Big Shoulders, September 9
Last Friday (September 1) we couldn't imagine swimming big shoulders in those conditions. Today Ken and I didn't have to imagine, we did it. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, the Lake forecast yesterday evening called for 5.5 foot waves with rain or thunderstorms. The Ohio street area where the race is held is protected, but 5 foot waves outside can still wreck havoc and a storm passing through could be a real mess.
But today was only partly cloudy and the winds were not as strong as expected. Still come race time the lake looked very much like last Friday and it only got worse as the race wore on. One good thing is that the race course is different from the practice course which runs up and down along the west wall, for the race we swim out along the filtration plant, then parallel to the breakwater and back along the wall. We have to do this twice for 5K. The first leg was not bad during the first lap and the long leg along the breakwater was good until near the end where the waves come in. On the homestretch by the wall the waves were bad tossing us around but being following waves they at least gave us a push in the right direction. By the second lap the first leg out was much rougher, going more or less into the wind. The second leg was not bad, wavy but the waves were relatively smooth and the wind was a cross wind. By now the course had cleared out of most swimmers, only some of us slower 5K types were still in the water, but, like a slow spot on a highway, there seemed to be a crowd at the last turn as people struggled to get through the largest waves. Finally the last leg was fast, for me at least, but very very bumpy. I finished feeling like a boxer who just finished a 15 round draw.
Surprisingly, most swimmers finished even though few had experience in this kind of water. I didn't meet anyone who really enjoyed it, though. The water was unofficially 72 degrees, Ken and I were quite comfortable after the race with just T-shirts. Some other swimmers, especially the thinner women, did not share our warmth. This was Ken's first Big Shoulders, in my case I survived my 15th. I was pleased that, given the conditions, my time was comparable to past times.
But today was only partly cloudy and the winds were not as strong as expected. Still come race time the lake looked very much like last Friday and it only got worse as the race wore on. One good thing is that the race course is different from the practice course which runs up and down along the west wall, for the race we swim out along the filtration plant, then parallel to the breakwater and back along the wall. We have to do this twice for 5K. The first leg was not bad during the first lap and the long leg along the breakwater was good until near the end where the waves come in. On the homestretch by the wall the waves were bad tossing us around but being following waves they at least gave us a push in the right direction. By the second lap the first leg out was much rougher, going more or less into the wind. The second leg was not bad, wavy but the waves were relatively smooth and the wind was a cross wind. By now the course had cleared out of most swimmers, only some of us slower 5K types were still in the water, but, like a slow spot on a highway, there seemed to be a crowd at the last turn as people struggled to get through the largest waves. Finally the last leg was fast, for me at least, but very very bumpy. I finished feeling like a boxer who just finished a 15 round draw.
Surprisingly, most swimmers finished even though few had experience in this kind of water. I didn't meet anyone who really enjoyed it, though. The water was unofficially 72 degrees, Ken and I were quite comfortable after the race with just T-shirts. Some other swimmers, especially the thinner women, did not share our warmth. This was Ken's first Big Shoulders, in my case I survived my 15th. I was pleased that, given the conditions, my time was comparable to past times.
posted by Barry at 8:15 PM
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