Today, I met up at Georgiaville Pond for my first ever long open-water swim with others. The longest I had swam in open water was actually 1/4 mile at the Goddard Sprint Triathlon (that I got 3rd in!), so it was definitely a new experience to see how I could sustain myself over a longer distance. I had swam totals of over 1.5 miles before...just in a pool where I would be kicking off a wall or stopping at the edge every now-and then. And the water would only be standing height.
Let's look at the vast differences of an open water swim:
1. The water is not crystal clear...you will not see ANYTHING except brown murkiness below.
Yeah, the water will get a bit deep and you won't be able to stand. I'm so used to the clear blue-ness of a pool, it's a bit intimidating at first to jump into a pond where you can't see anything in the water with your goggles.
2. Navigating is SO important
It's incredibly easy to just start swimming and be totally going in the wrong direction unless you up every few strokes to see where you're heading. Luckily the two people I was swimming with had bright orange and yellow caps, so I just glanced around to find them after every 10 strokes. It's definitely a skill to break out of your pool-swimming technique/rhythm, and be able to lift your head forward to look ahead of you to find your direction.
3. Just find an easy rhythm and pace.
It's tough starting right off the bat without a warmup to find the right pace. I always feel like I head out much faster than I need to and end up slowing down to a good rhythm later. But then again, it's a good feeling to get used to since I'll probably act that way in most triathlons.
4. Compared to running and cycling...swimming is S-L-O-W
I can't remember how many times today I stared ahead at the upcoming island or the beach and thought "hey, I'm not that far away!" Actually, I am and it does take a few minutes and patience to swim that distance. I would swim for a bit and realize I was almost as far away as I was before. Swimming only 1/2 mile is almost equivalent to running 2 miles and it's tough to think in those terms.
All in all, I was so excited I got a great swim in. I had to drag myself out of bed this morning because I was definitely not bouncing awake at 6:00am, or even 6:30. (I think I finally left by 6:45 thinking it would only take 13 minutes to get there, and I ended up getting lost and arriving at 7:15. But it was still a 20 minute drive...sheesh!). The temperature of the water was actually pretty nice (maybe around 70?) even though it was 65 degrees outside. The other two I swam with had wetsuits, but honestly I didn't think that was needed. I am totally buoyant enough. Perhaps next season, or in the fall when the temperature gets cooler, I'll look into getting a wet-suit.
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Ah, salads! I have found salads to be my fall-back dinner option whenever I am out to dinner and I can't particularly have a meal consisting of only meat and veggies. I am usually a sucker for any salad made elsewhere since I never feel like my own salads have a cohesive quality to them...they always feel plain. I've been super obsessed with Chop Salads lately, which consist of:
Lettuce, chopped tomatoes, bleu cheese, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled egg and avocado slices (if it's a good chopped salad). Usually any creamy dressing works well, though I've been staying on the more paleo end and using a thick balsamic vinegar I got at Sabatino & Co. in Boston...a nice specialty condiments store that has lots of yummy truffle oils, honeys, vinegars and dips of all kinds. Even some nice soaps.
Here's a pick of my lovely salad compilation. The bowl isn't quite big enough to see the pile of mixed lettuce underneath, but all the ingredients are there.
Making one of these salads does take a lot of work! I had to cook the chicken, bacon and hard-boiled eggs in advance so I can just chop the veggies fresh when I need the salad. It takes about 10 minutes to get everything out and chop stuff to create my salad. (Those restaurants already have everything prepped and chopped out to make tons of salads, so no wonder it takes them a mere few minutes! Unfortunately I'm just making one salad, not mass producing 50 a day.) I did pre-cook about 3 servings worth of meat though so I saved some time.
With exception to the bleu cheese, this salad is definitely super Paleo and filled with plenty of protein (chicken, eggs, bacon) and some healthy fats from the avocado. Pair with a nice glass of iced water to combat the summer heat and I'm all set! Now time to experiment with a different type of salad with comparable protein in it. Do you have any other salad ideas?
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