Thursday, May 31, 2012

Calm and Clear

What a great way to end the month of May with a morning swim bright and early with 13 other Oak Streakers!  The water was refreshing, warm, clear, and low tide!  You could nearly see the bottom.  (Funny comment about seeing to the bottom...Lisa asked me a few weeks ago what songs I sing in my head when I swim.  I gave her my range of artists I sing while swimming and told her one fall back when the water is clear is definitely Will Smith (Big Willie) "Miami"...replaying the lyric in my head of 'water so clear you can see to the bottom' whenever I can see such depth in the water.)  Today was a Big Willie day at moments.  

Kelp seems to be starting to die off, which is sad, but also nice to know it won't be in the way as much.  There were tons of schools of fish in areas.  The water was so calm most of the group swam the crack of Seal Rock...I just played around the reef watching the wildlife.  Of course this was because I was trailing behind a little and didn't want to shoot the crack without someone close to me.  Safety first...I opted to not chance getting scrapped by a wave pushing me into the rock.

Total trip of my morning swim was probably about 1.25 miles.  Short, but well worth the early morning wake up call.  Swimming back to shore about 75 yards from the shore I saw a baby ray just chillin' in the sand.  Reminds me to never forget about the string ray shuffle and to continue to embed the rhyme in Matthew and Samuel's heads...especially at Shaw's Cove.   

Shaw's Cove about 6:05 am on May 31, 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Back in the pool!

Well with nearly 3 weeks off I finally made it to a Newport Masters Swimming practice.  Coach Jim added a handful of swimmers since I last caught a workout. Of course I am still the slowest and I know virtually no other stroke,but my dependable freestyle. I did try his lap workout for a quick flutter of breast stroke with the arms and freestyle kick. That was interesting for me to say the least!

Great news even though travel for work, swim camp, and my passion for the ocean had kept me away from the pool my speed actually remained the same and in some 100's even improved by a whopping 2 seconds. I am still holding 1:40 to 1:42. I am so happy about this.

One mental note I should really work on my flip turns so I actually look like a swimmer since there are other teammates now. 

I did about 2900 yards tonight. About 30 min left and coach came over to me and offered some variation for me suggesting some laps with my gear. His comment was since you only have one gear do you want to use your gear to kick it up? (Hee hee I really do think that was funny and oh so true...I have one speed and it is slow,but it is everlasting) I played with my new FINIS paddles I got from swim camp and really liked them. I managed to keep them on my hands and they didn't kill my shoulders! With my gear on my 100's went from 1:40 to 1:28...still not as fast as some there tonight, but for me I felt like LIGHTENING!!!

It was a fun workout.

Day 2&3 Swim Camp

Okay so it's a little later than I would have liked to post and out of order with my random thought posted but here it is anyway...it goes without saying LOVED Jamie's swim camp. The weather was perfect and so was the group of swimmers who attended.

I was there with so many accomplished swimmers from fastest in their age group to multiple channel swimmers.  The best part of the camp I would have to say was getting to know these amazing swimmers. They were all so welcoming to everyone including me who is slowest in her age group and aspires to be a multiple channel swimmer.

The group there was training from anything between pier to pier swims to the Catalina Channel or the English Channel to the Sea of Cortez! Yes remarkably the Sea of Cortez...one of the wildlife to keep watch for on this swim is the giant squid!  They travel in groups which could pose a problem...I am excited to see updates of Paul's swim once it starts!!! Jamie himself is doing what is being called Tahoe 360...swimming the perimeter of Lake Tahoe nearly 70 miles non stop. As you can see I was in elite company for the sport of marathon swimming.

I got the most swimming in day 1, but averaged probably 4-5 miles a day. I felt great that my body held up really nicely for a 7.2 distance day 1 about 5 day 2 and maybe 4 day 3!

It was a no stress weekend with swimming at your will until your heart or body was content, whichever came first and great food!

Definitely a memorable weekend with new friends made! I am already signed up for next year to hopefully see all of the same faces and even more hearing about what fantastically crazy swims have been concocted since Jamie Patrick's Swim Camp 2.0!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sand = LOVE

So at this point in my life at any point even after a fresh car wash I have sand in my car. I love it! It is a reminder to me every time I see it of all the adventures the ocean brings to me and I am living life!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Day 1 Swim Camp Review

What a great day! I had a blast day 1!!

Morning session I swam 3.6 miles...followed up with a great food break and power nap leading to another 3.6 miles! 7.2 miles!!! The most miles in a day I had ever done. I felt great too.

Although fresh water swimming is a little harder than ocean swimming. The salt helps with your buoyancy so I felt like my legs kept sinking.  It was still great though!!  Granted not like swimming on Saturday with dolphins 2-3 feet from me...spraying with the splash of their blow holes almost hitting me, but it is a great day when you get to jump in a lake at any point to just swim.

I could get used to this!!!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Albino Sting Ray!!!

May 10, 2012:  Swam Brooks to Main Beach buoy today.  Switched it up with some Streakers for the shower at Brooks.  Although the entry was full of rocks and Howard got a pretty bad gash on his toe from one of the rocks.  He swam the entire lap trailing blood behind him...glad he didn't attract any specific wildlife this morning. 

Water was perfectly warm...full of kelp, low tide, 2-3 feet waves (if that), I had a challenge about .25 mile before the buoy and a .25 mile after the buoy after the turn.  The water seemed so turned up and choppy in that area, but the rest of the swim was nice and calm. 

Swimming back in I ran into a large group of kelp...right when I hit the kelp I looked down to see a beautiful albino sting ray.  It was about 18" diameter, yellow and white in color and I think even the eyes were a red tone (although it swam under me too fast to really know for sure), with the tail length and body it was probably about 3 feet long.  It definitely startled me because it was only about 3-4 feet deep from me and it seemed to pop up from no where.  Just like the sting rays I saw a few weeks back at Shaw's though it was so beautiful and peace to watch swim through the water. 

I can't say I am afraid of being in the water because once in I don't worry about anything.  However, as you are swimming and something swims up "out of no where" it is startling.  Anything in the ocean is so graceful with its movements...it comes out of no where. 

Today I loved driving to the gym after the swim not needing my heater on in my car!  Yay for warmer water.

3 Hours = 3 Laps

May 6, 2012:  It was the longest time I have been in the water so far with 3 hours of water time getting me three laps from Oak Street to Main Beach buoy in Laguna.  Although thankfully it was a pretty uneventful swim. 

Laps 1, 2, and 3...all easy in and out and consistent laps.  The water was a little cooler than the night before, but still felt nice.  Typical amount of kelp in the water.  The swells were rolling right at the edge of the kelp line leaving a very small lane to swim in between the kelp and swells.  A small lane is still a lane though. 

Fun things:  I saw a leopard shark!  I love the sound of the eel grass as my head barrels through it. 

What I learned:  Reapply sunscreen often...especially on my face.  Work more frequently on my bi-lateral breathing in the ocean so my right side doesn't get more color than my left again! 

Interesting things:  Picked up some tar on my hair line...however, no tar was on my swim cap.  I imagine it was from the kelp.  Two days later my mouth was no longer dry from the salt water...makes me wonder how long it will take to be normal as my swim times continue to increase.

A Full Cinco de Mayo

Given it was a historical Super Full Moon...the Oak Streakers couldn't pass up a night swim under the huge moon!  Patsee shared the article below with the group and with that a group of myself and nine other swimmers met on Cinco de Mayo for a swim at Shaw's Cove!
http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-biggest-and-closest-full-moon-on-may-5-2012-a-supermoon
This was my first night swim!  I had been in the water at day break when it is barely light, but the difference with a morning swim when it is still dark is you know the sun will be up before you know it.  Usually the sun at the times I had got in the water this last winter was up before we even hit the tip of the rocks at Shaw's Cove in Laguna.  (Side note:  the first time I did that...I really thought I was going to hyperventilate.  I had to find a way to calm myself down and regulate my breathing and heart rate or I wouldn't have made it.)
I feel like I was the slowest I ever was Saturday night to get ready for a swim.  I looked down at the water and thankfully the waves were very manageable.  I was worried about getting out in waves while it was dark.  I had no idea it was possible to feel all these emotions at once, but my body and  mind were full of excitement, slight fear, anxiousness, and calmness.  I did cheat and wear my fins.  I typically don't like to feel left behind at Shaw's and given this was my first night swim I really didn't want to be behind, so on went my fins.  We all had our blinkies on to guide off each other and glow sticks wrapped on our wrists or tied to our suits. (Pictures are compliments of Peter's FB)
Lynn, Tanya and myself having some fun
L to R: Marc, Me, Lynn, Mike, Tanya, Howard, Carol, Patsee, George, and Peter
The girls getting ready to dive in

By the time we made it to the tip of the rocks the moon had risen above the gazebo you see in the picture above.  It was incredible!  It was nearly dark and the water felt so good.  At least 61-62 degrees.  Parts felt like it could have been 65!  It was clear and high tide.  Someone told me a couple of weeks prior to this swim they came to terms with night swimming by telling themselves everything in the ocean at night is in the ocean during the day too.  I was comfortable looking at it from that perspective.  Once I was in the water all anxiousness, nerves, and fears went away.  I felt great since I hadn't been able to swim a couple days prior being in Texas.  I am going with it was my taper for a big swim. 
At certain spots of the swim we would stop and count off 1-10 making sure everyone was safe.  With every headcount we would also tread the water as we howled at the moon!  It was such an incredibly great time!!  I wish I could have posted a video Peter took on this blog with us all howling.  To hear us actually howling is really how you get the full affect of our night swim together.  10 wonderfully crazy swimmers howling at the moon and counting off to one another making sure everyone was safe. 
Once the sun was completely down and the moon was up it sparkled and bounced off the waters surface.  Not only was the moon bouncing off the water, but as you looked up to sight I could see all the blinkies shining off the water too!  As I drafted off Mike on our way back with every kick he had the bubbles his feet created were like bright and shiny gems.  They sparked through the water like diamonds.  The kelp had a brightness about it as we swam over it, sparkling in the dark water.  The spots on the kelp was fluorescent.  The ocean water took on an entirely new beauty for me tonight.

Of course we couldn't let Cinco de Mayo get away from us without some chips, salsa, and tequila!  At the end of the swim we celebrated with our full moon night swim with all of the above and then some.  Great FUN!


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Just Breathe...Just Breathe

Breathing on land is so natural...nothing a person even has to think about...it just happens. Why can't that translate while swimming?

All swimmers have a comfortable side to breathe on. My comfy side is my right.  Tonight I did a lot of work breathing bi-lateral.  It had to have been 30 + minutes into the exercise before I felt like I wasn't a fish out of water on my left.  I still have a lot of progress to be made!!

On a bright note for my training today...I ended my session with 6 100's tonight. Here is the exciting part I completed the first three on 1:40 the last three were 1:43, 1:48, and 1:47 respectively. Not too bad since three weeks ago I was at a 2:15!!

I also told my coach I will sign up for my first ever swim meet in about a month...oh no what did I get myself into...that means flip turns....