Hello,
Although based in Birmingham, UK, my employer has arranged for me to carry out a work assignment for ~3 months, based in San Francisco, Aug-Oct inclusive.
So ... I'd be looking for somewhere to train. Having seen the club listings, there seems quite a choice, although some are fairly limited e.g. not allowing 'day visits' etc. Does anyone know whether such clubs allow 'exceptions' ... like, for say a 3-month membership ?? :) Any advice, suggestions would be welcome.
Also, looking for possible competitions in the general vicinity - spotted the Alcatraz swim - any swimming anecdotes from swimmers who've done this in the past?
(I'm 44, a fairly keen swimmer - train 4-5 times a week ~20,000 metres or so; ex British/European 1500m Masters records.)
Thanks,
Alex
Alex,
Will you be residing in San Francisco proper or one of the surrounding cities? Where will your work location be? I may have some ideas to help you with the workout possibilities.
I can't help you directly with where to train in San Francisco, but the Alcatraz swim is worth doing--there are several options, but the easiest one to enter is using Active.com, and entering the October 4 swim. Its usually a little rough and a little cold, but doable. Some swimmers wear wetsuits, but many do not.
Try the Pacific Masters website for more information regarding where to swim and different competitions. www.pacificmasters.org/index.shtml I will try to get someone to post with more direct information on training locations.
There is a big swim in San Francisco, which is the Tiburon Swim, sponsored by Bob Placak--well worth doing, and I think it is on Sept. 14. It has a mix of college swimmers, professional long distance swimmers, and world class competitors--together with lots of masters folks.
If you want to travel a little farther, the La Jolla Roughwater on Sept. 7 is a great swim(down by San Diego), and the Waikiki Roughwater swim on Sept. 1 in Hawaii is another fun, exciting, highly competitive swim. The water in Waikiki will be much warmer than in San Francisco. You can find links to all those swims at www.mortonsaltreport.homestead.com/raceschedule.html
Hawaii is probably a $400 plane ticket from San Francisco, and San Diego(if you want to do the La Jolla Roughwater is probably about a $100 plane ticket.
Good luck.
Alcatraz is a great swim....and since you are from the UK and have that stiff upper lip thing going for you, swim it as a purest without the wet suit. It is a much better swim that way. Enviorsports is another great sponsor for this swim. I believe they are located at enviorsports.com
Also, the folks at the South End Rowing Club (right next to the National Maritime Museum on the wharf) are a serious class act and very decent folks. They swim in the San Francisco Bay every day, no wet suits....YOU WILL LOVE THOSE FOLKS!
Enjoy America and welcome…..
