Ohio St, September 5

The biggest surprise was when we, Jody, Erin, Sue and I, got to Ohio St at 7:00 AM this morning there was no one there. Yes, the triathlon was over but Big Shoulders is next week. So I was the first one in the water. As predicted the water near shore was 64. It felt a lot warmer than the 58 in Evanston yesterday. Otherwise there was a gentle 1 foot swell but little chop, in places the water was like glass. Completely clear sky with a nice warm sun. A couple of degrees warmer water and it would be perfect. Moreover being alone gave us the illusion that the whole city belonged to us. I did think to wear my thermal cap today so I was reasonably comfortable in the water but I sort of lost feeling in my chest and given the way the sun hit the water on our return trip it seemed that I was swimming 1 foot over the water surface. Sue and Erin planned to do a long swim today, but decided after our standard mile to the outer red buoy and back that they were cold enough. The cold did not hit me until we were out of the water, then, even with a heavy hooded sweatshirt I shivered.

Back at the car, which was right at the Ohio St pedestrian underpass, Jody had an encounter with a cop on a Segway over her inadvertent lack of a current sticker and the cop suggested we get out of town quickly before some less nice cop gave her a ticket. I had been the recipient of such a ticket a few years back so I suggested we listen to him. So she sat in the car with motor running outside Starbucks while I got coffee and we took off. A few minutes in her warm car with a cup of hot coffee and I was fine again.