Today's Swim 3.21.10

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

Here are the details of today's swim, Sunday 3.21.10 (click on the Garmin Link above). I swam what the South End calls a "Sunriser" swim. Every morning at 6:00 am (7 on weekends) people gather at the club to do a swim. They decide where to go based on the tide and on how many people show up and or are willing to pilot and then away we go! Just as I arrived they were looking for drivers to ferry swimmers to the start. I had had a devil of a time finding parking and didn't want to drive, but I did anyway. And good thing too, everyone I drove was very clear that I would get a ticket if I had stayed in the creative space I had made. So I drove five adults in my small car to Broadway and Embarcadero, or Pier 7. We climbed over the railing at the end of the pier and jumped. The swim back to the club was fast because of a lovely ebb tide. It was a blast. Everyone was happy to be out there. When we got back to the opening of Aquatic Park where the club is, I and two friends reversed our direction and swam against the tide around the breakwater and then rode it back to the opening again, our weird swimmers version of a roller coaster ride. This took just over an hour, but I wanted to swim for two, so I did it again and then swam around the cove a few times. The temperature was a pleasant 55 degrees. It's funny how each degree in the 50-60 range feels like about ten degrees in warmer water. Just having the bay warm up from 54 to 55 makes a huge difference in my pleasure and in my ability to stay in longer.
Yesterday I met with Bob Roper to arrange to do an adventure swim on April 4th, four plus hours. But before that, Saturday, is the swim from Point Bonita (north of the golden gate bridge) back to the club. I don't know how long it is, but I hope to have my GPS so I can show you the map afterwards. This is my absolutely favorite type of swimming. Outside the Golden Gate Bridge is where the fun really begins. I love the big waves and the rough water. This is exactly the kind of practice I need for Gibraltar. I am very lucky to be able to train in the San Francisco Bay. Many marathon swimmers can only train in the pool and have to go to their destination to practice the open water aspects like feeding, and swimming with white caps splashing you on every breath. But I get to have that kind of fun anytime I can convince someone to pilot me outside the cove.
I am so excited. My arms are very tired after today. It will be interesting to see how they feel tomorrow in the pool.
Tomorrow is a big day too because I am being video taped for stroke analysis. I hope to be able to improve my efficiency and maybe even add a little speed.