General Discussion Race Reports! » Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim - Swim


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
San Francisco, California
United States
EnviroSports
56F / 13C
Overcast
Total Time = 42m 47s
Overall Rank = 196/742
Age Group = M 45-49
Age Group Rank = 22/107
Pre-race routine:

Woke up & jammed a quick bagel, since hotel brought it 20 minutes late. Just walked over to race start and looked for family & friends.
Event warmup:

Waved my arms around in the air like I was some sort of Olympic swimmer who knew what he was doing, or perhaps I was a chicken trying to fly. Don't know if it worked or not. Walked in the "parade o' rubber" to the pier and enjoyed the boat ride over to Alcatraz.
Swim
  • 42m 47s
  • 2414 meters
  • 01m 46s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim started out a lot like Ironman, with people thwacking all over each other. That was fine with me since I've done enough of it now to be used to it, but it still sort of sucks. Caught a kick to the eye and another to the jaw, which is beginning to seem a bit unnecessary in the greater scheme of things.

Anyway, it was overcast and the views weren't as spectacular as two years prior, so I just kept my head down and swam. I think that the whole "current" issue is a bit exaggerated, as a pretty direct swim to the target seemed to work just fine.
What would you do differently?:

I think that positioning at the start could be improved. Starting in the third row, pretty dead center wasn't the brightest idea. Also, I may need a new wetsuit or something, as this chafing is getting pretty old. Finally, someone really needs to turn up the heaters in the Bay; it's really too cold out there. Rarely have I so enjoyed peeing in my wetsuit.
Post race
Warm down:

Fumbled out of the bay and just hung out looking for friends. Once the stragglers were accounted for, we headed to the hotel for showers, and then Scoma's for some wonderful crab & shrimp Louie!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think that the waves were higher this year, and the currents a bit stronger. Having said that, I'm very pleased with the way that the swim felt, as well as the result.

Event comments:

This swim is just a pure joy to participate in, and it's great to make a weekend out of it. The race coincided with "Gay Pride Weekend," so we were able to take in the Dyke March as well as the Gay Pride Parade. The Dykes on Bikes, followed by the Mikes on Bikes, had nothing on our race with its opening Parade of Rubber. I'm not sure if folks at Fisherman's Wharf realized we were going swimming, or if it was just another Gay Pride Weekend fetish number....

Very pleased to have taken 5:30 off my time from two years previous:

2006:
48:20.8
40th in AG out of 73 (M40-44)
210th overall out of 486

2008:
42:47.8
22nd in AG out of 107 (M45-49)
196th overall out of 742

The swim was a bit of a concern because of the calf injury two days prior, but there weren't any problems. Now I just have to focus on easy training while I try to heal.... Really confident that I'll want to sign up for this again next year.




Last updated: 2007-12-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:47 | 2414 meters | 01m 46s / 100meters
Age Group: 22/107
Overall: 196/742
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman Instinct
Course: Dropped off a Ferry at Alcatraz prison, then back to Aquatic Park in San Francisco.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 58F / 14C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

{postbutton}
2008-06-30 1:18 PM

User image

Member
22

Denver
Subject: Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim


2008-06-30 2:04 PM
in reply to: #1499350

User image

Subject: RE: Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim
Congrats!   I did this a couple years ago, it's a lot of fun and well run.  Good job taking that time off
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim Rss Feed