There is nothing like swimming in a lake, watching the sun go down.

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A guy gets caught in the middle of a lake, and is almost run down by a motorboat. If it wasn’t for the prescription swim goggles he is wearing, he might have been really hurt
I had been developing a real hatred of swimming. There is nothing so boring as the back and forth, back and forth etc of doing laps in a pool. I even bought prescription swimming goggles, so I wouldn’t hurt myself or others. I found them at an online dive store that offered two types, a Platina prescription swim goggle, and a Splaqua mirrored polarized prescription swim goggle. I chose the Splaqua.

Then one day on a whim, I decided to go swimming in a lake near my house. If you want to know, until then, the idea of swimming in a dark lake terrified me. What normal person wouldn’t it terrify? You can’t see the bottom, who  knows what’s going on down there?! The sun was just above the pine trees on the other side of the lake, and the soft golden rays of the setting sun transported me to another world. When I reached the end of the peninsula, I was smitten.

This is why people love to swim, I decided. There was not another human being within 1/4 mile of me, and no one swimming in the cove. The sun was sparkling on the water, and the short scrub pine trees on the edge of the peninsula were bathed in its golden light. The cold jagged grey boulder I was grasping contrasted with the dark green of the pine trees and the azure of the cloudless sky. I was in heaven. It was a moment I knew no one else would be able to understand or appreciate, no matter how well I was able to describe it in words.

I paused for a few minutes to imprint the image in my memory, and then began to swim back. The sun dipped behind the pine trees, the water turned grey, and the fishing boat I had sighted earlier was honking its horn. If it weren’t for my prescription swim goggles, I would have been run right over. I could hear children playing on the beach ahead, and knew I had to return to earth.  The whole experience was so cathartic, and exhilarating, I can barely describe how great it  was.

When I am told to “go jump in a lake,” I take it literally.

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A man has to overcome his fear of open water swimming. He goes about doing this by jumping in a nearby lake, and swimming until sunset. The rash guard seems to enhance his performance, and helps overcome his fear.
Two days ago, out of desperation for a swim workout, I recklessly dove in a nearby lake for an open water swim. I always wear a rash guard, and buy them from a great online retailer which has a selection of Body Glove Aura short sleeve rash guards, as well as IST UV long sleeve rash guards. I still fear lake swimming, and know that swimming alone is probably foolish. But I also know that I will never conquer the open water swim if I don’t practice.

No matter how many pool workouts I complete, an open water swim is a completely different nut to crack. So, despite the stupidity of swimming alone, I swam. I stayed close to shore, and just kept swimming through the water lilies that would catch on my goggles and dodging rocks.

There were no red guidelines to keep me swimming straight, only murky grayness beneath me. The sun was setting in the distance, and the beach where I had started was in a cove, and there was a peninsula at the end of the cove I wanted to reach. I stopped at a few boulders to catch my breath, and the further I was from shore, the more solitude and peacefulness I felt. I was not losing my breath. My muscles weren’t aching. In fact, my swim instructor would have been proud because I could feel my body gliding through the water in between each stroke.

I left a fishing boat behind, and I periodically scanned the water around me for boats and other swimmers. Somehow, the rash guard I was wearing seemed to enhance my performance and give me confidence.

I hate swimming, and would much rather lift weights.

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butterfly

A person who really isn’t used to the repetition of swimming laps, grows to hate the regimen of swimming. He wishes he could get back to lifting weights and running, activities that can work up a good sweat. Where’s the sweat in swimming?
The boredom is mind-numbing. My mind wanders and I forget whether it was 15 laps, or going on 15 laps, or 12 laps for that matter. At least I can see with the prescription swim goggles I bought, having chosen a pair of mirrored polarized prescription swim goggles, deciding over the smoked lens prescription swim goggles I almost purchased.

I miss the sweat from a good workout which is tangible evidence that I have burned calories and exerted my muscles. I hate the smell of the chlorine (in the morning or any other time, for that matter).   I hate the moment when I lower my goggles over my eyes and push off for those first few strokes. I hate the idea I’ll be going back and forth interminably for the next hour.   I swear, swimming is  like that movie Ground Hog Day when it comes to repetitious ad nauseum. I love my first cup of coffee after a long swim, mainly because it’s over.  I feel like celebrating!

Thanks to the encouragement of a colleague, I completed my first sprint triathlon about a month ago. I was not very confident in the swim, but least confident in the run because my ankle is still bothersome. My great surprise was somehow, my legs remembered how to run fast, and I did surprisingly well on the 5K.

The swim, however, I only survived. It was an open water lake swim in the Northeast in May, needless to say, the water was glacial.

I had never been swimming with a hundred people before, and there had been 3 heats before mine, so the water was very choppy. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, probably due to the excitement and adrenaline, and the waves, although small, made inhaling a full breath challenging. I finally gave up on freestyle, and swam the backstroke, probably diagonally. I even think I kicked someone in the face. 13 grueling minutes later, the swim was over, my respect for those who can truly swim increased infinitely. At least I had my trusty swim goggles.