Thursday, August 08, 2019

Great South Bay Swim, 19 July 2019


Great South Bay

Great South Bay Swim 2019 in the books! I swam 3:30:31, an improvement from last year by about 8 minutes for the roughly 5.3-5.5 miles, and was quite happy with this swim. Want to first thank Bob and Mary Fischer and their tireless team of volunteers, coast guard, etc. for their wonderful care for our safety. And I want to thank my excellent kayaker, Dana McElhinney. Dana had never kayaked on the Great South Bay before, much less for a 5+ mile race, but she was amazing! Just crushed it as a kayaker!
As for me? I think the 11,000 yard pool workout definitely helped me in this swim. I started off at a comfortable pace, as I did in that workout, and actually felt better as the swim progressed, so in the last ~400m or so, I had to throw in a bit of butterfly. https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/ta5/1.5/16/1f642.png:)
I think this swim tells me I'm good for even longer distances. Something about the light, bouncy feel of waves and the heartbeat of the water in my ears--I remember thinking early on, there are always some discomforts in any kind of distance swims, but I came because I love swimming, and this swim particularly supports a wonderful cause. So I focused not on the discomfort but on having some fun. I would pick up my pace to stay abreast of the kayak and see it as a great opportunity if I fell behind it to push the pace some more, to let it be play. Life is filled with work--swimming is my play, even when it's work.
I'm so grateful to God for the health to participate in these events and enjoy them so much. I was thinking too--geez, I get to swim in this beautiful bay, experience the sun peeking through clouds and turning the water to glitter.
The swim is reward by itself. Then to add the bonus... won a gift card from P.C. Richards, plus the "endurance award," a bobble head swimmer trophy. This meant I was the last woman in (some men finished after me). But last to me, simply means I lasted. And while some folks finished in less than 2 hours (bless them and congrats!), I figured, I just had longer to savor the swim and then enjoy the after party and the generous spread of food.
Congrats to all the swimmers, and thanks to Robert Roos for treating me to a second Guiness and sharing your helpful kayaking tips with Dana! She's impressed you swim breaststroke the whole way.
Thanks Brigid and Audrey for coming by to cheer! And thanks all of you for your support here and elsewhere.
How can I not mention the superb coaching of John Kenny who raises the bar in swim practice, doesn't let me forget to hydrate, and sets up fantastic open water events and noncompetitive swims in our beloved Schuylkill River. The Schuylkill Swimfest, especially, was an amazing workout, including a 5k, mile, and 800m swims, going with and against the current, meaning ideal open water practice for GSB. I'm a better swimmer b/c of John's coaching.







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