Great Chesapeake Bay Swim - 4.4 Mile : Official Thread

I got an e-mail back indicating that had accepted the qualifying time.

This will be my 4th Bay Swim, the first since 2007.  I train almost solely with a masters program.  I will swim 3x a week (about 10-12k yards) and may through in a couple OWS as the water warms up. In this swim, there is a good chance you will need to speed up / slow down based on the current.  Repeats at Masters workouts will help a lot.

In the race itself, do your best to stay as close to the middle as possible -- stay aware of the currents.  If you cannot see both spans, you have an issue. Otherwise, just keep swimming and have fun, this is a great swim.

Thanks for the reply, but now I'm worried since I never recieved any acceptance email of my qualifying time.  Although, I am still listed on the lottery winners listing and followed all instructions.  I sent Linda another email to check on it.  The last time I sent a request on status, she replied that more confirmation were going out the next day, but that was on 1/16.  Thanks for the race tips, I'll keep those in mind.

No real training advice other than to Swim. A. Lot.  The race is a great experience, but it's much different than any other open water swim I've ever done.  The current can be quite strong and you can feel like you are floating along like a top out there.

Not sure I agree with the advice about staying in the middle - I'd suggest listening to the pre-race briefing on current direction, and then hug the "upstream" span to avoid getting washed out.  Note the "upstream" span is likely to change halfway through the race due to tides.

And be ready for a lot of "real" swimmers out there - I am a pretty strong swimmer but there were guys from the second wave (starts 30 minutes behind) just blowing past me like I was standing still.

Congrats on getting in!  It's a swim event that you'll never forget.  It's one of the hardest things I've ever done in the water, but it's so much fun.  

I agree with the comment about staying in Annapolis.  Unfortunately, the second weekend in June is always EXTREMELY busy because of GCBS and Eagle Man, so most of the really close hotels are probably already booked.  Look in Annapolis.

In terms of training, I just up my distance every week until about two weeks out, I'm swimming five times a week at about 8,000 yards per workout.  4.4 miles translates into 7,744 yards (or 7,080 meters), so you don't want to do that every week, you want to do that distance almost every time you get in the pool when you're close to the race date.  Logistically, though, that can be tough, because doing 5,000 - 8,00 yard workouts can take 2 - 4 hours, depending on your ability, and who has time for something like that?   I only have time for it because I'm not a triathlete, and my running is just plan sad, so I spend 90% of my cardio time in the water.

If you were to start next week at around 3,000 yards for a work out and just add 500 yards/week, you'd reach 8,000 yards the week before the event.  Easy-peasy!

In terms of the race itself, really pay attention to the pre-swim meeting.  They will go over the water temperatures, the wind speeds, and the currents/tide patterns of the bay.  In 2011, the trip out to the bridge was easy-peasy, but the first mile or so, once I was under the spans, was pretty brutal; I found myself drifting towards the right span quite a bit...so much that I had to turn to my left and swim for a couple minutes directly at the left span.  But, once I hit the 2 mile mark, it was pretty smooth sailing the rest of the way.  There are food boats and miles 2 and 3, so you can stop and get some water, Muscle Milk, Bananas, Gatorade, Vanilla wafers, take a quick break and keep on going.

You will never be alone out in the middle of the bay.  There are about 500 volunteers who kayak, boat, and float around if you ever need or just want someone to keep an eye on.  You're not allowed to ever get towed along by a kayak, but if you need a break, they are more than happy to let you hold on and do that.  The first 500 yards out to the bridge is a typical Cuisinart start, so I just stand on the beach and let everyone beat each other up and then go once everything is clear.   Once you hit the bridge, though, everyone is pretty spread out and you'll have your own space to do your own thing.

Don't worry about the cleanliness of the Bay...it's actually one of the cleanest open bodies of water I've swam in.  The only trouble I usually get is when you're on the last mile or so and the bridge is coming back down on the other side; if it's a hot day and the traffic is bad on the bridge, you'll get a lovely taste of gasoline.  Other than the occasional twig I'd bump into, or a floating piece of rope from a boat, it was clear.  The water is also usually around 80 degrees.

Just have fun and don't stress about anything.  It'll be one of the most exhausting swimming events you'll ever do, but when you finish, you'll think "let's do that again!!"

See you on the shore.

Thanks for the tips Boston, that is some serious swim yardage, 8000 each workout???  I joined a masters swim and doing that 3x per week and adding a long swim that will get progressively longer each week.  I did a 4000 yd today, broken up in 500's and 1000s at an easy pace and it wasn't a problem for me, so I'll start to pick it up in the coming weeks just to see how I progress on the longer swims.  I also have been running 2-3x per week and have a half marathon tomorrow, so getting some cross-training in too.  I'm really looking forward to this event.

I just got a postcard from GCBS confirming my entry fee is tax deductible, now that is a bonus, only if all races were tax deductible!! lol!

Your family can be at the start, but they will charge $5 a person to get into Sandy Point Park.  They can then drive over the bridge to the finish (they will have plenty of time).  The park actually has a nice beach to hang out for a while.  Otherwise, they can head over to Hemingways -- I recommend a tent / umbrella, it always seems to be really hot and unshaded.

I just bumped to 3 swims a week, about 11K and will stay there until May, when I will add an open water swim one morning.  8,000 in one workout is a monster.

You're more than welcome.    The thought of crossing the Bay is a bit intimidating, and there's a reason why it's so famous---but it's so much fun, and with the training you do, you'll be able to do it without much problem.  Your yardage is great, and in my opinion, if you can comfortably do 1,000 yards straight, you can do 8,000 yards straight.  For me, the issue isn't so much the physical aspect, but the mental aspect.  Swimming can be SO BORING, so the only really tough part about the whole thing is keeping your mind occupied for 2-3 hours.  

You by no means need to be doing 8,000 yard a work-out, I'm just a swimmer, and I swim 6 days a week and then might go for a walk on a random Wednesday.  I'm a clumsy person on land, so I tend to avoid it by staying in the water.  (The thought of jogging one mile makes me want to take a nap.)  So, the only reason why I am now doing 11,000 a few times a week in one work out is because that's all I do for cardio.

The person above this comment gave great tips about family at the start/finish.   Your family being at the start has a great benefit--you won't have to put your things in a labeled bag to be picked up at the finish, they can just take your things with them.  The event is ran really smoothly, and in the two times I've done it, I've never had my belongings stolen or lost, so if they don't accompany you to the start, you shouldn't feel uncomfortable leaving your things in the hands of the race people.

We should get a casual meet-up going before the event, if you or anyone else you know, is doing the swim.  It's always nice to have some familiar faces on the beach before we all embark on something like this.