May 01 2008
Swimming in snow
I’m here in Denver for my sister’s wedding (yay!). Before the festivities began I got an early morning workout. I found a lake nearby called Union Reservoir. There were inland pelicans, 3-foot swells and snow. Perfect!!! I swam for 90 minutes in the 48-degree water (34-degree air). Three things happened that I learned from:
- Swimming in the same direction as the waves makes you feel like you’re drowning. Waves force the legs down into the water. That provides a downward pulling sensation that caught me off-guard at first (i.e. I thought I was going to die).
- The altitude here means I breath more - obvious and true.
- My right hand cramped open, preventing me from scooping the water. This made me swim crooked and more slowly than usual. I kept up a 2 mph pace by kicking more. I hope the hand cramping was a one-time thing.
As always, here are some pictures to lend credibility to my crazy yarns.
is that a wet suit I see in the top pic?!
I do hope not
haha enjoy the wedding parties
Mark
Neal,
I am convinved that you and my brother (Adam) are crazy!!!!!! I am going with you on your trek across the water (YEAH!). I’m just hoping I don’t have to use my lifeguarding skills on the two of you:) Keep training you are almost there
Tricia
Quick question:
What is the trick to swimming in the waves? How do you work with the waves when they are pulling you down? Finally, How much time will you spend swimming against the waves in the channel?
Tricia