Success!

I just returned from the winter swim festival, and this year was awesome! Especially because I completed the 200 and felt great doing it. I thoroughly expected to be last, but I actually was third to last, and beat the woman who I swam against!! Not that time is everything, but I was so happy with how I did.

We stayed at a new airbnb, which we all really liked and will try to book again. It was right on the water and had lovely views, a nice kitchen, and enough space for all of us to have space...  The only flaw was that we could have used one more bedroom. Every morning I cooked breakfast - pancakes Friday, french toast Saturday and cinnamon rolls Sunday. We also had a big group for Saturday dinner, where we had Thai food. And, I was able to get my laundry done :)

The big event, of course, was the swimming. The first event was the hat race - I went a little political with an anti-ICE sort of thing out of paper mache. It took a while to make, and I had a lot of fun with it. It's only a 25 meter swim, but it's good to get into the icy pool and see what it will be like. 

The big race, of course, was the 200 on Friday. It was 17 degrees out, with 20 mph winds and a "feels like" temp of 1. The water is 31 degrees and on Friday you could see it freeze over between swimmers. The 200 was after lunch, and I was so nervous about it, but I reminded myself that I'd done it so many times in practice and been fine, it was just like any other swim, and I just had to pace myself and go for it. When they said to go I took off a little too fast, and by the end of the first length was feeling a little breathless. You are required to have a spotter for the swim, and my friend who was spotting me told me to slow down a little after the first length, which was really good advice. I felt a little puffy, and could feel the strain in my body in the second length, but by the time I was 1/4 of the way done I could tell I was solid and I started to feel more confident. By the end of the second lap I was feeling strong and started to try to focus on my stroke and swimming more efficiently. And by the fifth length I knew I was going to make it and I started feeling good. I was so psyched when I finished and actually beat the person who I was swimming against. It felt like real redemption from last year.

After the swim I went into the lovely warming hut and got to dunk my hands and feet in hot water. They had these socks filled with rice that they microwave for you that feel so good. It was such a good feeling to sit there and warm up, knowing I had done what I set out to do, and feeling like a bit of a bad ass, because it was HARD! I was so happy with it. It took me about 5 minutes and 15 seconds, so for next year I'm going to try to be a little faster.

The second day of the festival I volunteered as an escort, walking swimmers down to the pool and then back up to the warming room after. I really enjoyed it, though I was a bit exhausted by the end of the day. The weather on Saturday was beautiful, sunny and no wind, and warmer - about 20-25 degrees. I went there with three layers on, and immediately had to take 2 of them off because I was sweating. After they have a dinner and awards and such, and then we all chilled at the house. It was so nice out that I thought I would swim the 100 on Sunday, but by the time Sunday morning came along it was windy again, snowing and cold. I had done what I came to do, and decided that I didn't need to go all crazy, so I just did the race I was registered for which was a 4 person relay where we each swam a 50. We had a team of folks from my swim group, and I offered to go first because you stay and cheer your teammates at the end, and that's really cold when you are wet. Two of the other swimmers did the 100, so I though it would be better for them to go later. Anyhow, when I got in the woman in the other lane was so fast that she was almost finished by the time I turned around. Now that's the type of swim race I'm used to :)  I think I built it up in my head as not being a big deal because it was so short, but it was still really cold in the water. After I went into the warming hut and really enjoyed holding one of the hot socks.

I was bummed about the snow because I had to drive home, and I was worried the roads would be bad. I left after lunch and it was totally fine - a little slippery at first, but no real concerns. I got home and plan to sit on my couch for the rest of the evening. All and all a good weekend, and I'm so glad it's over :)

Six Days

Six days from now the big race will be over - I hope it goes better than last year. I've been doing some practice swims, one or two a week, and they seem to be improving. Today I actually felt like I was able to swim with a little technique! I really didn't want to go for a swim today, in fact I was really close to bailing on the whole thing and not going to the lake. I finally talked myself into going by telling myself that I could just dip around and maybe climb on the ice shelf, I didn't need to swim. When I got there, in my head I was not going, but then I just put in my ear plugs and goggles, just in case. And when I got in the water I just did it. And it was fine.

There is still a lot of ice - I went last night for what really was just a dip, and the dock we usually go in from was clear of ice on both sides. Today, though, it was iced all the way up to one side and we couldn't go in that way. On the other side was a flock of geese, and I didn't want to bother them, so I went in the far side of the dock. I got in the water, breathed for a few breaths, and then just went for it. I counted 160 strokes with each arm, which should be about 200 meters, and then got out. 

Of course when I started swimming I was focused on breathing and how cold my face was. Once I got used to it, though, I really worked on reaching with my arm, getting a good catch and pulling strong. I noticed I was moving my arms more slowly, but I think I swam faster. It felt good, and I was glad that I could pay attention to my swim stroke while in the cold water (according to my watch it was 35). After, I warmed up a little, chatted with the two other people who went for a couple minutes, but we quickly decided to get in our nice warm cars and go home.

I got a little shivery on the drive and came home and decided that a shower was in order. The shower felt so nice, especially on my feet - I flipped the thing so that the tub didn't drain and got to stand in a pool of hot water. It was an excellent idea which I will continue in the future.

There is a big storm coming today, it just started snowing and is supposed to snow all night, then turn to freezing rain, then just rain. It sounds like it will be a full day thing, so I have plans to spend tomorrow on the couch with a book :). Monday is a holiday, and hopefully things will clear up to allow a final dip before the event. 

Mock 200's

The big festival is less than three weeks away. Time to get training again, even though the ice shelf is still there and calls to me a bit. I went to the lake both Saturday and Sunday and swam a 200 each day. It was hard!! Especially on Saturday because it was windy (like 20 out with windchill) and the water was a little choppy.

The water is around 36 now - I wore booties and gloves, though in fact my feet were fine and I think I could have done it without them. Both times, getting in and getting started was the hardest. The first 10-15 strokes are OK, then the next 30-40 strokes are so hard, and then it's fine. Yesterday I pushed through it, today I had to take a short break in my swimming to catch my breath, but just for a few seconds. After about 40-50 strokes I could feel myself acclimatizing and swimming felt hard but fine. When I got out after the first day I was actually not even that cold, except for my hands. Today was a little harder. But, both times I was there with some guys who were shivering and looked pretty after droppy. So, I felt good about the cold prep.

My swim technique does still need a lot of work. Every now and then when I'm swimming at MIT I can feel that I'm getting the stroke right, and I find myself catching up to the person in front of me. But it's not consistent. At the lake with the cold it's really not that consistent, but once I get through the really cold part I'm getting a little better at trying to use good form. I have one more swim lesson this week, and then a couple weeks of practice. I could try swimming at work when I'm on campus - I've never been to the pool there, but I hear that there is open swim. But probably I'm just going to keep going to the lake...