Is It Really 64 Or Did You Make That Up?

Next Swims:
* Mon 9/11 6:15Am & 6PM
* Tue 9/12 6:15AM & 6PM
Note that morning swims are moved to 6:15 because it's too dark at 6AM

Last Swims:
Sun 1PM
Water: 66 1-2 ft waves choppy and rough
Crew: Handyman Hank, Wet Taco, Mark, Gumdrop, Liz, Drangonfly, Diablo, Itch, Magic Mike, Patriarch

Sat 1PM
Water 66 wavy and rough
Crew: Gumdrop, Magic Mike, Super Hera, Wet Taco, Diablo

Saturday 8AM
Big Shoulders, Ohio Street Beach, Chicago
64 very choppy "washing machine" water
Crew: Mitch & Itch 5K no wetsuit, Drangonfly & Patriarch 2.5K wetsuit

Before the race at Big Shoulders I happened to be standing near the announcer's tent when he broadcasts that the water temp is 64.  A very upset lady walks up and angrily says to him, "Is it really 64 or did you just make that up?"

I cracked up because that's exactly what happens when I perform my daily pre-swim water thermometer reading and I announce the result to the crew.  There's almost always someone who doesn't believe it.  Mostly they seem to think the water is colder than it really is.

Now of  course my thermometer could be wrong, but it's always within a degree of Itch's fancy thermometer.  Or it could be that the temperature offshore is cooler than measured right at the water's edge.  But I don't think that's the issue.

For whatever reason they believe the lake is colder, rougher and more polluted than it really is. And any evidence to the contrary must be wrong.  But why do they believe that?   I don't really know but my theory is they're psyched out by the lake and really don't want to swim but don't want to wimp out either. So they resolve the internal conflict by changing the external facts.

I've done the same thing to myself a thousand times.  Before some challenge or other I come up with all the reasons why it's too hard and why I shouldn't even try.  Afterwards I wonder what I was so worried about.