I previously swam here in neoprene, in 2017, during a sports event, for 10 kilometers and then I discovered the beauty of the place. I also noticed the low temperature of the water, compared to the lakes around Bucharest, in the plain, with which I was used.
Given I was registered to swim across Lake Ijsselmeer in the Netherlands on August 17, 2019, swimming here would have been a very good last endurance workout, in similar conditions of low water temperature and an opportunity to perform my first swim, organized individually, documented according to the rules of Marathon Swimmers Federation.
The initial plan was to swim the lake back and forth, starting from the dam, to the tail and back; but the weather conditions were difficult that day, because compared to the historical averages and the previous week, the outside temperature had dropped by about 10 degrees and that of the water by 3 degrees. Thus, at the beginning of swimming, the air temperature was 10 degrees and the water temperature 18 degrees, compared to a week earlier at 20 degrees air and 21 degrees water.
At the same time, I had little experience in marathon swimming and the support team, although it had a big heart, did not actually have enough experience to be able to identify and manage a possible hypothermia. The support team throughout the period before and during the swimming team was with me and gave me a special attention.
For this swim I had to prepare myself physically and mentally for the weather conditions, expected, and I performed multiple workouts in cold water conditions and took many cold showers.