I just spent a holiday week in Toronto with my daughter Scarlet. We lived there before making the move to the Kootenays in 2018. I’ve been back to the Big Smoke several times for work, but I’ve rarely had any time to explore past haunts and do fun things. The best part of this week was seeing the city anew through Scarlet’s eyes as she was 8 was when we left. We stayed at an AirBnB in our old Danforth neighbourhood and it was really cool to retrace our steps 6 years later. We hung out with good friends, took in the Vans Warped Tour, smuggled Scarlet into Choir!Choir!Choir!, saw 2 movies, went to the beach and travelled a lot of kilometres on foot, baking in the hot sun. I am not eating or sleeping well right now so it was nice to have a plethora of distractions and good to be very tired at the end of each day.

My training plan was set as a recovery week, so I went on the holiday intending to swim but with all pressure off in terms of meeting my weekly km goal. I had a lovely 2 km swim between buoys at Bluffer’s Beach in Scarborough – which is a beautiful place and one I would highly recommend if you’re doing open water training in Toronto. The buoy distances are long enough that you can get a good workout, the water is clean and clear, and it’s very cool to look up and see the looming red cliffs. The lifeguards are also constantly present in row boats, so I didn’t worry that a dink on a jet ski would run me over and ruin my day. The speedos are also plentiful. Maybe it’s just me??

Before heading to Toronto, I’d done a bit of research to see if there was an open water community to swim with. As much as I like training alone, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to introduce a bit of social interaction to the summer outdoor season. My tendency in difficult times is to isolate myself, but I’m finding that it isn’t really working for me lately. Sure enough I discovered the Lake Ontario Swim Team (LOST) and was excited to learn that they meet every Saturday at Lakeshore Park in Oakville for a group swim.

Scanning through the LOST website was also a treat, because I learned about upcoming Ontario events, the history of the club, and was also able to register and pay as an International Guest, a bargain at $10.

Not a bargain was the money it cost me to Uber out to Oakville from the Danforth. I could have spent 2 hours in public transit, but I only fell asleep at 5 am on Friday and I needed those extra 2 hours. And damn it, I work hard for the money, honey! Read More