Yesterday I forgot to go swimming in the morning. It was more family time than anything and when I considered it in the afternoon, storm clouds were coming in. I got to the beach this morning and after everyone had their fun, I stayed behind to swim.
The water was choppy and looked great. I saw a guy dragging a kayak toward the water and asked if he wanted to paddle next to me. He was game. Once we got out in the water, I asked where he wanted to go. He said he likes to go straight out and paddle around looking for/at dolphins. (they are actually porpoises but w/e) We headed straight out and I could feel the water temp drop and it was obvious we had just cleared a shelf. The water got dark blue and colder. I was loving it. We headed south for awhile and then he and I both noticed a HUGE shadow beneath us. I thought it was cool and kept diving down to check it out. Couldn't see exactly what it was but I know it was bigger than me. He FREAKED OUT and said he was no longer comfortable and wanted to go back NOW... All I could think was...REALLY? What do you think is out here? Catfish? Minnows??? You wanted to go where the "dolphins" are and we are where the big fish are. As soon as you see what you were targeting to see, you panic? What a chicken!!! Dude, you are in a kayak which makes you even bigger so I would definitely be hit first if anything were to "attack" us and you could cut and run yet I was COMPLETELY comfortable. Chill the hell out dude.
I was nice and swam back to shore with him.
It was great to go out past the shelf but it was a severe letdown once I got there. One sign of sea life and I had to head back. Next swim I'm going longer and will stay on the "shallow" end of the shelf...btw, many sharks still swim up to the waist deep water too!
.9 miles.....ONLY .9 miles I also keep forgetting to grease. I started to chafe pretty bad today.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
20Jul13 - OCEAN!!
I arrived to the Outer Banks in North Carolina yesterday evening. Before going to bed, I took a walk to the beach with Patricia. The was was extremely calm and actually a bit chilly. I noticed it was chilly and Patricia thought it was down right freezing. I checked the ocean temp on line and it said it was 68 degrees. NICE!!!
Got up this morning and after breakfast we all headed down to enjoy the water. While most of the adults were watching the kids or just going up to their waist, I could not contain myself. I put on my goggles, cap, and strapped on my SSD and headed out. I loved the feel of the chill. I haven't been in water this cold in awhile. I even got pain in between my eyes. I adjusted quickly and headed south against the current. It wasn't too strong and I felt GREAT. I only wanted to do something nice and easy for today.
I counted 750 strokes then turned around. I immediately felt the tide on my side when I headed north. No jellyfish on the swim and the water kept me cool but I never felt chilled or even remotely uncomfortable. Got back and GPS read 1.1 miles.
SO glad to be in the ocean. I knew I was going to take it easy today but there will definitely be some swims next week where I bring some feeds with me so I can get some more distance.
1.1 miles OW
Got up this morning and after breakfast we all headed down to enjoy the water. While most of the adults were watching the kids or just going up to their waist, I could not contain myself. I put on my goggles, cap, and strapped on my SSD and headed out. I loved the feel of the chill. I haven't been in water this cold in awhile. I even got pain in between my eyes. I adjusted quickly and headed south against the current. It wasn't too strong and I felt GREAT. I only wanted to do something nice and easy for today.
I counted 750 strokes then turned around. I immediately felt the tide on my side when I headed north. No jellyfish on the swim and the water kept me cool but I never felt chilled or even remotely uncomfortable. Got back and GPS read 1.1 miles.
SO glad to be in the ocean. I knew I was going to take it easy today but there will definitely be some swims next week where I bring some feeds with me so I can get some more distance.
1.1 miles OW
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
16Jul13
Got a call from Suzie Dods yesterday that one of her friends from San Francisco is going to be in Salt Lake City and wanted to try the lake. We got in contact with each other and Zina Deretsky and I agreed to meet at 0700 at the Saltair marina this morning. Beautiful morning for a swim. Water was 80 degrees in the lake which made it HOT but I knew the swim was going to be short.
She just wanted the experience. She loved every minute of it. The usual comments about how salty it is, how buoyant it is, etc were expressed by her. We just headed out of the marina and into the lake. The water past the first red buoy was very clear and I took long slow strokes to look at the topography of the lake floor. Simply mesmerizing.
She didn't have long to swim so we cut it short. It was more for the experience than anything.
I really enjoy taking new people out to our lake to promote it's unique beauty. She had a great time and thus, so did I. I drove to Josh's house before going to the lake to pick up a T-shirt for her.
.75 miles OW
She just wanted the experience. She loved every minute of it. The usual comments about how salty it is, how buoyant it is, etc were expressed by her. We just headed out of the marina and into the lake. The water past the first red buoy was very clear and I took long slow strokes to look at the topography of the lake floor. Simply mesmerizing.
She didn't have long to swim so we cut it short. It was more for the experience than anything.
 |
| Another satisfied GSL swimmer! |
I really enjoy taking new people out to our lake to promote it's unique beauty. She had a great time and thus, so did I. I drove to Josh's house before going to the lake to pick up a T-shirt for her.
.75 miles OW
Friday, July 12, 2013
12Jul13
It was raining pretty hard this morning when my alarm went off at 0530. I knew the outdoor pool would probably be closed so I went back to bed. Rain and the alleged lightning didn't come today...the weather people not having a clue about the weather....SHOCKING!
I'm doing a 5k run tomorrow with my wife. Well, she will run and I'll run/walk.
Went to the pool at 1300 and it was set up for 25y by then. Short and sweet.
Got in, swam 20 laps straight, got out. Done!
Nothing hardcore. Just held a steady pace for 20 laps just so my arms could feel some water but nothing that will take energy away from my run tomorrow.
Easy 1k SCY
I'm doing a 5k run tomorrow with my wife. Well, she will run and I'll run/walk.
Went to the pool at 1300 and it was set up for 25y by then. Short and sweet.
Got in, swam 20 laps straight, got out. Done!
Nothing hardcore. Just held a steady pace for 20 laps just so my arms could feel some water but nothing that will take energy away from my run tomorrow.
Easy 1k SCY
Thursday, July 11, 2013
11Jul13
Met Josh this morning at Fairmont pool in SLC this morning. They do an open water workout in the pool there a few times a week. They just move some lane lines over and you can swim in bigger circles. Each big circle is around 75 yards. It's different and adds a twist to pool swimming.
From what I remember we swam for a few minutes, worked on some starts, did some turn work then played a game where we had to keep on the feet of the person in front of us to work on drafting. The workout was fun and I hit my max heart rate a few times. I had a good time overall.
After the swim, Josh and I went for a short run. Probably less than 2 miles but definitely more than 1.5. It was a good workout today.
2000 yards. Josh said it was closer to 2500 but he lapped me a few times and I fell off his pace when he was leading. I guess it's 2k yards!
From what I remember we swam for a few minutes, worked on some starts, did some turn work then played a game where we had to keep on the feet of the person in front of us to work on drafting. The workout was fun and I hit my max heart rate a few times. I had a good time overall.
After the swim, Josh and I went for a short run. Probably less than 2 miles but definitely more than 1.5. It was a good workout today.
2000 yards. Josh said it was closer to 2500 but he lapped me a few times and I fell off his pace when he was leading. I guess it's 2k yards!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
10Jul13 - Jordanelle
Got up early this morning to see how far away Jordanelle Reservoir is from my house. Turns out that driving there at 0500 means the roads are REALLY clear! I got there much faster than expected. The group was meeting at 0600 and I was ready to go a half hour in advance.
A pretty good group showed up this morning. There were about 8 people there. Josh knew everyone but I only knew Josh and Sue. Josh showed me the route and each T-lap was 1.4 miles. Perfect. 2 laps it will be.
We all took off and there is a line of white cigarette buoys that run the entire swim. I just kept spotting off each white buoy which never seemed to be far away. It's a GREAT Jedi Mind Trick there. Just focus on how close the next "goal" is over and over. I felt pretty good out there today. The air was chilly but the water seemed hot. I spent a LOT of time thinking about ice swimming yesterday. A few things have happened lately about the Bering Straight swim that I have been following. I even talked with a fellow ice swimmer on the phone and we shared our mile blog with each other.
Even though we both swore we would never do another ice mile, both of us are considering it again. I guess I relate this to birth. From what I heard from my wife and other women, during the actual birth, it's horrible, agonizing pain, etc etc...worst experience EVER. While they are in the middle of it, they swear they will never do this again.
Once it's done, they are glad it's over because they achieved their goal...a baby. A few weeks later they forget about how horrible the ACTUAL birth was and I've heard many women say (including my wife) "It really wasn't that bad"! DID YOU FORGET??? Are you serious? It sounded like you were dying in there, even WITH the Epi! My wife just laughed it off and sure enough, right in the middle of contractions for baby #2, they REMEMBER! Oh yes, THIS was the horribleness I swore off. I actually HAD forgotten about this moment. What was I thinking claiming that it wasn't "that bad". I remember now...IT'S WORSE!
But, just like a delete button on a keyboard, you forget and weeks later they go right back to, "It wasn't that bad".
I guess I'm in the same boat mentally. (No idea what it would be like physically. Thank heaven! I can't imagine trying to push a watermelon out of an opening that when dilated, is still only the size of an apple!) I know it was horrible and I have reread my account of it many times but your brain doesn't remember the actual pain, only that it was painful. Well I'm sure if I do another ice mile, I'll be just like my wife. I can do it....Oh Lawd this is the WORST pain imaginable...2 week later - It wasn't that bad!
ANYHOW................
I did 2 laps. The 2nd lap I was doing some heads up breast while chatting with Josh.
Sue was steamrolling the water. She got in first and never looked back. She got so far ahead of everyone that she wondered why everyone was so far behind. She thought there was a problem. No Sue, you are just kicking ass!
Got out and felt great. I really like this lake. It's close so I'll probably start using this as my OW lake when the GSL is too warm/nasty to swim in.
2.8 miles OW
A pretty good group showed up this morning. There were about 8 people there. Josh knew everyone but I only knew Josh and Sue. Josh showed me the route and each T-lap was 1.4 miles. Perfect. 2 laps it will be.
We all took off and there is a line of white cigarette buoys that run the entire swim. I just kept spotting off each white buoy which never seemed to be far away. It's a GREAT Jedi Mind Trick there. Just focus on how close the next "goal" is over and over. I felt pretty good out there today. The air was chilly but the water seemed hot. I spent a LOT of time thinking about ice swimming yesterday. A few things have happened lately about the Bering Straight swim that I have been following. I even talked with a fellow ice swimmer on the phone and we shared our mile blog with each other.
Even though we both swore we would never do another ice mile, both of us are considering it again. I guess I relate this to birth. From what I heard from my wife and other women, during the actual birth, it's horrible, agonizing pain, etc etc...worst experience EVER. While they are in the middle of it, they swear they will never do this again.
Once it's done, they are glad it's over because they achieved their goal...a baby. A few weeks later they forget about how horrible the ACTUAL birth was and I've heard many women say (including my wife) "It really wasn't that bad"! DID YOU FORGET??? Are you serious? It sounded like you were dying in there, even WITH the Epi! My wife just laughed it off and sure enough, right in the middle of contractions for baby #2, they REMEMBER! Oh yes, THIS was the horribleness I swore off. I actually HAD forgotten about this moment. What was I thinking claiming that it wasn't "that bad". I remember now...IT'S WORSE!
But, just like a delete button on a keyboard, you forget and weeks later they go right back to, "It wasn't that bad".
I guess I'm in the same boat mentally. (No idea what it would be like physically. Thank heaven! I can't imagine trying to push a watermelon out of an opening that when dilated, is still only the size of an apple!) I know it was horrible and I have reread my account of it many times but your brain doesn't remember the actual pain, only that it was painful. Well I'm sure if I do another ice mile, I'll be just like my wife. I can do it....Oh Lawd this is the WORST pain imaginable...2 week later - It wasn't that bad!
ANYHOW................
I did 2 laps. The 2nd lap I was doing some heads up breast while chatting with Josh.
 |
| Josh and me |
Got out and felt great. I really like this lake. It's close so I'll probably start using this as my OW lake when the GSL is too warm/nasty to swim in.
2.8 miles OW
Monday, July 8, 2013
8Jul13 - Bill Engvall
Today I saw some things at the pool that had me thinking of the comedian Bill Engvall. He rose to popularity with the idea that dumb people should have to wear signs that say "I'm stupid" that way you know never to rely on them or trust them with anything. If you've never heard his comedy before, he's pretty good and makes some valid points. Here is a sample.
Well today I saw something that makes me want to go out and get signs for some swimmers that say, "I have NO idea what I'm doing"! This way you know to stay as far away as possible.
Some examples today are:
1) Seeing a guy wearing hand paddles, fins, and a BUOY! I actually snorted water when I saw this guy.
2) Swimming laps while wearing regular shorts. Not swim shorts, regular casual shorts and a t-shirt.
3) Asking me to split a lane then you keep "drifting" over to my side and I have to dodge you several times.
The last one is for the kids doing swim team. Granted the range of kids goes from middle school to high school. The older you are, the farther away from me you are...which means the smaller kids still working on swimming are closest to me. That is fine and they are kids but they need to be reminded they are there to swim and it is not play time. I was taking a set break and 2 boys were playing a "game" where they were trying to grab each others penises instead of listening to their coach. Call me cantankerous but I think that crosses a line for pool workouts! Wanting to play with other boys genitals is fine if that is your interest and I'm a huge supporter of gay rights but seriously kids....save that stuff for college!
Did 500's today
500 WU
500 drill (idea from Josh - each 100 you lose a finger so last 100 you are doing fist swimming)
500 kick - Tried my new snorkel. Love it but for some reason, my nose kept trying to let water in. I focused real hard on just breathing through my mouth but I kept feeling water crawling up my nose and causing me to water sneeze. I need to wear a nose plug I guess when using a snorkel. I can already tell it's going to help with my lung capacity and VO2 max.
500 pull
500 with some hard pulling
500 CD
My body felt great during the workout but I still had my dinner from last night in my stomach. I threw up a few times only into my mouth to taste lasagna. Not good! It happened twice again on last 500 and I decided to get out early. I kept thinking that if I was at the lake, I would have just let it out while swimming then kept going. Barfing in lake = okay. Barfing in pool = bad ju ju!
3000 LCM
Well today I saw something that makes me want to go out and get signs for some swimmers that say, "I have NO idea what I'm doing"! This way you know to stay as far away as possible.
Some examples today are:
1) Seeing a guy wearing hand paddles, fins, and a BUOY! I actually snorted water when I saw this guy.
2) Swimming laps while wearing regular shorts. Not swim shorts, regular casual shorts and a t-shirt.
3) Asking me to split a lane then you keep "drifting" over to my side and I have to dodge you several times.
The last one is for the kids doing swim team. Granted the range of kids goes from middle school to high school. The older you are, the farther away from me you are...which means the smaller kids still working on swimming are closest to me. That is fine and they are kids but they need to be reminded they are there to swim and it is not play time. I was taking a set break and 2 boys were playing a "game" where they were trying to grab each others penises instead of listening to their coach. Call me cantankerous but I think that crosses a line for pool workouts! Wanting to play with other boys genitals is fine if that is your interest and I'm a huge supporter of gay rights but seriously kids....save that stuff for college!
Did 500's today
500 WU
500 drill (idea from Josh - each 100 you lose a finger so last 100 you are doing fist swimming)
500 kick - Tried my new snorkel. Love it but for some reason, my nose kept trying to let water in. I focused real hard on just breathing through my mouth but I kept feeling water crawling up my nose and causing me to water sneeze. I need to wear a nose plug I guess when using a snorkel. I can already tell it's going to help with my lung capacity and VO2 max.
500 pull
500 with some hard pulling
500 CD
My body felt great during the workout but I still had my dinner from last night in my stomach. I threw up a few times only into my mouth to taste lasagna. Not good! It happened twice again on last 500 and I decided to get out early. I kept thinking that if I was at the lake, I would have just let it out while swimming then kept going. Barfing in lake = okay. Barfing in pool = bad ju ju!
3000 LCM
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