Complete a long distance Open Water Swim

Shoulder surgery has postponed my goals. Six weeks of recovery following next tuesday’s SLAP lesion repair. I miss the water so much!!!!

I have no interest with “competing” against anyone but myself:

I want to swim the length of lakes!!

I am not a big fan of indoor pools. I grew up with a swimming pool in the back yard and could swim, float and tread water all day every day. That was life at my parents house. Now, I do not have the luxury at my home and thanks to my full time job, I cannot devote my summer in the pool. I was just on vacation in Lake Placid, and I fell back in love with my old passion! I spent three days in the water and on a sandy beach. Then I watched folks doing exactly what I spent my childhood trying to do- much to the fear of my parents.

They were practicing for the Betsy Owens Memorial Open Water Swim at Mirror Lake in Lake Placid. They say there is a cable just under the water- just in case! I was DYING to get in there. I knew up until I started smoking in my late teens that I could swim long distances. Now, in adulthood, when I can do whatever I want to…. I really want to be able to swim sizeable distances.

I do hate the idea of cholorined stuffy indoor pools with lanes… but, if it will assist me in achieving my goal.. I will spend the winter months one of those pools. Whoo hoo.

I see a local swim club at a local university. I suppose I need to check them out. More later……

Found some great online resources which I will post on this entry soon. High elbows! High elbows! And catch with the forearm. Swam for my first workout after reading this. Was impressed to see that the natural technique I picked up was pretty good, but still did well to practice more. Going to try to do a workout with the Valley Forge Masters on Sunday after a Polar Bear Swim tomorrow.

Had my first swim practice today with a local club. It went very well. I swam well over 1.5 miles in all, and the workout was much more difficult than my usual swim. I’m tired, but feel good. I’m with my kids every other weekend, so I can only make the club’s Sunday practice every other week, and I travel for business during my next week off… I won’t make it back for a month, but it’s on my schedule to do after Thanksgiving.

I mentioned a swim team in my last entry… the Valley Forge Masters. See:

http://www.bee.net/dcastell/ValleyForgeMasters.htm

I’ll likely be shooting for the Philly Insurance Triathalon in June 2008 (a related goal for the year), which includes a 1 mile swim. I’m more excited about the following race in Tiburon, CA:

http://www.rcptiburonmile.com/

The thought of the cold water and the tide is a bit daunting, but I keep telling myself that a mile is a mile is a mile. I can do it in the pool with plenty of strength in reserve. I go to my first VFM practice on Sunday. We’ll see how I do in a 25m pool.

This goal goes hand in hand with training for a triathalon. Contacted a friend today in San Francisco about the Tiburon Mile which I might shoot for next September. In the summer, I’ll have to switch my gym membership to a gym with a longer pool. (My current training pool is about 12.5m; there’s a nearby gym with a 25m pool.) Found a swim club outside Philadelphia that sponsors weekly swims in a 25m and 50m pool, and I’ve contacted the group’s organizer. I also want to get into open water, but choices are limited in this area and given the time of year. Anyone have any suggestions?