Friday Morning In The Lake

I just looked in the mirror and can’t be sure I recognize the person staring back at me.  Just over a year ago (and for all of my life, really) I would have gone out of my way to avoid getting up at 5:30 in the morning.  Today, although I did hit snooze and almost overslept, I was actually excited to grab my wet suit and drive 20 minutes to a lake in the middle of nowhere.  What happened next, changed a little bit more of my fiber. 

I was about 10 minutes late for open water swim (can’t change everything overnight) but I slid into my wet suit and joined the rest of the crew for a few mass floating starts and drafting.  Fortunately, for me, I missed the in and out of the lake transition practice, which was probably the toughest, but I swam a little extra at the end.

Today was my 3rd time in open water in the two weeks and the progress is just remarkable.  I “almost” felt like a little kid again back at Turtle Lake in Delavan, Wisconsin.  I’d spend hours in that seaweed infested water, hoping to end the day with a kiss from one of the Chicago girls in for the weekend.  Never really happened, but I did love me some water. 

The swim was over at 7, but I had to make up being late, so I swam another 4 or 5 hundred by myself.  I got to the last buoy and started walking out of the water.  It was so gorgeous and peaceful, I didn’t want to leave.  I just wanted to float around and swim the morning away.  But this job thing can kinda cramp your style.

When I got back to my car, Ironman Louisville aspirant, Wasky, was dressed for a run and asked if I wanted to join.  After some careful deliberation, I said, yes.  We knocked out about 7 miles and I stood near my car smelling like a sweaty-lake-skank trying to decide if and where I could get a shower.  It was about 8:30 and work was calling, so I put on some fresh shorts and hit the highway. 

When I parked at work, the wind shifted and I got a big whiff of my own aroma and realized I smelled like a fish.  This was confirmed when a pack of stray cats followed me to the front door.

The good news is, nobody is coming in my office.