Big Gulp
Wow, did I really sign up for this? What looked so simple at the online sign up page now appeared daunting as I walked a half mile from my parked car to the Stevens Creek Reservoir early yesterday morning to take part in the NorCal Open Water Swim. My mouth agape, I stared pointedly at a series of 6 big, orange buoys stationed at various points around the reservoir. These days, I’m never fazed by a several mile run (because it’s always around a meandering route, with all but the next short section obscured by hills, trees, or buildings) or a lengthy swim set (done in a lap pool, so my next bit is always exactly 25 yards long).
This swim was different, however. Set against a backdrop of tree covered hills, the reservoir was was serene, flat, and seemed to extend forever. And I was supposed to swim buoy to buoy (to buoy to buoy to buoy …). From a bird’s eye view, the 1 mile course looked roughly like this.
When I arrived, the 2 mile race was already underway. Those folks swam the above course twice, and one guy actually made a point of doing the butterfly stroke the entire distance. A few minutes before my race started, I waded into the clear cool water, which felt to be in the low 70’s, pond weeds gently wrapping around my feet. I regretted not wearing tinted goggles as I squinted to make out the distant orange buoys in the bright sunlight. The starting line was actually several yards out from shore (“floating start”) so I tried to stay calm and afloat in the last few minutes. Soon enough, the whistle blew and we were off.
Rather than swimming point to point, I zigged and zagged my way around the reservoir. This underscored the need for future work on straightening out my stroke and improving sighting.
Somehow I managed to hit all 6 buoys, and exited the water in 53’51”, slow for a mile swim but a bit faster if you take into account the additional distance due to my crooked course.
- Posted in: Uncategorized