On the 20th day, there again was the ocean...

Nineteen days without my dip in the beach was a protracted stretch of misery.  I missed my salt water therapy.  
I'm writing this Thursday, but this blog is about yesterday's swim on the 6th.  I wasn't physically up to the swim but I had gotten to feeling so crummy that I forced myself.  The buoyancy is an immense help, anyway. I drove down and put on my suit.  The beach was at a very low tide with choppy 2-3 foot waves.  About a dozen surfers.  That water was COLD to me yesterday!  Part of it was the time interval since having swum, but part was that it was plain cold: 54-55 degrees.
I couldn't kick very much and it took me 31 minutes to get around the pier.  My goggles stayed fogged over with the cold.  No current either way.  The small waves were pounding though, one after another with hardly any interval.  I froze until 14 minutes into the swim, when I got used to it, sorta'.  Good swim.


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

No swimming for me at this time

I'm at 17 days since I was in the water.  Not good.  The Ortho Surgeon told me he can't fix me with surgery at this time; apparently, what I have is treated by epidural nerve blocks so I am waiting for scheduling.  I was very disturbed by the news that they couldn't just 'fix' this stuff with some nuts and bolts, like they did in my neck.  I shall return to the water, and I hope it's soon.


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

Jan 15 pier swim

My back disc went out of whack after my last swim on the 9th of January.  I was landlocked until I tried a swim January 16th.  The week from Jan. 9-15 was painful and more.  I swam the pier Jan 15th, and the disc was more ruptured.  Today's the 22nd and I'm out.
Doctor's appt done and next week a second eval with the Orthopedic Surgeon.  I'll be pleading my case for fusion of some lumbar vertebrae because my ruptured discs at L3-4 & L4-5 are more than I can handle anymore.  My last two swims knocked the L3-4 disc out of whack.  I have to hold off on the swimming for now. 
My swim January 15th was flat and smooth.  The water was very cold.  I had a 29 minute swim and had the water to myself.  The waves were small and hardly any surfers were there.  Visibility was a  little better than usual--maybe 7 feet.  It's been only a week and I'm missing my salt water.  I'll hope for better health.

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

January 9, 2013 Fog swim.

A swim under a foggy, overcast sky at 3 PM.  Low tide. Not too chilly at 58 degrees.  26 minutes to swim around.  The first half of the swim was foggy out to the end of the pier but then some sun broke through for the swim in.  Calm water, small waves.  There were about 20 high school kids surfing on the south side in the 1-3 foot waves.  Lots of girls on that surf team. 
I got slapped in the head by a wave coming in and lost a swim cap.  A family (visitors, I think) had 4 children in the water up to their necks, playing in the ocean.  Tough kids.


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

January 6, 2013 Swim. Fins & persistence pay off.

Interesting day at the beach.  I really shouldn't say "day," because I'd be bored to death if I had to stay at the beach all day.  I am in and out of there in 1 hour, or maybe 2 hours on a longer day.  I can't just sit there on the beach doing nothing.
January 6th threw the roughest water at me that I have been in for a while.  The surf zone was running southward very strongly.  Still dirtyish water.  Very cold.  I tried to swim out twice on the north side but couldn't get out before the current carried me back toward the pier.  On my second try I started farther north to allow myself a bit more time.  It didn't help at all.  My first attempt ended at 13 minutes.  My second attempt ended at 26 minutes.  It was a wave smash-fest about 75 yards from the sand.  I tried hard, very cold, but I wasn't close to getting through the surf.  What to do?
I got my beloved Churchill fins out of my trunk and went for a third attempt.  31 minutes later I washed up on the south side of the pier, carried farther south than usual, for a total swim of 57 minutes.
My swim was cold, rough, and exhilarating.  Even with fins it was still very hard to get out past the surf; in fact, the entire swim was like swimming in the surf zone.  Four foot waves washing over me throughout the kick outward.  I was lying on my back with my arms hugging myself, kicking away, trying to keep my body warmth in.  There were some sloppy swells 7-8 feet or so out there.  I even had to kick hard on the way in!  It was just a very strong sea with a lot of anger to vent.  A neat swim day for me.


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