Again another early morning for me.  I woke up at 4:30am and hit the road to Nehalem Bay at 5:30am.  I wasn’t planning on starting this early, but Jane and Kim were getting together in the afternoon to work on the feeding basket and I felt it important that I be there.

I arrived in Nehalem around 7:20 and got down to the business of getting ready for the swim.  I was just arriving shortly after high tide.  Since 2 weeks ago the water was 50 degrees at high tide, I wanted a water temp reading before starting.  It was running around 62-64.  Looks like the currents have shifted again.  Some of the fishermen I was talking to were disappointed that the temp had gone up again.  They then freaked out when I said I was getting in to swim.  Oh well. 

It was grey when I started the swim, but gradually the sun began to shine.  I made sure at my feedings to eat more.  I also made my liquid Carbo Pro mixture much stronger than yesterday per Jane and Kim’s advice.  I managed to avoid hitting the wall during my training.  It turned out to be a very good swim, even though I was completely knackered from the previous day and very little sleep.

Swim Notes:

• Yes, I do need stronger mixture of Carbo Pro in my liquid feedings.
• 62-64 degrees does feel like a warm bath to me these days.  I wish the current would change again so I could deal with more cold water.  I guess I’ll have to go back to more frequent ice baths.
• Dogs that are being walked on the beach are very confused by me.  They usually wade out into the water to get a good look.  This is can be uncomfortable for me because I’m really not sure how the dog or owner are going to react.  I’ve found that if I remove my goggles it makes the dogs less apprehensive.  The owners keep saying that the dogs want to save me.  Perhaps they do, or perhaps they are just curious.
• No songs.  I just really enjoyed watching the clouds being burned off and the sun shining on my back. 
• Earplugs – not going to use them.  I find that I’m more comfortable in the water when I can hear more than just the sloshing of the water.  Yes, the water can be cold as it comes into and out of my ears, but I’m more at ease when I can hear clearly.