this thread is quite popular for general swimming so i thought we could try one here I'll lead off:
you keep your transparent suits to wear on foggy days when no one can see you anyway.
you know what happens after you get 10 jellyfish stings
you have a collection of sunscreens in your swim bag for different types of swims and sun conditions
you are rushing to get across the frost on the beach to get in the "warm" water and its in the high 50's (F)
Former Member
.....you drive 3.5 hours to swim 1.5 hours with those cibbows bunch, eat a bagel, drive 3.5 hours home... on you day off (obviously)
....you refer to sewage as those warm spots.
....you get rolled by a wave, and don't miss a stroke.
....you like storms because it means less rec. boat traffic.
....you actually do know a better route than the kayaker guiding you.
....you enjoyed the second turn buoy at the 2006 big shoulders 5k.
thats all i got.....for now.
1) You're a woman and you come out of the water with a "beard" or "mustache" of dirt/crud.
2) You family doctor greets you with "I assume you are here because you are doing a swim race some place disgusting and want some more Cipro."
3) You can urinate while you swim to warm your toes.
4) You are more afraid of immunization shots than sharks.
5) Your wife is promoting an English Channel try since she knows it's the only way you'll stop training long enough to go to Europe.
6) You've ever stopped during a race to chat with a friend.
-LBJ
Good ones!!!
You know you are an open water swimmer when:
you see a "shadow" in the blue abyss and don't even consider sharks
50 strokes into the swim, you stop and ask: Are we there yet?
Women also get to swim it topless but to avoid chafing
Being able to rest on a large rolling wave
Having to skip breaths because of those large rolling waves
Looking forward to the hydration/feeding coming up, but dreading having to re-swim those yards that were lost to current
Trying to avoid those big jellyfish that don't just float, they swim and head right for you from deep in the ocean
Looking forward to a swollen face and lips for several days for it speaks volumes of what you just accomplished
Having people assist you after a very long swim because you can't stand up due to a blood pressure drop
Having people mention the word "dementia" along the way
And my favorite: all the people in the escort boat are actually tired at the end of YOUR swim (???)
Donna
You are in the middle of a race, there are no markers in sight, there are no swimmers in sight, there are no escorts in sight, you are officially "lost," but you are completely calm and still enjoying the "race."
You can't understand why everyone who is not a swimmer is so worried about the sharks while all the swimmers don't even think about the sharks.
You really run into the "old man in the sea" during your race - complete with white beard and white cap that is secured beneath his chin. (He was a very polite chap.)
You are completely at peace with your husband and mutual friends going drinking for 6 hours while you swim around Key West. (Hey, you'll catch up to them later!)
Your family will not allow your husband to be the kayak escort for you on a 12 mile swim because they are afraid he won't make it.
Before your first ocean swim, you calmly make sure that family knows you want to be cremated and put in a cheap urn if in the event anything disasterous were to happen.
The number of vacations you take that year is the exact number of open water swims you do that year.
:rofl:
When you meet 5 friends at 5:00am on a Friday morning and hop a fence to swim 2 miles before work...
When the bottom of your swim bag still has sand in it in December - and you live in Chicago
the last 2 days brought a few more:
you know how vaseline vs lanolin vs aquaphore lasts on your skin (the dermatologist gave me a very odd look)
you know the difference in feel of 61,60 and 59 degree (F) water and actually discuss it!
You're NEW to OW distance when:
1. At the awards dinner that night, the floor of the dining room is moving.
2. At checkout from the hotel next day, you still can't hold the pen quite right.
3. You put a pinch of table salt in your water glass so that it will taste okay.
4. Back home Sunday night the shower floor is STILL rolling.
And durring the Triathlon Season...
The race director calls in Lake Patrol with flasing lights to mark the course in the fog
The rollers become white caps
After the first turn there is NO breathing to the left for a half hour
After the second turn you aren't swimming, you're surfing
When you emerge, you see a dozen others throwing up on the beach
On the bike you hear stories of how many went hypothermic and ended the day in the med tent
And the swim was the highlight of your day.
This is one addictive sport.
