Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!
It’s that time of the month again. Good high tides.
With the plasterers still in the house, there was little I could do today. Housework was impossible, it was too windy to ride, and running just wasn’t something I really wanted to do - unless it was as part of a brick, and as I’ve already said, it was too windy.
By lunchtime, I’d been into Whitley Bay, and got a haircut, and some cheep sandles for leaking sea water all over. Lunch itself was just more munchies - Wife & Daughter were both out, so I could indulge my dark side - bananas, home made protein bars & funky hydration mix.
By 2:30, the tide was pretty high, so I braved our hallway, and went to excervate my wetsuit. In the harbour, I had a chat with the lifeguard. We were about an hour before high tide, with a reasonably stiff offshore breeze (i.e. blowing OUT to sea), but with the harbour sheltered by the cliffs, and little swell, there should be no nasty currents.
My aim was to swim across the bay to the middle of the harbour entrance, and then turn east and go out into the sea for about 75m, before looping around one of the fishing boats moored there, and coming back. The out journey was pretty easy, but as soon as I turned back, the wind was blowing spray up over my face. I mean, not enough to drown me, but as an openwater newbie, it was still quite a shock. I also almost swam into the mooring buoy and rope for the fishing boat.
So by the time I got back to the beach in front of the lifeguard station, I was a bit shaken up. But I couldn’t just get out - I’d told the lifeguard that I was probably doing two laps. Nothing for it - I turned around and swam back across the bay, but kept in the harbour so as to avoid most of the spray and wind. It was definitely worth the effort of going back out - if I’d left on the first lap, I’d have had the “open water swims aren’t for me” feeling in the back of my head. As it was, I’d conquered The Fear, and felt pretty good about it.
Now, all I need to do is work on some navigation skills - my progress was distinctly erratic through the water, and nothing like the straight lines I was hoping for. Here’s an approximation of my route.
Workout:
- Type: Swim
- Date: 07/14/2007
- Total Time: 00:18:00.00
- Distance: 692.02 m
- Average Pace: 2:34.27/100m
Sounds scary, good training though. I have a terrible time swimming a straight line when I’m in open water too.
Yeah, it was a bit scary. I nearly drowned when I was eight, and as a result have a residual Fear of water. Generally it’s OK, but it was the reason I gave up scuba diving, and is something that I’m definitely going to have to work on for Tri training.
On the plus side, the water was really clear, and you could see the bottom even up to about 7 feet deep. I’m not sure if this helped my navigation or not - I think I may have been following the sand ripples, which AREN’T in straight lines!