Swimming to Hemingway's

December 8, 2011

2011-12-08T16:04:00.001-05:00

@ Bethesda / Chevy Chase YMCA - outdoors scm

3,300 scm = 3609 yds

1,000

5 X 200 K (4)...odd 50s U (fly)

5 X 200 P (3)

300 easy

December 7, 2011

2011-12-08T15:59:00.001-05:00

@ Bethesda / Chevy Chase YMCA - indoors scy

3,600 yds

1,000

5 X 100 K (2)

5 X 200 P (2:50)

10 X 100 (1:30)...2 sets of 5 desc....# 5 & 10 went 1:12

100 easy

December 6, 2011

2011-12-08T15:57:00.001-05:00

@ Bethesda / Chevy Chase YMCA - outdoors scm

3,200 scm = 3500 yds

1,000

5 X 100 K (2:10)

5 X 100 P (1:40)

10 X 100 (1:45)...first length U (fly)

200 easy

December 1, 2011

2011-12-08T15:54:00.001-05:00

@ Bethesda / Chevy Chase YMCA - outdoors scm

4100 scm = 4484 yds.

1,000

5 X 200 K (4)

5 X 200 P (3)

1,000

100 easy

Swimming to Hemingway's

2011-11-02T16:57:00.000-04:00

Not Today

November2, 2011

We’ve all got our demons, our excuses, our kryptonite –those things that are mostly under our control and yet we allow them to controlus. We let these things keep us from ourgoals, delay progress, sap us of joy. And the funny part is that many of these things are disguised as good…mmmthose donuts are yummy…ahhhh the extra hour sleep is soooo nice.

Let’s face it, when it comes to diet and exercise it’s notexactly fun to walk the straight and narrow. But if you CAN stay the course ohhh the rewards! You look better, feel better, just plain AREbetter. You’d think that that would beenough but it aint.

And that brings me to my 30-day project. My wife (the Lovely Laura) turned me on to aguy giving a Ted Talk – you know Ted Talks, short, sweet, sometimes funny,sometimes thought provoking, usually by someone you’ve never heard of but stillusually worth listening to…and did I say, the talks are usually pretty short?

So anyway, this guy gave a Ted Talk about trying somethingfor 30 days. The idea being that if youcan do it for 30 days you might just be able to make it a part of your regularroutine…and after 30 days you’ll definitely know if you want to continue and ifyou don’t that’s OK too.

For me? It’s gonna be 30 days of not eating any food thathas sugar or high fructose corn syrup in the first 3 ingredients listed. Because you see, it’s sugar that’s my # 1downfall…and I’m not one of those guys who can have just a little, once Istart, no matter what my plan is, there’s no stopping until it’s all gone andthere I am heading south on the road of good intentions.

One of the strategiesI’m employing on my 30-day quest is to just take it ONE day at a time – I onlyhave to go sugar free TODAY. And mymantra when temptation rears its ugly head is: "Not Today". Nope not gonna suckdown that sweetness today. I can go ONEday with no sugary goodness…tomorrow?, I don’t care, I’m just worrying abouttoday. So wish me luck with my 30 daychallenge which started on November 1…and will take me right through Thanksgiving…aka…PieParadise.

Splish-Splash: Got to the pool 13 timesin October for a total of 44,327 yards or 25.19 miles.

Swimming To Hemingway's

2011-10-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

Get Entered

October17, 2011

There’s3 parts to a successful Bay Swim. Thefirst part, which can be a challenge, is get entered. Can you believe it?! Just two weeks until registration opens forthe 2012 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim…almost. Yes, you can start signing up in two weeks but what you’re signing upfor is the entry LOTTERY. This race hasbecome so popular that the event organizers decided years ago to go to alottery process to give everyone a chance to get into the race – not just thosewith really fast internet speeds.

Beforethe creation of the lottery process it was all decided by how fast you couldsign up. During the last few years of“be quick but don’t hurry” registration the event was filling up in about 30minutes or less. And the event continuesto fill up every year with around 600 swimmers attempting one of the best openwater events in the U.S. if not the world.

Idon’t remember what I paid the first time I swam The Bay in 1990 but for somereason I think it was around 80 bucks. And as the entry fee rose my friends and I would say, “Well that’ll killthis event. Who’s gonna pay THAT much to do this swim?” 21 years later there are people virtually standingin line to plop down their $ 250 entry fee plus whatever contributions they maycollect just to get between those bridge spans and see if they can get to theother side.

Thelottery entry window will stay open from November 1^st to January 3^rd@ 8AM. So if you miss the boat for thelottery it’s your own damn fault because, honestly, you just weren’t payingattention.

24hours after the lottery closes the selection notices start going out and ifyou’re one of the lucky ones who gets selected you then have 3 days to goon-line and officially enter the race and plunk down your two hundred fiftyclams – and I’m assuming the price isn’t going up this year but you neverknow.

Andif you get in, THEN comes Part 2: TRAINING !

Butfor now head over to Lin-Mark.com (the event organizers) and read it all for yourself.

Splish-Splash: Since I swam The Bay lastyear this year will be an “off year” for me.

2011-09-16T17:10:00.001-04:00

“The Shiver Walk”

September16, 2011

Andjust like that it’s FALL!

Thismorning was the first morning that really felt like fall – temps near 50, steamrising from the “home pool”, and luckily not much of a breeze. It’s not bad at all as I make my way out tothe pool but oh that walk back when I’m done. When it’s chilly out and your soaking wet, wearing next to nothing, itcan be a brutal walk back to the building and hot showers.

It’svery similar to those mornings when, perhaps, you’ve left the window open overnight and you awaken to a chilly room. It’s sooooo nice and cozy under the covers – the last thing you want todo is get up and out of bed. You lingera little longer than normal, enjoying those last few moments ofwarmth…ahhhhh. But eventually it’s timeto greet the cold cruel morning, throw back the covers and start your day.

Withfall and winter just around the corner mornings like today become more and morenormal and I’ll take my time swimming down, take my time getting to the end Iexit from, and take a little more time to just soak under the blanket of warmwater.

Andthen!...ughhhh, the shiver walk.

Splish-Splash: Swam every week daymorning this week – 5 for 5…not worrying so much about yardage as much asestablishing the habit.

“Mate, you’re there.”

2011-09-01T16:51:00.001-04:00

September1, 2011

WhileI wasn’t swimming much in August I was following three heroic swimmers, who aretotal strangers to me, as they took on the English Channel. For some reason, that I haven’t quite figuredout yet, I was totally taken by their attempts to do what not a whole lot ofpeople have done. And thanks to theirblogs I was able to go along for the ride. In reading their accounts of the crossing I couldn’t help but beimpressed, inspired and in awe of not only the swim but of everything else thathas to happen to accomplish this feat. There’s the training, the planning, the travel, the love and support offamily and friends, and then there’s the financial side of it all – I can’timagine how much it must cost to not only pay for everything that’s swimrelated but to also travel to and be in England for a week or two. It’s a lot to wrap your head around.

Iposted them before but here are the links to their blogs which are well worth reading.

JennyBirmelin http://www.jennybirmelin.com/index.html

DonMacdonald (still no word if he made it across)

http://one-stroke-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

DougMcConnell http://one-stroke-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

Theaverage time it takes to swim across the English Channelis around 13 hours. Jenny did it in11:31. Doug did it in 14:18.

Andit’s part of Doug’s account that I want to share with you. We pick up the story as he nears

France

,swimming in the dark of night, and the captain of his boat, Lance, yells out “Mate, you’re there.”

Sincethey had reached shallow water and it was dark out the plan was for Lance toshine a light towards shore and for Doug to follow that light up on to thebeach. Doug continues with…

I was stunned. I had no idea I was that close to shore,though I had appreciated the flatter water that came with it. I looked inthe direction that Lance was pointing, and I couldn’t even see the shore. After 14 hours of following this guy’s instructions, I wasn’t about to stop, soI swam for the light. I finally felt the sand under my left hand, and Iknew I could stand. I had made it to France. Walking out of thewater after a long swim can be difficult, and walking out of the English Channel was almost impossible. My legs hadbeen cramping for about eight or ten miles, so when I pulled my legs up andstood, I promptly fell down. Twice. I staggered onto the beach andkept walking. The Channel rule is that you have to finish on dry land,and it is a little hard to know what constitutes “dry land” on a sand beach atlow tide. So, I figured I would keep walking until Lance blew the airhorn. Then I would know I was done. The air horn sounded, the clockstopped and I was the latest member of a pretty select club.

Splish-Splash: Pretty select club indeed. Morepeople have climbed Mt. Everest than have swum across the English Channel.

At a Crossroads

2011-08-23T17:08:00.001-04:00

August 23, 2011

I’m a swimmer – that’s what I do for exercise. And if push comes to shove I’d have to admit that I’m a little better than average. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when I just don’t feel like swimming…and that’s where I am now. I dabble at other forms of exercise like, biking, weights, tennis but I haven’t found anything that matches the benefits I get from swimming and besides that, during those times when I take months off from swimming I just can’t stand it when I come back and other swimmers, who I can usually pass with no problem, are kicking my butt.

And so, here I stand, at 50 yrs. old, trying to figure out how to keep going to the pool. “Join a team”, they say, and we know who they are, but it’s been a few years since I belonged to a team and I’ve grown very comfortable with swimming on my own terms – at the speed and distances I want to swim. I’m not saying absolutely no to a team but right now there aint much interest to joining a team.

“Sign up for something – a meet, an event.”, that’s always worked in the past to give me a reason to get to the pool, but now, no thanks I’m still feeling sorry for myself about my underachieving swims from the early summer – I thought for sure I was gonna do much better than I did.

“Shut up and get outta bed in the morning and just go”, well OK, but, right now I’ve got this cold, yes, a summer cold, that’s filling my head and chest so I’d rather stay in bed and get extra rest.

And yet, while I find and use every rationale I can to not go to the pool it hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about doing great swims – swims like the Catalina Channel, Swim around Manhattan, or even, yes, the English Channel.

Following folks online who recently swam the English Channel has stirred my imagination to attempt something great – but ah yes, I can rationalize away being able to do something like that as fast as I can dream it. Oh the irony…don’t want to swim, don’t want to swim, nope not gonna swim – I know, I’ll swim the English Channel!

Splish-Splash: Following a new blog, just born days ago, has nothing to do with swimming but damn entertaining – maybe you’ll agree.

http://princesspissant-anotherdayattheoffice.blogspot.com/

Here They Go

2011-08-16T14:09:00.003-04:00

August 16, 2011

Three "Yanks" I discovered via the blogosphere are ready to take on the English Channel - this week and next.

Follow their blogs here:

http://one-stroke-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

http://www.alongswim.com/a-long-swim/

http://www.jennybirmelin.com/blog.html

Splish-Splash: Here's hoping all three have good luck, good weather, and good swimmin'!

Another July

2011-07-27T13:01:00.002-04:00

July 27, 2011

When you have a blog that is centered on swimming but you haven’t been doing a whole lot of swimming…what do you write about?

It’s been another typical July, swimming wise, for me – I’ve only been in the water 5 times for a total of 14,700 yards…a far cry from when I was gearing up for the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim but not far from other Julys.

I was looking through my swimming notebooks, where I write down my workouts and weigh-ins, and easily July is my driest month.

July through the years:

2005 = 2 swims

2006 = 14 swims

2007 = 1 swim

2008 = 1 swim

2009 = 9 swims

2010 = 4 swims

What is it about swimming?, and swimming hard towards a goal that makes it so tough to keep going – especially when the weather warms up, the days are long and the nights are mellow. The last thing I want to do is go to bed early so I can get up early and go swimming.

The other day when I was swimming, and I’m only going about 2-grand a session now and not doing anything really hard, I realized how much I enjoy the feel of the water and how much I enjoy being comfortable in the water…if only I could hold on to that feeling and enjoyment as my workouts get more challenging. Yes, it’s great to have that feel for, and comfort in, the water – a feel most people don’t share. But it doesn’t do a whole lot for me, fitness wise, to just enjoy being in the water.

Splish-Splash: Seven days of no swimming makes one weak.

Bloggers with BIG plans.

2011-07-19T16:23:00.001-04:00

July 19, 2011

A few months ago I stumbled upon the blogs of two swimming buddies in the Chicago area who are going to swim the English Channel this summer – not as a two-man relay but as two solo swimmers.

Their stories are pretty interesting and it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement of their preparations as their D-Day gets closer.

Give ‘em a read…

http://one-stroke-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

http://www.alongswim.com/a-long-swim/

…and join me in wishing them all the best as they attempt what relatively few have accomplished.

Splish-Splash: When you swim the channel does the ghost of General Eisenhower appear the night before to give you an inspirational speech to help you reach the other side?

Let's begin...

2011-07-19T15:38:00.002-04:00

July 19, 2011

As promised…

…this week’s weigh-in.

It could have been A LOT worse after beach week and not swimming much an not paying a whole lot of attention to eating well.

So…c’mon…play along at home and let’s watch which way the scales go.

Splish-Splash: eat drink and get skinny

A Slippery Slope

2011-07-13T10:32:00.002-04:00

July 13, 2011

I’ve written here before…when you take a little time off from the pool it’s a slippery slope…the next thing you know it’s 2 or 3 months later and you haven’t been swimming.

Before this morning the last time I swam was July 1^st. A week at the beach with family and then a couple days of just not getting back to it brought me to today and the usual feeling, for me, that after more than a week off it feels like I’m starting all over again. Thoughts of jumping right back in @ 5 grand per workout have gone right out the window – just too tough mentally and physically.

And so…this morning I began again with 2,400 short course yards. And since I am treating this like a new beginning I’m gonna do my best to include the things in my workout that I wanted to work on before but rationalized away during my build up to the Bay….like sprinting on a regular basis, stroke drills on a regular basis, and the other strokes (fly, back, breast) on a regular basis. And one more thing which I dabbled with but then gave up on – breathing every third arm pull during free.

As for yardage I’m gonna build back up slowly but surely bumping it up 500 each week….2-grand a swim one week, 2500 a swim the next week and so on.

But what about the gym sessions I talked about…well, for now I’m gonna bag those BUT do some shoulder work with surgical tubing twice a week.

And while I’m at it…it’s time to recommit to shedding pounds and so to that end I’ll go back to posting a photo of the scales from my weekly weigh-ins.

So…for now…that’s the plan.

Splish-Splash: What’s your plan?

June Totals

2011-06-30T13:34:00.001-04:00

June 30, 2011

Last day of June and there’s no more swimming in my future between now and July 1…so…let’s look at the numbers.

13 Swims

54,518 yards

30.98 miles

average swim distance = 4,194 yards

average weight = 208.63

And as for my goal to swim 400 miles this year…I currently stand at 187.1 miles which is 12.9 miles off the pace. Hopefully I can slowly but surely chip away at that deficit and get to 400 by the end of the year.

And as for those of you who are looking for something to train for…here’s a list of open water events for the rest of the year

http://www.usms.org/comp/event_search.php?action=filter&EarliestDate=6/30/2011&CourseLD=1&CourseOW=1&Championship=include&PostalSwim=1&Clinic=1&Recognized=1&NonUSMS=1&International=1

And Carl…I feel your pain – both motivationally and financially. When I first started doing the Bay Swim I think the entry fee was less than $100 and every time they raised the price we all thought that that would be the end of the event…”Who is gonna pay THAT much?” And now years later and $150 added to the price the event continues to sell out each year. And if open water swims are too much you can always consider doing a meet, just swim an event or two.

Splish-Splash: New month, clean slate, I guess that means it’s time for family beach week - sun, sand, fireworks, and a little margarita training.

Still Swimming?

2011-06-27T16:29:00.002-04:00

June 27, 2011

It’s been two weeks since the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, 14 days, but it already seems like months ago. So the question is: Are you still swimming? And the second question is: if so, how much?

I can still remember a few summers back when once I completed the Bay Swim I didn’t swim again ALL SUMMER - didn’t get in the water again until September. Ever since THAT year my goal has been to keep swimming throughout the summer. It always seems silly to me that there I am in pretty good shape after getting ready for the Bay and then what do I do?...I let it all go to pot and end up basically starting all over again.

And for me, the real challenge is keeping it going after our annual family beach week...which is next week. I spend a week sleeping in, drinking and eating a little too much and exercising very very little if at all. And then…the next week it’s awful hard to get back to getting up at 5AM and heading to the Y for a swim or some time in the gym.

One thing that helps is if I have another event to get ready for, which as of now I have none, or a year long goal I can shoot for. This year I stated that my swimming mileage goal for the year is 400 miles – I’m still pretty much on track for that so hopefully that will keep me goin’.

Also, with the completion of the Bay Swim, I decided it was time to change-up my workouts a bit so I dropped one swimming day (going from 4 to 3) and added two days in the gym where I’ll spend 30 minutes on an exercise bike and then make my way through each Cybex machine in the circuit. So while I’ll swim one less day I’ll actually be exercising one more day each week.

But as for the swimming and my 400 mile goal, with the new plan, I really don’t have much room for error – I can’t afford to blow-off any days if I hope to make my goal.

So…that’s the plan for now…swim 3 times a week and go 5,000 yards each swim…and hit the gym twice a week.

Stay tuned.

Splish-Splash: I’m having a hard time picking another open water swim or meet to do. I’m making the mistake of stopping to think about if I’m REALLY gonna want to do that specific event. “Am I gonna want to get up that morning and go race?”

2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Final Thoughts

2011-06-20T16:16:00.003-04:00

June 20, 2011

Every year when the Washington DC area gets an inch or two of snow and schools close and the highways become parking lots the local TV news crews find a motorist who’s new to the area – someone from Chicago, Minneapolis, or Buffalo. The reporter asks “What do you think of this snow?” The DC newbie replies “You call THIS snow?!

Well…that’s how I feel about this year’s (photos from the swim below) Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. As I read blogs, newspaper reports and Facebook posts from Bay Swimmers who just finished their first or second crossing I can’t help but feel like the fellow who’s been through much worse.

“You call THOSE waves? You call THAT choppy? You call THAT a current?”

Relatively speaking, this year’s conditions were pretty easy. Yes, the current had us all swimming sideways as we crossed the main shipping channel but THAT was the only place where we had to “do battle” except for maybe a little bit of push during the last mile. And that's just one of the things that makes this swim such a great challenge - you get out there and realize that "Toto? I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." Some years you swim sideways for the majority of the swim and then you realize that's it's not just the 4.4 miles - it's the waves, the current, the (usually) cold water, the self doubt, and the enormity of the task at hand that all come together to create a rather unique athletic challenge.

I think what made the current in the shipping channel a challenge this year was that it snuck up on us. All of a sudden we found ourselves moving sideways towards the right bridge span. I know I was surprised to look up and see the bridge RIGHT above me - YIKES. But then, with the same amount of effort it takes you to do a medium-hard 1,000 free, it was over.

As for the waves and chop - what waves and chop? One of the things you can usually count on is that it’s gonna be a bumpy ride and that your arm will occasionally be slapped down by a wave…but THIS year that was all pretty much non existent.

I’m not taking away anything from anyone who got across this year – it’s always an accomplishment to be proud of! But c’mon…do a few more Bay Swims and THEN we’ll talk about waves, chop, and current. You have no idea, and luckily so, what the Bay usually dishes out during this challenge and THAT's why we keep coming back.

Splish-Splash: I hate to sound like the cranky old guy who’s done this a dozen times…but today, that's EXACTLY what I am.

The 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim

2011-06-13T15:35:00.013-04:00

June 13, 2011

2 hours and 13 minutes later…I was done with my 12^th Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.

Before I go any further, here’s the link to where you can find the results and, some time Monday, the “wrap-up” from the event organizers.

http://www.lin-mark.com/

As always, this event was one of the best run and safest open water events you’ll ever do. We (the Lovely Laura and I) arrived a little closer to “go time” than we usually do – why do I always get there so early? so we missed the usual back-up at the entrance gates to Sandy Point State Park where you have to stop and pay the park entrance fee. We arrived a good 90ish minutes before my wave was scheduled to start the swim. Also, this meant that check-in was a breeze as well since the vast majority of swimmers had already picked up their packets.

After I did a short warm-up swim it was pretty clear that the Bay was gonna be relatively calm this year – probably the calmest it’s ever been in my dozen crossings…and WARM. With water temps in the high 70’s this would also be the warmest the water had ever been for my 4.4 miles.

After wave 1 was off…

…it was my turn to line up with the rest of the red-capped wave 2 swimmers. And with my waterproof camera along for the ride I snapped a few pics.

I started on the far left side of my wave in an attempt to stay out of “the pack” and my strategy paid off as it was a trouble-free swim from the beach to the bridge.

After staying to the left as we rounded the bend of the bridge I chose to get over to the right side by the time I got to the "rock pile" at the base of the first main bridge support. I felt pretty good for the first mile as there wasn’t a whole lot of wave action compared to other years. And then came the main shipping channel – a little bit of a rude awakening. The current started pushing me pretty good to the right and all of a sudden I was under the bridge and had to kick it in to get back on course - see I told you those sprint sets would come in handy. So after I did some “sideways swimming” where I had to aim left to keep going straight I got to the other side of the main channel and thus, out of the heavy current. It was at that point, safely out of the current, that I took this shot of the course behind me.

For the rest of the way I felt pretty good until the last mile or so when I started to feel the effects of swimming 3.5 miles in the Bay. So the last mile, as is often the case for me, was not much fun. But one nice surprise was that the water temp during the home stretch was not a lot warmer than the previous 4 miles…so instead of UGH it was more of an AHHH.

And here I am…safely on the other side of the Bay…making my way through the sea of finishers in the finishing area.

While I’m not all that thrilled with my finishing time…my slowest by more than 10 minutes…all in all it was a good swim. I felt good for most of the swim…I had a “flask” with a mixture of Hammer Gel and water tucked in my suit and I was able to stick to my plan of drinking from it twice during the race – after the first and second thirds of the race and that seemed to help. I think the only way I can overcome that last mile is to just train more…but I had trained as much as I wanted to and that training went pretty well. So until I’m willing to put in more time and yardage leading up to the swim I’m just gonna have to accept that the last mile is gonna be challenging.

Splish-Splash: to the Lovely Laura – THANK YOUUUUUUU!

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Water Temperature

2011-06-10T11:57:00.004-04:00

Here's the link to the current water temp. of the Chesapeake Bay near the swim course.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=tplm2

Are you still gonna wear a wetsuit?

Splish-Splash: It's gonna be a warm one.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Are We There Yet?

2011-06-06T12:36:00.005-04:00

June 6, 2011

Yep, just about there.

This will be my last post before the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim so let’s go over some things to keep in mind.

While you read this you may want to refer to the picture at the top of this blog – that’s the Bay Bridge…aka…the lane markers for the GCBS…I snapped that picture from my airline seat a few years ago. The race starts on the low side of the bridge, just to the left of where the highway leaves the land. You swim across while staying in between the bridge spans. Then on the high side of the bridge you pass under the right span and then swim straight for the shore. In the picture above, on the high side, see the cluster of white to the right of where the road hits the land? We’re gonna finish somewhere between the road and the white cluster.

1) Stay outta trouble.

If you can, and it’s not always easy to do, stay outta trouble at the start as you make your way from the beach to the bridge – the point where you go under the bridge will be marked with a big orange buoy. There’s gonna be a lot of kickin’ and splashin’ and strokin’ and some of it may be on top of YOU. Stay calm, none of it’s on purpose unless you’ve already repeatedly hit someone else and NOW they’re pushin’ back. But don’t stop, just adjust your course and KEEP SWIMMIN’.

2) Stay left.

Once under the left bridge span stay to the left as the bridge bows out to the right. Hug the left bridge span. As you look at the picture above you can see that the bridge arcs-out less on the left side than on the right.

3) Pick a side and stick with it.

Even though we’re all in great shape and could swim forever…you really don’t want to swim any more than you have to and that’s why you want to stay to one side or the other. It will be MUCH easier to swim in a straight line using the bridge supports as aiming points than if you stay out in the middle of the “lane”. If you stay out in the middle you’re gonna be pushed all over the place while you THINK you’re swimming perfectly straight but in reality your course will be much more zig-zag like…thus, adding yardage to your swim. And if you’re thinkin’ “But if I stay on one side I’ll have much less room for error if the current starts to push me off the course.” Don’t worry, during the prerace briefing they will announce which way the current is pushing…so, if it’s pushing to the left and you’re scared of being pushed off the course (and thus disqualified) just stay to the right and you’ll have a huge buffer in which to make your corrections…and if the current is pushing right just stay to the left side.

4) Stand Up!

Once under the right bridge span and entering the home stretch the first thing you’ll notice is how much warmer the water is over here than it was back behind you….UGH. And then very soon, even though you’re still about 400 yards from the finish, you’ll be able to stand up. Yes, stand up. Somewhere during that final stretch be sure to stand up and do some “dolphins”…push off and dive forward arcing like a dolphin down into the water. This will help you “get your legs back” which will come in handy when you hit the beach and it’s time to run up the finishing chute.

OK let’s review.

1) Stay outta trouble.

2) Stay left.

3) Pick a side and stick with it.

4) Stand Up!

And if you only remember to do one of these things I’d say the one to remember is Pick a side and stick with it.

This will be my 12^th GCBS and I’m gonna bring along my waterproof camera and attempt to snap some blog worthy pictures during my swim so check back next week and see what I came home with.

OK…that’s all I’ve got for you. Good Luck! I hope you have a great swim! See you at Hemingway’s!

Splish-Splash: Take this brother…may it serve you well.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Spectators

2011-06-06T09:31:00.003-04:00

June 6, 2011

Folks have been "searching" for info about being spectators during the Bay Swim...to give a little assistance to those who will be cheering-on the "Aquanauts" on Sunday, June 12th, here's a re-post of how I answered a reader question last week.

“Hi, my name’s Mark. Where do you recommend family and friends to watch? Beginning? Finish? Both?”

Great question Mark. The easiest and most hassle-free way to do it is just go to the finish. It’s a great atmosphere…there’s usually a DJ playing music, you can buy beers, and if the weather’s nice you can set up your beach/lawn chair on the grass and you have a great view of the swimmers as they swim the final 500 yards or so of the course. It’s always very exciting when the first swimmer or two come out from underneath the bridge and head for home…”Hey, here comes the first swimmer!”.

Seeing the start of the race is also fun BUT you will have to pay the SandyPoint State Park entry fee which I think is something like $10 per car. And then occasionally you might find yourself in slow bridge traffic as you make your way across. I’ve frequently joked that I would much rather swim across than drive across in slow bridge traffic. But the start holds its own excitement as well…watching each wave enter the starting area and then waiting for the starting horn and then…AWAY THEY GO! Waves of 300 swimmers, in their neon colored swim caps, splashing their way towards the bridge, bodies banging, everyone in search of their own uncluttered piece of the bay.

And if you do go to the start AND finish you’ll gain a great perspective on what it takes to complete this swim as you witness first-hand the “before and after” transformation that takes place for each swimmer - “Hey, why do some of these swimmers look like they’ve been in a fight?”

Splish-Splash: Happy Birthday today to my wife, The Lovely Laura...a true Bay Swim warrior who's there at the start and there at the finish and generously lugs all the crap in between.

MAY the force be with you!

2011-06-03T14:00:00.008-04:00

June 3, 2011

Let’s take a short break from GCBS info to wrap-up May.

I came up one short on the monthly goal of 15 swims…

14 swims

73,282 yards

41.64 miles

And again this year, for the 20^th time, I participated in the Jim McDonnell Lake Swims @ Lake Audubon in Reston, VA. It’s one of the better run swims you’ll do…except when will they learn that as the guy who gives prerace directions is speaking via a bullhorn hanging from a shoulder strap that when he turns away from the swimmers to refer to the course that the bullhorn also turns away from the swimmers, thus, no one can hear him.

But all in all it’s a great event. I finished 3^rd in my 50-54 (non-wetsuit) age group and 20^th over all out of the 207 swimmers who did the 2-mile without the aid of a wetsuit. I was none too pleased with my time of 49 minutes since I’ve been swimming really well in practice and was expecting a much better time….but it is what it is…as I learned years ago in Masters swimming, you don’t pick the day the day picks you. Here’s to hoping that the day points in my direction on June 12th.

And as you peruse the results,

https://www.lin-mark.com/raceresults.aspx?guid=530ed16c-4a80-4f88-aaa3-1abb30eacae3

yep, that’s my brother who kicked ass winning the 55-59 non-wetsuit age group and finishing 6^th overall!

Splish-Splash: Thanks to my beautiful bride, the Lovely Laura, for taking great pics during the event.

the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Let's Take Some Calls

2011-06-02T16:37:00.001-04:00

June 2, 2011

Go ahead caller, you’re swimming to Hemingway’s…

“Hi I’m Donna…I'm flying in from London England to do the swim. I'd like to "feel the water" before the swim, is the best place to go to Sandy Point State Park, to jump in?”

Thanks for the call Donna…Yes, go to Sandy Point. Since this is the beach that the race starts from you’re not gonna get a better sense of the water and everything that goes with it than at Sandy Point. Be ready for the park entry fee you’ll be charged – I think it’s something like $10 a car. And be ready for the warm water temp. – as I right this the water temperature is 75 degrees which, if it stays at that temp or goes higher, I think will be a record high for the race.

Next caller, go ahead, you’re swimming Hemingway’s…

“Hi, it’s Peter. Speaking of the water temperature…I was wondering…are you still set on a no-wetsuit swim? And isn't overheating a problem in the wetsuit? I did a 2-mile wetsuit swim, water temp 72, air 80, and was baked -- why doesn't that happen in the Bay Swim? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer -
thanks for all the great advice!”

Thanks for the call Peter. Yep…I’m 99% sure my crossing this year will be wetsuit free - never say never. One thing that may keep people from burning up during the Bay is that you do swim through some noticeably colder spots of water during the swim so maybe that keeps the heat from building. But I bet this year we will see some overheating given the high water temps. And if you’re a first timer be prepared for that home stretch to the beach after you come out from underneath the bridge span – the water is noticeably warmer than what you’ve been in for the previous four miles.

OK time for one more call. Go ahead caller, you’re swimming to Hemingway’s.

“Hi, my name’s Mark. Where do you recommend family and friends to watch? Beginning? Finish? Both?”

Great question Mark. The easiest and most hassle-free way to do it is just go to the finish. It’s a great atmosphere…there’s usually a DJ playing music, you can buy beers, and if the weather’s nice you can set up your beach/lawn chair on the grass and you have a great view of the swimmers as they swim the final 500 yards or so of the course. It’s always very exciting when the first swimmer or two come out from underneath the bridge and head for home…”Hey, here comes the first swimmer!”.

Seeing the start of the race is also fun BUT you will have to pay the Sandy Point State Park entry fee which I think is something like $10 per car. And then occasionally you might find yourself in slow bridge traffic as you make your way across. I’ve frequently joked that I would much rather swim across than drive across in slow bridge traffic. But the start holds its own excitement as well…watching each wave enter the starting area and then waiting for the starting horn and then…AWAY THEY GO! Waves of 300 swimmers, in their neon colored swim caps, splashing their way towards the bridge, bodies banging, everyone in search of their own uncluttered piece of the bay.

And if you do go to the start AND finish you’ll gain a great perspective on what it takes to complete this swim as you witness first-hand the “before and after” transformation that takes place for each swimmer - “Hey, why do some of these swimmers look like they’ve been in a fight?”

Splish-Splash: Holy crap! The Bay Swim is next week?! Is it too late to start training?

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Reader Mail

2011-05-27T11:31:00.006-04:00

May 27, 2011

Our first letter today comes from Valerie, she wants to know:

“During the Bay Swim where/when should we expect the current to pick up and thus making things challenging?"

Well…the race directors work closely with the Coast Guard and others who are familiar with the currents/tides to schedule the race so that when the majority of the swimmers are in the main shipping channel (between the 1 and 2 mile marks…ish) that the current will be at its least during the race. And after that point the current might start to build again. So I would guess that you should be prepared for a building current during the 2^nd half of the race. But, as always, Mother Nature always has the last say…it doesn’t always go as planned.

Next is a letter from Carl and he wants to know:

“What and when do you eat to have enough energy?"

It’s a very individual preference as to what’s best to eat and when to eat it before an endurance event. Hopefully this isn’t the first time you‘ve done a distance event and you’ve already discovered what works best for you. I eat a bowl of whole wheat pasta a couple hours before a race and then have sports drink (I like Heed) and sports gel to get me to race time. And if the event is long enough I bring along a packet or two of sports gel (my favorite is Hammer Gel) to eat/drink during the race…just wondering, do you EAT sports gel or Drink it?

I’d say a couple general rules of thumb are don’t eat a lot too close to go time…and yet have food on hand in case the event gets delayed a little. One of my most miserable Bay Swims was a year when they pushed the start time back by at least an hour or so due to changing conditions and I hadn’t planned for that possibility, thus, I was out of food…and out of energy by the time I was half way across. Crash and burn.

Another tip is stay away from the sugar. Read the label. A lot of popular sports drinks are notorious for this…sugar water. Again, read the label.

Anybody else out there swimming the Jim McDonnell Lake Swims in Reston, VA this weekend?...picture above. As of this writing the water temp is closing in on 78 degrees – if it goes over 78 you wont be able to wear a wetsuit.

See you at Lake Audobon – I’m swimmer 447, if you see me stop and say hi. I hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend and don’t forget our troops and those who gave their lives for this great republic.

Splish-Splash: Happy Birthday today to my Dad…90 yrs. old!!…still the best swim coach I ever had.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: I Wish I'd Known...

2011-05-24T17:05:00.003-04:00

May 24, 2011

Spurred on by Amy’s question in the last post about what I wish I had known about the Bay Swim before I did it for the first time I asked friends and family the same question. Let’s see what they had to say.

My brother Paul – 13 Bay Swim Finishes and an average finishing time of 1 hr. 52 min. 32 sec.

“I wish I’d known how much further I had to go once I passed under the bridge span on the finishing side. I remember being REALLY excited as I passed under the bridge but then started to get depressed when I realized I still had a way to go.”

swm2hmngwys: You have a little less than 800 yds to the finish as you emerge from underneath the bridge and hit the home stretch.

James – 10 Finishes including 6 victories, avg. time 1:34:24…and still holds the Bay Swim record of 1:24:28…and never wore a wetsuit.

“I wish I’d known that the numbers on the bridge supports (pilings, poles) change direction.”

swm2hmngwys: During the last third or so of the race you’ll notice that the bridge supports on the right side have numbers on them…I’m not positive but I think they are going down BUT then for no apparent reason the numbers start going in the opposite direction. At that stage in the swim it’s a little disconcerting.

Larry – 15 Finishes, avg. time 1:59:35

”Ignore the promoter. Swim along the inside of the curve.”

swm2hmngwys: During the pre swim meeting the race director usually advises swimmers to get to the right side of the course as soon as possible. Larry is a firm believer that you should wait until the bridge spans straighten out before you make the move to the right because it’s shorter that way. He’s right.

Max – 6 Finishes, avg. time 1:57:16

“I wish I had realized that the curve of the bridge is right in the beginning and getting past it does not mean that your almost there. I know, seems obvious, but I was not paying attention.”

swm2hmngwys: Pay attention to what people, and bloggers, tell you. I know it’s hard to do, especially if it’s your first Bay Swim but learn from the mistakes of others.

Marianne – 5 Finishes, avg. time 2:43:15

“I suppose I knew, or heard of, the effect of the current--especially on a not-strong swimmer, and the importance of swimming straight--but really didn't understand.

Knowing what the sections of the bridge architecture meant in terms of distance would have been helpful.

Knowing that for a time there would be too many people around you, then feeling totally alone and wanting someone around you, then just the right amount of people.”

swm2hmngwys: Sometimes the current might push you left, sometimes right…you’ll probably have to aim to the right or left in order to keep heading in a straight line – you might feel like you’re swimming sideways…and sometimes the current is strong enough to keep you swimming in place.

Brian – 1 Finish, time 2:32:46

“That it is 4.4 miles only if you swim in a straight line.”

swm2hmngwys: Yes, you’ll have to work at swimming in a straight line…otherwise you’ll be adding yardage to the swim.

My wife, the Lovely Laura – 1 Chesapeake Challenge Finish…aka…the Baby Bay

“I wish I’d known about the violence at the start. Someone swam OVER me.”

swm2hmngwys: Yes, you may get kicked or kick someone. Someone may take a stroke or two up your legs or on top of your arm or back. It happens in just about any open water swim. Don’t let it throw you…if it happens to you the best thing to do is just KEEP SWIMMING.

Splish-Splash: Kevin – 3 Finishes, avg. time 1:51:26

“There’s a bridge?”

swm2hmngwys: Yes, but bridges are for sissies.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: More Advice

2011-05-18T14:15:00.004-04:00

May 18, 2011

Our letter today comes from Amy, and she says: “ I’d love to hear about which workouts were most helpful to you, and what you wish you’d known before the swim…”

I’d have to say that the sets that help me the most are the long sets that combine boredom with effort. Something like ten, fifteen, or twenty 300s or 400s on a short interval. While my Hemingway set is great for getting the distance in its one shortfall is that it’s too easy to find yourself firmly implanted in your comfort zone. BUT 300s or 400s are short enough that you can stay focused on effort AND if you do enough of ‘em you’ll also get to practice being bored. At some point during the GCBS, somewhere between the first 1,000 yards and the last 1,000 yards you are A) probably gonna be bored…and B) will have to summon some extra effort to stay on course or overcome that neon cap you’re tired of following. So do fifteen 300s on an interval that will give you little rest while requiring you to keep crankin’.

As for something I wish I’d known before my first Bay Swim?...that’s easy: Pick a side and stick with it. The first few times I did the Bay I was like most rookies, I swam out in the middle, staying in between those giant lane markers (the bridge spans) not wanting to get too close to the side where the current may push me out and thus disqualify me. The problem with being out in the middle is that you have no clue how much zig-zaging you’re doing. If you pick a side, you’ll have bridge supports to aim for and by swimming from support to support you’ll be MUCH more likely to swim in a straight line…thus adding little if any extra yardage to your crossing. As for which side is the best side?...stay tuned.

Do YOU have any questions or a topic you’d like to hear about?...leave a comment.

Splish-Splash: The Bay Swim’s the day after tomorrow…trust me, before you know it, it’ll be here.

Tweeting Through the Hemingway

2011-05-17T12:16:00.002-04:00

May 17, 2011

I don’t tweet on Twitter but if I did, and if I could while I was swimming, I would have this morning while I stroked through the Hemingway…7,000 short course meters.

swm2hmngwys on the pool deck…YES an empty lane or two, or three.

swm2hmngwys holy crap it just started raining, hard – I hope I can get this swim in without any lightning…and just like THAT, the rain stops.

swm2hmngwys and I’m off…wait, the Hemingway is HOW long?

swm2hmngwys I’m thinkin’, I hope, that the hardest part of this is gonna be the mental part….been awhile since I’ve done anything longer than a 1,000

swm2hmngwys that not so little voice in my head will not shut up about this 7-grand, hour and 45 minute journey I’m on…but this is good, this is good, not like the Bay Swim is gonna be exciting after the first 400 yards.

swm2hmngwys I’m now combating the voice with an in-head recording of Faithe Hill’s song “Breathe” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCmsZUN4r_s

but instead of the line “…just breathe.” She’s singing “…just SWIM”

swm2hmngwys in other words…just shut up and swim…shhhh

swm2hmngwys why THAT song? I can’t tell you the last time I heard that song…where the hell did that come from?

swm2hmngwys going a comfortable “medium” pace…physically not too hard…AND it’s actually quieted down a bit.

swm2hmngwys started a stopwatch when I started and I’m looking at the pace clock every 100 – hopefully that’ll help me keep count.

swm2hmngwys in to the 2^nd 2,000 now and all is going well…in fact with THIS stroke # 2 is done. Not so fast my friend! That stopwatch is saying that I have 200! more to go….keep going, keep going.

swm2hmngwys my rule is less than a minute rest between 2,000s…it’s been more like 30 seconds rest as I keep the interval at 30 minutes.

swm2hmngwys hey! there’s someone in my lane…where’d she come from? She better not be circling…OK, she’s staying on her side.

swm2hmngwys have to smile at the persistence of the voice in my head doing all it can to undermine my swim…shut up already about how I still have a ways to go

swm2hmngwys just swim.

swm2hmngwys almost there…just keep it together…just swim.

swm2hmngwys this one’s gonna be faster than the others…each one’s been faster than the last without really trying to do that…that’s a good sign

swm2hmngwys 500 meters to go…I’m picturing the final 500 of the Bay swim – highway on the left, cars and trucks passing (you know, you can stand up out here) now where the hell is that finishing chute?

swm2hmngwys should I do something “hot dog” as I stride up the beach, like hands clasped over my head?…will my competitiveness even allow me to take the time to do that?

swm2hmngwys AND…DONE!

swm2hmngwys a couple different ways to look at this…a 1,000 followed by three 2,000s…or…a 15 minute swim followed by three 30 minute swims.

swm2hmngwys a good sign, my shoulders and body held up well…still gotta do some work on quieting THAT voice…but then again, usually the more I try the louder it gets. It’s usually best to just let it talk itself out.

Splish-Splash: Now I KNOW…I CAN swim that far.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: The Hemingway

2011-05-13T14:12:00.003-04:00

May 13, 2011

If you’ve been watching the HBO show “Game of Thrones” you might remember a recent episode where one of the characters tells his step-sister something like: “Every great sword has a name.” Well I believe that every great workout or set should have a name.

I’ve got a few of these sets. There’s “The Birthday Set” which I do almost every year on or around my birthday and it consists of Four 500s (scy)on a 7 minute interval…or when I’m swimming in a short course meters pool the set is Five 400s on 6 minutes. It’s fun and interesting to see how my average time for the 500s compares year after year.

Another set is the “Get Up And Go 16” which is a set I’ve posted here before which is Forty 50s on varying intervals and a sprint 50 thrown in every so often totaling 16 sprints by the end of the set.

For you IMers there’s the “Disappearing 200 IM” which is a set a former masters teammate of mine championed. Start with a 200 IM and then take off 25 yards (starting with the freestyle) each swim until you’ve whittled it down to a 25 fly.

And then there’s the grand daddy of em all – THE HEMINGWAY. The Hemingway consists of a 1,000 warm-up followed by three 2,000s which, if you do the workout in a meters pool, will get you pretty darn close to the exact distance of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. The main goal of The Hemingway is the total distance and to break up that distance probably they way you’re gonna swim the GCBS – with a few short breaks to drink some water, heed, or gu, or just take in the sights. But the key here is short rest between swims – less than a minute. And if you can do The Hemingway you've got a better than average shot at finishing the GCBS.

Got a regular, bench mark, or particularly daunting set or workout? – give it a name.

Splish-Splash: ‘tis time for The Hemingway.

GCBS: The 1-Mile Bay Challenge

2011-05-13T12:54:00.002-04:00

May 12, 2011

The 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim takes place this year on Sunday, June 12^th. On that morning, as 600 brave souls stand on the beach of Sandy Point State Park and stare out towards the twin spans and wonder their fate for the day another 400 will be on the opposite side of the bay competing in the 1-Mile Bay Challenge.

Swimming the 1-Mile Bay Challenge has been compared to running in a Boston Marathon 10K race. And that’s a pretty good comparison. While the talk of the day will be about the athletes who do the “big one” that doesn’t make the shorter race any less of an achievement for those entered.

I’ve done the Bay Challenge three times and it’s a great 1-mile race! The race course is a triangle course whose finishing leg is the exact same stretch that the 4.4 swimmers will cover as they head for the finish chute. And maybe the most challenging part of the 1-mile is that first leg, swimming away from the beach, and possibly, into some energy zapping waves. If it’s a particular wavy day it could really suck as you try to get in a groove, a rhythm, a pace while swimming against the chop. Then you make a right hand turn and swim parallel to the beach while heading for the turn buoy. Then another right hand turn and you’re heading for home. And let me let you in on a little secret….shhhh…don’t tell anyone…when you make that last turn, and you’re still 500 yards or so from the beach, you can stand up out there. Yes. You wouldn’t think that you can stand up out there but you can. And that’s good to know, you know, just in case.

And then you get to experience the same rush as the 600 coming from the far side. As you stand to begin your run up the beach you’ll see the assembled crowd, hear them cheering the swimmers on, and try not to stumble your way up the hill that comprises the finishing chute.

Splish-Splash: How many people do you know, besides your swim team mates, who can swim a mile in the open water?

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Swimming Straight

2011-05-09T09:43:00.005-04:00

May 9, 2011

I’ve written in this blog before about practicing “Tarzan strokes” – head-up strokes that allow you to look and see where you’re going. OK, but then what? Well the next step is to have something to aim for, something that will help you swim straight, something that you’ll be looking for when you take those Tarzan strokes. I know what you’re thinkin’: “I’ll just swim for the buoys that mark the course.” Well, you’d be surprised at how hard it can be to see those buoys, especially if you’re swimming INTO the sun. For those of you swimming the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim you won’t have to worry much about this until the home stretch because until then you’ll be using the looming bridge structures to guide you…talk about “you can’t miss it.”

But in other open water swims you do one key to swimming a straight line is finding a large landmark that is on the same line as the buoy you’re swimming for. I was reminded of this while swimming in Hawaii (see previous post) and I noticed the difference in sighting with the sun at my back versus swimming into the sun.

First, via my waterproof camera, here’s the view with the sun at my back – pretty easy to see the next buoy, just to the left of that white cluster of structures in the treeline.

And here’s the view on the way back while swimming into the sun – where’s the next buoy?

So what I did was stop for a second and find the next buoy THEN line up that buoy with one of the buildings in the skyline. So, if I keep swimming for THAT building I’ll be swimming for the next buoy. And this works in any open water…if you’re in a lake find a house that’s on the same line as the buoy you’re shooting for, in a river? find a radio tower or water tower or notch in the treeline. Not only is it easier to see the much taller structure but it should also only take a quick look to verify you’re heading in the right direction. This is a great technique whether you’re swimming into the sun or not.

Splish-Splash: One of the best masters swim team shirts I’ve ever seen was from a gay team. I forget the name of the team but on the shirt, under the name of the team, it said: We can’t even swim straight.

Swimming in Paradise

2011-05-09T08:07:00.014-04:00

May 9, 2011

The week before last I was in Hawaii…5 full days on the island of Oahu. And while this trip was purely a pleasure voyage I needed to find somewhere to swim because at this stage of the game I can’t afford to be out of the water for a week. So, before I went I googled YMCA pools, and county pools and the Honolulu area has plenty of both. And then it struck me that maybe there’s somewhere I can swim in the ocean – somewhere not dominated by surfers and the waves they ride, somewhere safe. And when it comes to training for the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim it never hurts to do some open water swimming before race day.

Via the internet and Google maps I found a city beach park less than a mile from where I was stayin’ and it was just perfect for what I was lookin’ for. It’s name? – Ala Moana Park.

It’s a very large park with a ton of parking, open grassy park land AND a great swimming area. And I don’t mean bobbing and playing in the water “swimming area” but a great staked-out, or in this case buoyed-out, swimming area that runs about 1,000 yards along the beach and protected by a reef that keeps the waves down and seemingly, the critters out.

Thanks to the generosity of my wife, the Lovely Laura, who allowed me to steal time from our vacation to swim I was able to swim the Ala Moana course on two separate days. Each time I swam I went down and back twice along the swim area buoys for a total of about 4,000 yards each session.

The first time I swam I took along my new water proof camera,

http://www.amazon.com/Speedo-Water-Proof-Digital-Camera/dp/B003JTHMU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1304941707&sr=8-1

which fit nicely in the back of my suit.

They were great swims…the water was clear, the sun was shining, (don’t forget your sun screen) and there was no sign of any creatures from the deep who might do me harm. And I relearned a valuable lesson on sighting while swimming…more on that in another post.

Splish-Splash: Aloha.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: What To Expect

2011-05-03T13:01:00.001-04:00

May 3, 2011

We’ve got a little less than 6 weeks to go before the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim – first timer? You’ve gotta be wonderin’ what’s it gonna be like. Here’s the link to what I wrote after my 11^th crossing 2 years ago.

http://swimmingtohemingways.blogspot.com/2009/06/full-report-2009-great-chesapeake-bay.html

Splish-Splash: Enough day dreamin’…back to work.

April Numbers

2011-05-03T11:50:00.002-04:00

May 3, 2011

How far did you go in April? How many times did you get in the water? Are you right on schedule?, ahead?, behind?

We’ve got a little less than 6 weeks to go before the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim – things should be cranked up.

I’m pretty happy with my April totals…which included a little open water swimming (in Hawaii last week) which I’ll write about on Friday if not sooner.

But for now I’ll take just a second to appreciate April:

15 swims

78, 580 yards

44.65 miles

Now…BACK TO WORK!

Splish-Splash: 4 more weeks to “get the hay in the barn.”

Fast and Little

2011-04-19T10:32:00.004-04:00

April 19, 2011

A couple things today…

Nothing tells you faster that you haven’t been doing enough sprint work than doing some sprint work. This morning I did a set of forty 50s (scy) broken up like this: 16 on :45 sprint every 4^th, 12 on :50 sprint every 3^rd, 8 on :55 sprint every 2^nd, 4 on :60 sprint every. The whole set is 2-grand and it’s a good challenge if you really do your best to sprint when you’re supposed to. I don’t know about you but if I haven’t sprinted in awhile I feel kinda spastic when I try to go all out and that’s how I felt for the first 2 or 3. Bottom line: I need to sprint more often.

And second thing today is my relearning that when you’re in the dog days of training it’s the little things that can help your attitude. My “home pool” is in the midst of it’s annual cleaning/repair this week so I’m swimming at my alternative “home pool”. I haven’t been to the B-pool in awhile so it was a nice surprise when I arrived on deck to see…

Yep, NEW pace clocks. You can pretty much see them from anywhere in the pool – very cool.

Splish-Splash: Here’s to enjoying the “little things”.

Keep Pushin...yeh right.

2011-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:00

April 14, 2011

Like the REO Speedwagon song says…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCFkSAqqMLs&feature=related

sometimes you just have to “Keep pushin’, keep pushin’, keep pushin’, keep pushin’ on.”

Great advice and lame advice all at once. Great as in there are gonna be days/times when you just don’t feel like it, it’s no fun, it sucks, but hang in there, don’t give up, KEEP PUSHIN’. And lame as in these words do about as much good as “Just say no.” “You can do it!” and “Oh yeh?!”

For me today was one of those days. I got to the pool full of good intentions to swim 5-grand like I have 7 other times this month and yet upon warm-up I just knew I was getting out sooner rather than later. No matter what concessions I made in my head to the planned workout there wasn’t a thing I came up with that kept me there much longer than my “minimum” workout which is 2,000. As I got out my total was 2300 meters and at that moment I was more than O.K. with that.

Usually on days like this I can keep going by just making the workout real easy – just get my yards in. But today that didn’t work. What do you do on days like today? It’s good to have a plan because you just might feel that way halfway across the bay.

Splish-Splash: These are the days when it’s good to be on a team or have a swimming buddy – there’s someone there to keep you there.

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: To Wetsuit Or Not To Wetsuit...

2011-04-12T15:04:00.004-04:00

April 12, 2011

The vast majority of GCBS swimmers wear a wetsuit for the race…I’d say 95 %. And why not?, wetsuits are legal and encouraged. A wetsuit will get you across the bay about 10 minutes faster than if you don’t wear one, keep you warmer, help you stay on top of the water by keeping your hips and butt up and not dragging, AND you’ll feel a little less tired when all is said and done.

So…again…why not wear a wetsuit?

In many races there are two categories when it comes to awards – those who wear wetsuits and those who don’t. And in other races you can wear a wetsuit but you will be disqualified from award consideration. I’ve done the Bay Swim 11 times and three times I’ve worn a wetsuit…why?...because in those three years I was in pretty good shape and I wanted to see how high I could place overall. In those three years I placed 22^nd, 26^th, and 51^st. Without a wetsuit those years I probably would have finished 68^th, 75^th, and 127^th…with a time ten minutes slower.

So…again…why not wear a wetsuit?

Well…even though it’s not, it still feels a little bit like cheating. And then there’s the whole ego thing. And it’s an ego thing that cuts both ways…my ego says: “hey you’re in good shape, wear a wetsuit like everyone else and show them you can compete – make it a level playing field.” And then there’s my ego that says: “you’re gonna do what?!...wear a wetsuit?...sissy. Do they wear wetsuits when they cross the English Channel? You’re gonna wear a wetsuit?, you may as well wear flippers too.”

So for now…and this could always change, especially if the water is really cold this year…I’m leaning towards NOT wearing a wetsuit. Just because. I’ve been swimming pretty well lately, in pretty good swimming shape, so I don’t NEED the help of a wetsuit. I’ll just have to wait and see which ego voice I listen to.

Splish-Splash: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my big brother Pete.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Off to a fast start...uh oh.

2011-04-08T16:01:00.005-04:00

April 8, 2011

It happens a lot! You start your race too fast…you’re all amped up and ready to go and so is everyone else. The horn sounds and you’re off!...it doesn’t usually FEEL too fast, you feel good, you feel quick, YOU’RE RACIN’! And THEN it hits you, “hey, why do I feel tired already?” OR…it does feel too fast, you know it, “hey, this is kinda fast, I’m gonna pay for this later”.
So…what if you trained for starting out too fast? If nothing else you might be able to survive an over enthusiastic start. OK, but how could you train for that? How ‘bout this? – when you do a long swim, like a 1,000 or 2,000 swim that first 200 – 400 just too darn fast (probably the speed you’d go if you were doing a set of 200s – 400s) and THEN just keep going. Sure, throttle back a bit to what your normal pace for that long distance is and pretty soon you’ll learn how to keep it together if you should go out a little too fast.

I thought of all this earlier this week while I was doing a set that consisted of Two 50s followed by Two 100s and finishing with a quick 300. I went through that set four times and during each 300 it reminded me of the start of an open water swim I do in Reston, Virginia each Memorial Day weekend. It’s the Jim McDonnell Lake Swims which features a 1-mile race and a 2-mile race. During the last few years as my wave of the 2-mile race starts and we’re heading for the first buoy it seems that I’m just doin’ my best to keep in touch with everyone…I’m thinkin’ “man, this is just too darn fast, we’ve got 2 miles to go!” And that’s when I usually back off and hope that I’ll catch-up later.

So I thought “what if I practice going out too fast?, maybe I’ll be able to stay with everyone all the way to the first buoy and catch a ride early.” And that brings me to today. Today, like last Friday, was a distance day for me at the pool with a main set of two 2000s (scm) on 30 minutes. But today my goal was to swim the first 300 of each 2-grand in 4 minutes and THEN just keep going at a more reasonable pace…and if I die I die.

Well, the rest of the 2,000 wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared and for the first 2000 I went a minute faster than I did last week and the second one wasn’t as fast but it was still better than both 2,000s last week.

Splish-Splash: You can PRACTICE going out too fast, imagine that, who knew?

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Distance Days

2011-04-04T16:31:00.002-04:00

April 4, 2011

If you’re gonna swim across the Chesapeake Bay, and not have it be sheer torture, you better be doin’ some loooooooooong swims during your training.

Last week I put together a “distance day” that featured two 2,000s. First I did a 400 swim, four 100 kicks, and four 100 pulls to warm up before I launched into the near 30-minute swims.

I did the two 2000s (scm) on a 30 minute interval and went 29:10 on the first one and then 29:08 on the second one. It was looking like the second one was gonna be slower but then some guy got in my lane (we were splitting the lane – me on one side him on the other) and he was swimming just ahead of me and at about the same pace as I was. So…I had to pick up the pace a bit and drop him…who me? competitive? I was just happy that I actually could drop him.

These long swims not only help build physical endurance but mental endurance as well…which often is just as important.

Splish-Splash: Katy Perry tunes playin’ in my head.

Marching into April

2011-04-04T15:38:00.000-04:00

April 4, 2011

After a rough January and February I was able to get back on track with a solid March. My standing monthly goal is 15 swims/workouts…I was able to get in 16 for March and steadily increase my yardage each week until getting to where I am now which is…going 5 thousand each session.

And I realized that I have a little bit of mental barrier to five thousand or more when I’m only at 2,500 to 3,500. For some reason, when I’m down there at 2,500 meters or yards for my workout, going all the way to 5 grand seems an awful long way away. So that’s something I have to learn to just power through…much like that first 3^rd of the Chesapeake Bay Swim. You get a mile and a half in to the swim, the excitement of the start has worn off, and then it hits you – Holy Crap! I’ve got a long way to go.

So my totals for March were:

16 swims

67,238 yds.

38.20 miles

Avg. swim = 4,202 yds

Splish-Splash: Startin’ to feel like I can swim again.

The BIG FIVE-OH

2011-03-23T14:03:00.001-04:00

March 23, 2011

Yesterday, March 22, 2011 I turned 50. A friend suggested that in honor of this momentous occasion I swim fifty 50s all under :50. I liked the idea so as the main set of my 4600 (scm) workout I did fifty 50s on the 50…that is, on a 50 second interval. And I did every 5^th one fly.

The set turned out to be just hard enough – both physically and mentally. I held 41 or 42 seconds per 50, except for the ones right after the 50 fly which were another second or two slower. And that was just about the right amount of effort I wanted to put towards this endeavor.

Just as beneficial was the mental “umph” needed to get through this, at times tedious, set. 50 of something, taken one at a time, can play a number on your head as the monotony sets in – something to get used to when preparing for the GCBS.

So here’s to turning 50!...and still being able to do something like fifty 50s on the 50.

Splish-Splash: 50! New age group!

Old Man Winter...A Buh Bye

2011-03-21T17:03:00.003-04:00

March 21, 2011

The final full day of winter was this last Saturday but it was much more summerlike than winter.

It was a bright sunny day holding the promise of spring…a great day to be swimmin’ outside. As I’ve documented here, this has been one of my least favorite winters in recent memory – I for one am damn glad old man winter has moved to his summer home in the southern hemisphere.

As the sun rained down on the pool I stroked through my first “distance day” in quite awhile. My main set was two 1500s (scm) on a 23 minute interval. The first one I went 21:51 and the second was a tad faster at 21:44.

Many more “distance days” to come as I prepare for the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim and other open water events.

Splish-Splash: Two 1500s – not nearly as boring as I thought they’d be. I had The Talking Heads’ “Sax and Violins” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJ8x6wnZy8 playing in my head throughout.

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Let's Take Some Calls

2011-03-18T15:32:00.009-04:00

March 18, 2011

STH: Our first caller today is Lance from Houston…go ahead Lance you’re swimming to Hemingway’s.

Lance: Hi…love the blog…you recently referred to taking a stroke with your head up as a “Tarzan stroke” – how come.

STH: Well…have you ever seen an old Tarzan movie?...black and white…with Johnny Weissmuller playing Tarzan? Well, when he swims he swims with his head up…1:41 into this movie trailer @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntwSGBWCRIw So, when you swim with your head up you’ll be swimming just like Tarzan.

STH: Next call comes from Sue in Mountain View…go ahead Sue you’re swimming to Hemingway’s.

Sue: Um…this is a little embarrassing…but…does this wetsuit make me look fat?

STH: Don’t worry Sue we get this one all the time. Yes and no. The wetsuit definitely adds another layer to your body but it also smoothes everything out. And you’ll surely float like a fatty when you wear it but it will be worth it. People who wear wetsuits during the GCBS get to the other side about 10 minutes faster than if they don’t wear one…AND…you won’t be as tired as you would be if you didn’t wear one. It’s just amazing what a difference a wetsuit makes. Is it cheating?...not according to the GCBS rules but some swimmers wouldn’t be caught dead in one.

STH: Next up is Barney from College Park…go ahead Barney you’re swimming to Hemingway’s.

Barney: I swim 3 times a week and go about 3,000 yards each time…do I really have to get my yardage up to 7-grand once or twice before the big day?

STH: Of course not. Especially if you enjoy thinking “wow, this is a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.”…or…”Man I feel like shit, how come I’m so tired” Or enjoy getting free boat rides – like the one you’ll get to the other side once they pull you out because you couldn’t make it or make it in the allotted time. But seriously Barney, I’m sure there are people who’ve finished the race without doing much more than you already do but I bet it wasn’t much fun.

STH: OK we’ve got time for one more call – go ahead, Tia from Pittsburgh you’re swimming to Hemingway’s.

Tia: Hi, I’m a longtime reader, first time caller. What’s all this talk about swimming across the Chesapeake Bay? That water is cold, dark, smelly, and tastes funny…in a word, gross.

STH: It’s not THAT bad - I don't think it's bad at all. But yes, some people get freaked out by thinking about swimming in the Bay. It’s not for everyone – that’s for sure. You keep kickin’ ass in the pool and some of us will venture out into the surf.

STH: And that’ll do it for this edition of Swimming To Hemingway’s…keep strokin’, keep breathin’, keep swimmin’.

Splish-Splash: STH: Howard from NYC go ahead, you’re swimmin’ to Hemingway’s. Howard: BOBBA BOOEY! BOBBA BOOEY!

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Don't Forget To Train

2011-03-10T13:45:00.005-05:00

March 10, 2011

When I was a teenager there was a popular t-shirt at swim meets that had excuses printed all over it. The excuses were things like: “My goggles fell off”, “The water was too wet”, and the always popular “I forgot to train”.

So my advice today is “Don’t forget to train!” Not just training in general but a couple specific things.

1) Don’t forget to sprint on a regular basis. It’s real easy to get in the groove of doing long swims or long sets – after all you ARE training for a 4.4 mile open water swim that’s gonna take a couple hours. Besides providing sumthin’ different for your training schedule havin’ some “sprint” in your bag of tricks may come in handy. Handy during the “salmon run” start when you might want to get away from someone who’s swimmin’ on top of you…handy later on when you want to drop someone who’s been ridin’ along in your wake…handy when you’ve lulled yourself into your comfort zone and you need a little kick in the ass to get crankin’ again…and definitely handy in the home stretch when you need a little extra umph to beat that yellow cap in front of you. So do a sprint set once a week or every other week – it’ll also just help you get swimmin’ faster in general. I did a sprint set today that I got from the folks at Swim Smooth…and it was tough…the set is below and the intervals are for short course meters (scm).

Sixteen 50s on :50 – sprint every 4^th

1 min. rest

Twelve 50s on :55 – sprint every 3^rd

1 min. rest

Eight 50s on :60 – sprint every other

1 min. rest

Four 50s on :65 – sprint all

2) Work on your “Tarzan strokes” or as my coach used to call them – Huntington strokes. Huntington, because we used to go to the “Huntington Mile” which is an open water race in Huntington, Indiana’s Lake Clare. If you’re reading this and thinking: “Tarzan? Huntington? Huh? What?” what I’m talking about is taking a stroke(s) with your head up so you can see where you’re going.

When you’re doing an open water swim there’s no black line to follow, no wall to swim next to. It’s just you, the sky and darkness below – you might be surprised how hard it is to swim in a straight line without picking your head up to make sure you’re going in the right direction. So…during practice pick something on the pool deck that you’re gonna look for – maybe a kick board, maybe the pace clock, maybe your swim bag. Don’t just pick your head up, pick your head up with the purpose of seeing what it is you’re looking for.

Splish-Splash: Sprinting blows – but I’m always glad I did it.

Great Chesapeake Bay Swim: Advice

2011-03-02T13:34:00.009-05:00

March 2, 2011

So...last week someone visited the site via the search words: Great Chesapeake Bay Swim Advice. Adivce?! I got some advice for ya...get your money back - do a shorter swim.

I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

While you wont see a whole lot of GCBS advice posted here recently...if you go back to last year and then to two years ago (the last time I did the swim) you'll find a slew of stuff posted in the months right before and after the swim which is usually held on the 2nd Sunday in June.

For starters go here to read and see what race day is really like.

And, between now and the middle of June you'll see more and more info related to the swim since this year, for my 12th time, I"ll be doing the swim again. So click around over there on the right side of this page under Blog Archive and get caught up on your reading...as we...swim to Hemingway's.

Splish-Splash: Ever thought about doing the GCBS without

a wetsuit?!...you know, it's been done.