So after a winter of just swimming… I’m ready… I guess. Truth is, I don’t really feel that well prepared. I was swimming well about a month ago… but then came the injuries… my achilles, my back, a chest cold that I haven’t been able to shake… and not being able to do any long swims this time of year… all have me second guessing my training and conditioning. Training in a 25m pool for a 38k race is like training for an ultra-marathon on a treadmill… kinda hard to get the distance in. There. I’ve got all my excuses out.
On the other hand… I have been swimming well this year. Big thanks to all my team-mates at Burlington Masters Swim Club… and to Coach Dave! All the quality workouts we’ve done really do maximize the amount of time we have in the pool. And even though I found it hard to believe and it kills me to say it… Dave was right… he picked my stroke apart and put it back together… and I’m pretty sure it’s better because of it.
And most importantly… it doesn’t matter. Time’s up. You get what you get and you do what you can with the hand you get dealt. The weather conditions play a much bigger role in any ultra event… and even more so in open water swimming… as the guys at the Boston Marathon got a small taste of this weekend.
weather looks good, water temp 79F / 26C… air temp 79F / 26C as well! One less thing to worry about!
possibility of “strong thunderstorms”… okay that could be something to worry about…
I’m not the only LOSTie in the race… Ted Gregory, 74, who has driven up to swim with us when he was training for the English Channel has got a harem of mermaids to join him on a 6 person relay! (below)
SWIMMER, AGE, HOMETOWN 1. Brad Denton, 48M, Scottsdale, AZ
2. Chris Burke, 50M, St. Petersburg, FL
3. Greg Larson, 43M, San Rafael, CA
4. Sarah Thomas, 29F, Englewood, CO 5. Rob Kent, 47M, Oakville, Ontario 6. Dan Boyle, 46M, New York, NY
7. Katie Brooks, 23F, Asheville, NC
8. Mauro Giaconia, 40M, Palermo, Italy
9. Mark Smitherman, 54M, Clearwater, FL
10. Patti Bauernfeind, 44F, Dublin, CA
11. Tibor Molnar, 19M, Shelton, CT
12. Bart Cobb, 57M, Tampa, FL
13. Alan Barry, 48M, Asheville, NC
14. Pat Marzulli, 63M, Indian Rocks Beach, FL
15. Steve Gruenwald, 50M, Anchorage, AK
16. Arnie Bellini, 53M, Tampa, FL 17. Angry Fish Relay
Chris Kirwin, 46M, Overland Park, KS
Jordan Lewis, 54M, Minneapolis, MN
Dan Snyder, 44M, Los Gatos, CA
Rob Benson, 43M, Mt. Dester, ME
Jim Kirkland, 64M, Alexandria, VA
Jen Raymond, 46F, Stanford, CA 18. Team Hammerhead Aquatics Relay
Bill Korey, 48M, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Andrea Woodburn, 48F, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Jonathan Olsen, 49M, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 19. Five Mermaids and a Shark Relay
Patty Hermann, 52F, Houston, TX
Kimberly Hermann, 22F, Houston, TX
Marcy Olsen, 21F, Houston, TX
Caitlin Healey, 29F, Needham, MA
Lauren Tharaud, 30F, Hoboken, NJ
Ted Gregory, 74M, Camp Hill, PA
Tampa Bay Marathon Swim route... 24 miles / 38k... swimming south to north.
So here are some details about the race: