twice as nice

Running a little too enthusiastically at Wednesday's club session I had bruised my big toe. Come the weekend I was reluctant to get involved with anything too big or race-like, but the forecast was swinging round and pointing at the sunshine. I set up a Tynecastle Bronze proposition but there weren't many takers and as the forecast deteriorated or rather fluctuated in a very unhelpful manner, I decided to test the toe on Saturday on a pleasant run and swim with Mary and then do the TB run on Sunday if the toe and weather behaved.

We bumped into the Henderson girls and Harris and Horatio at Gullane. 

This has been doing the rounds on facebook - glad I am not the only one finding the crowds of boozing festival goers tiresome and hazardous to cycling in town.

Life in the fast lane: by comparison here is rush hour at Gullane Point.

Scott arrived in Alison's car which provoked comments about his masculinity.

there was a chilly breeze although the summer has nearly got underway

I believe these are Lion's Mane Jellyfish. (Also known curiously as Hair Jelly)

There are quite a lot of them decorating the beach and they can sting. The good news is they can't run down the beach after you.

Tide was high and a bit choppy, churning up the seabed and making swimming less easy.

Unfortunately Mary got stung by a jellypig. The wetsuits are good protection but her naked wrist and hand must have swiped a stinger. She had been stung a couple of years back and so this time she knew what the symptoms were like and so was less alarmed. It is not the painful element of the sting, much the same as a wasp sting, but the neurotoxin-like attack that she found upsetting, describing it like electrical tingles running up and down her arm. This time she was in the water for a while after it happened and knew the best advice was to wash it with sea water. 

more-ish
Went past the supermarket on the way home.

Next day and Mary and Amanda had arranged to repeat the Saturday 6 miler and swim. I was considering the TB 30miler, though as nobody was coming along it had become optional. The swithering forecast suggested Monday was the better day and I reckoned I might phone up Monday's client and postpone work till Tuesday. Allowing me to join Mary and Amanda. We have seen far too little of AGF lately so it was a pleasure to jog round the same route and the sea was considerably more calm making for a better swim session as well. The extra day would allow my wonky toe to heal more fully although it had survived Saturday's run just fine. Mary's jellyfish sting had long stopped troubling her though we watched out for similar close encounters while swimming the length of the bay.

a reminder to wear gloves against the jellyfish stings

It was even nicer today - sun was out but less wind.

Then off for a swim!

water was still murky from the previous stirring up

Both days we were in for about half an hour. We have stopped measuring the water temperature to avoid carrying the thermometer to the beach. It has stabilised about 14~17' in the shallows and a few degrees less, further out. Hopefully all this practise is improving competency. It is certainly more joyful than swimming outdoors in the Winter.