Yesterday we went to Grand Bend, on Lake Huron, which was crazy busy and windy enough to have pretty choppy water. I toughed out about a half hour of swimming, but ultimately, it's different from what the duathlon swimming will be like. The picture above is of Lake Whittaker, which, as you can see, had calm waters this afternoon.
John came along to watch me swim, since we didn't know if anyone else would be around. Something about seeing him sit on shore, reading a book, reminded me of when my parents would take me to the pool when I was little, but not swim themselves. Who knows how many hours they spent sitting, watching me swim, from when I was 8 until I was 17.
The Lake Whittaker Conservation Area is fairly nice. Seeing it makes me wants to get a season pass for next year. They have hiking trails and a pool, as well. John and I aren't into camping, but it would be nice to use the trails and water fronts at various conservation areas that are all just outside of London.
This lake reminded me more of the kind from summer camp. I tried to tell myself that while I was swimming.
This may sound weird, but it's a very different mental thing for me to swim - actually swim strokes, not just play around - in a lake, vs. a pool. The water isn't clear enough to see the bottom, and the depth seems fairly inconsistent. I'm not worried about not being able to stand up - I'm comfortable treading water for a while. It's the idea that there might be some kind of critter down there, that thinks my foot is its food. I really think this is mental, more than anything, and swimming some "laps" in the lake helped a lot. Guiding my direction was another problem, since there was only a short length of rope and buoys, which you can see in the pictures. But during the duathlon itself, they have their own set of buoys to guide you and life guards in kayaks that make sure you're not having a panic attack.
All in all it made me more excited than before to do the duathlon, and more confident that I'll be ready to do it on the next available date - August 11th, the day after we get back to Ontario.
So in other news...
We're taking a trip this week! John and I are going to Bloomington for our friend Julia's good bye party, and to visit a bunch of fun people there. We're stopping in Fort Wayne on the way there and back.
I still have a recipe and a post about bread to show you between now and then. Until next time, Happy Monday!
That's so cool! I am a terrible swimmer (never really learned how to make my strokes even vaguely efficient), but I still get the same way swimming or playing in the lake or the ocean. It's creepy to think about things hanging out around you... and you know they're there somewhere! That's a really pretty lake, though. Seems like a nice place to hang around for John. Good luck on the duathlon! I wish I were in Bloomington so I could tell you that in person at Julia's party. Lame.
ReplyDeleteYeah, lake-goobers are definitely there. I got hit in the face by a lily pad at one point, but was relieved when it was just a plant. And yes, that lake is really pretty, which helps.
ReplyDeleteI wish you were going to be in Bloomington, too! Sounds like you're having a good summer, though.