I did not bring a camera today because I had no intention of swimming after my epidural yesterday. However, the day was very nice and we are expecting rain for the weekend. Rain means dirty water. I drove to the beach and thought about it. I was hurting at work but the buoyant force of the weight of the water on the body has a big effect on mitigating pain for me.
I did a funny thing. To go easy today, I put on a wet suit, a warm head cap, and fins. My plan was to lie on my back and do a slow, relaxed kick around the pier to check out the function of my lumbar area.
I was concerned that I was going to mess with the mental shell that I have acquired to protect me from "feeling" the cold water by wearing the wet suit. I might not be able to readjust my mental attitude after spoiling my body for a day. I got in on the north side. The surf zone was fairly rough, with lots of 2-3 foot pounding, white water waves. I was going easy, feeling it out, and didn't utilize my aggressive 'get the heck in and start moving' approach.
After about 8 minutes of relaxed kicking out and thinking that I was jinxing myself by wearing the wet suit, I mellowed out and decided that I'd be able to get back in my bathing suit next time.
The sky was blue, with wispy streaks of light, white clouds of no particular shape. I saw one string of sixteen pelicans cruising over the sand north of the pier-just taking in the view, I suppose. I'd like to be able to get in formation with them and enjoy that view: ride on the blowing winds and throw in some swift wing flapping as needed.
As for currents, the inside north current was a mild northerly pull. About half-way out the current stopped. I briefly stopped off the end of the pier and there was a very mild southerly, slow current. Interestingly, half-way in, the current increased to a mild southerly direction. In the surf zone the southerly pull was a bit stronger.
As for waves and chop, there was a one-foot chop out there, with incoming one-to-two foot small waves during the farther out half of the pier. I was trying to count the wave/swell intervals. Half-way out-6 second, small waves inward. Before the surf zone, these lttle waves consolidated and built into a 2-4 foot swell and a rough, 2-4 foot breaking wave of occasional good shape. This wave interval was about fifteen to twenty seconds. I got dumped on my shoulder on the sand and bumped my head in one of the bigger waves-thank goodness it was not the neck. The swim was very nice and my back held up well. I feel like I got some gentle exercise and range-of-motion physical therapy for it.
"The first time you quit is the last time you try."
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