Good job on the race, and definitely write a race report here, and dont leave out any details!! Did the two women ahead have wetsuits on?

At least one did - I know because I went back and forth with her for the first half of the race and then some. We split when we chose different sight lines. The other did not, I don't think. I'm hoping I might be able to confirm this when they post photos.

Monty, thanks so much for the help last night. I would have spent too much time staring at a watch. I didn't wear a watch. It is weird not to have clock feedback every 50!

The 10k started at 7:30, we started at "7:35" (IDK if it was actually 5 min)

Start to 2.5 - took off fast trying to get w the lead group. There were a couple swimmers going really fast and I couldn't stay with them, but I matched paces with a wetsuited female and we basically went stroke for stroke to the turnaround. At several points I tried to drop her (mostly to keep myself entertained) but I couldn't do it. At some point before the turnaround (it was an out and back) we went through some of the 10k swimmers. It felt like it didn't take too long to catch some of them.

Shortly past the turnaround, the wetsuit woman and I cut different lines. I was alone for a bit, then started seeing a couple people ahead of me, and someone - pretty sure female in a tech suit - started to catch me. We were close for a bit and I thought "this is the time to race, this is for places" and I thought I was pulling ahead. It turned out that she was taking a different line. I don't know how to explain this entirely but - while the buoys were in a straight line - the finish line was not also in that straight line, and I thought it was (it had seemed it going out). So she went what looked "wide" to me but was actually straight. I went close to the last buoy, then had to go left to get to the finish line. The finish line was hard to see because they didn't have buoys near it. I lost some time from the next to last buoy and last buoy trying to figure out what the line was.

Anyway, I felt like I put a good effort forward, basically went head to head with someone for the first half and that made me push, and I pushed over the second half. So the worry I would be unhappy with the effort - I am happy with the effort.

Time wise I guess 1:27/100 yd seems about right in terms of my fitness. And now I know to look more closely at the finish of a course :-)

thanks for all the support.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Thanks for the report, sounds like you had a fun time and something was going on virtually most the race for you to deal with. I would say mistake #1 was not to fade back and just get on that gals feet you swam with. Banging heads is a big no no for the meat of a race, and should be left to the final finish push. And leaving her for your own course was also number #2 in no no's. Unless you are absolutely sure about your line, you just want to be in a position to at the very least, have a head to head battle for that place with her. Times dont matter at that point, it is all about places.

But great job, each race leaves new lessons to be learned. I have to relearn many of the lessons, and of course they change as we get older too..

Didnt plan a swim today, but jumped in while kids were at water park with my floaty suit over my surf trunks for 40 minutes:

5x100swim@1;40(1;21/19/17/14/11)5x100IM kick@2;10(1;54/49/47/44/40)
20x50@1;00 as 5 buoy(38/37/35/34/33)5 frog(52 to 49)5 buoy(38 to 34)2frog(52's)3swim(36/33/31+) 100SD
2100SCY in 40 minutes

Dumb question - when you say sit on feet, are you literally behind the person? That always feels slower to me, like you're not grabbing all the water you could be (because it's turbulent). But you want to be directly behind, not kind of off to the side? In a pool I'm used to sitting on someone's hip - you don't want to be kind of on their hip instead?

Makes sense about #2. I thought I had the right line... I didn't :-)

definitely lessons! Part of the fun of racing. Thanks again for all the help.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

7.36 mi run (fartlek: 5.82 at 849 and 2 x 4 min at 7.1 mph or better)
1775 yd swim easy

3 x (500 swim, 50 kick) 714, 704, 655
50 fly kick
75 scull

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Dumb question - when you say sit on feet, are you literally behind the person? That always feels slower to me, like you're not grabbing all the water you could be (because it's turbulent). But you want to be directly behind, not kind of off to the side? In a pool I'm used to sitting on someone's hip - you don't want to be kind of on their hip instead? //

Yes you are directly behind the person, with your hand length between their toes. And that slow feeling is you just going easier at the same speed. The turbulence is the water moving in the direction you are swimming, so in the current. Ideally you should have been on someone faster than her, as you two were about the same speed. But where you ended up, the best spot was to swim behind her, rest as much as you can, the blast the last few 100 to take her out at the finish. Remember it is about place and not time, so you have to think and be tactical.


And no hip swimming, unless you are in a big group and that's the spot you find yourself. It is super difficult, and even the best pro swimmers most often just line up behind. Much easier sport to hold, doesn't bother the leading swimmer, and you can relax and just swim there. And how do you swim on someones hip in a pool, different lanes maybe??

yeah, drafting in the pool I've always been kind of sitting on someone's hip, better to be at their feet riding the lane line?

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

1200m today, first swim since...IMAZ I think? Pretty darn slow, 2:07 was the pace average. Need to figure out how to fit swimming in at lunch now that I'm at the office and no longer remote.

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

In the pool I dont think it matters where you sit if you are in different lanes. You have the lane line to hold your line for you, but I would guess you would get a tiny bit more near the feet than the torso. The lane line would block some of the pull, so being just a bit further back might yield a little more suck. Like that last 100 of the 4x100 relay that gets played so much. Lezak was past the feet to begin with, and then slowly just inched up, until it was just an all out sprint for the touch. But I believe he got the perfect suck along being a near body length back on the dive, and his time still stands as the fastest ever all these years later, and so many attempts from some of the sports best going after it..

Nice write up Dr Tigerchik, and I appreciate the drafting info.

Mn 4150 SCY via

2x500 ez (7:05 7:01)
5x100 hard on 1:30 (1:12 :13 :13 :13 :12) 50kick
500 ez (7:22)
2x(3x150 moderate on 2:15, 50ez) (2:00 :01 1:59, 1:59 :58 :59)
500 ez (7:26)
5x100 moderate on 1:40 (1:27 :23 :23 :22 :22)
50 kick, 50 ez

---

'22 IMMD, '23 SwimRun MD

Great job on the race. Sorry I didn't respond to your OW questions, I was travelling this weekend so not really checking slowtwitch.

Sunday was Odyssey Casco Bay. Results were 3rd men's team, 4th overall. Had some rough patches with my race partner, he cramped in the calf about halfway through the race then bonked hard the last 2 swims and runs. We should have been racing the leaders, but lost too much time around the rocky island where he cramped up. Then lost by just a bit to the next team due to the bonk-- these guys could run better than anyone else in the field but I had a huge swim advantage on them, just didn't have enough juice to pull us both to catch them at the end. Weather was great, air temp started in the 60's and probably approached 80 by the end, water temp was in the mid to upper 50's F with warmer and colder pockets as the depth changed and you cross some channels.

total was 21.2 miles in 4:09, about 17 or so running and 4+ swimming. Due to the course and low tide, 2 of the swims ended up being runs across sand bars between islands. I probably should have eaten more, as my stomach was rumbling and hungry on the last two swims. My partner definitely should have since he bonked hard, but I think he's got some training to change up (increase volume a lot) to be best prepared. I definitely need to do some more long hard OW swims with paddles, as I get pretty fatigued in the rear delts on the last couple of swims.

Photo below by Lars Finanger -- me dragging my partner up to the finish line (he was so bonked he didn't believe me it was the end)

---

-----

yesterday 8.7 mi easy
today 5025 yd swim

500 swim + 50 kick
8 x (200 swim + 50 kick) desc to fast 2:37, 2:33, 2:31, 2:27, 2:27, 2:27, 2:28, 2:29
450 swim + 50 kick
9 x (100 fast + 50 kick) all 1:12s except the last, 1:13
500 swim
50 kick
50 back
75 kick

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

oh nice. I spend my summers about 90 min north of there. Congrats on your podium mens team finish!

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Just entered 3 races for the end of the month. LCM state champs 400IM on Friday, mile OW 57 degree swim on Saturday, and then the masters national champs on sunday 2.5 miles in that same cold water, brrrrr.. The 400IM will be my first in LCM in over 45 years, so should be interesting:

27x100as 5swim@1;40(1;24 to 1;14)10 as odds IM kick@2;30/evens IM@2;00--IM's(1;21/19+/17+/16/15)4x(2x100p@1;30/100IM kick@2;30) (1;12/10/9+/7+/11/05/11/07) kicks(1;52 to 1;49)
2x(150p@2;30/50fly@1;30)pulls(1;52/50)fly(37/35+)
3100SCY in 60 minutes

You really need to do a swimrun race, you would love it and be great at it. 3 more Odyssey races left this year, not too late to enter =)

---

-----

Nice, see you there! Did you enter the wetsuit category or no? My watch regularly hit 57-59F during the open water parts of Casco Bay, so the water was probably a bit colder since its averaging includes time when my arm is out of the water also. Face, hands, and feet were regularly cold but no problems with core temp in a wetsuit. I'll probably opt for the sleeveless suit. I don't see how they can have the championship race without following the USMS rules which state that everyone has to wear a wetsuit if the water is under 60.8F.

I emailed the race directors about a bag drop, they said I could stash my bag behind their check in table but they wouldn't be watching the stuff. They claimed most people just leave their stuff on the beach, but I have a good friend who lives in Santa Cruz who said do not do that. There are lockers at the amusement park/ boardwalk that might be useful if you can't/don't have a car to leave stuff in.

---

-----

Thanks - I don't think I'd enjoy it. The idea of swimming with a bunch of stuff is highly unappealing to me, and I like treadmill or road racing way better than any trail stuff.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Nice, see you there! Did you enter the wetsuit category or no?//

I entered the no wetsuit categories, kind of worried how I will hold up for the bigger swim at an hour+. I really dont have anyway to do a quickie acclamation here, all the water is pretty hot, even the local ocean is about 70 or so. Perhaps I will have to punt and wear one last minute, but only if they change the award structure..


Got in today to do some IM stuff, felt a bit tight:


32x100 as 8x(3x100swim@1;40/100 stroke @2;00)swims(1;26 to 1;23) buoys(1;21 to 1;17) pulls(1;16 to 1;12) breast91;36/32)back(1;29/28+) fly(1;27/27) free(1;14/2x50-36/35)
150IM kick
3350SCY in 60 minutes

yesterday 11.8 mi run avg 9:53s, 1.5% incline

today 5075 yd swim

3 x 300 on 4:45 w/u 4:17, 4:09, 4:04
50 kick
4 x (200 fast + 50 kick) 2:30, 29, 29, 29
16 x (100 fast + 50 kick) 1:12, 12, 12, 11, 12, 12, 11, 12, 12, 11, 12, 13, 13, 13, 12, 11
500 easy kick every 5th 50
25 kick c/d

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Was debating on doing a night race today, but it is a 3 hour rush hour drive there, and then probably 2 1/2 back for a 30+ minute race. 1kswim/5krun. I really wanted to do it, but calculated the gas cost and hours driven, and it was just not quite cost effective. SO went to the pool and just ground out some yardages, got in a 1650pull for time too:

3x100buoy@1;40(1;23/22/21)
1650pull descend@22;00-(20;48--6;25/6;21/6;17/1;45)
500IM kick easy decend@10;30(9;48)
25x50@1;00as 5 buoy(39/38/37/36/34)5 frog(54 to 51)5buoy(40/38/37/36/33+)5frog(55 to 52)2x50 back easy
3800SCY in 65 minutes

LCM today

300 easy
24x50 fast with paddles only on 55 (avg 32 mid)
50 easy 50 fast
6-700 kick fast / easy each 25
200 easy


Anyone here occasionally doing any swimming with paddles only? Seems like it gives a good strength gain and feeling of holding more water but still need to work core to keep hips up ?

Saw you are doing a 400IM LCM Monty - respect... I have never done one, probably not even in training as a kid, and don't think I ever will!

Completed my first pure OWS in 12 years - The Fat Salmon swim a 3.2 mile OWS up in Lake Washington in the Seattle area. Overall winners were awarded a Salmon!

Being an old guy at 57, who just came out of retirement last year - I have to say I am proud that I finished it in 1:20 minutes! and it was a lot of fun!

-George




-George

That's an awesome swim there Gregg, and only 9 minutes behind the blazing winners too!! Was it a water finish, or up the beach? I ask because you had that study 72 year old right in your sights, did you have a chance to nip him those 3 seconds? He is a really fast distance guy too, at 72 he has gone 21;38 for the 1650, so you were in pretty good company there.

And now that you are back, you only have one way to go now, so get after it!!!

Well done. Was the water cold or could u wear a wetsuit?

wow, blazing time! nice job!

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD