So, there I go to Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton for our first open water swim! We also get our new wetsuits. Coach Cindy has recommended that we wear two -or three- swimming caps because it is going to be very cold......my God, I am used to swim in the nice calm and warm waters of the Mexican Pacific ocean....
So, I get on my wetsuit....I look like a skinny sausage (I promise to upload a picture later) and start walking towards the lake/pond.
When my feet touch the water I cannot beleive how cold it is. As I go in my whole body starts getting really cold......until the water reached my waist....oh yes, a little pee works wonder! (actuallt, everybody does that, so don't think I am some kind of nasty human being)
Now comes the moment of truth...open your suit at the neck and let the water actually flow through your chest and back.....my god, it feels awful, awful, awful. As a reference, a hot tub temperature is around 40 degrees celcius, a regular swimming pool is heated at around 28. The water at Shadow Cliffs was around 16-20 degrees.
By this moment I cannot feel my feet and my hands are absolutely numb. We get the instructions from the coach and start swimming. I feel some anxiety because I cannot see anything underwater, the water is completely opaque. Also,the coldness of the water makes me feel confused, like I didn't know where I was.
After a couple of minutes I actually started feeling much better, got warmer and actually enjoyed the training. Cold water has this effect on a person's body. At the beginning you really hate it, but after you get use to it, it becomes quite an enjoyable experience.
After finishing the swim workout and taking off the suit we went for a quick 20 minute run. While changing in the bathroom I was talking to one of the coaches and he told me that the water was incredibly cold, more so than the San Francisco Bay! (the guy has done the Escape from Alcatraz Tri a couple of times)
The run was quick and easy. However, I didn't put a jacket or sweatshirt after finishing and on the wya home I started feeling some discomfort on my throat.....yes I am getting old. I actually missed Sunday training because I got a cold after swimming in a cold pond.
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