Heidi on Vashon

The Xcel Drylock 8mm bootie: a winter essential! There are open water skin swimmers, and then there are wimps like me who, 95% of the time, suit up in all the neoprene. I'm not ashamed to suit up; it's cold cold cold in the water and I like to stay out longer than my body would let me in skin. Trust me, I've tried.  I am good for 30 minutes in 40-something-degree water before all functions start to stiffen and slow with bitter cold.  For this post, I'm going to share what wetsuits mitts booties and caps have worked for me. I've kissed a lot of frogs, meaning, I've learned through trial what seems to work really well out here in Puget Sound.  WETSUITS -Get yourself a swimming wetsuit if all you're planning is to swim in it. If you surf and swim, sure, try swimming in your surf suit, but the stitching may cause chafe, and the extra padding can result in drag. I started by swimming in my Hotline 5/4mm surf suit and while it kept me toasty, it's a pain in th...

In mid-December I had one of those days. We all have ‘em. Initially I held big goals for a big swim, which is kind of counterintuitive for winter time. There are winds that hit from either the north or south, you have to time your route with the currents (unless you just love extra punishment), and you need to feel rested and nourished. The goal of the day was a 10k, but I ended my journey at 6k yards after numerous gear failures and missteps; it was actually kind of funny—I had unwittingly popped my swim buoy by sliding in a thermos of hot cider, my nourishment for the feed breaks. It deflated early on and for more than three miles I’d been dragging this dead weight in a deflated sac, twisting and bobbing behind me. I also had a neoprene glove that was not on properly so it filled with water and performed like a lead weight with each stroke. In some ways, for THAT swim, I did pretty damn good. Joe Yarkin and Mary Singer, my island swim buddies and new members of the BlueSeventy Ra...