In hot water again
April 27, 2015 -- About four and a half years ago, a young guy named Fran Crippen died because he swam a race in water that was too warm. I learned that from the internet after I returned from my 2-kilometer swim today. Record-breaking heat has struck Florida; the weather is unusually hot for April. Consequently, the pool in my neighborhood is warmer and warmer every day. Today, the water was 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, it felt cooler than the air, which was about 90 with about 80 percent humidity. The sun was high in the blue sky; the clock said 1:25pm when I began swimming laps. I told myself that if I started to feel poorly, I would stop swimming; I promised myself that I wouldn’t let the compulsive swimmer in me do something crazy. And yes, I do drink plenty of water. I felt fine during the entire swim, but I was wondering, the whole time, about how the body can take working out in such heat, with no evaporation to cool the body surf...