Great Chesapeake Bay Swim 2013

Goal:    Under 3:30
Actual:  DNF

Well...I didn't finish, but I had a blast trying.  Here's how this year's Bay Swim went for me.

Before the swim...

The weather conditions were sick! Air temps in the 70's to low 80's. A mostly overcast day with little chance of rain and no wind. Water temp of 76 degrees. Flat calm, even in the first channel. PERFECT. I was pumped!

 P and I rode the bus across the bridge together and I couldn't help but think of all the road trips we've taken together, the many races we've done together, and the "firsts" we've shared along the way. And this would be another first:  P's first Bay Swim!

We had spent months training for this, doing the long weekend swims together, suffering through thousands of laps and hours in the pool...Colonies Zones, the Centennial Lake 1 Miler, the back-to-back Reston swims. Finally, we are here and it's go time!

It would be Tracey, Keri and Nicolas' first Bay Swim too. So, when we arrived at Sandy Point State Park, I was so happy to see how calm the water looked and what a perfect day we had ahead of us. As Swim Coach Mark said, it's a perfect day for the swim!

 We had a nice contingent of Team Zers there, including our own personal cheer crew! Janet, Rich, Mike, Holly, and Greg had the familiar green "spirit wands" and Team Z green attire.

Holly had flown in from Alabama to surprise Keri. It reminded me of last year, when Tracey and Nicolas surprised the hell out of me right there on the beach before the swim! Today we would be swimming the bay together. (Well, actually, both would be swimming ahead of me...but that's just a minor detail ;).

We got suited up, listened to the pre-race briefing, got some final words of advice from Mark, and hugged our cheer crew.

Here we go! We're doing this.

We crossed the timing mat and Tracey, P, and I stood on the beach together, waiting for the swim start. I was so excited to be swimming this bay with some of my best buddies!

Mile 1

Courtesy: Eye on Annapolis

It was the usual crazy crowded start with hundreds of people all headed for a couple of buoys marking our turn underneath the bridge spans. I couldn't wait to get to the bridges where the crowd would thin out and I could get in my groove.

The water was so flat and calm--better than last year. I couldn't believe our luck!! My goal for mile 1 was to beat last year's time of 39 minutes....and with conditions this great, I swam it in 36 minutes. So far so good!

Mile 2
I kept telling myself to keep up my turnover and pick up the pace! I pictured my watch saying 3:22 when I stepped out of the bay on the other side. And I mentally prepared myself for the first channel, which I assumed would be a wild roller coaster ride like last year. But, even in the channel, the rough water wasn't there! Unbelievable. 

I kept swimming and checking my watch. Had I missed the 2 mile marker? I was closing in on 1:15, why wasn't I there yet? Finally, I spotted the red buoy up ahead. The minutes ticked off in slow motion and by the time I made it, I had been swimming for 1.5 hours. 


Okay, so I was averaging 45 minutes/mile--that wasn't out of the question-- but I didn't understand why the second mile was so much slower than the first, especially in this calm water. The current wasn't supposed to kick in until between miles 3 and 4, right?

 Mile 3
Swimming past the 2 mile marker, feeling good. This is when I started to pay attention to the current and  noticed it gradually getting stronger. I moved to the left side of the swim "lane" and angled myself into the current. I took my first GU, wondered how my peeps were doing, and pictured celebrating with them at the finish line. This was so much fun!

This is when I had Kayak Encounter #1. The kayaker pulled up right next to me and was yelling to get my attention--then angled the nose of the kayak in front of me!! OMG! I was startled --why would someone block me with their kayak? Was there some kind of emergency? Was I getting pulled? WTF?? 

I popped up and asked the woman what was going on. She informed me that I was swimming "toward" the left bridge span. Well, yeah! I informed her that the current was coming from the left and I was angling myself to fight the current. She told me I needed to swim straighter. I told her not to worry, if I passed under the span she could disqualify me. And she said "Oookay"....in an I-told-you-so-but-you-aren't-listening-and-will-pay-for-it-later voice!!  OMG!! Why do I have to stop and explain myself to a kayaker? I know she was trying to be helpful, but still.

The more I swam, the less forward progress I seemed to be making and the more I had to angle myself to the left into the current. 45 minutes passed and I still wasn't at the 3 mile marker. This was definitely the current kicking in and kicking in hard! 

I had the red buoy in sight but it was taking forever to get there. The feed boat was also there--on the right side of the lane. If I stopped at the boat I would have to fight my way back to the left in the current. 

This is where I had Kayak Encounter #2. Again, I heard shouting and thought something was wrong. It was a kayaker helpfully telling me that the 3 mile buoy was up ahead and so was the feed boat. Nice of him, but it stopped my forward motion. Ugh. 

I finally reached the 3 mile marker and had Kayak Encounter #3. It was a really nice woman offering me water. Since I wasn't going to swim over to the feed boat, I decided to take her up on it. I grabbed my second GU, held onto the nose of the kayak, and downed the water. 

Big mistake! When I turned around to start swimming again I noticed I was no longer at the 3 mile buoy. The current had swept the kayak --and me-- back and to the right. I had to fight my way back to the 3 mile marker. An unnecessary waste of energy and time, though drinking some water was nice. 

Time check:  It had taken me an hour to swim from miles 2 to 3. Not good.

Mile 4
This is when things started going downhill fast. Thanks to my water break, I was now closer to the right bridge span and the current was really cranking. I managed to make some forward progress, but it kept getting harder.  

Looking up at the bridge over my right shoulder, I picked out one of the bridge supports and focused on swimming past it. I did this repeatedly. Eventually, it was taking longer to inch past each beam. 

I glanced at my watch: 3 hours had gone by. The fasties had finished almost an hour ago! Sheesh. At this point, I knew I probably wasn't going to make the 4 mile marker before the cutoff. The nice kayaker who had given me the water was still next to me...and some official-looking guy on a jet ski was hovering nearby. I figured he was the "decision man," and would soon be deciding my fate.

Well, I wasn't going down without a fight. I had to show Decision Man that I was making forward progress! I pulled hard and kicked even harder. I was swimming almost sideways at this point, swimming as hard as I could! Damn current! I was going nowhere. Not moving forward AT ALL.

My arms and shoulders were really feeling it, but I still had a lot of energy. As crazy as it may sound, it was kind of fun to feel the force of the water like this. I was in the coolest endless pool on the planet!

DNF
Finally, I heard a whistle. It was Decision Man up ahead on his jet ski. The kayak woman told me it was time to call it quits and head for the sag boat. She said the remaining swimmers were being pulled...we had missed the cutoff. I grabbed the back of her kayak and she paddled me over to one of the boats.

Made it almost to the pilings

The people on the boat were so nice---offering me water and snacks and a blanket. I had just DNF'd the Bay Swim but I was in a pretty good mood! The other swimmers on the boat, however, were not. A Lake Placid Ironman finisher told me she wanted to cry, she felt like a failure. A guy who had been swimming without a wetsuit looked like his dog had just died. But....I was okay with it all.

Swimming the bay was a blast, regardless of whether I actually made it to the other side. What mattered most to me was knowing that I had given it my all and pushed as hard as I possibly could. I knew there was nothing more I could've done to match the power of that current. 

And that's a wrap....
...for this year's Bay Swim. I wish the conditions would've been better for the first timers.
I was so proud of P. She didn't give up and only stopped when she was forced to. We celebrated the day with a Diet Coke, courtesy of Janet, and some giant chocolate bars Mike had given us. Then everyone headed over to Hemingway's for lunch. I was happy to be sitting there among friends, reliving our adventure and talking about "next time..."  And there will be a next time.

Tis The Night Before The Bay Swim...

And there's this...

A Preemptive Advisory is in effect for June 7-9, 2013: After rainfall, all Anne Arundel County beaches are under a no swimming/no direct water contact advisory for at least 48 hours due to predicted elevated bacteria levels from rainwater runoff and increased health risks. Do not swim in cloudy, murky water. During the summer swim season, the Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Program will resume its routine sampling following the 48-hour period.

WARNING: The Department of Health warns that all natural bodies of water can contain bacteria, viruses or other harmful microorganisms and advises against swimming to any individual who has an ear infection, a perforated eardrum, open cuts, scratches or skin lesions, or a compromised immune system. Do not swim in water areas where there is a fish kill or where there are any dead animals.
A red alert from the county! LOL

First, we had Tropical Storm Andrea threatening to wash out the weekend, but thankfully the rain ended this morning. That coincided with mystery back pain that was bugging me all day. I finally convinced my back that I had done nothing to make it hurt and it stopped hurting by bed time.

Then, at 12:30 AM I awoke to Don yelling for help. I run downstairs and Boudreaux is having a seizure/stroke/something -- he was stumbling around, falling down, couldn't stand-- OMG! I rushed to get dressed to drive him to the emergency vet and his affliction magically disappears! He was wagging his tail, acting like nothing happened. So.....after watching him for awhile to make sure he's okay, I finally got to sleep at 2AMish.

Woke up at 5:30AM to drive Don to the airport....got home all keyed up and worried about the dog. Stayed awake until the vet opened and called to talk to doc. Diagnosis:  dog is getting old and these things happen. Okay...

Tried to nap on the couch and maybe got an hour in. Woke up feeling like my right ear was stopped up. Puhleez don't let me get an ear infection BEFORE the damn swim!

Then we get an email from Bay Organizer Woman informing us the swim "will go on"....and nonchalantly mentioning the above water quality advisory. She ends it telling us to "swim at your own discretion."  WTF?

Well, they aren't cancelling the swim, so how dangerous can it really be? Besides, I'm not sure any body of water can top the bacteria levels and other grossness in the Potomac! And after all of that quality pool time I suffered through, it will take more than a water quality advisory to stop me from swimming the bay!

Crises averted. I had my traditional pasta dinner and am now contemplating what time to head to  bed. Ay-yi-yi!

Small Craft Advisory!

May 5, 2013

The drive to Nanticoke took me across the Bay Bridge, and it gave me chills thinking about the big one coming up:   the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim is getting close!

Let me pause here for a quick Bay Swim Training Status Update:  I've been swimming all year, diligently following swim coach Mark's training plan just like last year. And, just like this time last year, I was headed for the eastern shore and the Nanticoke 3 miler. But unlike last year, I also added in some hardcore strength training, thinking that perhaps getting stronger will help me get faster. We'll see...

 

Looks nice and calm, doesn't it? Yeah, well it was anything but! The water was cranking! In fact, there was a "small craft advisory" in effect! The air temp was probably 49ish and a bit breezy.
 
I met Nicolas and Keri and we got all checked in and headed for the swim start to get in a practice swim. The water was a chilly  60 degrees. Most people were wearing long sleeve wetsuits. Just a few swimmers, including me, were in sleeveless. And a couple wore no wetsuits at all! Craziness!

The race was delayed, thanks to that small craft advisory, and the race director announced that we were waiting for the Coast Guard to give us permission to swim. Comforting to know that the river conditions were considered bad enough to warn boats to beware! And we were going for a swim? Yikes.

 

 

However, I wasn't concerned much at all about big waves or chop....it was the current and the cold I was focused on.

Finally, we were off and swimming! It seemed to take forever to reach the first buoy....and....well....it took forever to get to the second buoy. I was getting thrown around in the waves and kept trying to figure out the current. Fortunately the second buoy was a big boat with a bright green ball attached to it --easy to see; not so easy to get to!

I finally made the turn for the final buoy. Once there, we would then turn left for a second loop. This stretch didn't seem quite as rough, but I could tell the cold was getting to me. I couldn't ignore the chill settling into my bones. I was shivering...and that had me a bit worried about hypothermia. I mean, how do you really know you're in danger? Would I know soon enough to do something about it?

Checking my watch, I had been at this for well over an hour. I wasn't sure a second loop would be a smart move given how cold I was feeling. And, realistically, with the current coming in even stronger I knew my chances of making the full 3 without getting pulled were zero. This being a training swim, I was leaning toward calling it at 2 miles, but decided to make that decision once I got to the turn buoy.

Turns out, I didn't have to make the decision. As I was approaching the turn buoy, a kid on a paddleboard motioned to me to keep going straight. They were cutting the race to 2 miles. Yay! I was relieved. Bummed at not being able to swim the 3, but relieved that I could blame someone else for making the decision to cut it short! LOL

I finished in 1:38... Yep, pretty slow.  I got my bling and this cute little trophy for 3rd in my age group. Of course, there were only 3 people in my age group!

 

So ....until next Cinco de Mayo, adios Nanticoke amigos!

 

 

In The Zone

It's been decades since I've "competed" in a swim meet. I must've been about 10 years old. I remember diving off the block, trying to swim fast, Coach Pickering yelling "Pull, Sally, pull!" from the side of the pool as the other swimmers pulled ahead of me. I always finished last or next to last. But, hey, they gave ribbons for 5th and 6th place back then, so I was happy. 

Look who showed up

I was having flashbacks to those days during the Colonies Zone Swim Meet at George Mason U. Team Z had taken over the long course portion of the meet--the Z green was everywhere!

I had gone to Dominic's dive start and flip turn clinic a month before and was nervous about diving off the block (flip turns were out of the question). But by the time of my heat--the last one--I decided to go for it.

I was sooo glad I did because the diving start shaved about 10 seconds off my first lap! I went all out, going for the faster turnover and the more streamlined open turns swim coach Mark had taught me. I really pushed it -- it was "only" 1,650 yards, after all, a fraction of the thousands I was used to swimming!  

After 66 laps, I was done in 33:38, winning my heat and taking first place in my age group.  I averaged 1:01:23 per lap (chart below), swimming my first lap in 51.84, thanks to the diving in thing. It's still not as fast as I want to be, but I'll take it for now.




1 Kidd, Sally            51 FAIRFAX COUNTY M 40:00.00   33:38.90

51.84                   1:49.66 (57.82)

2:48.30 (58.64)          3:49.45 (1:01.15)

4:49.72 (1:00.27)        5:50.53 (1:00.81)

6:52.70 (1:02.17)        7:51.89 (59.19)

8:54.69 (1:02.80)        9:55.19 (1:00.50)

10:54.95 (59.76)        11:54.90 (59.95)

12:55.43 (1:00.53)      13:55.88 (1:00.45)

14:58.31 (1:02.43)      16:00.64 (1:02.33)

17:02.88 (1:02.24)      18:03.43 (1:00.55)

19:05.65 (1:02.22)      20:06.55 (1:00.90)

21:08.46 (1:01.91)      22:11.25 (1:02.79)

23:14.04 (1:02.79)      24:14.77 (1:00.73)

25:17.61 (1:02.84)      26:20.13 (1:02.52)

27:23.18 (1:03.05)      28:27.39 (1:04.21)

29:29.08 (1:01.69)      30:32.39 (1:03.31)

31:34.46 (1:02.07)      32:37.67 (1:03.21)  33:38.90 (1:01.23)

 

1 Kidd, Sally            51 FAIRFAX COUNTY M 40:00.00   33:38.90     

      51.84                   1:49.66 (57.82)

  2:48.30 (58.64)          3:49.45 (1:01.15)

  4:49.72 (1:00.27)        5:50.53 (1:00.81)

  6:52.70 (1:02.17)        7:51.89 (59.19)

  8:54.69 (1:02.80)        9:55.19 (1:00.50)

  10:54.95 (59.76)        11:54.90 (59.95)

  12:55.43 (1:00.53)      13:55.88 (1:00.45)

  14:58.31 (1:02.43)      16:00.64 (1:02.33)

  17:02.88 (1:02.24)      18:03.43 (1:00.55)

  19:05.65 (1:02.22)      20:06.55 (1:00.90)

  21:08.46 (1:01.91)      22:11.25 (1:02.79)

  23:14.04 (1:02.79)      24:14.77 (1:00.73)

  25:17.61 (1:02.84)      26:20.13 (1:02.52)

  27:23.18 (1:03.05)      28:27.39 (1:04.21)

  29:29.08 (1:01.69)      30:32.39 (1:03.31)

  31:34.46 (1:02.07)      32:37.67 (1:03.21)  33:38.90 (1:01.23)

Great Chesapeake Bay Swimagain!

I've spent the past four months in a chlorine fog. Weekends dominated by trips to the pool. Hours of back and forth, back and forth, hundreds of mindless laps, thousands of yards....Shew!
 
The Bay Swim is one month away. Yes, I'm giving it another shot this year. Last year's goal was to finish; this year's goal is to finish under 3.5 hours. I'm pumped!

The long swims this past winter haven't felt so torturous. You know what you gotta do and you just get it done. It helps to have company. Tomorrow, my swim peeps and I are up for 7700 yards. That's 4.3 miles. Might as well round it off to 8,000 for 4.5 miles, right? What's another 300 when you're going that far?!

So here's our route across the bay. We just stay in between the two bridge spans and we're fine. Let's hope the weather's this awesome and the bay is this calm!

Can Do, Can Lake!

And the 50 mile ultra training has begun.

Doesn't this look awesome?! It's the Can Lake 50, a 50 mile race around Lake Candandaigua, one of the finger lakes in western New York....and supposedly the prettiest of all the finger lakes. Here's how the  race director describes the Can Lake 50:

Nicely stocked aid stations, peak fall foliage, and age-graded medals are just a few things that make this an ideal ultramarathon. The race venue is a pretty holiday location over Columbus Day weekend. The scenery of this rural road race is sure to be enjoyed by runner and crew. Be aware, this is a challenge.  Everything from rolling to steep long hills, both up and down, will test the runners. However, if you prepare, you will be successful as these races have a high finish rate.

The course goes around the entire lake, with a total ascent/descent of 3,500 feet. Sounds doable, right? This was a tough decision. After ruling out the JFK and various single track mountain-runs-from-hell, I had narrowed it down to Can Lake and Tussey.

Tussey, with its dirt roads and shady course had loads of running "ambience;" however, I'd have to shave at least 20 minutes off last year's pace to make the cutoffs, so......yeah, not so doable.

Can Lake doesn't have as many hills, but it'll be a lot of pounding the pavement. What swayed me is the description of Can Lake as "beginner friendly." Even though I'm not exactly a beginner, it usually translates to "BOP friendly." And they let slow folk start an hour early...so I'll have 13 hours to finish the race. So, Can lake it is!!

 

 

Into the Wild

January 20, 2013

“But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called -- called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come.”

--Jack London, The Call of the Wild

I

I often feel this incessant pull, this urgent call from some unseen force beckoning me to venture off road, down a trail into the woods. It's this unquenchable need to be outside---exploring or just existing in outdoor spaces. Standing on a mountain, traipsing through the forest, swimming in a lake, riding my bike down a country road, running....well, anywhere. I love feeling like I'm on a big adventure, living on the edge of danger---but not really in danger. 

And so to say I was excited about my running group's 13 mile Appalachian Trail run is a serious understatement. I was pumped! So pumped, in fact, that I declined the chance to cover President Obama's "official" inauguration at the White House that day. No, I wanted to be outside, answering the call of the wild.

We met in a parking lot in the tiny town of Weverton, MD, at the base of the Weverton Cliffs. We then carpooled to the South Mountain Inn in the town of Boonsboro. From there we would run 13 miles down the Appalachian Trail to the Weverton Cliffs and back to our cars.

This particular stretch of the Appalachian Trail is the AT section of the JFK 50 Miler. By the time we make it back to Weverton, I would know whether I could take on the JFK.

Badass Benita

A woman named Benita led Roxie, Connie, and I down the trail. Benita is a shorty, like me, but with tree trunk strong legs and serious bad ass cred. For starters, she's in the military, did a couple of tours of duty in Iraq. And while she considers herself a back-of-the-packer, she has the confidence of an elite runner. Her next race? A 100 mile trail run.

Benita is the kind of person who makes you feel safe. You get the feeling that there's nothing she can't handle. Should there be some kind of emergency on the trail, you know Benita will know what to do. So off we ran, into the woods and down the trail.

Leaving the South Mountain Inn, the trail quickly becomes steep and then gets steeper. There's a two mile stretch of  ridiculous steepness---a real butt burner! My Garmin pegged my pace at 21 minutes/mile. Sheesh. 

After the two mile climb, you're essentially running up and down along a ridge at the top of the mountain. It's probably the most technical trail I've run. There are roots and oh so many rocks! And I'm not referring to the nice round kind, no these are sharp pointy rocks jutting up out of the ground and leaving no clear path for footing!  The trail twists and turns but mostly shoots up and then down, up and down. In some sections, jagged rocks and roots are hidden beneath a blanket of leaves.

Benita, Connie and Roxie practically skip along on their toes and I try to mimic their technique. Benita offers helpful tips along the way:  tuck your rear under and tighten your abs when you go downhill; if you fall, bring your arms up and in close to your head to protect your face; shorten your stride and stay light on your feet; don't take your eyes off the ground.

After about 7 miles we reach Gathland State Park. In the late 1800's, this was the mountain home of Civil War journalist George Townsend. He designed and built a lodge on the property. I think this is what's left of the lodge.

But the really cool thing in this park is the War Correspondents Arch, a monument to civil war journalists, below. Townsend also built this, so I guess you can say he built a monument to himself. You know those journalists, such big egos.

We stopped here for a short break. Okay, 7 down 6 to go. Time to get back on the trail and run! Our next stop would be Weverton Cliffs.



One of the things I love about running is the people you get to know over miles and miles of shared suffering. I found out that Connie is a 50-stater. She's on a quest to run a marathon in every state and has  checked off 24 so far. We compared notes on marathons and I was surprised to hear that one of her favorites was the one in Fargo, North Dakota!

 

Benita told me about her adventures in the military and her upcoming deployment to Africa. Bummer, she's leaving!

                                                                                                                  

After a couple of miles the trail got even rockier. By now I was really feeling it. If I were doing the JFK 50 Miler right now, I would still have to run 35 miles after coming down off this mountain!

Weverton Cliffs! Benita, Connie, and I

 Finally we make it to Weverton Cliffs. The view was amazing! The cliffs are perched above the Potomac River, with Harpers Ferry off in the distance.

After a little goofing around....

...it was time to come down off the mountain! The trail down was a steep series of narrow, rocky switchbacks. Four and a half hours after we started up the trail, we were finally done! My legs were feeling it, my butt hurt, and my brain was fried from concentrating so hard on picking my way through the rocks and roots ahead of me. But I loved every minute of it!

 

I can't imagine running 35 miles after that rocky mountain adventure...so I'll have to give the JFK some more thought. There are cutoffs to contend with....and plenty of hill repeats to be done, but maybe, just maybe I can give it a shot....