Day 4 Rest Day - Bouncing around the room (with beer)

Yep, I'm feeling manic.  

It is hot outside (82F or 26C).  Given my tendency these days to overheat in temps 20F below today's heat wave,  I decided to avoid the outdoors at all costs.  For those of you back in VA who laugh at those temps, imagine relatively warm weather with no air conditioning.  None.  They don't need it here.  Most of the time, Dover is overcast and chilly.  Not today.  OK, enough complaining about the weather.  

My adventure today consisted of a trip to the store to get essential supplies (eggs, butter, bread, and cheese) and then back to the room for a beer and perhaps another nap.  

The King of Beers

I'm bouncing off the walls; waiting is not my strength. So what better way to pass the time the by enjoying a few pints?  Wish I could just fall asleep and wake up for my swim.  Madhu and Yuta - two marathon swimming veterans - offered me sage advice.  They said "focus on your day and let Neil worry about the swim window" and "the channel will tell you when to go."  I loved the advice.  The timing was perfect.  Patience is king - wish I had some.  Unfortunately, I'm not the patient type.  

I finally got to sleep at 5am after tossing and turning all night.  When I could smell the swim coming up, I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to sleep.  I was going over details in my head, getting my swim brain ready for the long haul.  At roughly midnight, I got the call that today would be blown out.  No swim!  Ugh.  If my previous post sounded negative then good - precisely what I was feeling.  I didn't drift into a funk but I felt the euphoria of pre-swim (same as the euphoria pre-climb, pre-summit, pre-anything grueling) dissipate to just a nervous energy to get things in order.  That post euphoric sensation lead to a night of restless card-playing on my tablet.  I'm mastering Cribbage.  My cousin will be happy about that update, right Kev? 

When I woke up this morning (only morning in California at 2pm local time in the UK), I received a call from my pilot Neil Streeter.  He was upbeat as usual.  Great guy.  He asked me how I was doing and I said "OK" but ready to swim, then, he laid out the plan.  It appears that there is a rather large front blowing in later today through tomorrow.  Thursday and Friday may work.  So here is the tentative plan:  Thursday morning is iffy, Thursday afternoon maybe, Friday morning maybe, and from then on it is anyone's guess.  Just hearing a plan gave me another spark.  I know today is off and I can have a few pints, laze around the room, and then enjoy a fine meal later tonight.  Should be fun just taking the day off.  Tomorrow, I will get back into the harbor for a swim even if it is choppy and nasty.  Bring on the chop!  You heard it here first.  I may swim either Thursday or Friday.  Keep your fingers crossed.  

The extra time to prepare for my swim is actually a blessing.  If we pushed off today, I fear my feeding setup would have been a mess.  I just unpacked all my gear and realized the retrieval lines were all tangled and my bottles needed a bit of tape to reinforce the retrieval cord connection.  All in all, I am at peace.  One beer into the afternoon - it is difficult not to be at peace.  

OK, enough for now.  See you all (virtually) tomorrow for an update after my swim.