So I took the plunge last week. No, no I didn’t get married…I took the plunge in Thetis Lake.
You may be saying…as some have already said …

”I dunno Ray...that sounds a little bit crazy to me!”

But really, with a Half Ironman just weeks away, I’m get’n kind of nervous about this swim. I’ve been working pretty hard on my swimming so far this year but the thought of swimming 1.2 miles without the end of a pool to hold on to once in a while scares me enough to endure some cold feet and maybe a bit of shrinkage…after all I’m not threatened and I’m comfortable in my own skin…if you know what I mean.
I talked to my swim coach Danielle about this swim…she’s been great to work with, and has really helped me with my stroke and my over all confidence. Danielle compared me to one of her “other” fanatic friends. I told her I wasn’t a fanatic at all…I’m just scared!

Anyway Friday morning Lee, Grace, and I jumped in the truck and headed out to the lake. Beautiful morning, with the water as smooth as a slate pool table. Tons of people walking there dogs, so this meant Lee had to get Grace under control and out on the walk. Before I new it I was standing alone at the waters edge thinking there’s no way out of this now.
I squeezed into my wet suit and waded out into the water. Not bad I was thinking, as expected my feet were cold, and as expected people on the beach were looking at me as if I was about to commit suicide. I waded out until the water was above my hips. I covered up my head with a squid lid that I bought just for this very moment. With no more time to waste I took the plunge.

The first few minutes I was thinking about my feet and my face…felt pretty darn cold really. That soon faded as my forehead began to tingle. That tingle soon faded…and turned into a full on ice-cream brain freeze. For about the first three or four minutes this brain freeze was the only thing I was thinking about. I had totally forgotten about my feet, face and hands. I was thinking is this what the swim is going to be like…”Oh My God”
Luckily this also faded and I was left with just getting the feeling of the wetsuit and trying to get my swim stroke to feel like it did in the pool.
It really was not bad at all. In fact I was feeling so comfortable at one point in the swim that I was thinking how I could talk Danielle into rowing a boat along side me so she could critique my technique.
I spent about 25 to 30 minutes in the lake. The longer I was in the lake the less I thought about the water temperature. Once out of the water I quickly headed to the change room and got into some warm dry clothes. I did have a good laugh as I noticed my feet looking bright red with a clear line were my wetsuit started.
I repeated this swim again on Tuesday morning. My plan is to swim in the lake at least once a week until we leave for Wildflower.

So if you think you’re ready to take the plunge…give me a call….

Ray