Lake Challenge Day 5

Water Safety was the issue of the day as we swam out to the bridge from the docks of Dog Days.
The water traffic is a little busy near Dog Days – even in the early morning. So when we arrived for our swim and found that no kayakers were around to escort us – we started to head to a cove that would be a little safer.
Fortunately, Jade Sellers came by with her Kayak just as we were heading down the road and we turned around and headed back for our swim. Thanks to her we were able to do the planned swim.
Having a kayak chaperone in higher traffic areas isn’t just to make sure that you’re being seen by on coming boaters – it also helps the swimmer go in a straight line. There is no black line on the bottom of the lake that you can use as a guide (if there was you couldn’t see it any way). So when you are swimming in a lake, you have to continually look up and make sure you’re on the right path. Having a Kayak saves you from scanning the horizon to find your bearings.
I had a reader take me to task for not swimming with a “buddie.” He said I was setting a bad example. It’s a fair accusation. Ideally, you should always swim with someone or at least have someone nearby watching. My defense would be that I’m an experienced swimmer and the coves I swim in are very familiar to me. I was prepared for my swim and had a wet suit on. I felt pretty safe. But above all that, it was cold and no one else was crazy enough to go out there with me and I had committed to the challenge.
It’s been a fun week. I didn’t enjoy getting up early in the morning. But it always turned out to be a great way to start the day. In the coming weeks we’re going to change up some of the swim times and places and also try to host some runs, walks and bike rides. Enjoy the lake!

Lake Challenge Day 4

Over the last four days, I’ve spent about an hour and a half in lake water – most of the time swimming. What’s the purpose? To promote outdoor wellness activities at the lake as well as prove that the lake is a safe and fun place to swim and play in.
I’ve garnered a bit of attention in saying that I was going to jump in the lake every weekday for the next four weeks (tends to happen when you put the story on the front page of the newspaper). Since that time I’ve found that people either love the idea or think it’s foolish. They love it because it obviously promotes wellness at the lake and hopefully shows folks that the water is of good quality.
But the folks who think that swimming in the lake for 20 straight days are certain that I’m endangering my life. I suppose that’s the opinion I’m trying to change.
My exercise of choice is running. It’s quick, time efficient, when I was younger I was good at it and I’ve learned to enjoy it. However, when I started running in junior high and high school in the late 70’s and early 80’s, people thought I was weird. Nowadays, a person running down the side of a street doesn’t get a second glance. But back in high school, when I’d go out for a run by myself, some people would either holler at me to keep off the road, some would jokingly ask what I was running from and some would ask me if I needed a ride. At that time the public wasn’t used to seeing people in shorts and a t-shirt running outside for no apparent reason.
I think the same can be said when individuals hear or see people swimming in the lake. It’s just not that common. I know I feel self-conscious when I jump in. I feel like anyone watching must think I’m crazy – because I’m the only one around with a wet suit. People often play in a lake cove – jumping off a dock or a boat – but rarely do they go out and swim for exercise.
That’s probably because the lake isn’t conducive to getting into the water. It’s not like the beach front off the coast. We’re a man made lake, if your trying to enter the lake from the shore, you have to wade through some bumpy rocks to get to water deep enough you can swim in. If we had shorelines of soft sand that gently led into the water – you’d better believe a bunch more folks would be using the lake for exercise and swimming in the lake would be a much more normal spectacle.
I’d like to think that someday in the future, less people will be gawked at if they are paddling or swimming on the lake – that it will become the norm to see someone using the lake for exercise. I’d also like to think that if we create an environment that is friendly to these activities, it will in turn attract the type of visitor that we want in our lake community. Someone who is conscious about the importance of lake quality, lake safety, personal well-being and respectful of the environment.
Create a culture that puts an emphasis on a community’s quality of life like that and we can make the lake more appealing than ever. In turn, we can get back some of the real estate business that we lost due to the recession.
Wishful thinking maybe; but I live here and plan to stay here and I feel that there are many worse things we can promote as a community (Party Cove) than a healthy living and thriving environment.
I’ve been writing out some quick thoughts every day during the “challenge” that can be read in the paper. But I’ve also been doing quick recordings each morning documenting the swim. If you’d like, you can check those out on our web site – lakenewsonline.com. Better yet, I hope you’ll get involved in the challenge with me by getting outside and exercising. If you do, please send us a quick note or pic so we can put in then newspaper or on the web.