SWBKRUN fast, furious, and closed (Page 119)

but i wanna wrestle!

Pics from the cardboard boat race this past weekend...

I'm a qualified surf lifesaver and do regular patrols at Noosa Surf lifesaving Club; The way I see this is that if you aren't confident in the conditions then you shouldn't be out swimming, if you are a weaker swimmer then you need a kayak/rescue board buddy.

If you're confident and a strong swimmer then you can swim on your own but always have a self-rescue plan, for example if I can't get out where I planned to due to surf, currents etc then where will I head to and how will I use the conditions to help me?? etc.

Rip currents can be very helpful for getting out through big surf and big waves can be great for getting back to shore, you just need to know what you're doing.

Summer is officially here and I know of at least one strong soul ready to toe the line this weekend for a little IM love.  What about the rest of you?  Spill it!

As a past lifeguard yet not so confident OWSer I'll chime in here...

I absolutely feel safer swimming with someone else, as in right with me.  Having people elsewhere in the water with me doesn't make me feel any safer.  Especially people training.  They are focused on themselves and probably can't hear much outside of their own breathing. I typically don't have the luxury to swim with others and therefore swim on the edge where I can stand.   yes people drown in shallow water but I think in the majority of those cases they are not capable swimmers.  I believe the majority of people doing triathlon are capable swimmers, maybe not strong, but capable. 

I was a lifeguard throughout my college years and never had a save.  Last Mar I had my first and only rescue in the ocean on a beach with no lifeguard.  A larger man (about 250) got caugt in the undertoe and panicked.  Called out for help.   I got to him first and came to him from behind.  Luckily he was upright so it was easy to grab him across the chest and pull him in.  Granted I don't know if everyone would have been successful as I was but it nice to see that multiple people came to try to aid the man.  I think there is something to the phrase, safety in numbers. 

your points are about who is qualified to swim alone and who needs a support vessel, having a plan, etc.. are excellent.  i completely agree with all them, as noted in my previous posts.   but what does swimming with others offer? 

very cool you were there to save that guy.  i hope he bought you a beer.  and you're dead on about people focusing on themselves, that's what i don't get about this whole swimming with others thing.  feeling safer and being safer don't always coincide. 

where there's a majority, there's also a minority.  a very capable swimmer from our church drowned in water he was able to stand in.  water at any depth should be respected. 

edit.. well, there does not have to be a minority if the majority is 100%.  but i think you get my point. 

good luck racing peeps.  nada here.   i think we're going camping in the backyard and smoking a hunk of meat.. not sure what yet, maybe a turkey breast.  boob.  ha!

Another bike race this weekend, 8 turns in 1k, for 45 minutes,  should be fun!

Well I'm signed up for a race but I'm not sure i'll make it.  It's a 50/50 right now.  Still waiting for my body to give me a good answer.

Got a sprint on Sunday before I fly out to Munich, Germany. It is the Smile Train Triathlon. The RD is one of the best and I love that for everyone that enters at least one child will get a smile care of the doctors that fix cleft palates, etc.

Gonna be an interesting training week in Germany. No swimming, some running and if I am lucky some strnegth and indoor bike work at the gym.

One thought on swimming alone: my friend Carol, Keyone here on BT, posted about a swim noodle on her blog. It is not a bad idea to have one when swimming alone. In case of a cramp or to make you more visible if you are swimming near boat traffic:

http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/post/safety-noodle/

??

I loved reading the swimming alone discussions last night... was at a swim meet, though, and not about to try to write this post from my phone, ha!!

I've been having many discussions with my husband on the swimming alone thing. I always try to meet up with other peeps for OWS. However, there have been a handful of times (literally, can count them on one hand) when I have really wanted to OWS but can't line up friends. Last season I went alone a time or two. Oftentimes there are other triathletes in the water. Or people fishing from the shore. Or kayakers. Or water skiers.  I am a strong swimmer and I wear a wetsuit. 

My "Never Swim Alone" brain (i.e. brainwashed brain!) says, well, "never swim alone."  My logical brain has said, "Really... what is someone else going to be able to do to help me??" When I meet peeps for OWS we do our own thing. We decide in advance how long or how far we are swimming. We pass each other here and there and give a quick "How you doing? Everything OK?" But we are in no position to help one another unless we are RIGHT THERE. 

I asked my husband one evening how he felt if I went and swam alone. We had a long discussion about what another person could do if something happens. And no matter what the discussion came back to... Not Much. He finally conceded that he'd likely rather not know I was alone until I was home safely. (Ha!) He argued that another person could yell for help if I couldn't -- causing someone on shore to call 911. I think we did have the discussion also of they'd know where to find a body (back to John's point). I concluded that I'm probably safer swimming alone than I am riding my bike outside, which I do very often!

My lake doesn't have currents. It does have boat traffic, and that is what scares me the most. I feel that safety in numbers helps there -- boats are more likely to notice lots of bright-colored swim caps rather than just one. I have never cramped up, aside from random toe cramps in the pool. I have decided that FOR ME, I am willing to live with the (small) risks of swimming alone on occasion. I always try to meet up with people, but I do not honestly feel they would make a difference in my survival if something went wrong. But statistically, in the 40+ years I have been swimming in water (self-taught at age 3) I have yet to feel unsafe. 

So yea, I was the only swimmer in those pictures. But rather than go to the lake alone, I did take my dad along for my "safety." Mom pretty much nailed it the night before, when she said, "What's he gonna do to help you? Call 911 from the shore, I guess..." Yup. That, and take pictures. 

Okay -- RR is up:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=257679

What made me 9 minutes faster?  Swim lessons, a lot more time on the bike this winter and consistently getting in my runs.   And the good news is that I know I have the potential to knock off another 9 minutes next year.....and that, my friends, keeps me motivated.

That would be me!! Ironman Coeur d'Alene, baby!!

In my typical chaotic fashion, I am in no way prepared to leave town tomorrow and am taking things one day, one hour, one minute at a time... kinda like I plan to do in my race!! Today I'll work on my packing a bit, squeezing that around a run/coffee with Linda, Steve and Ryan; swim practice and piano lessons for the kids; goggle replacement; and hopefully a little R&R. As always when a trip is pending, I just want to get on the road. Then I can relax a bit. But I got lots to do to get there!! The bike is in order and the tri clothes are clean, so I got that much workin' for me!!

Good luck to the other racers!!

I'm not racing, but I am doing a 100K bike event in Madison this weekend.  We decided last night to stay in town so I simply can't pass it up-it uses a large part of the IM course backwards plus some other fab hilly areas.  Perfect practice. And the weather is supposed to be stellar. And I love SAG/Food events!!!

Ok, I'll weigh in one last time on the whole swim alone, but only in response to this comment from Kyla "boat traffic and seeing more colored caps"....we have a lot of boat traffic on Lake Monona and I would not trust that they see ten caps or one cap.  Only way people swim in that lake is at 5-6am in the morning when boat trafic is ALMOST non-existent. They just aren't looking that low in the water.  Same can be said for our lake in Minocqua which is why I always stick close to shore (there is a thre foot rule from the piers) unless the man is out in the kayak.   In the end, it really is up to each invidiual to decide what they're comfortable with, right?

I will add... I usually swim early in the morning and, at most, there are two boats on the lake. I also swim buoy lines in a no wake zone (except my own, ha ha!), where boats are not to be whizzing by. If I wanted to swim in the middle of the day after the lakes are guarded (weekends after Memorial Day? and certain hours in the summer?), there is an area by the dock that is roped off and life-guarded and you can swim "laps" that are about 30-50 yards long, I'd guess. 

Good luck racing peeps!!!

No race here, but I do have my first 80 mile ride this weekend with a short T run.  Thank goodness it will be outdoors and the weather is looking beautiful.  With all of these hills it will take me the better part of Sunday and hopefully be back in time to watch our Kyla cross the finish line!!! 

The discussion about swimming alone has been very interesting.  I am sure everyone has time constraints with work and family obligations, and for me, it seems there is always an excuse not to do open water....group time is smack in the middle of long bike day, evening swims seem to be before I get off work, or on Saturdays when I work, etc.  I was just thinking aloud about having one less excuse by just occasionally heading down there when it is convenient for me. Good to hear experienced swimmers and lifeguard's opinions and am appreciative of all of the discussion around the topic. 

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

No racing for me. I'm going to do a nice long trail run in Steve and Kyla's stomping grounds, Cougar Mountain. Also, going to get my bike out on the road.

Seattle area peeps- Any suggestions on places to ride? I'm in the Black Diamond/ Maple Valley area, but willing to travel... low traffic would be great since I'm out of practice.

What??? NO INVITES!?! I'm hurt! 

For biking stay out there... Black Diamond as some good riding...

http://www.racecenter.com/blackdiamond/halftridu/course.htm

** READ BIKE COURSE **

I couldn't keep up with you (and would kill myself trying), Steve, otherwise I'd love too.

Thanks for the black diamond suggestion. I raced the half in 2009. Beautiful, fun course, but as I recall the residents weren't too fond of us (the only race I've done where we were actually warned of this), which makes me a bit nervous. I haven't had my bike on the road for probably a year, so was kind of hoping there'd be some bike trails I might be able to get on just to warm up a bit.

Good luck all the racing PEEPS!  REPRESENT!  ......   with a special shout-out of Godspeed to our CDA IM'er.  # 592, I will be following along!

No racing for me.  Originally, I had scheduled another Oly as another "training race" but after much discussion and debate (thanks for all the input!), I have put my ego and PR dreams aside for a long training weekend.  Plan is to get some good running miles in later this week and pedal some decent miles this weekend on the bike to verify the variables of my nutrition plan.

Be Good!  Be Safe!   

Edit ..... cause I terp'ed it!