OMG the West Indies Swim Series....

Must win lottery... must win lottery....
Nevis, Trinidad, Turks and Caicos, and St John.  I could get used to that lifestyle.

Found a good blog on open water swimming:

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/

Two weeks to go

I had a good long swim yesterday:  short warm up; then 3 X 1000 yards plus some, so should be just over 2 miles total.  Felt pretty strong, not fast but steady.  Arms began to tire.   Probably not kicking enough.  Sometimes I "drive" with my arms and other times I find I'm driving with my legs- hard to explain, just a mental trick mostly.
I now have 2 weeks until race day.  This week I'll continue with Monday and Wednesday normal swims of long sets like 5 X 500 or some such.  Then next Saturday I'll need to do some more 1000's I guess, then some shortish workouts Monday and Wednesday the 23rd and 24th, fly on the 26th.  Ahhh- the taper, what makes it all worthwhile--  short swims and lots of food.  MMM.
I have trimmed up a bit, sure needed to, and happy to see my muffin top shrinking a little.  I need to keep this up for my physical and mental well being.  Fun to be able to eat plenty and know I'll burn it off.

Trunk Bay, Jan. 2008

Lobster red- ugh.  The Virgin Divers shirt is about 30 years old.... I wore it proudly!  The intermediate race ends at Trunk.

Hawksnest Bay, St. John

Finally starting to feel like a swimmer again.  The degree or 2 cooler temp in the pool helped a lot yesterday.  I did a ladder of 800+700+600+500 with some warm up and cool down.  Felt pretty strong!  Two weeks from today we'll fly down there.  Hoping to meet up with some high school friends!

My SwimP3

The perfect toy for someone who love swimming and music is my little SwimP3 made by Finis.  I'm on my second one now and can't do these longer yardage days without it.  Certain songs work well for swimming and others don't.  I used to collect just songs that had to do with water, swimming, the sea or lake or river.  But now any feel good song is a candidate.  I especially like 3/4 time cuz it sort of matches my stroke.  A favorite is Walk on the Ocean.  Other stuff I have on  there now is Decemberists (several from the last 2 albums), REM, Counting Crows, Richard Thompson and F.C., U2, Sheryl Crow, When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin, Donovan's Atlantis a perennial favorite for swimming, plus several of my friend Allan Watson's songs such as Affirmation Waystation, Dream Slow, All Things Mechanical.  Will add some new ones he sent soon.
I had issues with the thing not playing but it has done better lately, since now I charge it more often and use the reset button to make sure it is off.  Would I wear it in the race?  Nah- might be too tempted to stop and fiddle with settings, and I'll be entertained enough with the goings on and scenery.  Plus I might need to hear the guys in the kayaks yelling at me to look out for the shark.

Just 3 weeks from yesterday... and hot pool temps

Saturday I did a good hour swim without many little stops, just to adjust my music player or take a sip of water. I lost count of yardage, but I was doing 500's (400 free + 100 breast) and did at least 5 of those, so I hope I got in about 3000 yards.  I have less than 3 weeks left.

The water is still so hot; I spoke to the YMCA aquatics manager about it Friday and hope they will adjust it down a few degrees soon.  JEEZ it is like swimming through a vat of pea soup.  Pee soup more like it probably... can't go there. How must runners feel on a 95 degree day with high humidity?  It is almost impossible to train for any sort of distance race at this Y.  I know swimmers are a rare breed, but are there no triathletes in Athens?  Apparently I'm the only one to complain.

The Caribbean and Atlantic waters around St. John will be cooler... can't wait.  They'll be warmer than they were in January but as I recall late May was very comfortable.

Aquatic Ape

I just learned of the "aquatic ape theory" by which our ancestors may have progressed through a seaside watery stage in which they adapted to living in and near the water instead of roaming the desert savannas as the standard story goes.  This theory could explain our becoming hairless and acquiring a subcutaneous fat layer, just 2 of the traits we share with aquatic mammals such as dolphins.  Well, the theory is scoffed upon in the scientific community, although a few such as Desmond Morris are supporters http://aquaticapehypothesis.com/.

As a swimmer,  I rather like the idea and choose to entertain thoughts of myself related more closely to the dolphin.  Hey, life's a fantasy, anyway.  Dream it and be it.  Maybe I'm the missing link- I feel more comfortable in the water than on the land and think we should all be swimmers for our physical, mental and spiritual health.

Training Lite

My training is nothing like five years ago- I was a swimming machine then.  This time it's more like, well I'll do a few yards and get out... but seriously, I'm doing ok considering I just returned to the pool in early March.  Last week was a down week, but this week I seem to have energy again.  Felt some strains in one leg and in my arm. But my goal this time is not to win the race but to take my time and enjoy the scenery along the way.  I want to be able to admire the hawksbill turtles and parrotfish and barracudas instead of flying past them.  I can do some breaststroke instead of freestyle part of the time and be able to look at the beaches and hillsides and pelicans and boobies and frigatebirds.  How often does one have kayak support nearby to wait on me hand and foot if I need them.  But then there's my competitive side that kicks in.... I always want to race the other swimmers in the pool and pass them to put them in their place especially if they get in my lane.  What a bitch swimmer.

Course map

Training for St. John again

I'm actually doing it!  I'll do the swim again May 29.  Mom and I are going to St. John to take my dad's ashes since it was his favorite national park he worked in.  I can't believe this blog is still here- thanks, Blogger.

I started swimming again in early March after not doing much all winter, in fact, I've been a slacker for a couple of years compared to what I used to do.  Hard to get to the pool in the winter anyway.  But in March, it was either start swimming again or start taking Prozac.  My girlfriends, when I told them Mom and I were going to St. John, said, "are you doing the swim again?"  To which I replied- NOO!  But it got under my skin and I returned to the pool that afternoon.  And within the throes of my swimmer's high with endorphins raging, I decided, yeah!  I'll do it.  And a few days later I thought "I must be crazy!" I could only do 100 yards and had to stop and pant.   Actually I'm crazy if I don't swim, so this is therapy for me.

So- I've increased yardage and sets over the weeks.  I'm up to doing 500 repeats now and it is going ok... doing about 2000 to 2500 yd each workout, 3 days per week usually.  With this short amount of preparation time I'm opting for the intermediate version of the Beach to Beach Power Swim, just 2 1/4 miles as opposed to the 3.5 mi. long course.  I keep worrying that my competitive side will regret this choice; but to be practical I need to stick to the shorter course.

Mom and I are staying at Maho Bay Camps, will visit with our friend Merry again, and see our former home and haunts.  Our friend Ellen and her husband have raised money for a bench to be placed at L'esperance, our house site, which is now an astronomy viewing platform.  The bench honors my dad, Don Adams, who was park ranger there from 1972 - 1978.

I usually read St John Tradewinds newspaper each week. On the current issue's (Feb. 18) front page is a story about the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model being photographed on St John; but further down the page is this photo of a swimming iguana at Maho Bay: I much prefer this bathing beauty. And he's naked. http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com/

Heard a great quotation:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain.

St Jan

Coral Bay
Annaberg

Lesperance...

Francis, Lille Maho, Maho

Visiting Merry

The donkeys dem...
New visitors center at Cruz Bay


















At L'esperance...

The race on May 28

As we lined up that morning, I felt really calm, and thought to myself: "I can do this, this is what I do. I'm a swimmer. I can hold my own amongst these other swimmers and I have done the training." The other swimmers were friendly and of all ages. I'd already met up with Merry and met her friend Steve, they were both swimming assisted. The long course group started first. Once in the water, I didn't get kicked or hit! It reminded me of swimming in a lane with 5 or 6 high school kids when I used to work out with the swim team. I took it easy, for this was my warmup. We rounded the first buoy and I felt a little high-heart beat, so tried to take it easy. Soon I got into my pace and mostly cruised the rest of the way. All the way out of Maho, I was swimming next to Mr. Yellow Fins, who later turned out to be John Holden probably. It helped to have someone to swim beside for I didn't have to sight so often. It is an odd sensation, for one is just beneath the surface and can't really see what is going on, such as how many swimmers are ahead or behind. Suddenly someone will just come up from behind. And you can't really see the scenery as you go except for underwater. A few times I did a couple of breaststroke kicks to see ahead and behind, but got right back to the freestyle.

We rounded the point and started into Cinnamon Bay, and I lost Mr. Yellow Fins. Saw the orange bouys to go between, and saw the water boat but didn't need water then. As I started out of Cinnamon Bay, I saw the notch in the hill to sight on: good thing, because the bouys were few and far between. A guy and 2 girls came swimming up beside me and we all swam along together almost into Trunk Bay. They were good swimmers. Found out later they were the winners from the previous 2 years. They swam pretty close to Trunk Cay whereas I stayed well away from it, and then I lost them. Turned out I passed them and they were behind me the rest of the way.

There was a lot of current at Trunk Cay, felt like I was standing still even though I was swimming hard. Even leaving Trunk I felt some current but that was replaced by a little chop but not too bad. I saw some of the underwater snorkel trail markers. Never saw the 2nd water boat but didn't want to stop then anyway. I was on kind of a swimmers high by this time, cruising along, feeling my arms working, willing them to keep pushing, enjoying the bouyancy from the salt water, seeing some coral and fish. My arms felt like big wings or fins.

I was alone by now, not seeing any bouys, but sighting on the point of Thatch Cay as directed. This was a long leg. I saw Peter Bay on the left and almost thought it was Hawksnest and began to get excited, but realized it wasn't over yet. The bouys around the next point at Peace Hill were way out from the rocks, and it seemed like forever until I came to the bouy for turning left. Thank goodness for the kayakers pointing the way. I rounded into Hawksnest and saw the bouys ahead. I felt like slacking off but remembered my book which said that fatigue is a sign to work harder. Plus I thought, "I didn't spend all this money to fly down here and slack off now." I had seen some heads behind me but didn't really know where we all were in the race. I had an idea, though, that not a whole lot were ahead of us.

Made the last turn through that gate and headed right toward the finish. That part is a blur, seemed to take me forever to get to shore. I stumbled trying to run out of the water. I didn't know my time or place until later, though the 2 girls I'd passed came over and said I must have won the age group. They were so nice, we all congratulated each other. Martha and Becky were there taking pictures, hauling my stuff, cheering me on. I was grateful to have my good friends there.

The Friends group put on a great picnic and awards party over at Oppenheimer Beach just next door. We talked to Merry and John, had some Virgin Islands Pale Ale and hamburgers. I won a lovely original fish painting with plaque saying 3rd overall women's long course solo, a restaurant gift certificate, and a bag full of Hawaiian Tropic stuff. Then I got to meet Watergrrl, or Kendra! And her husband. Turns out they live on St. Thomas and have swum in the 5 mi. race in St. Croix. She is so cute and nice. She and her husband each won 1st overall in the intermediate solo!

I feel happy to have set a goal, followed through with the training, and finished the event. I feel that I did well and have joined the ranks of open water swimmers. I've come out on the other side. It was a good challenge. I'm not sure what I'll train for in the future, if anything. This was an approx. 3.5 mi race and my time was 1 hour 38 min. This swimming distance is equal to about a 14 mi. run or a half marathon. I'd like to swim in some more races, but those St John waters have spoiled me. Dirty rivers and lakes in TN? Yuck. So I'll keep up my pool training, do probably 3 days a week, 3000 to 3500 yds. each time.

I'll put up some more photos from our trip soon, then end this blog.

More photos from the race day

Scenes from the Beach to Beach Power Swim, May 28, 2006