30Dec14 - DONE

It has been a LONG time since I have written here.  I have been swimming here and there.  I got pretty good burnout at the end of the OW season.  I took half of Oct off, all of Nov, and most of Dec off.  I just got wrapped up in school, busy with family stuff, and mostly just lazy.
This year has been great.  I did meet most of my goals.
I swam across Bear Lake, got to do the SF Bridge to Bridge swim, and did all USMS Postal swims.  I ended up getting 5th overall for the 5000 M and 2nd for the 10k M swim.  I was 1 of 2 people in my age group nationally to do all 5.
I did not do the UTC in 24 hours.  Logistics were a problem this year and I'll try again another time.  I also cut my goal of 500 miles total down to 400.  As of today, I am at 393.54.  Just shy.  I'm sick right now and I could force myself to go hit 400 but then it would make me resent the goal instead of appreciating how far I went this year.  Over a mile a day is good by me!
I also neglected SLOW a lot this year.  I was busy with school and work and others had commitments also and it just did not happen for us very much this year.  Even our WFPBC meetings have been non existent.
We are having our SLOW annual awards dinner tonight so hopefully it will spark some fire for swimming back into me.
Another great thing is starting 1Jan, Masters swimming at KEARNS is now included in the membership cost. This will definitely help keep me motivated to keep swimming.  I want to work on speed.
The only plans I have for next year is that I am crossing Lake Tahoe (21 miles) the first Thur in Aug.  I'd like to do the UTC in 24 hours and the last one is to do a double crossing of Bear Lake width.  I'd really like to do this with my buddy Chad.  He has done a single crossing both directions like me but not a double width.  I think it would be neat to finish doing all 3 Bear Lake Challenged with my friend.
I'm happy with what I did this year.  The goals I missed I really did not have my heart fully committed to anyway so no big loss.
I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me this past year.  Lots of love for my crew for my Bear Lake crossing and most of all my wife.  She once again has put up with my swimming and lets me do pretty much whatever I want when it comes to my training.

Goodbye 2014 and onto new adventures in swimming for 2015.

22Sep14

Don't worry folks, I'm still alive.
I used to be able to update this daily at work.  They have a new security and internet blocker at work so for some reason, "blogger" sites are blocked.  I'm still swimming but the only time I can write is at school and by then I usually forget to do so.

I'm still swimming.
Mon, Wed, and Thu I have class so I do around 200-2500 yards
Tue and Fri I do around 5000-ish

I am no longer worried about distance.  I'm doing some speed work and staying ahead of my goal pace to hit 500 miles for the year.

Right now my workouts aren't worth writing down.

I do around 500-1000 WU
Some snorkel
Some pull
speed work.  I like to do 100's on the 1:30 and 50's on the :45.  I'm slowly getting faster but I really want to get near 6:30 for the 500.

9Sep14

1000 WU
500 pull with snorkel
500 pull
500 steady swim
500 time trial.  Not really going all out but trying to stay focused and steady.  Hit 7:14  Meh...not too bad
5 x 100 odds easy and evens fast
2(200free then 50 breast)

4000 SCY

5Sep14

Short workout today
Decided I'm going to start trying to do quicker sets and try to increase my speed.

500 WU
500 with snorkel
5 x 100 on the 1:30
10 x 50 on the :45
500 CD

2500 SCY

3Sep14

Back to the KEARNS pool today. 
Took it easy...REAL easy.  I felt pretty good until I took my 3rd pull.  Yep, I can still feel Bear Lake!

500 swim
500 snorkel
500 by doing 50's of back, breast free.  Last 50 was free
10 x 50 on the minute

2000 SCY

29Aug14 - Slaying the Monster!

This will be a long entry!
I accomplished something Friday night through Saturday morning that has been a year of training and 3 years of dreaming of to complete.  I swam an ultra-marathon and FINISHED it!  Granted, when I did Catalina, I swam for 15 hours but never hit land.  Swimming that long is amazing enough but there has always been something in the back of my mind that kept bugging me..DAILY...that I had unfinished business!  I exercised those demons for sure.
This swim was supposed to take place a week ago but storms moved in and so it got pushed back a week.  I have been on the phone or texting James Johnson daily about the weather.  There is probably no one in UT or ID that knows more about Bear Lake and the weather around it than James.  (He's going for a double length later this week)
My original crew had to be replaced.  They were all set for last week but this week simply did not work out for a lot of them.  Life happens and I changed to date so it was up to me to find another crew.  It ended up being a small crew.  I had my wife as a paddler, my brother Josh Black as the boat driver, James Hubbard as paddler and pictures, my father in law Jed Black as feed maker and back up driver, and Joelle Beard as head of crew.  She ran the show, and did an amazing job!

The boss!

We all arrived at 1900 at the Bear Lake Marina.  We loaded up the 24' boat that Josh was using from his father in law.  We were off by 1930 and I gave instructions as we drove south.  Wind was coming from the SE so south to north I would go.

All our gear

Heading to start

99% of the reason this is in here is to make Patricia mad I put a pic of her eating!

Jed and Josh

Getting ready

Making sure GPS tracking is on

100% ready

We all got ready and Patricia got in the kayak.  I greased up and we had a last minute prayer.  I got in and THE second I hit the water, the weeks of nerves disappeared.  Just for fun, I flailed around a second screaming, "I CAN'T SWIM, I CAN'T SWIM!"  I felt great, I felt ready, I knew I was going to do fine....still didn't stop me from saying one last prayer (never hurts)!

One last prayer

Starting

I ended my prayer, told myself out loud, "You can do this" (with some attitude)  then let out a war cry.  I officially started at 8:04:30 PM
 (It may be noticed by others that I'm on "wet" land.  Rules state that swimmer should start and end on dry land.  The dry land at the start would have been a 1/3 mile walk because of a rainstorm the day before....so no!  Out of the water and standing on the driest mud I could is good enough.)
Water temp was 66-67 and pretty calm at the start.

I purposely went a tiny bit slower for the first few miles.  My stroke count was an average of 57.  It takes me around 3-4 miles to get going for most swims anyway.

Mile 1

For some reason, around mile 3, I started to get a cramp on my left leg left of my shin.  It just would not relax.  I swam dead leg for awhile on my left leg.  The cramping did not get worse but it did not get better.  I kept thinking, "Well, I'm not stopping/quitting for a shin cramp...this is going to be a LONG night"!  I finally got fed up enough that I stopped and rubbed it for about 20 seconds.  I rubbed it with some anger and it hurt doing it but helped.  I also took 1/2 banana the next feed.  The cramp was soon gone. It did make for an interesting 30 min.
It was around mile 4.5 that I picked it up.  I knew I was about halfway to my next feed and so I picked it up.  I moved my stroke count up to 60.  It felt good.  Took most of my feeds REALLY fast.  I would count down from 10 in my head and was usually rolling back over to my stomach on 2 then swimming at 1.  Keep it fast.  I only took longer feed breaks on food feeds or when the kayaker changed.

Fast feeds!

I was in a good routine for swimming, feeds, and pee was at a good interval.  Now it was just grinding out the miles.  We had a good tail wind with a slight current for the first few hours.  I could feel the push and it helped.
Patricia changed out so Jim could paddle after 3 and 1/2 hours.  There had been some difficulty with seeing the kayak and lighting.  The boat did put a spot light on the kayak.  That made it extremely easy for me to follow but also blinded the kayaker which caused her to wander some.  When Jim got in, he had a chem light on the back of his head and a blue headlight on the front.  I could not see the kayak but could see his head well and it was easy to follow him.
It was pitch black dark and the stars were out.  Every once and awhile, I would roll back a tiny bit while breathing and look at the stars for a second.  BEAUTIFUL.
We did run into a headwind a few times and it even rained on us from 0250-0310.  I didn't mind the rain but the wind slowed me down.  At one point I only got 1/2 mile in 30 minutes.  This actually pissed me off.  I told them to up my calories a bit and I pulled harder until I got through it.
The crew did stop me when I crossed the state line from Utah to Idaho.  I have a self tradition of honking the car horn whenever I drive across a state line.  I've never swam across a state line so this was pretty fun for me.  The boat pulled ahead and stopped on the line.  All the boat lights went on, the music was on full blast and everyone was screaming for me.  I did breast across the line and my mental energy kicked back in!  James Johnson had told me that the state line S to N was about 10 miles.  It's actually 11.3 so I was well over halfway!  This made me VERY happy.
 I told the crew I wanted to know my distance left at every feed.  I could now mentally break down each distance into training swims I've done.  This helped keep my spirits up.  "7.5 miles left, I've done that at Jordanelle for a long swim"..."6 miles left, that is a Tue and Thu swim at JN"...5 miles left, that's 2 Goody laps at Pineview"...Shorter and shorter.  Soon enough, I was thinking of the swims as "short days/rest days" for training.
The only real snags I had were that the headwind which slowed me down.  It cost me energy that ended up making me go REALLY slow the last 2 miles.  I also think I became slow the last 2 miles because of tapering a week too early.  Granted it was because of the weather but if I had good weather the original date, I doubt I would have gotten so tired at the end.

My beautiful paddler.  Great looking at her every 6 strokes

 I also got cold an hour before sunrise.  I was shivering and uncomfortable.  I was thinking of asking them to make my feeds to hot water but knew the sun was rising soon and so I just swam harder for that hour.  It warmed me up long enough for the sun to come over the mountains to get me.

Sun just coming up...I made it through the night

This is just a great shot.  Thanks Jim!

Sun on my back = new energy!

The last hangup...which is a BIG one happened at 0450.  Jim was due to get off the kayak.  Josh stopped the boat and Patricia got ready.  Everyone was helping her get ready and no one noticed the boat did a 180!  Josh took off and for some reason....lol.... they couldn't find us!  They were all in PANIC mode and Josh was driving like a mad man around the lake and everyone on the boat was looking for lights and they chased down every single thing they saw that they suspected was us.  Jim and I were still dealing with a current against us and wind.  I stopped when I knew it was long overdue for a feed for me.  I asked him where the boat was and neither of us could find it.  This made me REALLY worried.  I knew they had not run out of gas because Josh would have told us well in advance if gas was becoming a situation.  It crossed my mind that they all had accidentally fallen asleep.  This made me MAD as hell!  I told Jim that if they fell asleep, I would not make it to the end.  At some point, I would have to hold onto the kayak to rest.  This would immediately disqualify me and all 4 of them would have hell to pay.  I yelled a few times but no answer came.  I decided to keep going.  Jim and I continued on and after about 10 minutes the boat was there.  All of them were apologizing and felt bad they lost us.  It happens and I'm glad they found us.  Josh was clearly shaken.  He had all the lights on and was freaking out as they tried to find us....Other than that, it went great!  Patricia got back on the kayak and finished the swim with me.

Around 0700 I needed some support and told Joelle to get ready.  At 0730, she got in and swam with me.  Having her get in was a HUGE mental boost for me.  Even though she is not allowed to get even with me or ahead of me, I would tell myself that I was faster than her and she couldn't keep up.  This kept me going even though I knew I was at turtle pace and she was figuring out ways to swim slower and not make it obvious! 

Joelle getting ready

Support swimmer GO!

Eating, I look like an idiot

 I kept getting told I was only a mile away so I picked up my pace.  I counted out 1000 strokes then was told again it was only a mile away.  I even passed on a feed because I thought I was right at the end.  Thinking and being told I was only 1 mile away happened for awhile.  I finally took one last feed and then I was REALLY only one mile away.

Can see finish

One last Swiss Cake Roll

am I asleep here?

Joelle and me

 Joelle took a wide angle and swam ahead when I was only a few hundred yards away.  Soon enough I saw her standing.  She is not very tall so I knew that if she was standing, I could stand and just walk in if I needed.
I NEVER let myself believe I was done until I saw that.  When I trained for Catalina, it had never once crossed my mind that I would not finish.  When I got pulled, it mentally destroyed me for almost a month.  I never let myself fall into that trap for this swim.  I realized there was a chance I could not make it but never let the thought linger.  I just accepted it as a fact but I would do my best.  I would only tell myself that I could do it and I was trained well enough to finish.  Once I saw Joelle standing, I finally allowed myself to 100% believe I would finish.

standing

Walking out

almost there

I walked onto the beach and raised my arms to signal I'm done at 9:12:35.  I then fell down to my knees and had a good cry!  I could actually feel the pain and disappointment of not finishing Catalina go away.  I was grateful for finishing, I was in awe of my crew, and I was thankful to God for the moment.  All those at once = tears!  Joelle gave me a hug and it helped.

FINISHED!

There was one lady on the beach and asked how far we had just swam.  I couldn't really talk and didn't want to.  Joelle must have sensed this and so she did the talking.  She told her what I had done and the lady was really impressed and said Congratulations.  I just nodded and said thanks.  I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.  Not sure why.  I headed back to the boat.  Patricia was at the edge of the lake and I gave her a hug.  I had JUST stopped crying and it started again.  I said, "We did it"...she said "You"...I was quick to correct her, "WE"...  I think of Jamie Patrick at times like this.  He NEVER talks about big swims without giving most of the credit to his crew.  No swimmer does these alone.  There really is no such thing as a solo swim for events like this.

Swimming back to boat...victorious. (hint of a smile)

I got on the boat and they all cheered for me like crazy.  I hugged them all and cried....again!  I just kept saying Thank you and We did it!  I never thought about me doing the swim, it was always WE are doing the swim.  Every one of them stayed up all night and did their jobs amazingly.

Here is what they all ended up doing:
Joelle - Feed mixer, timer, log keeper, support swimmer and keeping everything moving smoothly
Patricia - paddler
Josh - drove the boat the entire time...amazing!
Jed - helped Joelle make feeds, usually the one tossing feeds to me
Jim - pictures, keeping my "fans" posted, and paddler.  Kept me calm when we were alone
Me - I just swam.

My feeds were every half hour.  The first few hours I only drank 8 oz of actual liquid.  The liquid would either be 6 oz of water, 2 oz of gatorade then 1 and 1/2 scoops of Carbo Pro for 150 calories or 8 oz of water, a squirt of Mio for flavor and 1/2 scoops of Carbo Pro.  After 5 hours it changed to 8 oz of water, 2 to 2 and 1/2 scoops of Carbo Pro and the same of the other 2.  The Gatorade was added to get a little bit of electrolytes.   The Mio was added because some flavors are just DELICIOUS!  It was random what I got to keep it interesting.
The only solids I took were 1/2 a banana, buzz bites, and 1 swiss cake roll.  These were random or when I specifically asked for one.

Bad things:
1. I crashed out with 2 miles left
2. We lost the boat for a bit of time.  Never should have happened
3. I let the fact that the head wind and current slowing me down get to me more than it should

Good things:
1. I FINISHED!
2. The crew was amazing and could not have done a better job
3. I FINISHED!!
4. I stayed focused mentally for 95% of the swim...I have a habit of daydreaming during longer swims.
5. I FINISHED!!!
6. My feeds, urination timing, and stroke rate was consistent throughout the whole swim.
7. I FINISHED!!!!
8. I never turned into a Diva and got mad or yelled at my crew...it's been known to happen
9. I FINISHED!!!!!!!!!

I want to thank my crew again for such a great job.  I grabbed some of you at the literal last day but I don't think I could have had a better crew and have a crew do a better job.  I can't think highly enough of all of you.
I most of all want to thank Patricia.  She has had to listen to alarm clocks going off at 0430 all summer long and dealing with my naps, overspending our budget on feed powders, and putting up with me when I would have to train instead of doing other things she would have like to do with me on a particular day.  She has been NOTHING but supportive since day one, including sacrificing her own time to give me more for myself.

Thanks everyone for all the support, training swims, advice, prayers and love.

I HAVE SLAYED THE BEAR LAKE MONSTER!!!

27Aug14

Last swim before Bear Lake....again.

20 x 50 on the :60
Most of my 50's I hit :40.  # 18 I got :38 and #19 I got :35 then last one was easy

That's it!

1000 SCY

26Aug14

First day of school today!  I was a bit distracted while swimming today...for some reason.

500 WU
1000 snorkel
500 swim easy  The last 50 I did 25 underwater the whole way then easy back to finish

2000 SCY

25Aug14

Went to the outdoor pool nearby.  Cloudy day so the air temp was in the mid 60's.  Felt nice.

2000 WU - Took a feed at lap 25.  Kept it under 5 seconds then went back to swimming.
1500 snorkel.  Harder pulls.  Found a good faster pace and held it.
2nd feed
1000 holding a strong pace.  Could feel my arms getting a bit tired but held on
500 1-4 desc. 5 easy, 6-9 desc 10 easy   4 and 9 were sprint.

100% positive my feed setup does not upset my stomach.  Good to know this.

5000 SCY

22Aug14 - GSL

Met with Josh and Lisa this morning at GSL.  I have not been there for several months so I was eager to go.
It was just the three of us and we decided to do a Gridley Straight.  It has been a LONG time since I've done one of those.  Felt good and decided to start fast and stay at a fast pace.  I focused on quick turnover more than perfect technique.  Surprisingly, I was able to stay about 20 yards behind Lisa.  She normally drops me fast.  Josh was CRUISING and was too far ahead to even bother trying to keep up with.  After about 3/4 of the first mile, I tired out and started to drop back slowly.  Finished the first mile to see those 2 like this...

Josh "napping"

Lisa "napping"

I saw Josh holding his camera at one point so I decided to look good.  If you dive deep on the recovery part of a butterfly stroke, the GLS really pushes you back up.  He got an amazing shot of my stroke.  You can tell by how far out of the water my chest is, how much extra lift the GSL gives you.

 

 

Now if I could only look this good for a mile straight!

Swam back then we were able to stop by a buoy that marked a sunken ship that belonged to Brigham Young.  Water was not clear so we could only feel.  Josh did a few dives down and his legs looked really silly.

Ended up with about 2 miles today.  Flies were plenty at the marina but out in the open, the lake was as beautiful as I remember when I think of her.
Another shot I took.  Sunrise swims are magical.  Who in their right mind would choose a pool in the afternoon over THIS???

Dammit, I am handsome!

2.1 miles OW

20Aug14

Easy day today.
1000 EASY.  Did a practice feed by having the lifeguard throw the bottle to me after 5 laps.  Drank it fast and did the rest of my set.

After work I went back to test out my goggles.  I have 2 pairs of reflector goggles and 2 clear.  Did one lap each to make sure there were no leaks.  I put new straps on all of them.  1 lap with each pair.

1200 total SCY

18Aug14

Work starts again today.  I received ZERO sympathy from my wife this morning as I left.  Summer is over.  Back to work.
Arrived at KEARNS around 0650.  Only took out my snorkel.

500 easy
1000 with snorkel
10 x 50 on the :55

At NO point did I push myself or make my arms or body tired.  I was there to feel the water.
I'll do around 1500 on Wed then that is it.

2000 SCY

14Aug14

Woke up nice and early to head to JN lake.  As I was about to get onto the interstate, I saw a BEAUTIFUL streak of lightning touchdown and light up the whole sky.  Well...guess I'm going to the pool!
Didn't have my pool gear but made it anyway.
500 WU
Ladders by 50 up to 9, repeat then back down.

Didn't really push it that much.  I did pick it up a couple of sets but nothing that killed me.

5k SCY

12Aug14

Met with Josh, Lisa, and an out of towner at JN this morning.  Beautiful day and the lake felt great.  Did 2 laps.  The 3 are faster than me so I didn't stay with them long.  During the second lap, I was making my way back west and noticed Josh and Lisa one buoy behind me heading east.  I told myself to pick it up some.  I wanted to make the 3/4 mile and not have them catch me.  I got to the red buoy and turned around to see them close behind.  I picked it up even more.  I got to the last buoy pretty wiped out and proud they never caught me.  Looked behind to see they were GONE!  LOL  I was hauling butt for nothing.  Made me laugh pretty good.

3 miles OW

9Aug14 - 5K

Arrived at Steiner again at 0545 but this time I was timing Josh first. 
Josh did his 5k and looked good through the whole thing.

The minute he finished I was ready and got in.  Did a 300 WU and was ready.  I had been stretching a bit and felt okay.

I decided to forget about how I did yesterday and focus on stroke count per 50. 
Josh started counting for me then immediately after I started, Gordon arrived and took over.  It is nice having your swim friends there to help you along. 
If I do around 50 strokes per 50 LCM then it's good. 

1000 - 16:59
2000 - 34:41
3000 - 53:03
4000 - 1.11:54
5000 - 1.30:30

200 CD

My goal was to go under 1.30 but oh well.  Just missed it.  Each time I tried to pick it up the last 2k, I could my legs tighten up from all the flip turns yesterday.  I tried to push it with 500 left but could feel puke rising up so I had to back down. 
I focused on my stroke and keeping smooth as much as I could.  I could feel myself wearing out with about 1000 left so I asked Gordon to walk the deck with me more to keep me motivated. 

Overall I felt good about today...better than yesterday at least! 

Thank you Josh and Gordon for helping me out and cheering me on.  I'm seriously grateful to have friends like you.
On a side note, my crew for my Bear Lake swim seems to be set!  Next week I only need to swim around 5 miles.  NICE!!!

5000 LCM total

8Aug14 - 10k

Went to Steiner pool at 0545 and started setting up my stuff at the outdoor 50 LCM pool.  As soon as 0600 hit and we could get in, I started warming up.
1000
800 snorkel then Jed arrived.  Jed is my father in law. 
Gave him instructions and off I went.  I was to stop every 2000 meters for a feed.

I started off at a decent pace and the sun was still low.  I drank a TON of fluids the night before and even had to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I just focused on doing good pulls and not letting my mind wander too much.

Josh was there and swam with me some.  He would cheer for me and even made some funny faces at me while I swam over him.  It helped cheer me up a bit.  I wasn't feeling that great as the sun started to rise.

2000 - 36:44
4000 - 1.17:48
6000 - 1.56:31
8000 - 2.36:18
10,000 - 3.16:40

I was averaging around 1:55 for each 100.  As the sun rose, it took a toll on me.  The higher the sun got, the slower I became.  I could feel the heat on me.  I drank like crazy during feeds and even drank another extra bottle of only water.  I did not once have the sensation to pee as I should have.  I was dehydrating fast and I could feel it.  I got to around 2 min per lap then even slower my last 2000.  The water was hot, the sun was hot, and I was HOT.  The last 2500 I was hating being in the pool and knew I was doing bad.  I did not care and just wanted to finish this 10k.

Was glad when I finished.  Did 200 EASY to cooldown.

I was worried because I took Jed out to breakfast after as a thank you for counting for me.  I drank 2 large waters and a large OJ.  Still had no sensation to urinate.  Arrived home and drank an empty X-Large Slurpee cup of water...nothing.  I was starting to wonder if something was seriously wrong.  I felt okay and went to take a shower.  I finally was able to urinate and this was a huge mental relief for me.  I didn't realize exactly how dehydrated I was.  Made sure to drink tons of water the rest of the day.

12,000 LCM

4Aug14

Easy day today.  I did some casual laps in between giving MJ some swimming lessons.  The longest I ever went was 500 straight.

1500 SCY

1Aug14

Bad day today.  Patricia is not feeling very well and me being the loving, caring, and worried husband I am about her health, I did not sleep much last night....OR maybe it was because she coughed THE ENTIRE NIGHT that kept me up....
When my alarm went off, I really was not eager to get out of bed.  Forced myself out and downstairs.  I got a buzz bite because I needed to make sure I would arrive at the lake awake/alive!
I decided to do my first lap nice and slow.  I went really slow and the lap seemed to take FOREVER.  All I could think about was going home and back to bed.  My body was still in wake up mode but my mind was definitely in sleep mode. 
Finished my first lap and took a bite and some gatorade.  My normal energy powder is out until more comes this week.  It did NOTHING!  I started my second lap and just plodded along.  I tried to pick it up but it was fruitless.
On my way back, I ran into Lisa with a few others she was introducing to OW swimming.  I chatted for only a bit but really wanted to finish so I could go home.  My thoughts soon turned to McDonald's breakfast sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle! 
Finished the second lap and it would have been pointless, stupid, and unsafe to do a 3rd.  I was glad with 2.  This puts me at 21.53 miles for the week.  Great week of distance.  I taper down now. 

3 miles OW

btw, I stopped and got the McGriddle!

31Jul14

Interesting day today.  Air was cold this morning when I got in.  I found myself ducking under the water every 20 strokes to warm my back for the first half of the first lap.  Felt pretty good after the first lap and noticed clouds way out in the distance when I started my second lap.  On the second half of the second lap, it got cloudy and the chop increased a little.  Wind was pushing the current west.  I made my last feed as quick as I could.  I purposely swam with the current for the first small part of the 3rd lap so I would have to swim against the current and chop for the long stretch.  Good choice.  It was choppy and forcing me to focus on my stroke and pull strong.  I felt great.  I really picked it up and my energy held.  I got to the last turn around, floated on my back for 10 seconds simulating a feed then headed back.  I was CRUISING and wanted to keep it going.  Just when I was about to finish, I barely caught sight of someone swimming toward me.  I really mean I BARELY saw her.  She had on a black wetsuit, dark hand paddles, and .....a BLACK CAP!  I stopped to chat with her and I noticed she was wearing sandals.  I honestly tried not to laugh.  I was able to steer the conversation to my SSD and being VISIBLE to everyone.  I think she understood the concept.  I just could not believe someone would wear essentially all black for an open water swim. 
Finished my swim and now only have one more day of this hard week left!
Last day of July and this month I racked up 70 miles!  Fantastic month for me!!!  I also am 8th in the nation in my age group for distance swam this year.  Very close to the next few above me so we shall see if I overtake them.  I know the one above me is watching me like a hawk!

4.5 miles OW

30Jul14

Rain this morning and lots of it.  When I pulled into JN parking lot, it was pouring.  I actually wondered if anyone would show up.  Josh and Lisa soon showed up. I made my way down to the ramp and stood waist deep in the pouring rain and waited for them to come down.  It was actually kinda fun.  It was so foggy and rainy that the buoys could hardly be seen.
They only did one lap and I stayed to do 2 more.  Rain had stopped by the end of the first lap.  They both left and I started lap 2.  I passed a buoy and decided to swim "natural" for the next 2 laps.  No one is around and so it seemed safe.  As soon as I was far enough away from my suit, sure enough, here comes a boat!  They were pretty far away but the coincidence did make me laugh.  Finished my 2nd lap and made a quick feed eating and drinking while on my back.  Lap 3 seemed to go by quick.  My mind was active and the time just flew by.
Finished my 3 laps and was glad to be done.  I did not feel good today.  I felt like complete garbage my first lap.  Arms were slow, I was sleepy, unmotivated, and plain tired.  I just wanted to go home.  At a buzz bite then one swiss cake roll.  Wanted to make sure I can still handle these.  This helped the 2nd lap and I started swimming a bit better.  At the 2nd roll before 3rd lap.  This one stuck with me a bit.  I'll make sure to only eat one per "treat" on my swim.
I was glad I stuck it out to do 3 laps = 4.5 miles but was glad it was over.  Not my day today. 
I did remember to get my suit on the way in!

On a GREAT note...I passed 300 miles today for the year.  I'm rocking out the miles and happy with my progress this year.

4.5 miles OW

29Jul14

Bad weather last night and predicted this morning so I went to the KEARNS pool.  No idea why but I did not hear my alarm and woke up on my own right after 0500.  I was supposed to get up at 0430 but oh well. 
Got to the pool and was ready to get going.  Glad it was raining and nasty out to justify my decision to ditch JN!
1000 WU
12 (50 kick then 50 swim then 50 build)
100 kick
100 fast pace
1000 pull with snorkel
Ladders by 100 up to 500 then repeat back down
500 with snorkel and pull
500 snorkel
100 CD

For some reason, I screwed up my math and thought I needed to do 8100 to hit my daily quota of 4.5 miles.  I ended up doing 8100 LCM which put me at 5 miles.  I was 1/2 mile over, but it's better than 1/2 mile under!
Tested out buzz bites a bit more and no problems.  I need to test out a few more foods to make sure they are still good with me.

8100 LCM

28Jul14

GREAT swim today.
Alarm went off at 0245!  Yikes this is early.  Needed to get gas, then drive an hour to meet others at Pineview.  Around 0415, Sarah, Gordon, and Chad arrived.  We all wanted and were eager to do an night swim.  Gords wasn't feeling up to swimming so he brought his kayak.  We all were in by 0445 and swimming.  We did the long buoy route first.  Chad had to get out and head to work after that.  Sarah stayed and 2 other women joined us.  Gordon knows them and they are newer to the OW scene.  Gordon paddled next to the one that was very nervous about swimming and Sarah stayed with her too.  I swam with Emily to do a regular buoy route.  We stopped every buoy on the way out.  The farther she went, the more confident she became.  Hit the turnaround and swam the whole way back without her stopping.  It was easy going but she was steady.  Finished the mile and she felt great.  I could see it on her face that she was really proud of what she had just done.  LOVE moments like this!
Helped Gords with his kayak then headed back down for another mile solo.  Everyone was now gone but I still was not done.  Did another cigarette buoy route   My arms were cold again from the last mile so I just let my mind wonder a bit. 
Finished the last mile and was done.  My quota this week is 4.5 per day.

It was really good seeing Chad and Sarah this morning and swimming with them.  Another beautiful sunrise swim at PV!

4.5 miles OW

24Jul14

Great swim today.  Got out to the ocean and it was cloudy.  It was as calm as I've seen the ocean this entire trip.  Glad to be able to swim.  The first mile was nice and easy.  The second mile it clouded over with dark clouds and I thought that I might have to finish my swim after 2 miles.  When I stopped to get a drink, I noticed that the clouds were moving and behind the clouds was clear and beautiful.  No thunder or even rain so one more I go!
As soon as I started my 3rd mile, the sun broke through and the Beatles' song "Here Comes the Sun" came to mind.  I was about 1/4 way into my last lap and a small shark followed me a bit.  He was a little guy (barely 2 feet long) but I could tell it was a shark.  I just remembered swimming with Grace Van Der Beil and the shark that was under us bigger than me and I was able to remain calm.
I continued to pick up my pace until the 1/2 mile turnaround point.  I simulated taking a feed then headed back.  The last 1/2 mile I really cranked it.  I felt strong and full of energy.  My pulls were solid and I know I was cruising at a high speed.  Finished feeling GREAT!  I really wish I could have gone for a LOT more.  I had to get out to meet a friend for lunch.
Great 3 mile swim today.  I'm at 15.2 miles this week so far.  This 15 has come quick and I barely feel like I've swam at all this week.  Travel day tomorrow then I'll probably swim Sat to make my 20.
I will miss the ocean.  It has been great swimming in it and I'm already looking forward to the next time I can be in an ocean.
3 miles OW

23Jul14

Easy stretch out day today.  Went to the ocean before noon and decided to play with my 2 girls for awhile before going for my swim.  I was having a great time and finally they were worn out enough for me to go for my swim.  Problem was that I did not drink very much and the sun was at the highest and hottest.  I only planned on doing 1 or two anyhow.  I did one mile and came in to make sure everything was ok.  Both my girls wanted more play time so I obliged.  They headed in for lunch and I went back for one more mile.  I felt ok going out but at halfway I CRASHED!  I felt the sun beating down on me and my energy being drained by the minute.  I slowed down considerably and just focused on good technique for the second half.  I practically crawled onto the shore when I was done.  Was glad I did an easy two but paid for when I did my swim and not taking feeds.

2 miles OW

22Jul14

Needed a longer swim today without having to haggle family to refill my water bottle every hour.  Alarm went off at 0430 and there is a YMCA not far from here.  Arrived at 0500 and paid for a 1 day membership.  They have a lot of people on vacation here all summer so they have weekly or daily rates.  It's pricey but as long as I was planning on being there, it isn't so bad.
This place also is a SCM pool.  A bit more rare to find.

1500 WU
500 K
Ladders by 50 up to 500,repeat, then back down.  The ladder back down I either did N/S or pulled harder the last 200.  I really went quick on the last 100 and 50
12(25K then 50 swim)
100 back
Ladder by 50 up to 200, repeat, then back down
2(200 swim then 50 breast)

10,000 SCM
Did the swimming part in under 3 hours.  I had to get out a few times for refilling my bottle and changing up lanes etc.

Felt good today.  2 days into the week and I'm already at 10 miles.  Not bad.  One month from today I start my Bear Lake crossing.  Looking forward to it.

21Jul14

Weather was nice today so I was able to get back in the ocean.  I walked a 1/2 mile out and memorized the house so I knew the turn around point.  Ended up doing 4 laps today.  Took me 3 to really feel comfortable.  There was a pretty good wind and current heading toward the beach so it felt like I was swimming with a 10 degree angle in order to go straight the entire swim.  Kinda fun.

4 miles OW

17Jul14

2 days of what I will call traveling HELL are over.  We are in the Outer Banks for our yearly week long vacation.  I have not been able to swim the past 2 days.  I was restless yesterday since our flight got bumped back 24 hours.
Slept in while Patricia went for a run.  When she got back I was able to hit the beach.  Atlantic Ocean was calm and inviting.  I could tell she missed me.  I missed her too.
I measured out a landmark yesterday that is .5 miles away.  Did 3 laps to get 3 miles.  After each lap, I swam in close enough to shore to stand up and get a drink.  Then I would swim past the break and parallel to shore.  I could feel the 2 days of travel.  My body was tired but my mind was HAPPY.  Probably was swimming slow as tar but did not care today.

3 miles OW...happily!

14Jul14

Met Josh and 4 other people at JN this morning.  I had already done one lap by the time they arrived.  It was a full moon over the weekend.  The skies were clear and the moon lit up the whole lake.  It was calm and BEAUTIFUL.  I did not have to wait for the sun to start to rise before I got in.  I could see everything fine.  Got one lap in before the others showed up.  Did 2 more laps with them then had to get home.

4.5 miles OW

12Jul14

At the pool at 0700.  Only needed to do 1100 LCM to meet my goal.  DONE!
1000 snorkel
100 easy free

1100 LCM

This put me at exactly 20.12 miles for the week.  Got my goal of 20 miles.  Pretty happy about this.  I am 98% sure of my date for my Bear Lake crossing. 

11Jul14

Went to pool nearby and helped someone I know with a lesson.  Easy stretch out day today.

1500 LCM

10Jul14

Went to JN this morning.  I am normally there M,W,F but Josh posted he wanted to go Thursday so I changed my days.  I was in the water at 0530.  I only wanted to do 3 laps.  First lap was decent but my arms were sore from yesterday.  I felt better the second lap but I was daydreaming way too much and it slowed me down a bit.  The third lap I caught up with Liz and we swam it together.  I picked up my pace some and even added on a little more by going between some buoys a few more times.  On the last stretch, I progressively got faster with each buoy I passed.  When I hit the last turn around, I was tired so I did a lot of breast and EASY swimming until I got to the next buoy.  I then did a 100% spring to the next buoy.  Whatever was left in my tank got spent.  I coasted to the end and was glad to be done.  I had a good enough swim.  I'm at 18.5 miles today.  Easy swim tomorrow and maybe a tiny swim Sat to make sure I make it over 20 miles.
It was good seeing Josh this morning.  Only saw him and chatted for 30 seconds as we passed each other but it was still nice.

4.65 miles OW

9Jul14

I got up early today and was at JN by 0500.  I actually had to sit in my car and wait for a little bit of light.  It was cloudy at the lake so I couldn't rely on the moon or any ambient light to show me the cigarette buoys. 
I did 4 laps today which is around 6 miles.  I think one of the end buoys is moving farther away.  I did a stroke count and don't remember it being that high a # for that distance.  I did around 6 miles and kept my feeds short.  It still took 3 and 1/2 hours total.  This discouraged me a bit.  I am going to re-measure the distance and do some timing splits.  I really don't want to be swimming anything slower than a 30 min mile including feeds.  That would just be sad!
Good new is that I've not only passed 250 miles for the year this week but as of today, I'm back on pace to meet my goal of 500 miles by the end of the year!  Awww Yiss!

6 miles OW....but hoping it was more!

8Jul14

Met some people at the pool today that wanted some help with their stroke.  The number of people that want help is growing.  I mainly take it easy these days and stretch out when I do swim.

I swam back and forth helping them and getting a LOT of rest between 50's and 100's.  I did get to do a 500 snorkel and 500 swim at the end solo.

2500 LCM

7Jul14

Met Gords at PV today at 0530.  Haven't seen him in awhile and it was nice to meet up with a good friend for a swim.  I planned on being there for awhile and he only had time for one loop.  Out of curiosity, I wore his swimmerbuddy instead of my SSD.  I'll admit that I actually like it quite a bit.  I'm seriously thinking about getting one now.  I did my traditional buoy lap and Gords wanted to stick to the outer edges and do a longer loop.  I finished my lap and Gords was still really far away.  I swam a bit more to kill some time.  He came in and I needed my keys to get some more grease on me.  I was pretty impressed with the swimmerbuddy and Gords offered to let me borrow his.  I declined but have been doubting that decision ever since. 
I did another buoy lap but this time I turned my GPS on.  When I finished, it read 1.8.  That is about right.  I decided to do the longer loop for my last one.  Gords said he thought it was just under 2 miles.  Boy was he wrong!  LOL  I finished the longer loop knowing there was no way I just swam barely 2 miles.  Final distance on my GPS read 4.32 which means the loop was 2.5 miles!  Just a bit off...
With my 1.8 added to that and the extra I swam, I know I did over 6.3 miles.  I'll round down to say 6.3 only.  Rather sell myself short on distance than put a longer distance down I did not do.
I felt great when I was done.  Time moved by quick enough and my arms felt good for the whole swim.  Easy day tomorrow then another 6 miles for Wed.
Thanks for joining me Gordon.  It was good seeing you.

6.3 miles OW

4Jul14

Wife was running this morning so I had to swim when the whole family went to the pool for fun time.  I don't particularly like going to pools to "hang out" or "play around"...I just don't get it.  I packed my gear and did a light swim.

500 WU
1000 snorkel
500 pll
4 ( 200 swim 50 breast)
500 easy, did some hypoxic work.

3500 SCY

3Jul14

Was planning a rest day today but got a text at 0605 that the person I am helping work on swimming was there.  He did not get my text in time about me taking the day off.  Felt guilty and headed to the pool.  I mainly swam back and forth helping him and only really got in an easy 500 by myself at the end.

1000 LCM

2Jul14

At JN this morning and was in the water by 0520.  I was not really motivated this morning and had already mentally resigned to being happy if I only did 2 laps.  It normally takes me about a mile to warm up.  Today I finished my first lap (1.5 miles) and I wasn't feeling any better.  Liz arrived and I told her I wasn't feeling up to doing 3 today.  My triceps and sides just flat out hurt.  Each pull I felt a twing of tiny pain.  I guess I pushed it a bit too much on that pull set yesterday.  Once we got to the first turn around, I started to feel a bit better.  Muscles finally warmed up and I started to pull better.  I shortened my stroke slightly but increased my rotation.  I started swimming a LOT faster.  I felt much better and was on a good fast cruise speed for the rest of the lap.  Even Liz noticed how fast I was going.  She was done with one but I felt good enough to do one more.  Finished my feeds and headed back out.  I kept the quick stroke count going.  Not sure how my speed was but I felt pretty good.  When I was on the home stretch, I got a bit tired out.  I was hungry and my arms started to ache.  I needed some Vitamin I!  I eased back and did technique work for the last 1/4 mile.  I'm going to start ramping it up with this faster rotation and see how it goes. 

4.55 miles OW

1Jul14

Pool day today.
500 WU
2 x 50 kick then 100 breast or back down then free build back
200 kick
500 snorkel and paddle
500 swim
5 x 100 pull hard
6 x 50 build
4 x 50 easy

Friend of mine joined me so I was helping him out the last part of my workout.  He needs some help swimming and with his stroke and technique.  I like helping people with swimming.  Love coaching.

3000 LCM

30Jun14

Up at 0430 despite having a really busy and fun weekend with my 2 girls.  Just was not in the mood for swimming.  Water felt fine but my arms were not happy to be moving. 
Finished one lap and saw Liz getting going.  We met up to do my 3rd lap together.  I was swimming slow and sloppy.  Finished 3 laps but it felt like I had been in the water much longer than usual.  Glad I finished 3 laps but glad it was over!

4.5 miles OW

26Jun14

Was at work last night until 0130 and did not get to bed until 0230.  Alarm went off at 0530.  I was supposed to meet someone at the pool for a lesson.  I needed to swim anyway.  3 hours of sleep. YES!  Needless to say, I was pretty tired.  The other person was a no show and I ended up only doing 3k LCM.

500
500 snorkel
6 x 50 kick then 50 back/breast then 50 free.  No rest
100 easy
1000 snorkel

My effort was minimal and I was actually falling asleep for some sets.  Meh!

3000 LCM

25Jun14

Wanted to get 4 laps in today.  Woke up at 0430 and was at the lake and ready to get in by 0530.  The sun was just rising enough that I could see some of the buoys.  I did one lap solo then as I was coming in for a feed, Liz was ready to get in.
Did 2 laps with her then she was done.  I did one more solo.  I felt pretty good the entire swim.  Never really pushed it but I held a steady pace the whole swim.  I am glad I did 4 laps. 
Was really psyched that Liz did 2 laps.  She is still relatively new to OW and already she is up to 3 miles.  Her fear or OW is dying quickly and she is getting better at not running me over so much!  :)
LOVE seeing new swimmers progress like this.  Way to go Liz!

6 miles OW

24Jun14

blah day today.  Alarm went off and I had 0 motivation to get up.
This carried over to the pool.

1000 snorkel
500 pull
6 (50K then 100 NS)
100 - 50 back/50 breast
1000 snorkel
2 x 200 NS
100 easy

Just was not my day today.  Mentally and physically I was checked out.  I swam slow, and thought only about going home and back to bed.  Just one of those days today.

4000 LCM

23Jun14

Met Liz at Jordanelle at 0600.  Water was 62.  Was definitely doing 2 laps but brought enough feeds for 3.  I needed to be quick about it since I had a massage scheduled this morning.  Started off a bit quick hoping to get my arms going sooner.  Still took over a mile until I felt my body relax.
Got done with 2 laps and knew I had time for 3.  I almost was done at 2 but I knew I would feel more satisfaction if I did 3.  Glad I did. 
Got out and felt great. 

4.5 miles OW

20Jun14

Met Liz at Jordanelle this morning at 0600.  Water was still 59.  Felt better this morning going in.
Just did one lap.  Arms were sore from yesterday.  My stroke wasn't that great and I was mentally distracted for most of the swim.  Got my lap in and was fine getting out after just one.

1.5 miles OW

19Jun14

Everyone dropped out on me yesterday to go to Jordanelle.  I woke up and saw it was below freezing outside where Jordanelle is.  Decided that even though I would be fine IN the water, the air OUT of the water might freeze me.  I thought better than to do a sub freezing weather swim solo.  Decided to do a longer swim the next day.
That brings us to today...
Went to KEARNS

2000
500 K
500 Pull
1000 snorkel
10 x 50 build
500 free
10 (50 back/breast then 100 free)
ladders by 100 up to 500 repeat back down.  First half was with snorkel and pull.  2nd half was free.
500 K
10 x 200 NS
300 easy mixing in w/e I wanted
600 snorkel
100 easy

I brought treats for myself and they wall seemed to work well.  Got sore at certain points but I had some pain pill that did the trick.  My speed went down some at the end but my stroke held up great the whole way.  My triceps and sides were REALLY sore when I was finishing.  I did the "blind" drill constantly through the workout where I would swim a certain stroke count with my eyes closed.  I was still swimming pretty much straight even at the very end.  Made me happy.

13,000 LCM 

17Jun14

Supposed to rain and possible thunderstorm today.  Woke up and the streets were dry.  Headed to the pool anyway.  This pool can be quirky sometimes and they close it when it rains too much...afraid we'll get wet or something!
I had it in my mind for some reason that 2-3k would be fine today.  It was cloudy, air was cold, and the entire top of the pool was steam so thick I couldn't see the other side.  Fantastic!

1000 snorkel
5 x 200 pull NS
1000 swim
500 snorkel
500 snorkel and pull
500 CD
I was at 4300 when they started pulling the lane lines.  They have a high school summer team practice there in the morning and they switch from 50 LCM to 25 SCY.  I dove under the lane lines my last 2 laps.  Was fun but I refused to stop at 4300.  Too ugly of a number to end on!

4500 LCM...so much for 2k being ok for today!

16Jun14

Checked the water temps last night and saw that Jordanelle was reading 63.  Perfect.  I arrived at 0600 and got ready.  I was solo but there is no boat traffic that early and there is an easy buoy route to follow so I felt safe.  Checked the temp and it read 59.  So much for 63.  Must have had some recent mountain run off cooling the lake some.  I did not have a swim cap so when I got in, it hurt my head.  Slowly made my way to the first buoy.  Took me longer to adjust than normal.  I've lost 15 pounds so far and clearly my extra layer of fat is not there to keep me warm anymore.  I finally adjusted and did one full "T" lap.  Got out and it read 1.53 miles.  Took a feed and headed back in.  The wind was howling the whole time so the swim was against the current heading east and with the current heading west.  So half the swim was easy and the other half I had to focus on good pulls.  I felt good today but I got cold...let me say that again...I got COLD in 59 degree water.  My core was fine but for some reason, my hands and feet were complaining the entire swim.
Did a second lap and picked up the pace some.  Arms held out and I felt good even though I did inhale some water once.
Got out and my feet went numb.  Got in my car and blasted the heat.  The water was cold but the air was colder.  The wind did not help.  Glad I went for a second lap.  I added some extra on my way against the current on the second lap to make sure I'd go over 3 miles.
Felt like a wimp for being cold but also happy that I'm getting cold because it means that all my fat-ass tissue is going away.  I may completely wimp out at 59 degrees if I hit my target weight of 190!

3.1 miles OW

13Jun14

Went to Alta Canyon pool near my house. 50 LCM outdoors is always nice.
Got in exactly at 0600 and decided to keep my breaks short.

1000 snorkel
1000 pull
10 (50 back then 50 free - 50 breast then 50 free build)
500 snorkel and pull
500 free


Got 4000 LCM in.  Was glad I got 4k  This will be my standard now for Tue and Thu swims.

12Jun14 - Back to MY reservoir

Picked up Lizbee Lu this morning and we headed up to Pineview.  It was great seeing PV again.  I realized I actually missed it once I got in.  I wanted to do the Goody loop so Liz was game.  We headed to the orange buoy line before the dam.  They must have moved it a bit closer than it was last year.  Round trip last year was 2 miles.  When we got back, it was 1.87.  I just simply can NOT settle for that.  Headed back out and swam a bit more to push over 2 miles.
Liz seemed to be having a good time.  The water was 67 so I was happy.  Still too warm.  Only took me 3 strokes and I was adjusted.  Had a good swim overall.  I did a lot of thinking about my training today while I was swimming.  I have healed enough from the car crash and my chiro has said I'm progressing well in most of my body.  I'm going to crank up my mileage starting next week.  I really want to do Bear Lake and so I better get into doing 20+ miles per week again.  This means longer swims M,W,F and pool workouts T and Th.  I will go for really long swims on Sat.  This is at least the plan.

2 miles OW...This swim put me at 200 miles for the year so far.  23 miles behind pace but I'll make it up soon enough.

10Jun14

Met up with Gordon this morning at GSL.  2 other swimmers were there.  One was the winner of the 8 mile this past Sat.  The 2nd was a first timer to GSL and openly admitted she is a bit newer to the OW scene.  I decided to split the groups and Gordon went off with the stronger swimmer and I stayed back with Liz to just be safe.  She and I did the buoy route.  She ended up loving the lake.  We stopped at each buoy on the way out and every other on the way back.  Was a pleasant swim even though she goosed me once and clawed me a few other times.  Pool swimmers...gotta love it!
She was done after one buoy route and so I swam back to the boat ramp with her.  Took a feed then she headed home.  I wanted more so I did a Gridley Straight.  Water was warm and I doubt I'll get too many more swims in for this half of the year.
I swam solid on the way to Blackrock and focused on my stroke.  I felt good.  Real good.  After turning around, I decided to push it.  If I crash, so what.  I swam strong and felt strong.  I kept pushing myself every few hundred strokes to pick it up even more.  I was really cranking it out about 400 yards from the marina entrance buoy.  Still felt good.  Hit the buoy and swam the rest of the way nice and easy.
Was a GREAT swim.

3.65 miles OW

3Jun14

Easy swim today.
Met with Sue at 0600.  She had a workout planned and I was happy to swim with my buddy again.
400 WU
200 kick
10 x 50 build
5 x 100 drill down and swim back
2(100 free 50 back)
100 CD

2000 LCM

2Jun14

Chiro gave me the okay to swim 1/2 my workouts without a snorkel.  I was excited to swim this morning, even though I was sleepy.

1000 snorkel
10 x 100 on the 2:00 free
10 x 100 (back-free then breast-free)  The back and breast count as non head moving.
500 paddles with snorkel
200 kick snorkel
100 swim snorkel
200 kick snorkel
4 x 200 Even swim odds pull free
200 easy CD

I did exactly half my workout free and other half with either snorkel or non head rotating strokes.  It was a good break and glad I could do 5k.

5000 LCM

30May14

Rested an extra hour this morning.  I was supposed to do a longer swim this morning.  Not feeling 100% when I got up so I slept in a bit more.  It was a good thing too.  For some reason my triceps hurt today.  HURT  No idea why.
All snorkel....going to ask my chiro today if I can swim more without it or at least start weening off.

500
500 kick no fins
500 pull
8 x 50  Last 2 were strong
50 back
50 breast

2000 LCM

29May14

Easy day today - still with snorkel
1000
drink
1000
drink
400
50 back
50 breast

DONE - Mainly focused on my stroke today.  I plan on doing a longer swim tomorrow.

2500 LCM

28May14

Woke up this morning confused as hell for some reason.  No idea where I was or what I was doing.  Fun morning!
Decided after Monday to start to pick up my distance a bit.  The snorkel is really boring the hell out of me but I need to stay in the water.
1000 WU
6 (50 Kick, 50 hard, 50 normal)
100 easy
5 (Back down, breast back)
500 pull - right elbow started to get a bit sore.
10 x 50 on the minute.

3500 LCM

On a side note, I talked with Sue last night.  She had a bad day this past weekend and has decided to change from the GSL 8 mile to the 1 mile event.  She is not comfortable at the time doing 8 miles and I commend her for taking her safety and health over her pride.  I know it was not an easy decision but my respect for her has only grown.  She has something going on right now that is having a negative impact on her swimming and she is wise enough to not push it until she figures out what is going on. My prayers are with her that she gets over this speed bump soon and back to cranking out the miles.

26May14

Gordon's 42nd birthday today.  All he wanted was for his friends to join him for his long swim.  4 of us showed up to swim and help celebrate.
We met at Steiner's outdoor 50 LCM pool.  It's a great view and nice pool but it's HOT!
I really have NO idea what I did.  I just did sets of 500's or 1000's.  I chatted quite a bit with everyone and enjoyed myself immensely.
Gordon was doing his 10k postal time trial and everyone left as he was halfway into it.  I needed to stay until 1000 so I got into his lane and would pace him for 50's or 100's.  At first I would just cheer for him or swim under him giving him a thumbs up.  I would have Jonas tell me when he was near a break and I would make sure I would be there to clap/cheer for him.  Pretty soon he started to slow down.  Gordon knows, along with everyone else in the world, that I'm slower than him.  Every time we have EVER done any form of swimming next to each other, he always pushes it to out touch me on the wall.  Well this works great for pacing him.  I would swim right next to him for 50's or 100's and I could feel him picking up his pace.  I would get the tiniest bit ahead of him and I could actually feel him thinking, "OH HELL NO!" and pick it up.  Worked great.  Every time I would stop to rest, Jonas would say that it was his fastest lap yet.  The last lap he was pretty much in a dead sprint to keep up with me.  I pushed off the wall and my right quad cramped.  I started to catch him but then it cramped again.  He finished strong and looked great.

I finished with 6500 LCM.  Not too bad.  My right elbow held up pretty good.  I'm getting REAL tired of wearing my snorkel for all my free sets.  I made sure to mix in a lot of kicking and some back/breast sets.  Glad I could join Gordon on his BD swim.   Good times!

23May14

Was sick the past 2 days so swimming was out of the question.  Laying in bed all day with severe stomach cramps is not a fun way to spend an anniversary!
All snorkel again today.
Sue was there this morning.  I got in her lane so she could swim next to a friend.  She was smiling and looked to be in a better mood.  I gave her a good hug as soon as I could.  We even got to chat a bit after the workout.  She is doing better but still has some concerns.

500 WU
10 x 100 - Odds kick and evens free
5 x 100 - Back down and odds I did breast back, and evens I did free
5 x 100 - Strong pulls down and recovery back

2500 LCM

Elbow is feeling a little better.  It was a tiny bit sore getting out but not the usual pain from before.  Not sure if it's from rest of the chiro but something is making it feel some improvement.  Glad that I can pull without as much fear.  Now I just need to be able to swim 5000 meters without a snorkel and I'll be happy!....baby steps

20May14 - Adjustments

Saw a chiropractor yesterday and my neck and back are "not quite right".  I did not realize how messed up they were and he advised I take it easy with swimming for a few weeks.  He did say I can swim with a snorkel.  I have been noticing that I'm not right when I swim but did not realize how bad it was.  I need to cut back some serious yards until further notice.  This is putting a SERIOUS dent into my training.  I'm not happy.
The KEARNS pool is 50 LCM now so that is nice.
All of my sets are with a snorkel on so I don't rotate my neck.

500 swim
6 (50 kick then 100 swim)
100 easy
10 x 50 on the minute

2000 LCM..........Should be 5000 or 6000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

17May14 - Bridge to Bridge swim

Up at 0315 and out the door by 0330.
Forgot to mention that yesterday, Jamie asked about joining my swim.  It had never occurred to me to have anyone join me.  I was always told this was a solo swim since if we get a "group", we would need to have permission.  Sylvia said that 2 is still fine before needing to  get special permission.  Jamie said he might join me.  Once I heard he wanted to join me, I couldn't imagine doing the swim without him.  It would only add to how great it would be.  After a few phone calls, he said he would join.  Could NOT have been more excited. 
Jamie met us at SERC at 0400.  We got our stuff and were on the boat by 0410 heading to the Oakland Bay Bridge.  Water temp was 57.

0400 ready to go

Around 0440 we were at the bridge and greased up ready to go.  I jumped in first and Jamie 5 seconds after me.  He did ask right as I got in how the water was.  It was PERFECT!!  Calm water and FAST current.  The skies were clear and the ambient light from San Francisco helped us see.  The city was lit up on our left and looked great. 

Oakland Bay Bridge

Those green dots are us!

Jamie and I swam nice and easy.  We kept stopping every 5 minutes to make comments about how fast we were moving and how much fun we were having.  At one point, I even yelled, "I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH FUN I'M HAVING"!!!
Patricia did great on the boat and Sylvia had to spend more time telling Jamie and I to shut up and swim than actually direct the boat!  I could go between wanting to swim and forcing myself to stop to enjoy this great experience.

Almost there

The sun was JUST creeping up when we got near the Golden Gate Bridge.  Once we got really close to the bridge, Jamie got in the boat and I floated on my back to look up to see the underbelly of the bridge.  It truly was magical.  I finished the swim in 1 hour and 16 minutes.  The main thing I did was swim easy and keep myself afloat.  The current did 95% of the work!  My kind of swim.
It was great to have Jamie with me.  He is a great guy and a fun person to swim with.  He did punch me in the head once when we swam next to each other.  It was ok because I did get a handful of his ass a few times.  It was dark and near Alcatraz it got pretty choppy.  It was tough to see each other at times.
I made the swim in perfect timing.  There was actually a cruise ship about to come in.  The pilot was talking to the boat and making sure I could make the swim without getting run over.  I won a game of chicken with a cruise ship....kinda.

Cruise ship

Once we got on the boat, we could not stop smiling, laughing, and saying over and over again how much fun it was.  EASILY in the top 3 of most enjoyable and memorable swims. 
I can't thank Sylvia enough for setting this up for me.  You were an amazing host and made me feel very comfortable the whole weekend.  Thank you Jamie for joining me on such an amazing swim adventure.  This goes on a OW swimmers bucket list.

Lastly, THANK YOU Patricia for coming with me.  What makes this swim so great was that I got to share it with you.  You did not feed the fish, which I'm proud of, and gave me great support.  Thanks for coming along with me on this adventure.