Eel Pond to Oak Bluffs
July 11 — A murky start from Eel Pond with an exceptionally low moon tide, very light north wind and current flooding from Oak Bluffs toward Edgartown; opted to hug the State Beach shore on the way up to minimize the current, and was pleased to see speeds of 5.9–6 mph the whole way at 20-mile race effort pace. The current wasn’t as debilitating a factor as I’d anticipated passing the Steamship pier; did one lap around Oak Bluffs harbor and exited with 6.0 mph average on the GPS. Once out in the flood current, speed immediately went up to 6.7 to 7.0 mph, and stayed in that range the entire way home as the sea went glass calm. Heart rate 135-140, Gator Ade every 1/2 hour…. still not enough, as blood sugar was 92 at the finish; that’s OK for an 11-mile effort, but I’ll need to keep it higher for the 20-mile race on the 19th.
11.22 miles, average speed 6.3, max 7.4, time 1:46