First cold water, ocean swim!

I can't believe it's warmer in Lincoln, Nebraska, than Manhattan Beach, California, right now. When I arrived yesterday, the skies were overcast and it was about 63 degrees. Still, that's better than the frosty morning I left, just not quite the sunny 75 I was hopoing for.

After taking every wrong turn possible and adding a good 2 miles to my walk, I made it to Manhattan Beach. The waves were pounding, there was NO ONE in the water - no even those die hard, psycho surfers who'll board in anything - and the cold wind was wailing. I figured I would at least get my toes in the water and test the temperature, so I ditched my shoes and walked against the seabreeze to the shore. Imagine my surprise to see a woman walking casually into the surf in her swimsuit. Damn girl. Turns out this was Karen, one of the other channel swimming clinic participants.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200535073911905&l=2865267415180760472

So, of course, I'm not going to just stand there gawking in total dismay, I had to get in. I went to the changing room got into my suit and strode into the water with nervous determination.

The water stole my breath and my courage. I thought there was no way I was going to be able to swim in such freezing cold water. The people who do this must have some sort of chromosomal adaptation. But I dove under to avoid a huge wave and then started swimming and just concentrated on getting each arm up and over, up and over, and pretty soon, I wasn't freaking out over the freezing cold water anymore. I was just swimming. And get this ... it was FUN! I felt like a seal dodging the waves and pulling through clots of kelp. There were a couple of huge tankers off the coast and I was swimming next to the long Manhattan Beach Pier. I had a moment where the awesomeness was overwhelming - I was really swimming in 62 degree sea and it was beautiful!