Anyone doing Key West?

Am I being stupid by just letting my skin roast for the last 2 hrs? One of our medical types could answer that better than I, but it is my understanding that the less sun, the better. My skin type (yucky ) is the most likely to get skin cancer, so I am absolutely nutty about using sunscreens. Any dermatologists reading this and want to offer an opinion? -LBJ

Sun Screen The more the better. Even though your skin is olive you still can get skin cancers and pre aging of the skin do to over exposure. When you are in the Keys you have moved much closer to the equator and the suns effects are more pronounced at that latitude. Take this into consideration because you will burn much easier even if you are "use" to the sun. If you have a way to reapply your sunscreen that will be in your best long term interst. Every time you burn your skin you increase your risk for adverse outcomes. A triathelete at our pool that is about 55 or so did Key West last year and is doing it again. He is not fast but he will wear you down. He can hold his pace all day and said the event was a lot of fun last year. Good luck and remember that sunscreen. Your skin will thank you.

Paul, Very sound advice. I think I either may try and reapply my bullfrog OR it may just end up being that goopy-concoction that Leonard so kindly suggested. Fortunately, I realized that I also have my year derm exam 1 month prior to the race. So, I'll be sure to ask my dermatologists thoughts on what to use. Sigh. Too bad I'm not fast enough to finish the darn thing in 4 hours!! That would be sweet.

First off - sorry to hear you are having eye surgery. I had a retinal detachment a couple years ago. The surgery wasn't painful, but hanging around the house for several days not doing anything was horrible. The small hole that they fixed in the other retina was done with a laser in the office, and there was no recovery time required for that. Prepare accordingly. As for the drinks issue, I don't have any experience with open water swims over 3 miles, but I have done lots of long, long runs so take this advice accordingly. In general I like the hammer products and I use Perpetuem for runs over 2 hours. The flavored product didn't agree with me because of the stevia sweetener, so I use the unflavored and mix in some gel or some Cytomax powder. One thing that you might consider is having 2 flavors of stuff available. Sometimes in long events you get tired of the same thing and want to stop drinking, so having something else to turn to is a good idea. Another thing to think about is when and if to have caffeinated products. Some folks use them the whole way, and others only use them near the end (maybe the last hour or so).

Hi Runner Girl, I'm glad your surgery went well. That's great that detached retina can be fixed so easily now! Gald you're okay. Fortunately, I don't have detached retina! I have blocked lacrimal ducts and they will be going in endoscopically through my nose. Very pleasant. Will be taking a week off from swimming. Arg!! Great tips! I did not think of caffeine b/c I never drink any - but what a great idea for a long swim. Maybe starting at hour 4 or 5 b/c I know they can/ do act as diuretics. Super advice. Thanks!!

Yes, those that were able to see Gail Rice swim butterfly around Key West, without breaking stroke were looking at one of the finest open water swimmers ever! There were actually 4 solo swimmers that each swam a different stroke around Key West - Christena did backstroke which resulted in what she referred to as the raccoon tan -sunburn all but in the goggles area! (it only added to her beauty!) There has been some confusion as it appears two swim events are taking place directed by two different organizations. Lori Bosco directs the swim that is sanctioned by USMS and can be found here: www.fkccswimaroundkeywest.com

Thanks lanehog - lov your name by the way! Great, great tips. We are thinking the same on the escort! I did decide (and have it lined up) on an experienced kayaker who has done the course before. I've been forewarned about the shallow waters and the toughest part of the swim (which appears to be at the beginning). Plus, I really did not want to have to worry about fumes from the boat. I know I'm capable of swimming in 3 feet of water as I had summer league meets in that depth. 2 feet will be a challenge but I really think I could do it. Are you planning on doing it this year!? Sounds like your group had an awesome time. Would love to see pics if you can post them!! I have a feeling I'll be VERY DARK post the swim. Man o wars are my biggest fear at this point. Fortunately, I know what nurse sharks look like compared to great whites. Here's what I have to say about nurse sharks :thhbbb:

Oh Key West! Should be fun! That was my first experience with open water, way back in 1997 (or was it 1998? I know it was the year that Gail Rice decided to swim it all butterfly), when I did the race with five friends in a six-person relay. We actually sold candy at school and had a garage sale and car wash to raise money for the entry fee, hotels, etc. and managed to pay for almost everything. It was a lot of fun -- mostly lounging on the boat, with a refreshing two-mile swim thrown in there. Zinc oxide is a really good idea. It's going to be hot, and that sun just bears down on you. All of us on the team had olive complexions and we trained in an outdoor pool year-round (Miami), so we already were tanned when we started the race, but afterwards, boy were we brown. And we'd been applying SPF30 regularly. I know I have the photos somewhere -- if I find them, I'll try to post them. We even had cute matching monogrammed swimsuits! Are you going to have a kayak support? That's really key in this race, I think, because so much of it is too shallow for larger boats. When we swam it, the parents of one of the relay members escorted us in their boat, but for much of the race, the boat had to stay pretty far away from the swimmer, because the water was too shallow. For most of my leg of the race, I had to shorten my stroke because the water was only about three or four feet deep and there were grasses on the ocean floor that tickled my stomach. My friends were yelling at me from the boat about swimming breaststroke, but at certain points, it was all I could do. Good luck and have fun!

Oh, and as for sharks... we were told before the race that any sharks we saw were probably nurse sharks, which likely weren't going to do anything. (Not that this comforted us much at the time.) I didn't see any during the race (although I have seen some while snorkeling in the lower Keys), but we did see some dolphins while we were on the boat, and one of the swimmers saw a large sting ray. And lots of fish, of course. The most common type of jellyfish I've seen in the Keys (not during the race, but during numerous snorkeling trips) are those pink ones that don't seem to pack much of a sting. I'd be more worried about encountering a man o' war -- a run-in with one of those can be really painful.

Kristina, I won't be doing it this year, although I'm thinking about next year. I'll have to pick up the training a bit. It really was a lot of fun. And it's been a while since I've been to the Keys. (Don't get to go that often now that I live in NJ.)