Well then. (Race recap)

[mrs.jacinthe]

I swam this morning. 2.4 miles. It was awesome. Here's the details:

I got an email on Thursday morning that water temp was 65. I had been planning on 60-ish, so that was nice. I packed up my crap and on Friday, we left right after work to get up here to the hotel we booked for a relaxing weekend. (Um, it's awesome. Breakfast and smores and happy hour and free snacks and an honor bar. Nom nom.)

Anyhow, woke up at 6 this morning to go get coffee and oatmeal, ate, got dressed, and headed to the venue about 7:20. (Race start was at 8:30). Got there, got my cap, made a bathroom visit, and settled in to wait for the start. It was freaking cold - about 30. I wore a T-shirt, fleece pj pants, fleece socks, fleece slippers, a sweatshirt, gloves, hat, and my swim parka. And I was still a little cold at times. I decided, sitting on the bench, that this was going to be my season's victory lap.

I stay out of the water before races because I'd rather be warm than warmed up. So my first feel of the water was about 30 seconds before race start. Omg. If that was 65, I'm the queen of France. I'd say it was closer to 58. A little shocking, given what I had been expecting. The water was shallow, so I probably ran the first 500 yards or so.

Got settled in to swim finally and decided that I was just going to enjoy myself. I picked a slow pace and just dug in for a while. It was delightful. I looked at things on the bottom (Tahoe is super clear after all), stopped and looked at the scenery, made jokes with the volunteers, checked on folks who were struggling ...

And came in just before the woman who was DFL. But it was literally the most enjoyable swim I've had in years. I was so happy when I got out, even though I couldn't feel my feet and stumbled a few times. Photos are going to be awful. Lol

Either way, if you ever have the opportunity to do a race like this (not swimming, I just mean the victory lap part), do it. It made this race amazing.

[lb2006]

That sounds REALLY cold. Congrats on your victory lap! I hope you're enjoying s'mores and happy hour!

[moreace01]

Yikes to the cold but it sounds like an awesome swim. Congrats!! So jealous of the clear water.

[irene adler]

That sounds like the ultimate victory lap!

[cole]

Congrats on your victory lap! You are such an inspiration, I love reading about your amazing accomplishments!

[chw57]

You are amazing! I don't know how you do it.

[emilyj]

Congratulations!! Now go drink all of the warm things!!!

[juliabug]

That sounds so fun! Except for the cold part, that sounds awful. I would never make it.

[thom]

That is so amazing. So very hardcore and awesome. When you feel like that after a race it's victory, no matter what place you finish in.

ETA: I concur about the cold water sounding awful. I don't know how you do it.

[bostonmichelle]

That sounds amazing minus the cold. Congratulations on a great season!

[labbie]

Awesome victory lap! Enjoy your well deserved smores :-)

[cinco]

Congratulations! I'm glad you had an enjoyable victory lap.

[libbygrl109]

That sounds so amazing! Congrats on your victory lap! I am always so blown away by what you can do in the water. Not something I could/would ever dream of attempting!

[coconutbug]

Brrr. Congrats on a great season!

[mysticmuffin]

You are a brave and hardcore woman. Congratulations on your victory lap and a great season!

[sadlebred]

Sounds like a fun race!!

[itsme]

Congrats on your race and enjoying it!

[G22]

Congrats! I'm glad you had a good time and enjoyed it, despite those cold temps!

[shauni27]

omg you are bad ass. WAY too cold for me. Good for you!!!

[hurricanedrunk]

Congrats on your finish! Glad you enjoyed the race despite the cold temps!

[gt7301b]

Brrrrrrr, I still am amazed at how you can swim long distances like you do. You are awesome.

[marcyiam]

You sound so happy - congrats on a great victory lap!