I was "man-strating" at work yesterday and left the second I was free to go. I left a huge stack of papers on my desk to be graded and I had a lot of catch up work to do. I knew I'd have to make my swim short today and get to work really early.
500 WU
2 x 100 stroke work
8 x 50 with Todd Frehse I hit around :40 each one
150 K
250 faster pace swimming. This time my goggles leaked twice and I fixed them both times. I need to re-strap them. I still hit 3:26 which made me happy.
10 x 50 with Todd. # 5 and # 10 were all out. I hit :30 and :31. Wasn't as happy with this. I felt like I could have gone faster but I was more focused on my stroke than HURRY UP in my head.
2000 SCY
I really wanted to do 5k today but work is more important right now.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
27Aug13
Up at 0430 and out the door. Ugh! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I was in the pool and warming up at 0510. My stomach was bothering me during WU. I think I need to cut out soda from now on...permanently. Despite how DELICIOUS Coke and Pepsi are, they are a useless drink.
500 WU
500 swim
100 regular pace just to see what my time was. I hit 1:22 which surprised me to be honest.
4 x 100 kick
1000 swim with snorkel. REALLY focusing on my stroke. It's coming together well now. I'm not allowed to daydream and it will keep going but as long as I'm thinking about it, it hold well....at least until I see film of myself!
750 (25K then once I hit the wall, 50 swim, no stopping for whole 750)
250 I wanted to go under 3:30. My stroke fell apart at the end and halfway through my goggles leaked so bad I had to drain and adjust them but I hit 3:22! This REALLY made me happy.
10 x 50 on the :60 and I had to hit :45 each time. My average time was :42 and I didn't really ever push it. The last one I did I focused on pulling harder and hit :37. Not a sprint, just pulling hard....not bad!
4000 SCY HATE typing SCY but it's what I'm stuck with for the next several months.
I timed my drive from starting my car to turning it off from the gym to work. It was exactly 6 minutes! I got out well before 0700 to get to work today because this is the first day students are back. Once I get things rolling here and back into my teaching mode, I'm sure I'll be able to swim a few minutes longer and get 5k per workout and still make it to work on time.
I'm noticing a HUGE difference in my stroke. I feel my hips rolling more and my sides get tired toward the end of my harder sets. This means I'm using my core more and that is a beautiful thing. I need some film on me soon to see how I'm doing but I know I'm already swimming stronger and faster with this new stroke then I was when I was at this point last year in my training. I'm almost at 100 miles total for the year. Year end goal is 200 miles and it looks well within reach now. :)
I was in the pool and warming up at 0510. My stomach was bothering me during WU. I think I need to cut out soda from now on...permanently. Despite how DELICIOUS Coke and Pepsi are, they are a useless drink.
500 WU
500 swim
100 regular pace just to see what my time was. I hit 1:22 which surprised me to be honest.
4 x 100 kick
1000 swim with snorkel. REALLY focusing on my stroke. It's coming together well now. I'm not allowed to daydream and it will keep going but as long as I'm thinking about it, it hold well....at least until I see film of myself!
750 (25K then once I hit the wall, 50 swim, no stopping for whole 750)
250 I wanted to go under 3:30. My stroke fell apart at the end and halfway through my goggles leaked so bad I had to drain and adjust them but I hit 3:22! This REALLY made me happy.
10 x 50 on the :60 and I had to hit :45 each time. My average time was :42 and I didn't really ever push it. The last one I did I focused on pulling harder and hit :37. Not a sprint, just pulling hard....not bad!
4000 SCY HATE typing SCY but it's what I'm stuck with for the next several months.
I timed my drive from starting my car to turning it off from the gym to work. It was exactly 6 minutes! I got out well before 0700 to get to work today because this is the first day students are back. Once I get things rolling here and back into my teaching mode, I'm sure I'll be able to swim a few minutes longer and get 5k per workout and still make it to work on time.
I'm noticing a HUGE difference in my stroke. I feel my hips rolling more and my sides get tired toward the end of my harder sets. This means I'm using my core more and that is a beautiful thing. I need some film on me soon to see how I'm doing but I know I'm already swimming stronger and faster with this new stroke then I was when I was at this point last year in my training. I'm almost at 100 miles total for the year. Year end goal is 200 miles and it looks well within reach now. :)
Monday, August 26, 2013
26Aug13
My Army buddy Karen is is town for training and is here for a week. We met at my pool at 0600.
She did her own swim as I continued to work on my stroke. Today it didn't feel as good during certain sets.
500 WU
500 swim with snorkel
500 with paddles
4 x 100 pace by 100 and each 100 I had to go faster
100 CD
2000 LCM today
Tomorrow work starts and I'm at KEARNS 25 yard pool. I know I'll miss the 50M pool quite a bit. The nice thing is that I can swim for 2 hours each day before work and the drive from the pool to work is only 5 minutes!
I plan on a longer swim tomorrow. I need to get my mileage up!
She did her own swim as I continued to work on my stroke. Today it didn't feel as good during certain sets.
500 WU
500 swim with snorkel
500 with paddles
4 x 100 pace by 100 and each 100 I had to go faster
100 CD
2000 LCM today
Tomorrow work starts and I'm at KEARNS 25 yard pool. I know I'll miss the 50M pool quite a bit. The nice thing is that I can swim for 2 hours each day before work and the drive from the pool to work is only 5 minutes!
I plan on a longer swim tomorrow. I need to get my mileage up!
Friday, August 23, 2013
23Aug13
Up early and in the pool at 0600. Work started again this week so I've been focusing on that more than my workouts. Day off today but Patricia is going out of town for the weekend and dark clouds were overhead so I kept it short. Nice thing was I was the only one there the entire swim. Whole pool to myself. 2 high school girls were watching me and just hung out chatting.
500 WU
100 timed just to see what my pace was
1000 straight with snorkel
2 x 100 (1st 100 was strong pull. 2nd was fast rotation)
100 drill
100 CD
My new stroke work and technique are starting to come together. It's clicking more and I am starting to notice the sides of my core getting a bit tired during some of my sets. This is a good thing!
Funny side story - When I get done swimming, my abdomen scar is usually bright purple. I was curious to know when the pool closes. As I was talking to the guard, I could see her eyes straining to not look at my stomach. It was obvious. It's just like when a man is taking to a woman with a big chest and a small bikini. Must resist looking down........Must resist.............
I was tempted to say, "Eyes up here" but I know it would have embarrassed her. As I turned to walk away, I caught her looking at my stomach. I found it funny.
Anyhow
2000 LCM easy day
Next week I will having to swim at KEARNS near my work. Back to a 25 yard pool. BOOOOO
500 WU
100 timed just to see what my pace was
1000 straight with snorkel
2 x 100 (1st 100 was strong pull. 2nd was fast rotation)
100 drill
100 CD
My new stroke work and technique are starting to come together. It's clicking more and I am starting to notice the sides of my core getting a bit tired during some of my sets. This is a good thing!
Funny side story - When I get done swimming, my abdomen scar is usually bright purple. I was curious to know when the pool closes. As I was talking to the guard, I could see her eyes straining to not look at my stomach. It was obvious. It's just like when a man is taking to a woman with a big chest and a small bikini. Must resist looking down........Must resist.............
I was tempted to say, "Eyes up here" but I know it would have embarrassed her. As I turned to walk away, I caught her looking at my stomach. I found it funny.
Anyhow
2000 LCM easy day
Next week I will having to swim at KEARNS near my work. Back to a 25 yard pool. BOOOOO
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
21Aug13
At the pool at 0600 and got in.
500 WU
1000 with snorkel focusing on just my pull
500 swim
500 doing some hypoxic work. I would breathe 3-5-7-5-3 down then only 3 on way back per 100.
3 x 100 hard. I hit 1:30, 1:29, 1:24 Wasn't sprinting, just doing hard pulls
200 CD mainly free but I did toss some breast in there for a bit.
3000 LCM
500 WU
1000 with snorkel focusing on just my pull
500 swim
500 doing some hypoxic work. I would breathe 3-5-7-5-3 down then only 3 on way back per 100.
3 x 100 hard. I hit 1:30, 1:29, 1:24 Wasn't sprinting, just doing hard pulls
200 CD mainly free but I did toss some breast in there for a bit.
3000 LCM
Monday, August 19, 2013
19Aug13
Woke up groggy this morning. I really was struggling to get out of bed. Discipline was the ONLY thing that made me get up.
I got to the pool and still wasn't feeling that great. I got in and did an easy 500 WU. All I thought about today was doing the stroke/drill work Grace VanDer Byl gave to me last week. It's definitely foreign to me and I found that as I focused on one thing, another thing fell apart. Lots of work to do.
I just swam back and forth for awhile until my lap counter hit 20. Stomach is not well this morning so I'm good with 2k LCM.
I felt like a broken winged duck today.
I got to the pool and still wasn't feeling that great. I got in and did an easy 500 WU. All I thought about today was doing the stroke/drill work Grace VanDer Byl gave to me last week. It's definitely foreign to me and I found that as I focused on one thing, another thing fell apart. Lots of work to do.
I just swam back and forth for awhile until my lap counter hit 20. Stomach is not well this morning so I'm good with 2k LCM.
I felt like a broken winged duck today.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
14Aug13 - Gordon's Crossing
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| Before the start...RESPECT THE CHOPS! |
At 2300 last night Gordon jumped onto the beach of Catalina Island and raised his arm. He touched his toe into the water and lowered his arm. Time has started...he is now starting a 20 mile swim across the Catalina Channel. This is the same swim I attempted last year. I was extremely anxious/nervous for him. It has begun!
After 2 feeds, I was no longer able to stay awake. My job on the boat is safety officer and 5 minutes till feed signaler. During the night, it's extremely difficult to see anyone on board or tell anything that is going on. You just have to focus on swimming. My prescription sea sick patch was working and so I went under and laid down for a few hours. When I awoke, the sun was just starting to rise our of the water and it was much easier for us to see Gordon. I was now fully rested and ready to do my job.
First thing was first, even though the sun was rising, you HAVE to show the "morning moon" to the swimmer. Josh helped in this. Gordon just laughed at us.
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| The "Morning Moon" |
During the night, a chem light being twirled would signal 5 minutes until a feed. During the day, I had a really big and bright yellow with orange towel I would use to signal. I decided to get creative and change how each signal was given. Some times I just waved the towel, other times I did stuff like this..........
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| Even danced while wearing this! |
Gordon would usually laugh. One time he popped up and said it was better than bagpipes! (Another boat that gets used plays the bagpipes at sunrise)
Time pressed on and Gordon started to look tired. His stroke fell apart some and Sue and I gave him some feedback. Sue jumped in and swam with him for 1/2 an hour. Josh got in later and did the same. You could tell by their stroke that Gordon was going slow and was really wearing out.
With a few miles left to go, Gordon rolled over during one of his feeds and was complaining of a serious cramp in his leg. We all got worried. It soon passed and he pressed on.
During this feed, his yacker had come on the boat for a quick break. We thought the kayak was secure but someone turned around to see it floating AWAY from us. We all FREAKED OUT! The boat captain said we have to turn around and go get it because he can't leave the kayak in the water and he can't abandon Gordon. We stopped Gordon and told him he had to swim back to the kayak which was only getting farther away by the second. I immediately realized that there was no way he would catch that kayak without either:
1) adding some SERIOUS time to his swim
2) not ever catching the kayak
3) catching the kayak and then bonking completely from it and not finishing.
I KNEW that if he had to get the kayak, he would not finish. I yelled to the captain that I was going after the kayak. He said it was fine but I had to clear it with the observer. I barely looked at Lynn when I "politely" told her I'm going no matter what. (I'm glad I was wearing my speedo because I yanked my shorts and shirt off before remembering I was wearing them!) I grabbed my fins and the kayaker tied his paddle to my left arm. I jumped in and after one stroke, the paddle came off and was floating away. I grabbed it then realized I'd have to swim one arm with fins to the kayak....FUN!
I'm swimming for all my worth all the while the kayak is floating farther away. They turned Gordon around and he was headed the right direction again. I got lost a few times and had to see where I was going and where the kayak was. I did think that it would be REALLY embarrassing to be "lost at sea" if I never found the kayak. I finally caught up to the kayak and then had to get in. Getting in a kayak in the middle of the ocean while wearing nothing but a speedo and fins is a challenge!
I got in and saw the Outrider way off in the distance. Well, if I can't catch it, at least I can get to land! I started to paddle as best as I could and I slowly started to close the gap. By the time I reached the boat, my arms were SHOT. I had given 100% to catch back up. I was told I couldn't get on the boat until the next feed which is in 5 minutes. I paddled next to Gordon to show him I was back and the kayak was back too. He saw me and he looked REALLY happy. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face when he saw me. It was clear he was worried about it.
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| Coming back. That dolphin swam up to me and laughed! |
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| TIRED but got it back. |
We were now within 30 of the landing area. Sue, Josh, Gords' son Jacob, and I all jumped and and swam behind him once we were too close for the boat to continue. Gordon got out and even though no one was near him, I kept yelling, STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!! He cleared the water and the boat sounded the horn. It was official..HE MADE IT!!!!
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| DONE! |
I was extremely happy for him. I'll admit that I had a lot of emotions running through me that I had to hide or suppress to stay focused. This is the same swim that I failed to complete a year ago. I kept imagining that this is what it would have been like for me if I had finished. I'd start to get upset about it then immediately get mad at myself. WE AREN'T HERE FOR YOU! WE ARE HERE FOR GORDON SO STOP BEING A CRYBABY BITCH AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU ARE HERE FOR....HIM!!! This process cycled a few times.
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| 20 seconds after finish, he's not sure it's real by the look on his face. |
I was extremely proud to be a part of his crew. He thanked me for being a "lifesaver" and getting the kayak. He too realized it would have had serious negative consequences if he had to be the one to get it. Happy to help. He finished at 11 hours and 50 minutes. 10 minutes under his goal. SWEET!!
He took us all out to lunch after and then I drove home with Josh and one of Gords' sons, Austin.
What a great day and what a privilege it was to be a part of it. Thanks Gordon and Congrats!
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| Crew |
13Aug13
Got up at 0430 and was out the door at 0500 with Grace. We were headed to Shaw's Cove which was about 45 minutes away. The interstate was clear so we drove pretty fast to get there. I was excited because I would be seeing Lynn Kubasek again and Jen Schumacher. I just saw Lynn in swim camp but I haven't seen Jen in almost a year. We arrived and they were both there along with some other people Lynn swims with regularly. They go for a pre-work swim daily.
Shaw's Cove was beautiful. There were about 12 of us and after a quick chat, we waded in. I was barely knee deep when a "fish" about 6" long came up to me and almost brushed against my leg. I made a comment and one of the regular swimmers there said it wasn't a fish, it was a baby Leopard Shark. AWWWWW....but he's so CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!! He's just a little guy!
The water was in the mid 60's and felt great. We headed out and the tide was high enough to do what is known as the Patsee shoot. It's this narrow gap between some big rock formations that the tide has to be high enough to swim in. I was behind the Patsee it was named after and followed her in. It was risky and dangerous to be swimming through this. JUST what an adventure swimmer loves. I was right on her feet and made it safely through. I did notice that if I didn't do it well then I would become busted up against rocks quickly.
We cleared out to more open water and headed to Seal Rock. It's just a big rock in the middle of the Cove with a bunch of sea lions on it. The closer we got, the more came out to swim with us. Although I didn't see it, many others saw one that was tagged with a bright orange tag on his fin by a local oceanography group for study.
We went around Seal Rock and headed back. I mainly stayed next to Lynn since she swims here all the time and knows where we are going. We finished our swim and I felt great.
A short trip to a coffee shop for some chocolate milk and a eclair then a good long chat with some of the people we swam with. Unfortunately this was my last swim of the vacation. It was time to head to Long Beach because tonight, Gordon would make his Catalina Crossing attempt.
Got to Long Beach and picked Sue Frehse up from the airport at noon. We had 6 hours to kill so we walked around a bit then went to a movie. We both fell asleep during the movie then went out to dinner. We met up with Josh, Jim, and Jim's wife while eating. We met up with Gordon and his crew at 1900 and started to pack our gear on the boat. We pushed off around 2000 and were ready to go around 2300. Details of the swim on tomorrows post!
Shaw's Cove was beautiful. There were about 12 of us and after a quick chat, we waded in. I was barely knee deep when a "fish" about 6" long came up to me and almost brushed against my leg. I made a comment and one of the regular swimmers there said it wasn't a fish, it was a baby Leopard Shark. AWWWWW....but he's so CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!! He's just a little guy!
The water was in the mid 60's and felt great. We headed out and the tide was high enough to do what is known as the Patsee shoot. It's this narrow gap between some big rock formations that the tide has to be high enough to swim in. I was behind the Patsee it was named after and followed her in. It was risky and dangerous to be swimming through this. JUST what an adventure swimmer loves. I was right on her feet and made it safely through. I did notice that if I didn't do it well then I would become busted up against rocks quickly.
We cleared out to more open water and headed to Seal Rock. It's just a big rock in the middle of the Cove with a bunch of sea lions on it. The closer we got, the more came out to swim with us. Although I didn't see it, many others saw one that was tagged with a bright orange tag on his fin by a local oceanography group for study.
We went around Seal Rock and headed back. I mainly stayed next to Lynn since she swims here all the time and knows where we are going. We finished our swim and I felt great.
A short trip to a coffee shop for some chocolate milk and a eclair then a good long chat with some of the people we swam with. Unfortunately this was my last swim of the vacation. It was time to head to Long Beach because tonight, Gordon would make his Catalina Crossing attempt.
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| Grace VanDer Byl and me |
Got to Long Beach and picked Sue Frehse up from the airport at noon. We had 6 hours to kill so we walked around a bit then went to a movie. We both fell asleep during the movie then went out to dinner. We met up with Josh, Jim, and Jim's wife while eating. We met up with Gordon and his crew at 1900 and started to pack our gear on the boat. We pushed off around 2000 and were ready to go around 2300. Details of the swim on tomorrows post!
Friday, August 16, 2013
12Aug13 - Smelling the Roses
Yesterday I woke up and started packing my gear. I was going to Solana Beach, CA to stay with the Van DerByl family for 2 days. The best highlight of the drive was seeing the "Boob" buildings which were featured in the movie The Naked Gun. I took a pic and giggled for at least 15 minutes after passing it and did call my wife to say I was "thinking of her" hehe
Arrived at Grace's house and we just relaxed with Neil for the afternoon. No swimming for me.
The 12th I "slept in" until 0645 then watched TV until Neil and Grace woke up. Neil went off to work and Grace took me to La Jolla Cove Athletic Club. This club has been around for a LONG time. It was first a men's only club but sometime in the 80's they allowed women to join. They had to build a bathroom for them. So the men's bathroom has showers, sinks, sauna, hot tub, lockers and is comfortable with soft floor. The women's bathroom has nothing but a toilet and sink! I told Grace that I don't feel bad because it's the first time I've EVER heard of a male bathroom being nicer than the female one.
We headed down to the Cove and Grace showed me her favorite training area. I immediately was jealous. I wish we had something like this in Utah. The scenery was magnificent. It was a mile in length from beach to beach so if you wanted to do a major distance swim, you could just keep feeds at both ends and do laps till your heart was content. There is a swimmers only lane that goes right down the middle of it. It's a couple hundred feet wide and has buoys lining the sides. In the middle are other round buoys that mark specific distances! Amazing! No one is allowed in the swimmers lane except swimmers. If a boat comes in or even a kayak, they will get a ticket! You could literally swim there all day and night and never see anyone in your area except another swimmer.
When we got going, I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium. There were bright fish everywhere swimming around and under me. I followed Grace out into the middle of the swim lane. There were about 10 sea lions laying on their sides warming their fins in the sunshine. We swam up to them and I got close enough to see one looking back at me. It was clear by the look on it's face that I should not get any closer but I was okay where I was. I watched it for 30 seconds then slowly backed away. Grace then took me to a cave. We swam through a narrow opening and inside was a rookery of sea lions. They were EVERYWHERE and tons of them. We just hung out in the water and soon more kept jumping in and swimming around us. They kept getting closer and I turned around to see one about 3 feet from my face barking at me. She was LOUD! Grace said I'm fine as long as I don't touch it. No way in Hell am I going to reach my hand out to touch this thing! At that time one brushed by Grace and she said it was a good time to go. Agreed! The opening had kayakers coming in so we went out a side opening which was really narrow. We had to time it with the flow coming in and out. Grace went first and timed it perfect. I was stupid and followed right after her instead of waiting for my own tide. I made it 3/4 out when I got pulled back in and pushed against some rocks. Not smart! I timed it again and made it out fine the 2nd time. Grace was just out there looking at me and laughing. She saw what happened.
We headed back near the swimmers lane when she said she wanted to do some shark hunting. Sounds fun so lets go! I followed her and she started pointing out some Bat Rays that were under us. These are like sting rays but much bigger. We then headed across more when she stopped and pointed down and made her hand on her head look like a fin. I looked down to see a shadow going under us but it was near the bottom so I didn't see it that well. I guess it was a shark. I swam more and then saw one I KNOW was a shark. She said it was a Leopard Shark and more are around. I swam some more and then off to my right I looked and saw several more. I did a quick count and saw 8 of them, all within 30 feet of me. Some were small and some were bigger than me. I can HONESTLY say that I did not get scared or even have my heart rate increase. I was with Grace and she and dozens of other people swim this place daily and never have a problem. I'm not going to be the exception and get attacked. It's not going to happen.
We went under some ropes and headed toward a beach nearby some houses. These were NICE houses. There were waves coming in that people were surfing on and boogie boarding on also. She and I decided to body surf. It was FUN to say the least. She pointed to a house and said that it belonged to Dr. Seuss. It's still in the family but that was his house. So let me say that again...I WAS BODY SURFING OUTSIDE DR SEUSS' HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If that isn't the perfect idea of a swimmers vacation fun then I don't know what is. Twice she could see that I was happier than words could express and was BEAMING with joy. She jumped up and hugged me twice to share the moment. My cup of joy and happiness was overflowing with this swim.
We headed back and halfway back she stopped and did the fin motion again. This time it was 7 gill sharks. Some of these were bigger than the leopard sharks. We kept swimming but one got curious about us. He was a medium sized shark and swam around us and right under us. He was within 3 feet under us. I just kept swimming but the thought did cross my mind, "I'm not faster than Grace but I am a lot stronger. If this guy comes any closer, it's not beneath me to grab her and use her as a meat shield and swim away"! I informed her of this and she just laughed.
We got back to the start and and there were TONS of people in snorkel gear and cameras taking pictures of all the fish around. It really was like you were swimming in an aquarium. As I was almost ready to get out, there was a beautiful orange fish near this kid. He had his camera at the ready and was following the fish to get a "perfect" shot. I could NOT resist...I swam right between the fish and him and completely photo bombed this kids shot! I made a ridiculous face and got right in the way as the flash went off. It was the PERFECT photo bomb! The fish just swam off. I had ruined this kids million dollar shot. I got up and the kid did have a disappointed look on his face but I could not stop laughing. Grace asked what was so funny and when I told her, she didn't say I did something mean, she just laughed even harder!
My buddy Gordon Gridley was doing a Catalina Channel crossing 2 days after today and I decided to keep my mouth shut and not post about these animals until AFTER he was done. The sea lions he wouldn't care about but telling him that he is definitely swimming where these types of sharks are and will be around was not a good idea. Sorry buddy, these sharks WERE there but ignorance is bliss!!!
Overall we swam about 2 miles.
Here is a picture breakdown of all the animals I encountered and an approximate number of the ones I actually saw.
We then headed to the 25M pool where Gracie does her pool workouts and coaches. I jumped in with the Masters team she coaches there. The pool was relatively cool and extremely clear. Nice place to swim. I joined the workout and had a good time. Grace was giving sets to us and I did a good job of following what was needed. I was in the lane with 3 other people and they asked me to lead the group. I declined at first but after the first set, it was obvious I should lead. I took the lead and really had to pay attention what was going on. I got a good workout in and after the workout, Grace got her camera out and video recorded me swimming. I went to the pool that was next to the pool I was in. That's right...2 pools! One was 25 yards and is mainly used to teach lessons and for exercise class for old people. That pool was not warm, it was HOT. I pushed off the wall for the first lap and felt pure heat radiating all over my body. It would be the perfect pool to train for a Maui crossing! She recorded me and made some adjustments that made a HUGE difference in the technique of my stroke. 6 months of no swimming = stroke STINKS! It was good to get a real coach's analysis on what I was doing right/wrong.
2500 SCM
Relaxed the rest of the day. The best news was that Grace gave a solid commitment to swim the GSL 8 mile race next year. We have our first A-list celebrity swimmer doing our race! This is definitely going to help get the buzz about our 8 miler going and get more people from out of state to swim in the GSL! I can't wait.
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| Everywhere I look, something reminds me of her LOL |
Arrived at Grace's house and we just relaxed with Neil for the afternoon. No swimming for me.
The 12th I "slept in" until 0645 then watched TV until Neil and Grace woke up. Neil went off to work and Grace took me to La Jolla Cove Athletic Club. This club has been around for a LONG time. It was first a men's only club but sometime in the 80's they allowed women to join. They had to build a bathroom for them. So the men's bathroom has showers, sinks, sauna, hot tub, lockers and is comfortable with soft floor. The women's bathroom has nothing but a toilet and sink! I told Grace that I don't feel bad because it's the first time I've EVER heard of a male bathroom being nicer than the female one.
We headed down to the Cove and Grace showed me her favorite training area. I immediately was jealous. I wish we had something like this in Utah. The scenery was magnificent. It was a mile in length from beach to beach so if you wanted to do a major distance swim, you could just keep feeds at both ends and do laps till your heart was content. There is a swimmers only lane that goes right down the middle of it. It's a couple hundred feet wide and has buoys lining the sides. In the middle are other round buoys that mark specific distances! Amazing! No one is allowed in the swimmers lane except swimmers. If a boat comes in or even a kayak, they will get a ticket! You could literally swim there all day and night and never see anyone in your area except another swimmer.
When we got going, I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium. There were bright fish everywhere swimming around and under me. I followed Grace out into the middle of the swim lane. There were about 10 sea lions laying on their sides warming their fins in the sunshine. We swam up to them and I got close enough to see one looking back at me. It was clear by the look on it's face that I should not get any closer but I was okay where I was. I watched it for 30 seconds then slowly backed away. Grace then took me to a cave. We swam through a narrow opening and inside was a rookery of sea lions. They were EVERYWHERE and tons of them. We just hung out in the water and soon more kept jumping in and swimming around us. They kept getting closer and I turned around to see one about 3 feet from my face barking at me. She was LOUD! Grace said I'm fine as long as I don't touch it. No way in Hell am I going to reach my hand out to touch this thing! At that time one brushed by Grace and she said it was a good time to go. Agreed! The opening had kayakers coming in so we went out a side opening which was really narrow. We had to time it with the flow coming in and out. Grace went first and timed it perfect. I was stupid and followed right after her instead of waiting for my own tide. I made it 3/4 out when I got pulled back in and pushed against some rocks. Not smart! I timed it again and made it out fine the 2nd time. Grace was just out there looking at me and laughing. She saw what happened.
We headed back near the swimmers lane when she said she wanted to do some shark hunting. Sounds fun so lets go! I followed her and she started pointing out some Bat Rays that were under us. These are like sting rays but much bigger. We then headed across more when she stopped and pointed down and made her hand on her head look like a fin. I looked down to see a shadow going under us but it was near the bottom so I didn't see it that well. I guess it was a shark. I swam more and then saw one I KNOW was a shark. She said it was a Leopard Shark and more are around. I swam some more and then off to my right I looked and saw several more. I did a quick count and saw 8 of them, all within 30 feet of me. Some were small and some were bigger than me. I can HONESTLY say that I did not get scared or even have my heart rate increase. I was with Grace and she and dozens of other people swim this place daily and never have a problem. I'm not going to be the exception and get attacked. It's not going to happen.
We went under some ropes and headed toward a beach nearby some houses. These were NICE houses. There were waves coming in that people were surfing on and boogie boarding on also. She and I decided to body surf. It was FUN to say the least. She pointed to a house and said that it belonged to Dr. Seuss. It's still in the family but that was his house. So let me say that again...I WAS BODY SURFING OUTSIDE DR SEUSS' HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If that isn't the perfect idea of a swimmers vacation fun then I don't know what is. Twice she could see that I was happier than words could express and was BEAMING with joy. She jumped up and hugged me twice to share the moment. My cup of joy and happiness was overflowing with this swim.
We headed back and halfway back she stopped and did the fin motion again. This time it was 7 gill sharks. Some of these were bigger than the leopard sharks. We kept swimming but one got curious about us. He was a medium sized shark and swam around us and right under us. He was within 3 feet under us. I just kept swimming but the thought did cross my mind, "I'm not faster than Grace but I am a lot stronger. If this guy comes any closer, it's not beneath me to grab her and use her as a meat shield and swim away"! I informed her of this and she just laughed.
We got back to the start and and there were TONS of people in snorkel gear and cameras taking pictures of all the fish around. It really was like you were swimming in an aquarium. As I was almost ready to get out, there was a beautiful orange fish near this kid. He had his camera at the ready and was following the fish to get a "perfect" shot. I could NOT resist...I swam right between the fish and him and completely photo bombed this kids shot! I made a ridiculous face and got right in the way as the flash went off. It was the PERFECT photo bomb! The fish just swam off. I had ruined this kids million dollar shot. I got up and the kid did have a disappointed look on his face but I could not stop laughing. Grace asked what was so funny and when I told her, she didn't say I did something mean, she just laughed even harder!
My buddy Gordon Gridley was doing a Catalina Channel crossing 2 days after today and I decided to keep my mouth shut and not post about these animals until AFTER he was done. The sea lions he wouldn't care about but telling him that he is definitely swimming where these types of sharks are and will be around was not a good idea. Sorry buddy, these sharks WERE there but ignorance is bliss!!!
Overall we swam about 2 miles.
Here is a picture breakdown of all the animals I encountered and an approximate number of the ones I actually saw.
 |
| Sea Lion - at least 50 |
 |
| Bat Ray - couple dozen |
| Sting Ray - dozen or so |
 |
| Leopard Shark - around 30 |
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| 7 gill shark - around 30 |
We then headed to the 25M pool where Gracie does her pool workouts and coaches. I jumped in with the Masters team she coaches there. The pool was relatively cool and extremely clear. Nice place to swim. I joined the workout and had a good time. Grace was giving sets to us and I did a good job of following what was needed. I was in the lane with 3 other people and they asked me to lead the group. I declined at first but after the first set, it was obvious I should lead. I took the lead and really had to pay attention what was going on. I got a good workout in and after the workout, Grace got her camera out and video recorded me swimming. I went to the pool that was next to the pool I was in. That's right...2 pools! One was 25 yards and is mainly used to teach lessons and for exercise class for old people. That pool was not warm, it was HOT. I pushed off the wall for the first lap and felt pure heat radiating all over my body. It would be the perfect pool to train for a Maui crossing! She recorded me and made some adjustments that made a HUGE difference in the technique of my stroke. 6 months of no swimming = stroke STINKS! It was good to get a real coach's analysis on what I was doing right/wrong.
2500 SCM
Relaxed the rest of the day. The best news was that Grace gave a solid commitment to swim the GSL 8 mile race next year. We have our first A-list celebrity swimmer doing our race! This is definitely going to help get the buzz about our 8 miler going and get more people from out of state to swim in the GSL! I can't wait.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
10Aug13
Went to Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe today for our AM swim. It's a cove on the side of Tahoe that has an island in the middle of it.
There was about a 1/2 mile hike down at a pretty good degree to get to the Bay but WELL worth it. There is a sign there that specifically states that swimming to the island is not allowed. TOO BAD!
We all swam out to the island and around it a few times. Once again, I got in the water and was thanking God for the beauty I was beholding. We stopped to regroup a few times and even had some fun doing flip turns off of the rock walls around the island. It was fantastic.
I had Phil take a look at my stroke and apparently is HORRIBLE! I made some corrections and as I swam some more. The Bay got really busy with boats so we all headed in. That swim was about 2 miles. Nothing tough but my shoulders were a bit sore from so much swimming the past few days. I haven't cranked out this many miles back to back in awhile. Still loving it.
Afternoon was another swim down Truckee river. This time it was PACKED with people in inner tubes with coolers. It was fun dodging rocks and them.
Swim camp clearly isn't for everyone. There was a man there that could barely swim...in SWIM CAMP..............ughhhhhhhhh and there was a woman there who had the brain capacity of a squirrel. We told her SEVERAL times to go down head first facing the river so she could see the rocks or minimum feet first if you are on your back. Sure enough, 5 minutes in and she's on her back going head first. I told her a few times to roll over and she asked me why. Are you F-ing kidding me? We JUST went over this and why. Okay....stay like this so I can see what you head looks like with a HUGE dent in it!
1.6 miles down the river "swimming"
At 2200 the crew was fairly inebriated and it was our last night. We typically do a naked night swim and this camp would be no exception. I don't drink so I was the DD for one of the cars. We crammed a bunch of people in a car and headed to Donner Lake. We got down to a dock and we all had a glow stick attached to a cut up swim cap that only highlighted the back of our heads. We then all stripped down and got in. I honestly didn't see much except a LOT of rears!
They sky was CLEAR and the stars were in full force. It was magnificent. You could even see the Milky Way "dust" along with the stars. I spend several minutes just laying on my back looking at the stars. It was great. We didn't swim at all and just mainly hung out for about 20 minutes in the water making naked jokes and looking at the stars. On the way back I wanted a Slurpee and the people in the car had no problem offering to buy it for me. Free Slurpee for the DD. SCORE!
Man this camp was great. LOVE coming here. I made a few new friends and strengthened some friendships I already had. It was extremely fun. I won't go into details about what we did each day because I'm not going to break the Golden Rule of Swim Camp....although here is a TINY snip of what can happen.
3.6 miles OW
There was about a 1/2 mile hike down at a pretty good degree to get to the Bay but WELL worth it. There is a sign there that specifically states that swimming to the island is not allowed. TOO BAD!
We all swam out to the island and around it a few times. Once again, I got in the water and was thanking God for the beauty I was beholding. We stopped to regroup a few times and even had some fun doing flip turns off of the rock walls around the island. It was fantastic.
I had Phil take a look at my stroke and apparently is HORRIBLE! I made some corrections and as I swam some more. The Bay got really busy with boats so we all headed in. That swim was about 2 miles. Nothing tough but my shoulders were a bit sore from so much swimming the past few days. I haven't cranked out this many miles back to back in awhile. Still loving it.
Afternoon was another swim down Truckee river. This time it was PACKED with people in inner tubes with coolers. It was fun dodging rocks and them.
Swim camp clearly isn't for everyone. There was a man there that could barely swim...in SWIM CAMP..............ughhhhhhhhh and there was a woman there who had the brain capacity of a squirrel. We told her SEVERAL times to go down head first facing the river so she could see the rocks or minimum feet first if you are on your back. Sure enough, 5 minutes in and she's on her back going head first. I told her a few times to roll over and she asked me why. Are you F-ing kidding me? We JUST went over this and why. Okay....stay like this so I can see what you head looks like with a HUGE dent in it!
1.6 miles down the river "swimming"
At 2200 the crew was fairly inebriated and it was our last night. We typically do a naked night swim and this camp would be no exception. I don't drink so I was the DD for one of the cars. We crammed a bunch of people in a car and headed to Donner Lake. We got down to a dock and we all had a glow stick attached to a cut up swim cap that only highlighted the back of our heads. We then all stripped down and got in. I honestly didn't see much except a LOT of rears!
They sky was CLEAR and the stars were in full force. It was magnificent. You could even see the Milky Way "dust" along with the stars. I spend several minutes just laying on my back looking at the stars. It was great. We didn't swim at all and just mainly hung out for about 20 minutes in the water making naked jokes and looking at the stars. On the way back I wanted a Slurpee and the people in the car had no problem offering to buy it for me. Free Slurpee for the DD. SCORE!
Man this camp was great. LOVE coming here. I made a few new friends and strengthened some friendships I already had. It was extremely fun. I won't go into details about what we did each day because I'm not going to break the Golden Rule of Swim Camp....although here is a TINY snip of what can happen.
 |
| Gordon next to a beer? |
 |
| Women dancing in a swim suit made out of swim caps! |
3.6 miles OW
9Aug13
Up at 0630 to people who think that if they put their voice on volume 10 but are in a hushed tone then they are "whispering". WRONG!
Out the door and arrived at Lake Tahoe at 0930. We were at the Sunny Side area. We had the option of doing any distance we wanted up to 5 miles. Gordon was there and he and I opted to do the longest route. We were given directions by Jamie but about 1/2 mile into our swim, we had a paddler that kept hanging around us. This continued for awhile until I finally stopped and asked him what he was doing. Turns out he was Karen Rogers' ex-husband. She calls him her "Was-Band" which is funny. He said he was going to take us to the turn around point and carry our feeds for us. SWEET!!!
Words will NEVER be able to describe how beautiful the water there is. When you are heading out, you can see straight down to the bottom and still make out the tiny details of the land features and items on the lake floor. Then you swim out away from shore and the bottom drops out and a blue appears. There are shades of blue I never knew existed and no camera or artist will ever be able to duplicate the pure beauty of the lake. I was so taken by what I saw that I actually said a small prayer. I thanked God for making shades of blue like I was seeing and I thanked Him for allowing me to see it. I am NOT a color guy and can barely match the colors of my shoes in the morning but seeing what I saw really got to me.
We hit the turnaround point and headed back. I was feeling great. I just kept thinking, "I HAVE to cross this lake next year". I did stop to check out some critters that were on the bottom. Even they were a beautiful blue color. Finished the swim and when I got out, I wish I didn't have to. I wanted to keep going on forever. Jamie said that from where we started to the 2nd long pier and back was 5 miles. It went by a little too quick and Gordon didn't think it was 2.5 there either. I asked Karen and she swore by her measurements. I really don't care so I'm going to go by what they said and put down 5 for Lake Tahoe.
In the afternoon a small group of us went back to Donner Lake and did another lap. Another 1.5 miles nice and relaxing.
6.5 miles OW
Out the door and arrived at Lake Tahoe at 0930. We were at the Sunny Side area. We had the option of doing any distance we wanted up to 5 miles. Gordon was there and he and I opted to do the longest route. We were given directions by Jamie but about 1/2 mile into our swim, we had a paddler that kept hanging around us. This continued for awhile until I finally stopped and asked him what he was doing. Turns out he was Karen Rogers' ex-husband. She calls him her "Was-Band" which is funny. He said he was going to take us to the turn around point and carry our feeds for us. SWEET!!!
Words will NEVER be able to describe how beautiful the water there is. When you are heading out, you can see straight down to the bottom and still make out the tiny details of the land features and items on the lake floor. Then you swim out away from shore and the bottom drops out and a blue appears. There are shades of blue I never knew existed and no camera or artist will ever be able to duplicate the pure beauty of the lake. I was so taken by what I saw that I actually said a small prayer. I thanked God for making shades of blue like I was seeing and I thanked Him for allowing me to see it. I am NOT a color guy and can barely match the colors of my shoes in the morning but seeing what I saw really got to me.
We hit the turnaround point and headed back. I was feeling great. I just kept thinking, "I HAVE to cross this lake next year". I did stop to check out some critters that were on the bottom. Even they were a beautiful blue color. Finished the swim and when I got out, I wish I didn't have to. I wanted to keep going on forever. Jamie said that from where we started to the 2nd long pier and back was 5 miles. It went by a little too quick and Gordon didn't think it was 2.5 there either. I asked Karen and she swore by her measurements. I really don't care so I'm going to go by what they said and put down 5 for Lake Tahoe.
In the afternoon a small group of us went back to Donner Lake and did another lap. Another 1.5 miles nice and relaxing.
6.5 miles OW
8Aug13
I drove most of the day yesterday to Truckee, CA. I arrived at Jamie Patrick's swim camp at 2330. As I arrived, they were singing to me on the porch. I laughed as I was thinking, "I have some dorky friends...LIKE ME!" Hung out for a bit then off to bed.
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| Me and Janet Manning |
We all got up around 0630 and after slowly moving around, we were out the door by 0730. We had to stop by a CVS pharmacy to some people in our group could get "water shoes". They were taking FOREVER!!!! We all lost our patience and this was starting our first swim on our first day off to a bad start. They finally meandered out and we were on to Truckee River.
This river is really clear and has a good current. NOT really a swim river because there are several spots where it's under a foot deep. You also have to dodge some pretty good size rocks that could easily bust your head open. It was like a mini maze in some places but it was fun. Water temp was 67 and felt GREAT.
It was a half swim half float down the river. We went about 1.5 miles. At the end some of us got out and took some pics.
Hung out in the house all afternoon then out the door again at 1530. This time we went to Donner Lake. Wind was up a bit so there was some chop. Nothing bad but we decided to head against the current the first half and with it back. The water was very clear and beautiful to look upon. I found myself looking at the bottom for most of the swim. When we were at the turn around point, one of the swimmers named Phil came up to me. He said he had something to make me "whole" again and handed me a golf ball. We all got a good laugh out of it and I stuffed it down my speedo. We all collected trash on the way back to do a small lake clean up.
There was a video recently of Trent Grimsley and his "record" swim across the English Channel. (He rode the bow wake!) As he did his feeds, he tossed his non-biodegradable cups into the channel. Most of us at camp FREAKED when we saw this and it made for a good conversation for the next several hours.
Evan Morrison even made this gif of it on his web page. It got a lot of people in the OW community talking. This why we decided to do a small clean up of our own. In my opinion there is NO justifiable excuse for purposely littering into an ocean or at all for that matter. If you accidentally drop a cup or bottle and it gets away from you (it happens) then that is one thing. Intentionally tossing it is another.
3 miles OW
Saturday, August 3, 2013
3Aug13
Went to Deer Creek today to help out with a swim clinic. I went a few hours early so I could get a swim in. I arrived after 1500 and I'll NEVER go to Deer Creek to swim at that time again. There were more boats and jet ski's than could be counted. It was crazy. Even the no wake zone was crowded and I had to swim between boats either sitting still or moving 2 MPH. I was uneasy and constantly looking at my surroundings. Never got comfortable in my swim.
I swam all the way from after the marina to the end of lake going south then back. That put me over 2 miles. I then went in and headed south again and counted 600 strokes. I turned back and made it in 556 strokes. I was pushing it some because I knew I would be done.
Finished right at 2.8 miles.
Josh soon arrived and he along with Gordon and myself gave a swim clinic to Rachel and her friend Tania. Tania new to OW swimming and was looking for some tips. After we chatted awhile, we went to the water. We headed to a water buoy about 100 yards away. She had a good stroke and did great getting there. She was SO excited to be in the water and learning with us. I absolutely LOVE taking people out into the open water for their first time or taking them to new lakes/places
Gordon and I soon left and went to Subway. We had a nice chat about his upcoming swim and what was expected of me and what I'll be looking for in him. I'm getting excited for him and there are no words to describe how much I want him to succeed. He was there for me on my swim and now I can't wait to support him on his.
I finished today with 2.8 miles. My weekly total is 12.73 miles. I am REALLY happy that I did 5 swims totaling over 10 miles. 12 is even better. I just need to keep up at least 10 a week and I'll be ready to try my first gem swim for the UTTC!!!!
I swam all the way from after the marina to the end of lake going south then back. That put me over 2 miles. I then went in and headed south again and counted 600 strokes. I turned back and made it in 556 strokes. I was pushing it some because I knew I would be done.
Finished right at 2.8 miles.
Josh soon arrived and he along with Gordon and myself gave a swim clinic to Rachel and her friend Tania. Tania new to OW swimming and was looking for some tips. After we chatted awhile, we went to the water. We headed to a water buoy about 100 yards away. She had a good stroke and did great getting there. She was SO excited to be in the water and learning with us. I absolutely LOVE taking people out into the open water for their first time or taking them to new lakes/places
Gordon and I soon left and went to Subway. We had a nice chat about his upcoming swim and what was expected of me and what I'll be looking for in him. I'm getting excited for him and there are no words to describe how much I want him to succeed. He was there for me on my swim and now I can't wait to support him on his.
I finished today with 2.8 miles. My weekly total is 12.73 miles. I am REALLY happy that I did 5 swims totaling over 10 miles. 12 is even better. I just need to keep up at least 10 a week and I'll be ready to try my first gem swim for the UTTC!!!!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
1Aug13
Easy day today and I do mean EASY.
Got to the pool and was standing poolside at 0600. 2 lifeguards were pulling tarps off the edge of the pool but my lane was clear. They kept walking around and putting things away but never going near the LG chair. After 5 minutes of watching them, I finally hollered across the pool, "Can I get in now, I promise I won't drown"! One guard laughed pretty hard and said I was fine to get in.
Did an easy 1000
500 straight
then another 500 but I did one 50 M of breast then free back then back then fly...yes I did a 50 fly with my shoulders as tired as they were. Went slow and did a whip kick instead of a dolphin kick.
1000 LCM easy
Got to the pool and was standing poolside at 0600. 2 lifeguards were pulling tarps off the edge of the pool but my lane was clear. They kept walking around and putting things away but never going near the LG chair. After 5 minutes of watching them, I finally hollered across the pool, "Can I get in now, I promise I won't drown"! One guard laughed pretty hard and said I was fine to get in.
Did an easy 1000
500 straight
then another 500 but I did one 50 M of breast then free back then back then fly...yes I did a 50 fly with my shoulders as tired as they were. Went slow and did a whip kick instead of a dolphin kick.
1000 LCM easy
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