First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:23:45 GMT

A few pics: Here comes the pack: i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1649.jpg Me (on bottom) making one final pass (she was 1.2 mile swimmer) i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1661.jpg Done with OW event #2! i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1669.jpg Lovely scenery: i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1673.jpg i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1666.jpg i247.photobucket.com/.../CIMG1674.jpg

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:06:47 GMT

Tell us about that swim also. Here is what I posted on my blog about it. Great Event!:applaud: So had the 4.5 Mile River Rat Race in Chattanooga this morning. It was in the TN river and I would say the water temp was about 76 maybe, very nice. Weather was perfect, partly cloudy and a little windy. 75 total participants between the 4.5 mile and 1.2 mile swim with about an even split between the distances. So we started at a boat launch up river with us just standing at the end of the ramp and had a whistle start. I was in the front pack of about 10 or so swimmers, but in the back. The kids at the front were high school USS swimmers. I really felt horrible for the first 30 minutes. My stomach was a bit tight, breathing and stroke off and a few folks pasted me. About 1/2 into it we came around a bend and straight into a solid wind. The wind hitting the river with a swift current caused the river to feel more like an ocean for the next 20-25 minutes. It was really rough with no regular pattern to the waves. I mixed in a little backstroke and even some dolphin kicking under the waves. However this was the time to power through it and I actually caught a few people that had passed me earlier. I pushed the last 1/2 mile to the finish and passed a few folks as well. By the end I felt decent, your spirits tend to lift when you see the finish in sight. My unofficial time was 1 hr 03 min and 10 sec I think. I'll post the official when they get posted on the net. I was first place in my age group (30-39) and I'm not sure where I was overall, maybe 10th or so? I think the winning time last year was 1:18 or so, so you can see how fast the current was this year. The overall winning time was 58:24 this year. We were actually so fast that we passed the 1.2 mile swim group before they started....the organizers did figure that the current would be THAT fast. Anyway, great event, great location, and I was asked by the organizer about helping out next year. This COULD turn into a really big event if they wanted it to. Next up.....GA Games 5K in Lake Acworth July 12 I think.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

orca1946 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 07:08:18 GMT

Tell us about that swim also.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:30:07 GMT

I'm off to Chattanooga EARLY Saturday morning for the River Rat race. Its a 4.5 mile swim, so this will be a bit longer than my first one. I'm just hoping for a strong current! :applaud:

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

orca1946 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:52:50 GMT

Relax & learn from each OW race you do. They are more fun when you are in a fun state of mind.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:29:19 GMT

Awesome! I just did my first OW swim in Arizona yesterday. I did not fair nearly as well but I finished it! The first 100m where all about, I have no lane lines, I can't see, where am I going, panic, no breath, why doesn't my normal stroke seem to work, panic more! Took me more then half the race to get into a groove, but I learned a lot and it was a blast. Does anyone have a resource for all the open water swims in the US? I travel a lot so location is not important but I have not found a resource that lists every event.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:16:04 GMT

Does anyone have a resource for all the open water swims in the US? I travel a lot so location is not important but I have not found a resource that lists every event. i don't know of a single comprehensive list but www.10kswimmer.com has great links. if you know where and when you will be traveling, this forum is a pretty good resource as well. see you out there sometime.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:17:03 GMT

Thanks again all! Here are the final results www.ymcabeaufortcounty.com/.../2009beaufortriverswimresults.pdf

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

FindingMyInnerFish — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:07:09 GMT

A 5K to START IS COOL!:applaud: What a great time to start the OW season. :agree: Agree completely--an awesome time and a very ambitious start to open water swimming! But sounds as if a one-mile race might have been too easy for you! :woot:

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

orca1946 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:30:30 GMT

A 5K to START IS COOL!:applaud: What a great time to start the OW season.

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:57:30 GMT

Congrats! That is awesome. You time is flying too. How long did it take to settle in comfortably? 500 yards? 1000?

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:10:32 GMT

Well, it was with the tide too so keep that in mind. It probably took me 750 yards to calm down and get into a rhythm. We really didn't get any warmup cause once we jumped in the tide was moving the whole pack towards the start. My stomach was a little tight at the beginning (probably nerves more than anything) but settled down. Thanks for all the kind words!

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:15:32 GMT

What a blast! 50 minutes is faster than I with or without a tide. Looks like you're hooked. I'll be curious to know how the Chattanooga swim goes. I've had my eye on that for a year or two now. May do next year. Yeah, I think I may be hooked. I'll be mailing in my registration for Chattanooga tomorrow and I'll let you know how it is. Here is a picture of us all with some of our kids (me and my son on left) i247.photobucket.com/.../DSC02142.jpg

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

srcoyote — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:43:08 GMT

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Rykno — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:29:55 GMT

Impressive time! 50:50 for 5km. Congrats. My first 5km was 1:08.54 and I am hoping to get down to 1:05 for this years race!

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

Former Member — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:25:59 GMT

Nothing of interest in the water. I ran into a few pieces of reeds and thats about it. My buddy did spot a little shark chasing some bait fish under the bridge we walked across to get to the starting dock! Scenery? Trying to find my next buoy and following the 3 guys in front of me!

RE: First OW Swim- Mission Completed!

ViveBene — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:19:58 GMT

Wonderful! And 5k is a big swim for the first one. Did you enjoy the scenery, the fish floating by, etc.? :)