What can I say, it’s pretty amazing. We had 122 swimmers out this Saturday. The 3rd record Saturday in a row! 100 swimmers more than what we used to consider a good turnout only a few years ago!
I know this record streak won’t last forever, but it’s pretty cool to see so many LOSTies out there!
As for the actual swim… the water temp was awesome, 70F / 21C.
Ironically though, just last week I said we were due for a rough one, one of these days… and we got it. Having said that, it wasn’t that rough. I’d just call it a “medium rough” day. I always say that about 8 out of 10 Saturdays, over the summer, we get perfectly flat swims. But about 2 out of 10 days we get some rough water. Last weekend was our 9th Saturday of the summer… so, ya, we were due.
The other thing to note about “rough” water is the difference between “chop” and “waves”. Chop sucks. Chop is just small waves with no real direction. They hit you from every direction and is very hard to get into a rhythm. Waves on the other hand are a bit harder to swim in than flat water, but can be very manageable. If you don’t fight it, you can get into a nice rhythm, which means timing your stroke to try and match the waves. Nice long strokes while climbing them, then short fast ones to try and surf your way down them. Mind you, if you are swimming straight into them, then it is just plain hard work. And a lot slower. But my point is that I’ll take waves over chop, any day!
And on Saturday, we had waves. Not huge waves, but good enough that you had to focus a bit on them.
If you can remember way back a month ago, when, on July 1st we were swimming in 44F water, the issue was how to swim in (stupid) cold water. But learning how to swim in cold water makes you a better swimmer. You learn how to deal with it. Remember when I told you the key was to “relax and exhale” (see earlier post).
Well, this week you got a taste of how to swim in rough water. And the one key thing I mentioned was sighting. In rough water, don’t sight for the buoy. Site for something much bigger. The tree line or a building. It doesn’t have to be directly in line, just a relative position to the buoy. Because in rough water there is no way you are going to be able to see that buoy until you are almost there. Remember you are sighting from 1 or 2 inches above the water line… not 5 or 6 feet, like you would be on land! Let alone when all you can see is splashing and arms. And when you are picking the image you want to use as a reference point to sight with, don’t pick it when you are on land. Because it isn’t in line with where you will be swimming. Get in before the race at the start line… THEN pick your sighting object in relation to the buoy. Use your head before the start and pay attention. Then take a second and re-sight after each turn.
This is REALLY IMPORTANT. We all have laughed at people in races that are 100m, 200m, 300m apart… ya, somebody is swimming a helluva lot farther than someone else! And of course, everyone thinks it is the other guy that is swimming crooked. But in the water it is very hard to see who is, especially over a long distance. Even funnier is when people follow other people… who also are not swimming straight!
People worry about their stroke, their turnover, how fast their new expensive wetsuit is… well here is a little tip… SWIM STRAIGHT. It is really cool when you can beat someone who is way faster than you! (I almost beat Dylan in Caledon last summer, if he hadn’t boxed me out! And he’s way faster than me). And it really sucks when someone who is slower than you beats you! (and Loren beat me by 10 minutes in the Lake Erie 10k last summer! But I’m hanging that one on my kayaker!) I know it is easier said than done… but that’s what we just practised.
Little update on the LOST Shed. Rick and Chris and a couple of the guys working on my house built most of the 4 walls this week. So we have a bit of work to do still. The plan is that on Saturday we will go back to my place and finish up the 4 walls… then Adrian has said he will move the walls from there down to our new cement pad by the TOWARF building… and we’ll try and get the 4 walls up on Saturday. The we’ll need to put on the roof and shingles… and paint it. Not sure how long all that will take, but essentially, a few of the guys and myself, will be there Sat, Sun and holiday Monday… until it gets done. Feel free to join us!
And even more importantly… THE LOST RACE IS NEXT SATURDAY, Aug 12! Please come out and swim or volunteer!
- On-water – ie) kayaks & or kaykers, SUPS and or SUP’ers, etc
- contact Mauro at: [email protected]
- or contact Claudia: [email protected]
- On-land – ie) registration, handing out medals, parking, assisting, set up, etc. You can request a post that will still allow you to swim too!
- contact Darren to volunteer at: [email protected]
- or contact Steve at: [email protected]
