My hardship tour to Florida is over, and with it, my open water season. Sadly. This has been the most fun I've had on a business trip in a looong time.
Over the last two weeks I've swum 8 times in the Atlantic ocean. Plus one session in the Y. Total, a little over 14 miles. Nine sessions over 12 days. Not too bad. And there was a lot of learning.
Things will nibble on you in the ocean, like remora. Learning point. Sometimes breathing to the non-surf side does not necessarily mean you'll get an electrolyte-free breath of fresh air. Learning point. Every once in a while the current and under-toe will be such that you'll cut your workout short.
Learning point. And that was today. Today's my last full day in FL and when I was done with work I headed to the beach. The waves were immense. Looked like a great day for body surfing. And I should have stuck to that. When I walked in, I immediately felt the under-toe. It was pretty intense. I went out anyway. I felt like I was in an endless pool. It was difficult to get anywhere swimming against the current.
I turned after 10 minutes and swam with the current. I had to warn a kite-boarder that I was in the water. The waves were huge. Height between peaks and troughs were anywhere from 4 to 6 feet. I was afraid the boarder wouldn't notice me. No matter. After about 5 minutes swimming with the current, I realized I should go back in. Way too strong current.
It took me 5 minutes to just swim back in. The body surfing was fine, but even when I was able to stand, the under-toe was so strong that I was having trouble walking in. I made the right call I think.
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