{"id":34,"date":"2009-07-15T21:32:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-15T21:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ravenfamily.org\/sam\/?p=34"},"modified":"2010-06-04T18:58:28","modified_gmt":"2010-06-04T18:58:28","slug":"open-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ravenfamily.org\/sam\/2009\/07\/15\/open-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Open water"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m entered in the Galway triathlon<\/a> on the 25th and have been worrying about the lack of open water time I’ve managed to put in this year. After a couple of stressful days in court (as a witness, I hasten to add), I emerged today and realised there was no wind. It was utterly still.<\/p>\n

I’d had the presence of mind to pack some training gear and so I had my wetsuit with me. I stopped off at Lower Largo on the way home to Edinburgh, just by Largo Bay Sailing Club<\/a> (I used to be a member, when I was a whole lot younger), to go swimming.<\/p>\n

Whenever you say to someone that you’re going swimming in the sea, unless he too is into open water swimming, the reaction seems to be one of absolute bafflement. Today was one of those days when I wish I could have dragged the naysayers along to see what makes it so special — only that would have meant sharing, and some things are just too good to share.<\/p>\n

Visibility was in the tens of metres. The surface, after some initial chop left over from today’s electrical storms subsided, was glossy. The mirror finish was broken by a brief spell of rain, the sound of it hissing into the sea around me only making the experience more magical. The red lenses of my goggles brought a hazy purple, mystical quality to everything; and there were bright clouds of silver fish that drifted away in lazy formation at my approach, as well as crabs waving their armoured pincers like angry robots on the delicately rippled sand far below.<\/p>\n

I love the sea. I’ve always loved the sea. They say it’s in your blood, and if that’s true then my blood runneth with seaweed and plankton. I would have stayed there until dark and beyond if it were not for my mum waiting for the safety call at 18:30 and the knowledge I had to make it across the bridge before the roadworks started. Swimming in the sea is a bit like riding a bike on busy roads: those who don’t do it think you’re mad if you do. Those who know how great it can be nod, smile and have that twinkle in their eyes that is the outward manifestation of happy memories.<\/p>\n

You should try it some time. It’s one of the best stress remedies there is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m entered in the Galway triathlon on the 25th and have been worrying about the lack of open water time I’ve managed to put in this year. After a couple of stressful days in court (as a witness, I hasten to add), I emerged today and realised there was no wind. It was utterly still. 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