It was a beautiful day for a swim in Lake George— clear skies, warm sunshine, and ideal water.
But it was not my day for the 10K.
I started off with the group and spent the first 1/2 lap of the course finding my groove, so to speak. Some days, everything is off kilter for a bit while I warm up, get moving, and start to feel fluid. I reminded myself that I did the 5 miles in the Chester River in just under 3 hours, and that I had 4 hours to finish the 10K. It would be close, but I felt like it was reality based. Periodically, I swam alongside another swimmer for a while before one of us pulled ahead. Having another swimmer in my sight line is hugely helpful, as it keeps me focused and I push a bit harder. As a slower swimmer, any boost I can get is good.
One of the things I love about open water swimming is that time and distance don’t feel the same as on land, so you could tell me I’ve been swimming for 20 minutes or two hours, and I would have to trust you. This was not in my favor today. I did have a watch on, and checked my time after each lap of the course. I was taking about an hour each, which was cutting things a bit close. During the stretches when I swam alone, my mind wandered a bit. For more than one lap, my mind kept wandering into less than optimal places. Sometimes, if you are driving and getting sleepy, thinking about an old argument or grudge can boost your adrenaline enough to jolt you to attention for a while. For some reason, I kept remembering some of the more negative comments I’ve gotten about my swimming this summer, and my arm strokes kept them stuck in my head like a broken record. I know better. When I swam Champlain in 1999, I remembered my high school lifeguard coach saying I didn’t swim well enough to pass, and I went past Juniper Island and the Four Brothers chanting, “I can SO swim!” (For the record, I didn’t do well enough on the written test, but maybe he thought I’d rather think it was about the swimming? Regardless, I passed when I took the course in college, and am currently a certified guard. Neener, neener, neener.)
Lap 3 was the clincher. I knew that I had to round the green buoy and be on my fourth lap by 11:00am or I would not be allowed to start that final lap. I focused as much as I could, helped along by a few swimmers coming into my range (the 5K swimmers started after the 10K swimmers, and many of them flew by). At one point in the third lap, I saw that it was about 20 minutes until 11:00. I thought if I could round that buoy by 10:50, I could take the few minutes needed to get a drink at the support boat before starting my last lap, which would give me a bit of a boost. The second half of lap three was the time for maximum power— a sprint into the wind. Fortunately, I had a more positive mental image working for me: Aunt Julia in the swim cap I gave her, with her wacky, curly, windblown, swimmer hair escaping around the edges while she used my shoulders to hang ten and surf her way across Lake George toward that dratted green buoy. If that doesn’t get you moving, I don't know what does.
By my watch, I rounded the green buoy at 11:00. You know the saying, “A man with one watch knows what time it is, but a man with two watches is never sure”? The only watch that mattered was the official race time. When I got to the double yellow buoys which marked the start of lap 4, a kayaker told me that I needed to exit the race via the beach.
Do I think I could have finished Lap 4? Absolutely.
Was I going to argue with the race officials? Absolutely not.
Leaving the race let me watch some of the other swimmers finish— a few people trying open water for the first time, which is very cool. I was able to visit with other swimmers who have done some races I’ve done- that is the good thing about race shirts!- like the Chesapeake, Swim for Life, and even one with a shirt from the Potomac 7.5 mile swim. Swimmers came from all over. It really was a great day, and a great event to be a part of. And one I plan to do again.
Plan. I need to make my own plan. I need to trust my own plan.
I need to not be distracted by anyone else’s idea of what my plan should be, or if I should do something at all. I do not ask anyone to take on open water swimming who has no interest- I encourage people to try if they show any interest, but don’t feel confident in their abilities. I do not need anyone to look at me with a face that almost seems angry or offended that I would dare swim near the Statue of Liberty, as if it were a stew of sewage- it was NOT. I don’t need people telling me that cold water is cold, or implying that because they can’t imaging doing it, that it is somehow stupid. If I get a chance to do some mileage in open water over the next few weeks, I will take it. I have a wetsuit, but am not obliged to use it. I prefer to NOT use it.
Did I do my best swimming today? No. It has been an up and down summer for my swimming. Swim for Life was a great 5 mile race in which everything worked as hoped, even in the super warm water. I felt I had prepared properly, both with training and breakfast. Lady Liberty Sharkfest was a treat by the nature of the course— The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the skyline of the NYC Financial District, and great water. Getting to Misquamicut for a training swim was a good day- swimming the length of the beach in rough water several times in any amount of time is priceless.
Lake Placid was disappointing, because while I was swimming both the 1 and 2 mile races, I could feel that I wasn’t swimming to my potential. I managed to improve my times from last year, but did not achieve what was possible. Honestly, if I had swum slower than last year in Lake Placid, but felt like the effort of the day was everything I had to offer, I would have been happy with my swims. Every race is unique, each day is different, and water conditions vary.
Even with a qualifying swim of 5 miles in under 3 hours, the 10K today (6.2 miles) was a risk. Given the range of my mile swims over the summer, I could have taken anywhere from 3.6 to 4.10 hours. Knowing the risk, I needed to pick up my pace and stay focused. The pace I need to maintain is very manageable if I stay focused, stay on course, and have good weather. No excuses.
So now what? I am where I am, and I’m here for a while, so I have to continue to train and make progress to meet my goals. I have a lot of swimming to do, and taking another crack at that 10K is part of it. Not all of it. I’ve swum greater distances, and will again. I’ve swum faster, and while I may not recapture the speed I had 17 years ago, I’m not ruling it out. I may not have a job giving me access to many indoor and outdoor pools to train in year round, but I am a coach and a personal trainer, and I have many other people I can tap for training ideas and feedback who are like-minded.
I’m listening to the positive- and thank you to everyone who has offered good wishes and moral support, and to everyone who has shared the water during training swims. Anyone with a negative comment can save it— I really do look at all aspects of what I do when I swim. I’m aware that the local lakes freeze in the winter. I know I have to go to work. I know how far away races are. I know what they cost. I know I get cold when the air temperature is low, and I keep a leather jacket in my office for after a morning swim, even if everyone else is sweating.
When I pay attention and do the work, swimming is powerful. I had some moments of that today, and was glad to see so many other swimmers having great swims. I have plenty to build on. And I’ll be back in Lake George in the morning with anyone who wants to start the day with The One True Sport.
