lap we were fighting the wind, working hard through the waves, warmed me up. First lap complete and it was time for tea, WOW that was so hot it was like an iron fire poker driving down my throat and into my chest, I could feel that stuff going down, excellent! Almost too hot though, I can drink it faster if it is not as hot next time. Then we are off for lap 2, I always feel better after a feed, today was no exception, Deb and I are in a great rhythm, she counts my strokes 69 for the first lap, now 72 for the second, things are looking good, my hands are not cramping and I can feel them, both feet are still with me and there is no sign of the achy frozen jaw I felt in the spring.
Lap 2 done, more tea and we are off for the final lap, I am excited and swimming harder, when I pick up the pace I tend to pull left, and today I not only pulled left but didn't follow Deb as well as I could have, instead of making changes I began peaking, where am I at? Am I going to hit the shore? I note to myself to do better, I put my head down and concentrate on turning over one arm at a time, focused now, it works 74 strokes per minute and we round the final turn and are headed to the canoe launch, I am happy and can't wait to visit with the team.
Out of the water and to my gear bag, I have to get this suit off and wrap up, it all takes too long and I am quickly shaking uncontrollably, I can't talk, my T Shirt and sweatpants are wet and my cozy woolen hoodie suddenly doesn't feel very warm! I am off up the steps to the suburban, it is only a few minutes walk, today it feels like hours to get there, Cara helps me in, engine on, heat blasting, I want so badly to go hang with my crew, share the stories of the day's adventure and hear theirs but I am rendered useless as my body shakes trying to raise it's core temperature, I feel so bad as this is the first time I have not helped pack up the gear but I know it is the right thing to do today waiting in the car so I stay put, Cara said " wait there" very firmly and I did.
Then an amazing thing happens, Paula opens the door of the suburban and drops in a big paper bag stuffed full of the warmest sweaters I have ever laid my hands on. " Dusty said I have to give these to you NOW", says Paula, I dive into the bag, first thing a see is the woolliest, coziest slippers ever, then Cara helps me pull on a Turtle neck , all the other sweaters I wrap around my legs, hat, slippers and mittens on, I am in heaven. Cara kicks me out of the drivers side and says "you are not driving lady", I gladly move over and snuggle into my clothes. I warm up in 12 minutes! I new record time of stopping shaking.
I say goodbye to Paula and Deb then Cara and I are off to her house a 15 minute drive, I refuse to get out of the car, climb into the drivers seat and drive home, hot shower, hot cup of tea and I sit down and regroup.
I look at the label on the sweater, 85% merino wool, wow, I look at the label on my own warm, cozy sweater 15% wool. It is not warm and cozy! Dusty saved me today and taught me a valuable lesson I learnt as a kid and had since forgotten, wool is the real deal!
My mother used to make me wear a woollen singlet in the winter in New Zealand, I hated it, it was a dirty brown color for starters and was scratchy, I protested loudly every time I got dressed in the winter as a kid, with this scratchy singlet under my winter clothes, this is torture, how mean I used to think, well Mum was right, Dusty reminded me today and I realized what a caring thing Mum was doing to keep me warm on those cold South Canterbury winter days.
New Zealand is the worlds 3rd largest producer and exporter of wool, in 2009 it produced 154,000 tons. New Zealand is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, an island, the first sheep were landed in New Zealand by Captain Cook in 1773, the sheep population has grown to 45 million, there are more than 13 sheep for each one of the 3,853,116 people who live in New Zealand. February 15th in NZ has been declared as national " Lamb Day" to celebrate the history of sheep production!
The Merino is a breed of sheep that is thought to have come from Spain or North Africa, it is found in the rugged South Island Hill country, despite the heavy fleece the Merino are fairly small and hardy which means they survive the cold, I think of myself, I am small ( only 18 pounds of body fat ) and hardy, I will think of the Merino when I swim next.... I AM suited to the cold, I AM suited to the cold!
The Merino grow 7.7 - 11lbs of wool each year, it is fine, soft and is made into very fine fabrics for fashion wear, it is even made into billiard cloths.
Today's swim distance 3.3 miles, time...... I forgot to note the start time, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, today's goal checked off, dare I say it " I had fun today!" Next up an early morning swim in the lap pond tomorrow morning, the goal 20 x 200 yards on the 3 minute interval ( that's 20 laps of the pond)
What am I taking for after the training swim? A Merino sweater and woollen slippers of course!
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