swimming in paradise

Okay, I know I rant about the La Jolla cove amazingness, but I love this place and I feel it deserves a post. Especially after such a great weekend. Friday was a half day at work (woohoo!) and then Paul and I went to see our friend Bethany in the hospital. She's hilarious on pain medicine! We arrived at the cove later than usual, due to a lack of parking (my only gripe). It was a beautiful warm evening and the sunset was gorgeous. We swam to the marine room and back. Half way there I flipped over and started swimming backstroke, keeping straight thanks to paul's sighting. I swam about 400 yards completely relaxed, smiling with the sun shining on my face. At that moment I was as happy as ever. My body felt amazing, the water was the perfect temperature. No wetsuit, just me and the ocean. I wish I had a camera on my forehead; the view was unbelievable.
Saturday morning I woke up, drove to the cove and got the best parking spot available. The UCSD masters team has this unofficial cove/pier/cove 3 mile swim. It's not a race, but it's been going on for 20+ years. Over 100 people showed up.
The way out was perfect. The kelp beds weren't as bad as I thought and I made it to the pier in roughly 33 minutes. The way back was a different story. I was alone for the majority of the way, and the water was choppy with a current coming straight at us. A group came up alongside me and I was able to keep pace with them for the last half mile, thankfully. My mind was going crazy being out there alone for so long. Total time was 1hr 15 min. I think that gives me confidence for my 5 mile race this weekend and being able to hit my under 2 hour goal. I will have a kayaker so I won't have to sight, and the course is a circular pattern, so let's hope for a favorable current!
Sunday I was a swim buddy for the Solana Beach Triathlon. As usual, a fun rewarding experience. I also climbed with Paul at Mission Gorge and finished the evening rollerblading to the end of Sunset Cliffs to watch the sun set.