Good Blogs About Swimming. Real Swimming,not my candy-ass dipping my toes in the water

From Ireland, and including great photos of people and the country is www.loneswimmer.com

From the US, the blog http://marathonswimmers.org/blog/      farther, colder. rougher--that says a lot

From Monterey Bay, CA, www.kelpkrawlers.org        swim year-round up north

From Central CA, Avila Beach Swim Club, www.swimavila.blogspot.com

Good, motivating reading.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Quick Swim Today--A Replay of Yesterday

  

I'm having a hard time getting my photos and words lined up today so I'll stop at two pics.  Today was almost identical to my short swim yesterday.  59 degree water temp.  Face hurts swimming in that.  12 1/2 minutes only today.  I'm still cold about an hour and a half later.  Boy, I really need to get acclimated to freezing again.  It felt good.

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Tuesday Oceanside CA Brief Dip

  I got in the water for a few minutes today without a wet suit. 
Our weather is beautiful here; I'm sorry for the vast majority of the country experiencing unnaturally cold weather lately.  But I'm not moving back there; nor would anyone want me back anyway.

Oceanside was quiet today.  Plenty of parking spots.  A handful of friends and families, and there were several surfers trying to look for a wave of any surfable size.  It was soooo flat.

I only swam for 12 minutes.  58 degrees feels colder than it used to.  Visibility was good-about 8 feet. A good quick visit.   "The first time you quit is the last time you try."

What do you think of this news story in Manhattan Beach? Is it a shark?

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/12/28/did-shark-photobomb-manhattan-beach-family/


I saw this story up the coast near Los Angeles and I wondered to myself: Would I swim in it?
Yes, I believe I would.  That water looks beautiful.  And if it is a shark, I'm too big for the thing to eat. 


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Sunday Afternoon Kicking on my Back with Fins

Nice sky and day today but the beach was stirred up with a little chop, a mild wind, and a mild current moving north to south.  Hardly anybody in the water.  No shape to the waves for the surfers.  Not much visibility and the water at 58 seemed colder.

I wasn't planning on swimming today because my back and neck were out of whack again.  Then I decided that the resistance from kicking with my fins would help my back out and give my neck a rest. 

I was supposed to swim with a few people up north at Avila Beach today but I couldn't face getting in the car for the five-hour ride.  I wanted to go and challenge myself with the colder water--56 degrees per surfline.com.  That I can do without a wet suit if my mind is right.     I lay on my back and kicked past the waves and up the beach for 12 minutes and then I turned around and got out at 25 minutes.  The back held up.  I wore the wet suit but it is pretty thin and old so it doesn't make too much difference anyway.