GregInTheWater
CENTRAL SCOTLAND OPEN WATER SWIMMING COACH
The last day of March 2012 and the Caves Beach swim was on a Saturday. This was the beach I had grown up on as a boy, and it was good to return. I had done this swim in 2009, and the course is a good one. The early morning drive up from Sydney for the last day of daylight saving was highlighted by heavy fog on the F3. For a sporting event this could be bad news, but for an ocean swim it meant there was little or no wind with clean conditions the result.
After registration and bag drop at the surf club, you can walk or get a bus shuttle down to the start line at Spoon Rocks. The walk is a pleasant one along the coastal path so you get a good view of the course. There were 4 buoys and the first one was at the end of the break wall, with the last one north of the finish line and a long way out. It would be a long 1.5 km today.
After all the competitors congregated at the start line we were given our instructions. Start, keep all the markers on your left shoulder, and turn for home at the 4th one. Aim for the pine trees at the finish line and enjoy the run up the beach.
A touching moment with a minutes silence in memory of the young competitor at the Australian Surf Living Championships who died earlier in the week. There was silence from all with just the sound of the gentle waves lapping the shoreline.
My wave was the number four, and I noticed the earlier waves were being swept towards the breakwall. With this knowledge I decided to start on the left hand side of the line to reduce the distance I would have to swim. This was a big wave with all males over 35 in their green caps swimming together.
The hooter sounded and I raced to the water, dived in and started stroking. No need to worry about the surf break, as there was none at the start line. Despite looking up regularly and trying to see the marker and the coal ship offshore which I used as a reference point, I did not see the first buoy until I was 50 m from it. I was surprised to notice that I too had been swept slightly to the right, but not as badly as a lot of others who were now swimming towards me. Went round the first mark feeling strong, and thinking that was a long reach.
The next two buoys appeared relatively quickly and I managed to breathe left to look at the shoreline as we headed north. I was swimming just behind a couple of locals and I was comfortable with the speed and stayed in their wake. We crossed some reefs which always make the swim more interesting, watching the seaweed wave in the gentle pull of the water.
We turned the last buoy and headed for shore. The choice now was to either head straight into the beach and have a longer run, or head to the finish chute and a shorter run. I had noticed earlier that there was a slight rip near the beach if you went straight in, so decided to head towards the finish line. Luckily my guides made the same decision.
Usually when I pass the last buoy I try to increase my speed knowing that the end is near. I tried this for fifty strokes and looked up and thought I was still a long way out. So I slowed my pace and tried to keep on the feet of those in front of me. Before long we were in the wave zone, almost caught a small wave, and then stood up to wade. The finish line was near the surf club, and as it was low tide, the run was a long one. Crossed the line puffing knowing I had swum hard the whole way.
The fruit went down a treat, as did the ice-cold water and warm showers. Some swimmers were lucky and received a lucky door prize as they finished.
Enjoyed the swim, and then chatted with some old friends over a couple of beers from the bar in the club.
A beautiful autumnal day with light winds, warm sun, and an excellent swim. This event should be on your list of swims to do, and I wish the club well in attracting swimmers to future events.
Setting for the start and finish line
It was back to the Opera House and Farm Cove for one of my favourite swims. As you can see from the picture the location is idyllic, just near the Opera House and Botanic Gardens. Sure there was no surf, but the view from the water is just divine. Another good thing for me is that I can walk to this swim, which is a pleasant way to warm up. Luckily the organisers of this swim had adjusted their schedule so that I could so both of the swims.
Some of my friends from lane 7 at squad agreed to join me on this event. So shortly after registration I ran into Shayne and Karl and we found a nice patch of grass to sit on under the shade of a tree. We shared a love of swimming and even though none of us had yet to feature on a podium over the season we considered ourselves to be tragics. Our motivation was not to win a prize, but just to enjoy the beauty of Sydney from the water in the company of friends. The only level of competition was to see who could swim further over the season, and at this stage Shayne was leading the tallies with me third.
Swimmer’s view
For the two km swim Karl and I were in different waves which was a shame. There were more swimmers in this race so we had more waves due to the small start zone. Once again the course was start at the steps, swim east to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, turn right and follow the Botanic Gardens into Farm Cove, then turn right to head back towards the middle of Cove and then left to finish. Sounds confusing but it was really easy to navigate, mainly because I had done this swim several times already. In addition I had improved my ability to lift my head up in mid stroke to look ahead to sight the course. All those sessions in the pool had definitely helped as I had developed the technique of lifting my head to check the clock at the end of every lap before turning.
The swim was straight forward and I swam most of the way with a couple of swimmers who were slightly faster than me. I made sure I stayed away from tapping their toes, but used their drag. Sometimes they went right around slower swimmers, as I went left, but we managed to stick together most of the way. I did notice today the faster swimmers in the following waves were really fast. Usually I try to stick to them for twenty metres or so, but today found that difficult. I did manage to pull away from my guides towards the end as my energy levels were still quite high.
My time of thirty-three minutes was quick for two km, but was a lot slower than my previous two years, And then I remembered that this time the course was longer. I was placed in the top 140 out of the 360 swimmers, and I managed to place twelve in my age group. So on the day I had two top twenty finishers in my age group, and a top one hundred overall in the one km. I was very pleased with that.
It was such a nice day that it was a shame to have to leave.
For this weekend I had a choice to make. I could do the Cross the Lake swim on the Saturday over 3.8 km, or do the Tamarama Clovelly swim on the Sunday over 2.5 km. I knew I was not up to both, so I decided on the Cross the Lake Swim. I had done this swim in 2010, so it would be good to see the comparison with 2012, and I knew the course. It also gave me an opportunity to catch up with some mates in Newcastle.
I convinced several friends from squad to join me on the swim: Karl, Shayne, Katarina and Gordon. The swim had an early start with registration completed by 7.30 am, so I drove up the F3 from Sydney early in the morning. There was a bit of fog on the freeway which was annoying until I remembered that this would mean light winds for the swim.
I arrived at the finish line at the Belmont Skiff club to find the others had just arrived. I used to sail at this club when I was a child, and while there were substantial changes there was also a lot that was the same. We decided to catch the first ferry over to the start line at Coal Point. I explained to the others who had not swum this race before that it was a straight line back to the Skiff club and all you have to do is swim towards the sun and follow the markers. They were worried about sharks which surprised me as they all would swim in the ocean without a worry. I assured them that since the lake was closed to commercial fishing some time ago there was plenty of bait fish to keep any large predators happy. I also told them that I had never seen a shark in the lake despite spending twenty years sailing on it or swimming in it. Not sure if that allayed their fears. I also told them the water would be warm and saltier than the ocean which should help with buoyancy.
The ferry ride over was fast and smooth and there was no wind at all. My biggest fear was a head wind on the swim back, and at this stage it looked like that there would only be a light one to deal with.
For the first time this swim had timing tags, and wave starts. I was in the second wave for the in water start. We were told that we had five minutes between waves, but as we waded in to get a position the gun started. Oh well.
The idea with this swim was to find swimmers who were headed in the right direction and you could keep up with. My plan for the face was to swim comfortably until the 2.5 km mark, and then increase the pace. This year there were big blue markers at the 1km, 2km and 3 km marks with distance written on them; and smaller buoys every 500m in between.
I was swimming comfortably in the warm water and keeping up with other swimmers with some ease. When i arrived at the 2.5 km mark I followed my plan. By this time the wind had strengthened and there was a small chop to deal with. By this stage I was envious of those swimmers who had a kayaker to guide them, not only for the navigation, but also for the drag. I still felt quite strong in the water and swam faster, trying to catch some of those in front of me.
I crossed the finish line wondering if I would go faster than my planned 65 minutes. I was surprised to see that my time was just over 71 minutes some seven minutes slower than my previous attempt. Then I realised that I was not puffed at all, so that told me I had not swum hard enough, but had taken it quite easy. Oh well I could put that down to experience on how to pace yourself.
My time put me in the top 45% of the 250 entrants. I had managed to swim faster than Karl, Shayne and Katarina with Gordon beating me. This was in line with our relative abilities.
We went to the presentation, which was fun as I knew a lot of the place getters in the various age groups.
For the month of February alone I had swum in seven races. Not bad for someone who had only swum six all of last season.
Back to North Bondi for their second swim of the season. As this was my home beach for surf training I was familiar with the landmarks. I had also swum at the race in January so I knew the course. However, you never know what conditions the ocean can bring. Race day was warm and sunny and Lake Bondi was at its most benign with a gentle one foot swell, warm water and no blue bottles. A great day for a swim. And there was a chance to win a trip to Hawaii to compete in the Waikiki Roughwater.
As this was our home beach the vast majority of our squad showed up for the races. It is always good to be competing with those who get up early and train with you in the pool year round. Once again I had entered both races, partly for the chance of winning the prize, but also to continue my development as a swimmer.
The one km race was a swim out to Ben Buckler and return. Their was no swell so the rip along the rocks would be of no use to get out the back today. I started next to my coach in my age group, and even managed to beat him to the first little swell (only because he fell over). But quite quickly he sprinted past me, along with what seemed half the wave. I wanted to swim hard, but I also wanted to hold some in reserve for the next race. But as always my competitive nature took over and I tried to keep up with those in front of me who were slightly faster.
On the way back to the beach I managed to yell hi to Ainslie from work who was on board rescue for this event. She had the honour of guiding an eighty year old lady for the last 30 yards into the beach. Oh but back to my race. I swam ok and raced out of the water and over the finish line. Once again it was an effort to stay upright as I bent over to take off the timing chip. But the refreshments provided to the competitors in the form of fruit and water helped with the recovery. My time of just over 17 minutes was in the top third of the nearly 600 swimmers, and I was in the top third of my age group as well.
The longer race was on quite quickly afterwards. The question was whether I had enough energy left to swim well in this event after my races the previous weekend, and a week of hard training. I had an incentive though: Ainslie’s wave was about six minutes before mine, so that would give me someone to aim for.
This time I started towards the rear of the wave, and let others go ahead. As I rounded the first buoy I did feel tired, but I told myself that I had done the training and I should concentrate on my stroke. Luckily conditions today were suitable for me with hardly any chop to deal with. I had noticed that when I breathed on the left I pulled away from other swimmers, and when I breathed on the right I stayed with them. A pity I could not breathe left for longer.
I had no problems navigating as I had picked out landmarks behind each marker to aim for. Once again the organisers had arranged for a pink banner on a unit at North Bondi in line with the last turning buoy. As I turned that buoy I noticed a woman about twenty metres in front of me wearing the swimmers worn by Ainslie. Suddenly I had extra energy and in no time I had caught her, and it was Ainslie. I quickly past her on her left just to make sure she saw me.
By the time I had made it back to the beach without any assistance from the non-existent swell, I looked back and saw her well behind me. I crossed the line quietly pleased with my efforts. As she past the line I congratulated her on her swim and told her that she would have to think of days like this when she is in a grey dreary London later in the year.
My time of thirty-three minutes placed me in the top half of the field of 850 swimmers, and also in the top half of my age group. Once again I had done better overall in the shorter swim. But I realised that most of the better swimmers only did the longer swim, and I handicapped myself by doing the warm up race. Who knows what I could achieve after another year of training?
Went to the presentation with my wife and lots of others, only to find out that someone else won the trip to Hawaii. I suppose if I wanted to swim there I would have to get there myself.
Gentle surf sunny sky
This race was on again, and it was good to do it for the second year running. However, this year I decided to enter both the one km and the two km race. I had entered early to save me some money and also to have the timing chips and swim caps sent to me in the post. This saved me having to queue up a few days before the race at a collection point in the city. I am at a loss to understand why the most expensive race of the year cannot organise the collection of caps and timing chips on race day. This is the only race where this happens: all other events seem to be able to manage it. Oh well that it is the way it is when a corporate group organises the race.
The race is advertised to be held at Manly Beach. What happens is that the start is at Shelley Beach with the finish at Manly for both events. However, this year the swell was up at almost two metres which makes the finish at Manly quite tricky. So the organisers made the decision to have the start and finish at Shelley Beach. This was a good call as a large percentage of the field only do this ocean swim each year.
I caught the first Manly Ferry from Circular Quay in order to make it to the start line in time for my wave start of just after eight am. There were a large number of people from my squad doing the event: some were only doing the two km, some like me were doing both the one km and the two km. and some were doing the nine km race from Dee Why. It was another glorious day on Sydney Harbour on a virtually empty ferry. I admired the view and thought about the upcoming swim. I was not nervous at all as I had swum here quite a few times, and I knew that the swell would not get into the one km course.
Start for some of the ladies
One of my work mates Ainslie had made a late decision to enter the one km event. She had asked me if she should enter the elite wave. I told her that she should as she would find that most of that wave would quickly swim away from her and she should be able to make it to the finish line before the next wave caught her. So she entered and found out that the requirement for the elite wave was to try to do it in under 15 minutes. She assured them she would try.
I was lucky to be in the second wave for the one km event. The course was out to Fairy Bower north to the point and then back to the beach. The conditions looked great with just small wave coming through on the way back. I watched the elite wave start and noticed our coach on the left hand side of the course swimming in clear water by himself. A few of us thought this was a good idea so we moved to the left hand side of the start line. The gun went and we were off. I wanted to do a good time for this race and so swum hard to get into clear water. Fairly soon I had achieved that, so then I concentrated on looking at the sea life in the aquatic reserve, and also remembered to navigate.
By the time I arrived at the first buoy I realised that I was in the top third of my wave. I still had plenty of energy left for the return leg. I was pushed off the straight line course by the swell coming across the course, but I still was happy with my race. I had wondered if I would catch Ainslie, but she beat me to the finish line. The water was warm, the sun was shining, and I had finished in just over eighteen minutes, placing me in the top 150 of the 1,950 competitors, and in the top 100 of the 1,000 male swimmers. I was happy with that.
I know had almost three hours to wait for my two km race. In one of the more interesting arrangements, the organisers had decided that instead of the normal three minutes between waves, they would have ten minutes. So while the elite wave started at 10.30 am, my wave was not until 11.30 am, and the last wave would not start until 1 pm. Ocean swimming is not like road running: conditions change as the tide changes and the wind blows. It is a dynamic course so it is virtually impossible to have the same conditions for all. It would make it easier if the waves were only five minutes apart like they were for the one km event. The official reason given was to allow the slower swimmers to avoid the faster swimmers from following waves passing them.
I was hoping to do better than I had last year as well. I had by now swum in a squad for a year, and I knew my swimming had improved. It would be good to get an idea from this event on how much I had improved.
Finishing the two km race with the course in the background
The course for the two km race was different to last year as we would finish at Shelley Beach. It involved swimming to Fairy Bower, across to the point at Manly, down to North Styne, then out to sea, back across the reef to finish. I had swum this course just before Christmas.
I remembered the start last year where I was in the middle of the pack and pushed and prodded by those around me. So this time I worked my way to the front left of the wave. I knew that a large number would go flat-out when they hit the water, but would tire quickly. I let them go and concentrated on my own tactics, and resolved to enjoy the swim. By the time we swam off Manly Point I could feel the large swell pushing through. I was glad that we did not have to negotiate the beach break as it would have been carnage.
The swim this year was good, I felt strong the whole way and kept up my speed all the way. I even managed to learn from my earlier race and passed several swimmers on the last part by keeping left and not getting pushed off course. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and knew that I had done better than last year. I had swum six minutes quicker this year to finish in just under thirty-nine minutes. But more importantly I had improved my placing from the top 50% to the top 25% of the field. I was also in the top quarter for my age group and the males. Wow a huge improvement on last year. This year I had swum both races, and last year only the two km event.
As I watched the swimmers who had done the nine km race I pondered whether that would be a possibility next year.
As other squad members finished we once again compared our experiences. I felt sorry for Shayne, she had to swim against Shayne Gould the 1972 Olympic champion.
The ferry trip home was a time to ponder on how much I had improved in the last year.
Map of the Course
The Big Swim is one of the highlights of the season. I had never done this swim before, as I lacked the confidence to do it. I had looked at the swim on-line for the last few seasons thinking that one day I could do it. The course starts at Palm Beach surf club and swims around the point to Whale Beach, a distance of 2.5 km. What makes this swim special is that there are only four buoys on the course, and three of them are off Whale Beach. It is supposed to be easy to navigate, you just swim south along the coast line.
This year I decided to enter as I had done a few swims already. I arranged to give Michael from squad a lift to the swim, the northernmost of the Sydney swims. The beach is really quite beautiful sweeping up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse at the entrance to the Hawkesbury River. For all those Home and Away fans, this is the location for the outdoor shots for that show. Another good thing about this swim is the excellent organisation with free parking linked to the start line by a free shuttle bus. We had arrived early and looked in vain for a coffee before the swim. So we waited for the rest of our squad to arrive.
The conditions looked quite reasonable with a small NE swell and a forecast of a sea breeze. Our squad did our usual warm up before the swim, taking note of the sweep at the entry line, and the rip.
Once again my wave was to be the last one off the beach so I waited with all the other middle-aged pink cap swimmers. We watched the elite wave start and took note of the paths they took to get into the water.
One of the early waves
I was getting a bit nervous about the swim as time ticked over. I was not very aware of the course as I had not swum at either beach before. All I had been told was to stay off the cliffs to avoid the backwash, and then there are three markers off Whale Beach. As all the rest of the squad started I told them all to wait for me at the finish line.
My wave started and this time I was at the front with coach Paul. I ran into the water, but found the wave zone a bit of an effort to get through. I noticed that a lot of pink caps had swum past me, but I thought I could catch them later as the swim is a long one. As we headed along the cliffs the chop got worse as the wind picked up. I had followed advice and I was a long way off the cliffs. However, once again the chop was impacting on my stroke. I tried to shorten my stroke and have less glide, but found this uncomfortable. For long periods I was swimming by myself, so wondered if I was going the right way. Every now and again I would catch swimmers from earlier waves, but I was not catching many pink caps.
After what seemed an eternity I finally passed the point. Now I had to try to find the markers, but the chop made it difficult. About this time I noticed the side chop was loosening my cap, and I was forced to stop and try to put the cap on properly. This cost me some time, and I thought that next time I would just rip it off and leave it behind.
As I passed each of the markers I noticed that I was getting tired. Obviously the swim three days earlier at the Opera House had taken more out of me than I thought. However, I did see the finish line, and despite the choppy conditions made it quite easily into the beach, and even caught a small wave to assist me.
Once again on hitting the sand my legs did not want to work, but I did move into a slow jog just in case other squad members where watching. I crossed the line and managed to rip off the timing chip from my ankle without falling over. Luckily the drinks tent and fruit tent still had stuff left. I eagerly ate the nectarines and drank the water provided. As the sun was quite hot I wanted to find my bag from the drop off so I could put on a hat and shirt.
After finding the bag I searched out my fellow squad members to swap stories about the swim. Several had ridden their push pikes from Manly and then done the swim. Wow, but why? After the swim we went to Jess’s parents place up on the ridge for a barbeque. It sure was a good way to finish off the swim.
Oh yeah my results: a time of just under 53 minutes which placed me 850th out of 1500 swimmers, and 100th out of 160 in my age group. Once again these were not great times or results. However, I was glad that I had finished the course, and I knew that next season I would do better as I knew the course. I also made a note on how I had to improve in the open ocean and how to deal with a chop.Well done Karl you beat me in another swim, and Michael pulled further ahead in our race.
Aerial view of the course
Australia Day on January 26 is the day of the Sydney Harbour swim at the Opera House. Unlike previous swims I could not enter both races on the day as the 2.2 km race was scheduled to start shortly after the one km race, making it impossible to do both. So I only entered the longer swim. There was only a few from my squad doing this race, as they were saving themselves for the Palm Beach swim three days later. However Shayne and her daughter were hitting the water.
I was interested to see how almost one year of training would benefit my swimming as I could compare this event with the 2011 version when I finished in the top 45% of the field. I felt stronger and more confident of my ability, plus I had the advantage of also knowing the course. The course is very scenic. It starts in the water on the eastern side of the Opera House and swims across Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. It then tracks around the edge of the Sydney Botanic Gardens to return to the start. The visuals are stunning with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge clearly visible as you swim, plus the city skyline. Sometimes it can be quite distracting.
There had been lots of overnight rain, but fortunately the water quality was still good as I entered the start zone for my wave. My plan was to swim reasonably fast for as long as I could, and then settle into a slower pace until I got near the last buoy and then to sprint home. The start was good, all swimmers seemed to know where they were going, and I even managed to get into a clear patch of water fairly quickly. There was not much chop on the water, so it is was easy to settle into my familiar style.
Before long I was passing the outdoor cinema screen at looking at the views. I noticed that I was swimming with a couple of females from my age group, and they were slightly faster than me. This meant that I could sit on their feet and enjoy the drag. I did try to swim around them a couple of times when we came across slower swimmers, but I could not get around them. So I decided to sit in their feet and wait until the turn for home. At that point I did increase my pace, and I managed to swim around them. I was getting tired, but I knew that I wanted to beat them, so I kept up the pace.
The finishing line for this race is easy to spot from a distance: you just look for the sails of the Opera House and then aim slightly to the left. I remembered that drill from training where we look forward as we breathe, and I even managed to maintain my pace whilst doing just that. The finish line for this event was also in the water, so as you passed the line you had to hold up your wrist to ensure the timing tag registered. This saved the drama of climbing out on a ladder and a wet timing mat.
So I had finished, in a time of just over 35 minutes for the 2.2 km distance, placing 150th in the field of 450. This was an improvement on last year so I was happy with that. I just hoped I had enough left for the swim on Sunday.
I had also beaten quite comfortably the Federal Leader of the Opposition who swam in his infamous speedos. He was gracious after the race to let other swimmers have their photo taken with him, and their was no sign of security. It is good to live in a nation where this can happen. Needless to say he went to Canberra straight from the race and made some comments about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy that resulted in him and the prime minister being forcibly removed from a function by security staff. Oh well at least he had a relaxing swim to start the day.
My wife had wandered down to the race just before we started. I found her after the race sitting in the Botanic Gardens enjoying the rare sunshine. We walked home passing the display of antique vintage and classic cars. Of course we had to stop for a beer to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
North Bondi has the fortune to host two swims each season. There was an added bonus to do both the short and long swims on this day, and at the second swim in February: there was a free trip to Hawaii to swim in the Waikiki Roughwater swim. I had trained quite often at this beach, and I was familiar with the conditions. So I entered both the one km and the two km swims.
My wife and I had walked from Clovelly to Bondi on the Friday to celebrate my birthday at Icebergs, and the swell that day was quite large. I was hoping that the swell would drop by Sunday for the swim. We were having a cool summer, it would be cool and showery most of the week, but then Sunday morning would come around and the sun would shine. And once again this happened. The morning of the swim was sunny and warm with a light offshore swim, and there was virtually no swell. As I came down the hill on the bus my spirits lifted to see such excellent conditions.
This was the home swim for the swim squad, so we were extremely well represented on the day with over thirty swimmers. I always enjoy the swims more when there are plenty of people I know to share the experience with. As we did our warm ups I noticed that the water was warm and clear. There would be no advantage in swimming out in the rip near the rocks today.
As my wave stood on the start line for the one km swim I positioned myself near the front for a change, next to some others from our squad. We were joined at the last minute by our coach, and I had the joy of beating him to the first wave as he fell over. Needless to say though he soon powered past me with his unique style. I wanted to do well in the short race so I swam harder than I normally did, and even felt strong at the half-way mark. The only problem was the huge numbers of jelly blubbers just under the surface. While they did not sting you it felt like you could use them to help pull through the water.
As I headed back to the beach I could not see too many swimmers in my age group in front of me. I increased the tempo and hoped for a wave to get me to the finish line quicker. Unfortunately it was one of those days when you had to swim all the way due to the lack of swell on Lake Bondi. I ran hard up to the finish line and noticed my time of just over nineteen minutes. While I thought this was slow, when the results were posted I had finished tenth in my age group and in the top 25% overall.
I grabbed some fruit and drinks from the refreshment area and walked back to my companions feeling quite happy. I was even happier when it became clear that I had beat my nemesis. Had I swum too hard and would suffer in the long swim? I hoped not.
I put on the timing chip for the 2 km event and waited for my wave to enter the water. By the time we started the offshore breeze had changed to a light onshore, but the conditions were still quite smooth. This swim was to swim out from North Bondi to Ben Buckler, then across the bay to MacKenzies Point, followed by a swim towards the beach near Icebergs, then back to North Bondi and finish. I felt very privileged to be able to swim at such a beautiful beach on a stunning summer day.
For this race I did not start at the front but hung off to the side. I realised after entering the water that I was not feeling as fresh as I had in the one km swim.In fact I was enjoying the swim that much that it took me until the first buoy to remember that this was a race and not just a leisurely swim. I increased my tempo at that stage and started passing other swimmers. Once again as the chop increased I noticed the impact on my stroke, and made the necessary adjustments.
I found the course quite easy to navigate as I had learnt to use landmarks behind the buoys to help me. There was also a big pink banner on an apartment in North Bondi to help with the sighting on the leg back to the finish line. A good idea.
Once again the lack of waves was both a good and bad thing. It was good at the start, but at the finish there was no assistance. I made it to the finish line feeling weary. I knew that I had swum slower in this race. When the times were posted I was in the top half of the field with a time of just under thirty-five minutes. This was a combination of my slower swimming, plus the increase in standard in the longer swim when compared to the shorter one. I was very content with my day, no blue bottles, no sun burn and I had beaten my nemesis in both races.
I had also learnt that I could do both faces quite comfortably, but that I needed to work on increasing my pace in the longer race instead of settling into my normal rhythm. I would try that at my next swim, and keep up the training.
The first swim of the year at Newport on the northern beaches of Sydney. A chance to get back into the swing of swims after the Christmas break. The squad had not trained at the pool since the week before Christmas, though I had done a few sessions at Clovelly and North Bondi for a change. It was nice to be able to get to those beaches without worrying about the normal traffic issues.
This swim was called the pool to peak swim as you started at the Newport surf club, swim south towards the ocean pool, then turn north to the northern end of the beach and back to the start. There were two swims on offer, but I only entered the longer two km swim. The forecast was for a typical Sydney summer day: sunny with a freshening NE sea-breeze to keep the temperature down. The only problem with that was that the long reach at the back of the course would be straight into the wind and chop. Oh well if it happens it happens, and everyone would face the same conditions.
My wife and I arrived at the beach quite early to grab a good parking spot, and more importantly a shady spot to sit under the Norfolk Pines that line the beach. I had over estimated the travel time and we arrived well before the one km event was to start. However, this gave me plenty of time to register and observe the course. I watched the early race as they entered the water and noted the direction of the sweep behind the waves.
Before long Michael, SHAYNE and Karl from the squad joined us in the shade, and the usual banter between us started. We all complained about over celebrating during the festive season in an effort to lull the others into a false sense of security. Not sure if it worked, but it was fun.
By the time our race was to start the sun was very strong and you could feel it biting the skin even through the layers of sun cream. In addition the sea-breeze was strengthening which would make the course choppy. My wave started and once again I let the heroes swim fast knowing that perhaps I could catch at least some of them towards the finish. When we turned the buoy near the pool to swim north the chop and wind picked up. I told myself I had swum in worse in the Bondi to Bronte swim and adjusted my stroke to compensate. Unfortunately I took it too easy and was enjoying the conditions without pushing myself very hard. It was only coming back through the waves towards the finish that I started to work hard. I knew that Michael would have beaten me, but I had enjoyed the swim.
My finish time of just over thirty-nine minutes was slow for a 2 km swim, and I was placed around halfway in the field of five hundred swimmers. I had enjoyed the swim and knew that I had to work out a way to swim better in choppy conditions.
GregInTheWater 