Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:22:48 GMT

Great job! Sounds like fun. How much of a current is there in the river? I'm not sure, but maybe this will give you an idea: had a 3 hour practice swim w/ my coach before I did the bay swim, and our plan was to swim upstream for an hour and 45 mins. then turn around and go downstream for an hour and 15 mins. However, it turned out that it took less than an hour to go back downstream, so we added another 15-20 mins. out/back. I'm told that the total distance we did--excluding that second out/back--was 3.4 miles, so it definitely took a good deal longer upstream. But my math is... well, let's just say I wisely chose English as my college major. ;) Still, from that, I think you can get an idea of just how much of a current there was. Oddly, I didn't feel the difference while swimming (except in the fact that going back was faster). It didn't feel like a different effort. Yet during the bay swim, I DEFINITELY felt the push/pull of the water--it felt like such a living force. There was a tide assist after the first 15-20 mins. and I felt it pushing me as I didn't feel the river pushing. I'm curious about that, in fact. The river seemed so calm--no chop whatsoever, but even at its calmest, I could feel the movement of the water in the bay. Those with more knowledge of how tides and currents work could probably explain this better, but I just found it fascinating.

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

fatboy — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 04:42:13 GMT

Great job! Sounds like fun. How much of a current is there in the river?

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 08:29:12 GMT

Thanks fatboy! And this past Tues. I was back at my group's open water swim night--we go every Tues. to an area river, have a buoy placed about 250 yds upstream where we turn and come back downstream. So about 500 yards per lap--some just do a couple laps, others as many as 5-6. In the wake of my long swim, I figured I'd keep it easy, just do a few--but I was feeling so good I got to six before it was time for the coach to put the kayak away. Fun times! :) I want to keep this stuff up!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

fatboy — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 04:23:47 GMT

Congrats, InnerFish!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

flystorms — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 09:32:31 GMT

Fantastic! That's not too cold for me. I think I may have to put this on the list for a race to do in the next year or two. I have a friend who lives on Long Island who would certainly paddle for me. Hmm.... Glad it was such a good event for you.

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 05:47:30 GMT

Oh definitely do it! The organizers are wonderful people and they manage things beautifully! The Fischers are dear to me, just such genuine people! I'm now thinking (even as I thought in mid-swim, what was I thinking signing up for this?), "well, let's see... maybe I could do some tweaks to improve the time. Yes, I know... I'm a sick chick! :)

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 07:17:13 GMT

Thanks, Momor! When I first heard about the swim I did Fri. I thought, "much too long!" and crossed it off my list. But then this little inner voice said, "why not?" I'd read an article in Outside Mag about having a goal worth training for, and thought that seemed like just such a thing. The swim starts on Fire Island where I spent so much time as a child and visit whenever possible as an adult, so I have a special feeling for the place. Of course I don't get to spend more than an hour to an hour and a half when I do this swim but I'm in a bay I've crossed so many times by ferry that it has a kind of magic to it. In mid-swim I was thinking, "gotta retire from this." But now I'm thinking, "I wonder if I can improve on what I did Friday. It just has that kind of hold on me. :) (Third time around, btw, and I'm definitely not a speedy swimmer by any means, but I was so happy to have improved from last time!) If a swim calls to you, even if you think, "no way," you'll know it, and it gives so much more than it takes from you.

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 06:49:24 GMT

Not sure--I remember 80 being mentioned, which would be on the warm side. I might put it at a couple degrees cooler, but not by much. I noticed late in the swim that I was beginning to feel a bit chilly, but that may just have been the long time in the water. (I didn't wear a wetsuit. Don't like the idea when the water is as warm as it usually is in that by in Aug.) In about the last five or so minutes of the swim, I hit a pocket of colder water, which surprised me a little--didn't mind it, actually, just it was odd to come upon it there. I'd have thought I'd experience it closer to Fire Island since I'd heard the ocean was on the cool side (but no temp mentioned). Strange thing about the chop in the second half--almost as if someone had turned on a wave machine. It went from calm to choppy in what seemed like seconds. Grateful to have my cousin as my kayaker. He's kayaked for others in the same swim--he knows the route well, which really helped!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

flystorms — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 04:38:11 GMT

Hey InnerFish - how was the water temp? Any idea what it was at the start?

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

momof5 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 09:47:30 GMT

Wow. I'm a beginner. That long of a swim is so impressively intimidating. Way to go!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

FindingMyInnerFish — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 09:36:23 GMT

Thanks so much! So happy to have finished successfully!

RE: Finished Cross-Bay Swim--well within goal!

flystorms — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 03:22:51 GMT

Wahooo!!! COngratulations!