Pick it up!

We swam 4000 yard this morning at WAC and this afternoon I did 8 box laps at Corona Del Mar in 2 hours 10 minutes. I got a little cold chatting with triathletes but felt really good after the first hour. I probably could have stayed longer but was expecting some friends (who didn't make it...darn!).

Oh well...probably best not to "kill myself" at this new start!

October 6-7

Well...I got something on Monday that looks like a job offer for next year. And my Nova team mates are getting really enthusiastic for my swim...so I decided to book a date.

I called John Pittman and spoke with Carol Sing of CCSF (who will be doing a swim this year at 68 yo!!!).

Now I have to focus on getting my distances back up and getting confident with night swimming! I went out with Ray Meltvedt and his daughter Sierra last Friday for about an hour at San Clemente pier last Friday night (August 7) for a BYOGS (Bring Your Own Glow Stick) swim. We made the lifegaurds nervous, I think, because they kept flashing us with high beam lights. There were lots of stars out and we saw the moon rise!

My neighbor, Patsee has offered to go out for midnight swims with me to get a sense of the ocean at that time. She has offered to escort swim and kayak.

Now I have to start BIG training (and remember to eat and rest)

I feel really good about this...

June Already?

Last week I got a message from one of the partners from my last job. Kris Weber said that there may be a water quality opportunity coming up. I found out that it is contingent on a sub-contractor getting contracts. If I can nail that down this week I might commit to a Catalina date this year. I need a decent job to self fund the crossing. Otherwise, next year will have to do.
I did two swims out of Oak Street this weekend. Saturday the temperature had dropped 5 degrees to 56F (according to the local dive website) and it felt like it. I had an icecream headache and was pretty chilled by the time we reached the Main Beach buoy. I was happy for the current that made the return trip much quicker. My neighbor Pastee and I swam with a new swimmer from the Santa Cruz area, Ray Meltvedt. He wants to organize some Moonlight swims once a month! That sounds great to me!
Sunday I ended up going out by myself and the water had warmed back up to 63F or so. There was a good wind and a lot of chop. The water was clear except for flowing sand from rip-currents. I did see a few Garibaldi though.


I hope that job comes through this week...cross your fingers or fins for me!
:)

Oak Street Continued

I got to swim last Saturday with my wonderful neighbor, Patsee Ober and the amazing channel swimmer Christopher Roberts!
http://catalinaswim.myphotoalbum.com/
http://geekindeep.blogspot.com/
I got to kayak for him last August and he is such an inspiration.
I will have to blow off Catalina this year unless some kind of miracle occurs. I know I can do it. I feel so ready after February but I am too fiscally conservative to take it out on credit. I need to find a job. Next year I may feel differently? Maybe later in the season I may have a change of heart.
We will swim tomorrow morning at Oak Street again! 8am!
:)

Oak Street!!!

This shouldn't be such a big deal...I moved to Oak Street in March. I have yet to do a swim off of my "home beach". This morning I will be swimming with my neighbor, Patsee and maybe a few Nova swimming friends (I posted it on the Nova blog) and on my Facebook. I am so excited!!!
More later...

Okay then...

Ugh!
Still looking for work...
But I want to think I am still training for this thing! Catalina...
I am but I am not sure how I will foot the bill. It may end up being next year and I can deal with that.
I took the CCSF Observers Training course last Sunday; got my CPR certification; met some Channel Swimming icons! Anne Cleveland (oldest person to do do a double English Channel) Rendy Lynn Opedyke (swam Manhattan Island, English Channel and Catalina Channel in a 34 day time span), Carol Sing (oldest woman to swim Catalina at 55, but she is doing it again this year at 67!!!)
I will do it some day, I know!
Today I did a short (2 mile) training swim at Corona Del Mar. The water is a delightful 64F with variations. I got to swim with Jim Fitzpatrick (English Channel. Catalina Channel and first ever Catalina to Orange County swim).

HAPPY Spring!

I miss the FFC swim schedule. It kept my mind off of not having a job, moving, and a variety of other things that I get obsessed about. My skin does NOT miss the FFC though and feels like it is back to "normal" with the once-a-day swim schedule. I am really pleased that my shoulders don't hurt at all too! I have swam only 37 miles so far this month - a little over 10% of last month.
I was afraid I had lost my cold water acclimation with all the warm-pool swims and weight loss but I've done two ocean swims with friends this month in 56F water. I was surprised that it wasn't that bad at all!
It is hard to get motivated to swim in the ocean on my own for some reason. I NEED to check out my new local beach at the end of Oak Street, but I get consumed by the online job search...and Facebook....and speaking of Facebook, I will have two FB friends from the East out to swim, maybe on Saturday and definitely on Sunday, in Laguna Beach!
The local dive site says that the water has warmed to 57F.
Tomorrow I will swim at Corona Del Mar with the Tri guys in the evening.