Neglected Swim

Fish and other creatures of the sea and or lake Sea weed, etc. And, of course, the thought of swimming over one of the former Soprano's cast members may scare people off. I signed up for the Race for the River this weekend in the Hudson River and this thought makes me want to just eat the entry fee!

I have swum in the ocean and in Lake Tahoe, and will be doing the Tahoe swim again this Saturday. I know the real and good reason why some people don't do it - its COLD!

it is something that I've thought about...but for some reason I tend to have nightmares about the Ohio River here in Cincinnati--not that I would swim there but the thought of murky water scares the dickens out of me. And, then one guy wrote a thread about jelly fish during a race! (ok, so there aren't any in lakes, or freshwater...but other funny things are!). This summer the goal is to swim at Eastfork Lake...it will be interesting to see if I can not be such a chicken to do so. Jerrycat ;)

Sigh... pool ballerinas... We need to put a bullet in this shark thing, once and for all (yeah, right). So, here's the current betting line (USA only). Your odds, this year, of being: Killed in a car accident: 1:7,000 Killed by a tornado: 1:450,000 (much worse odds if you live in a trailer park, I assume) Killed by falling airplane parts, for God's sake: 1:10,000,000 Winning the California lottery: 1:13,000,000 Attacked by a shark: 1:100,000,000 Killed by a shark: 1:300,000,000 A day of open water swimming, followed by brewskis and the admiring glances of buxotic love-nymphs: priceless Other idiotic things to know for your next team social: More people are killed by pigs each year in the US than sharks. More mail carriers are killed by dogs each year than by sharks. The shark odds for open water races in fresh water are slightly higher (approaching 1:infinity), since there has never been a reported shark attack in places that haven't seen salt/brackish water since, say, the Cambrian era. Therefore: Since you are 30 times more likely to be killed by falling airplane parts than a shark, it is more reasonable to move into the basement of your house and not go outside without a hard hat than to avoid open water races because of sharks. No more whining. Get out there! -LBJ

Shhhhhhh…. Open water swimming is the last bastion for real swimming. Once the word gets out all of the aqua-cize and water aerobics classes will head for the lake and our pristine waterways will start to look like Shakey’s Y pool; swim noodles, floatees, slow swimmers in the fast currents, and swim caps with flowers on them! Do you want to turn our Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average into the Wobegon Aquatic Center where lap swimming is allowed from 5:30 – 8:00 am and 7:00 -9:00 PM , in 3 lanes with 50 people, in 90 degree water, and all the guards are ambivalent? As soon as people realize that swimming outdoors in lakes, rivers and oceans beats swimming in a box, all of those pool kamikazes will head for the open water and nowhere will be safe. That Saturday morning swim will no longer be relaxed back to nature workout, as we are busy dodging those black-line junkies. Soon they will be asking for heated lakes and if it’s not too much trouble, please add a little chlorine and while you at it could you put some cement and a black line on the bottom.

Personally, I can't stand the waves. When I'm swimming in a pool, it starts to drive me crazy when there are more than 2 other people in the lane. I like flat water. The waves start pulling at my shoulders, and my shoulders are pretty fragile to begin with. -Rick

Leonard: You’re right on the odds, but it only takes one time when you’re inside the mouth of some butt head Great White Shark to think...gee, I sure wish I was in the pool. Over in Maui a few years ago a frisky Tiger Shark plundered the race coarse to the point where they had to call off the race, (from what I was told). Although no one was bitten or worse yet, consumed, this Tiger Shark got rather frisky and aggressive. To my knowledge, no one has ever been bothered by sharks on the Alcatraz Swim or Golden Gate Bridge Swims, but, I assure you, it was on my mind the entire way across the Golden Gate straight. Then at mid span on the Golden Gate Bridge a bunch of California Seals swam from my left down under me to my right….and… I almost died of fright until a coarse Marshal paddling a kayak a few hundred yards from me started laughing and told me not to worry, they are just seals. They could have been gold fish at that point, I wanted that race to be OVER! Lastly, open water swimming can be tough. It gets cold, you can get hammered by rough water, debris, salt abrasion, fish, bad water, long distances and let's not forget our fellow swimmers banging for position. I will say that I have enjoyed my open water swims as much as any event I’ve competed in, but some of them are not for the timid.

If I may ask, what is a "buxotic love nymph" , what would the male equivalent be, and why have I not noticed them at finish lines? P.S. Anyone who wants to watch all of humanity enjoy the open water can go to Walden Pond, yes THAT Walden Pond, at practically any given time. There one can experience full contact swimming with everyone who has discovered a heretofore undiscovered secret-open water swimming is good for the body and soul.

I'm going to take classes on how to be a buxotic love nymph. Perhaps it could keep the fire going in my marriage....;) Jerrycat

Tom - Concerning: "Lastly, open water swimming can be tough. It gets cold, you can get hammered by rough water, debris, salt abrasion, fish, bad water, long distances and let's not forget our fellow swimmers banging for position." That's the best part! I did a race last Sunday and wished it had been twice as long - it was such a beautiful day, the water was cool with some chop, good people to swim with... On days like that I really want to move to San Diego so I could swim outside for most of the year. jdut - What are "buxotic love-nymphs"? I leave it to your imagination, although the woman who was passing by on the street several years ago and grabbed my butt while I was waiting to get on the race bus to go to the race start, probably qualifies. It also speaks to the fact that regular eye exams are a good idea, even for nymphs. Not sure what the male equivalent is, but it's never really been of interest to me, so I've done little research in that area. As to the scarcity of said nymphs at finish lines - true, tragically true, but never let reality get in the way of your beliefs. See you at the beach. -LBJ