Aquasphere 3.8km Swim Dorney Lake

Where: Dorney Lake
Organiser: VOtwo
Course details: 3 laps of rectangular course
Distance: Swim 3800m (OW- Lake)
Marshalling: NA
Facilities: Portaloos, rowing club changing rooms, hot food van
Technical: Number on hand
Freebies: Swim hat. Water. Various cakes

So, the third and final long swim day arrived.  I entered this as I said earlier in the season I would do as many of the 4 races as possible. Problem was after entering this a few weeks ago life caught up with me.  First I had an attack of vertigo that stopped me training for a couple of weeks, then, just as it was getting better the need to prepare for my PhD viva became a dominating factor.  These combined meant my last OW swim was at the Bedford OD, 5 weeks ago. My past three weeks training have consisted of two masters swim sessions and a 28km bike ride, most of which was in the past week. So not exactly well prepared.  After some analysis of the Bournemouth results 70 minutes was going to be my aim. I reckoned I was 5 minutes slower than the others there, so my 65 from Box End, with my 5 minute fitness disadvantage meant about 70 minutes to avoid disappointment.  The only fly in the ointment was I managed the first 100m of my masters swim the other night in under 1:25, an amazing time for me, so I have some speed, but what about stamina?

I turned up nice and earlier and watched some of the triathletes doing there stuff, but it was absolutely fecking freezing, they had said on the radio on the way up 'highs of 13'. Hmm that goes some way to explaining it. I went and used the changing rooms to get my suit on, had a a chat with a guy in there who was doing his first one, he'd done the distance in a pool (crazy? I've done it twice in a 50m pool, I think, if I counted right) and asked what it would be like, I said easier, which I think is true. As I was leaving a guy came in and sat down next to my stuff and said he thought he'd be the only one without a wetsuit. WTF? swimming in late September without a wetsuit, madness. I went down and tried the water out as there was 20 minutes till the start. This turned out to be both a bad, and a good idea.  It was bad in that I found out just how bloody cold the water is, ice cream headache time. Damn it hurt.  The lifeguard told me she couldn't feel her feet, I can understand why.  The good aspect was that by the time the briefing was over and I got back in the wind chill had made my feet, hands, and forehead numb so I didn't get the shock a second time.  Whilst at the briefing chatted with a couple of girls, who had commented that I had swimmers feet. I assume that was some kind of compliment and not a reference to my lack of clown shoes, they guessed from the fact I was wet that I'd been in and asked what it was like, cold I told them, but not as bad as April.  turns out it was the first long swim at least one of them had done.

Some how in the confusion I had ended up near the back in the middle. Crap crap crap. I now had to make my way through the washing machine. I didn't come out unscathed. After a couple of fists to various places I got one in the goggle. Whoever you were I hate you. I now had a goggle that was filling with water and a pack of adrenaline fuelled swimmers bearing down on me. Think. Go outside? I did and managed to find 10m of clear water after a minute, dead fish impression and the goggle was clear before I could be mown down.  Now I discovered the nice thing about Dorney, you don't really need to sight, you just find the right rope and soon enough you hit the buoy. Apart from the obligatory ruck at the first and second buoy the first and second laps pretty uneventful. I'd cocked the timing up royally. I looked halfway and saw 11:10 and thought I was on target. Turns out I was ahead of target as that was THE time, not elapsed time.  I only worked this out on the second lap. I saw 11:17 at the end of the first lap, and thought it had stopped, but when I saw 11:25 at the first turn I realised my mistake. Muppet. By now the wind had made the chop a bit nasty, it was into on the way up, then across it, but breathing to the right I just got it in the face, then at least you got it following on the way home.  Second lap 11:40, so 23 minutes, I was fading.

On the third lap I was getting overtaken, [insert more expletives here], I was obviously fading too quickly.  I just had to hold on in there.  And I did, I saw 11:52 in the top corner and knew I had a fair bit of work on my hands, I tried to draft the couple of people that overtook me and picked up the pace in the last 200m, obviously with some success as I failed to stand up first time when it came to getting out the water. Which I managed after 1:09:15 according to the provisional results, giving me an 82nd place. Out of 130 that's not wonderful, but after my refined sugar and sofa diet I'll take it gladly.

Aquasphere 3.8km Swim Bournemouth

Where: Southbourne Beach, Dorset Map  

Organiser: VOtwo
Course details: Instructions
Distance: Swim 3800m (OW- Sea)
Marshalling: NA
Facilities: Showers on beach, Café on beach, Public toilets.
Technical: Run into sea, 3 clockwise laps of a rectangular then out and finish on land through gantry.
Freebies: Swim hat. Water. Various cakes, cereal bars.

So this was to be my second long swim series race of the year, returning to the venue when I first had a go at them last year.  Last year it was tough, a character building swim in a poorly fitting wetsuit that was fighting me with every stroke and a brutal current. Time 1:41:19.  Roll on this year and my time at box end was a much more acceptable 1:04:58.  Determined to be prepared I have been watching the weather and the tides.  Wind was set to be a light/non existent offshore breeze and there was a double high water tide with a stand during the swim, or so I thought.  Having swum a 65 minute one earlier this year I had high hopes of going sub 70 given the sea and my almost lack of swim training recently.

So up at 0545 to have breakfast before leaving at 0700, things were going well light traffic wasn't a problem and got there a bit earlier than planned. Registered, got my hat then headed off to off load my morning cup of tea.  Walked back up to the car and got my stuff together and prepare (mentally).  All was going well till the dreaded pre-race AD moment came. Right get a parking ticket and head back down to the facilities. Upon taking the change out of my pocket I discovered an Imodium instant, obviously from my last race. The triathlon gods were looking out for me. Having reduced my racing weight I headed off to suit up and warm up.  Getting in the water it felt bloody cold, still got myself acclimatised, checked goggles weren't going to leak, a few lengths then out to the race start. The number of people opting to go sans wetsuit was surprising, didn't they realize it was cold? No surprises at the race briefing, lets get ready to rock.

Stood on the start line, on the left 1 row back, 5-4-3-2-1-Go! Sprint down the beach, over the gravel, high knees and off through the washing machine. Whilst the adrenaline of the moment meant I didn't feel the stones, the cold water made it feel like someone had hammered nails into my feet once I started swimming. Coming up to the first turn buoy and I had somehow managed to get in the middle of a pack. Crap. Round the buoy, yep there is a pair of feet, dodge left, dodge right, clear water without getting kicked, phew. About halfway along the top of the course I saw a submerged yellow buoy, odd, bit hazardous. Still get on with swimming, next urn buoy check of the watch, 12mins, hmm might have overcooked this a bit, this should be into the current and hard. Oh well. The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful, completing it in 23 minutes and change.

Onto the second lap, round the buoy and onto the top of the course. Next thing I know I am confronted by the biggest jellyfish I have ever seen. It wasn't a submerged buoy, it was a jelly fish, about 2ft in diameter! Shit, has it got huge stingers out the back. Nope, major relief at that point. Seems somebody is looking out for me. Round to the halfway turn buoy, 11 minutes for that half lap. OK so I'm swimming well on this part of the course, round the buoy and back inshore, round again to follow the shore, about halfway along my hat decides to pop off. I'm not going to lose another one, so I grab it and try to stuff it down the front of my suit while swimming, nope bad idea as it starts to let water in. Ummm. Up my sleeve! Roll onto back, up the sleeve, onto front and off. Yep that works. Finish the second lap, 25 minutes. Huh? it was shorter, my first split was faster, whats happening? The current, shit, its going west, the tide must be ebbing.

The offshore leg confirmed it as I was getting pushed down onto the buoy, adjust direction to ferryglide, round the buoy and down to wards Boscombe, annoyed at my target slipping away I start to crank up the power.  All seems to be going well till I realise I'm getting sucked out to sea and end up swimming much further. Damn, 13 minute split. Back inshore to the next turn, Whoa! another huge jellyfish. Reach the buoy, there is a serious angle on the warp, yep the current is running the opposite way, long slog home then. And that it proved to be, reached the final turn and headed inshore. The tide had gone out far enough that there were no some bigger breakers on the shore, swim in as far as possible, up, out and sprint for the line. It's over.

Lost my actual splits taking my wetsuit of, but looking at the sheet I managed 79th out of the water in 1:20:16. Not exactly impressive. Not sure whether to be pleased at finishing, and except the current pushing me back as the cause. Or whether it is my fault for letting fitness slip too far.  I felt I swam consistently.  Well who cares for the next hour. My roast beef is ready!

VOtwo 3.8km swim at Box End

Where: Box End Park, Bedford Google Map
Organiser: VOtwo
Course details: http://www.votwo.co.uk/votwo2007/docs/Long%20swim%20@%20Box%20End%20final%20details.pdf
Distance: Swim 3800m (OW- Lake)
Marshalling: NA
Facilities: Showers/Toilets/Changing in waterski centre facilities. Café serving breakfast rolls for spectators (and finishers too I guess)
Technical: 3 clockwise laps of the larger lake then out and finish on land through gantry.
Freebies: Swim hat. Water/Tea/Coffee. Various cakes, cereal bars and pureed fruit bars.

Having bought a helix this year I really want to do some swim events, so after doing the Bournemouth version of this last year decided I would try and do 3/4 in the series this year.  First race was at Box End, just outside Bedford. A waterski lake about 3km from my parents house in the fields around where I grew up.  I did a sprint tri there last year (in the other, smaller, lake) so had some idea of what to expect.  Although with all the hot weather recently I was a bit concerned about it becoming a non-wetsuit swim.  And just to calm my almost nonexistent nerves last night my mum pointed out that someone had to retire from the sprint event last year after a rather nasty bite from a fish. They get into the lake when the river floods, with no fisherman to catch them they grow quite big.  Thanks mum.

Got up and had my usual pre race breakfast at the appointed time then my dad drove me around to register before the start.  The car park looked pretty full so there was going to be some competition. Registered, got my swim hat then donned my wetsuit ready for action. Made sure the right bit of my neck was bodyglided this time (shoulders to hair line just to be sure) and didn’t pull the suit up too high like in Barcelona. Race brief and into the water. Rather nice temperature actually, and I made it a bit warmer too.  Took a few warm up strokes and positioned myself on the left side 3 people back.  Got the countdown, with a ‘sometime in the next 5 secs’ supposedly to avoid false starts. Airhorn and we were off.

Seems I had positioned myself about right as I kept roughly on the feet of the person in front and no one swam over the top of me.  All was going well for the first 300m till some idiot decided to swim from the left side to the right side at 45 degrees to everyone. Managed to swim into me knocking my left goggle off. Onto back, empty goggle, start again, only lost about 10secs I think, but annoyed me. Then on to the melee that was the first turn. I ended up in the middle of a pack here so had to take a slightly wider line, but made came in on the inside at the next buoy 100m away. Tight rollover turn that Mr C showed us on the rookie day and I was off, quick check of the watch and a bit over 10 mins, good pacing, if not a little quick.  Somehow managed to get disorientated and ended up on the far left again though, until I started swimming through weed, back onto the inside line searching for some feet to draft off but finding none.  Down to the start area and another couple of buoys, nice tight turns again and onto the second lap. 20mins 10s done

The first leg of the second lap is where things started to go wrong.  I nodded off a bit and next thing I knew I was about 10m further inside the course than the direct line. Whoops, what an idiot. Sighting, Sighting, Sighting. Thought I’d try breathing every 3 to keep an eye on people swimming the correct line whilst I corrected but abandoned that when I started to feel dizzy. Then just as I approach the first turn buoy my swim hat starts to feel funny, then it stopped feeling funny. I guess that was the moment I lost the organizers swim hat. On to the second buoy and a split of 10:35, pacing still good then.  The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful.  22:04s for the lap.

First leg of the third lap and I repeat the mistake of the second lap. What an idiot. Make a major correction and get in with a pack of other swimmers, holding on to most of them till the second buoy, by which stage my tight turns and extra power opened up a bit of water and I closed on the next grouping. About 400m from the finish I upped my speed, turned out that was about 100m too soon and the woman I passed on the final stretch chicked me with 50m to go. Numpty, there wasn’t enough left in the tank to go after her though as she had saved more than me. Up to finish and I kept swimming longer than the people in front. I swear I got some strange looks from a few of the spectators for doing that. Up onto my legs. I can stand, run up to the finish in a time of 1:04:58 – better than I had hoped given my 1900m time was 34 mins 3 weeks ago.