Crowded Downtown Oceanside Farmers Market Thursday Night

Tonight was very much like last night--the water conditions and currents, that is.  I went to the beach about 5:30 PM.  There was lots of action in the beach area.  The Farmers Market had lots of people strolling the booths.  The chop wasn't there tonight in the water.  I swam north to south with the current.  I turned around outside of the south-side surf zone and headed back. 
The water was gorgeous--that greenish-blue hue that I love.  I hit the current heading out and trying to swim back to the end of the pier.  It was surprising;  the water seemed so calm but it was moving.  I got out fine but as I was at pier-end water, just south of the pier about 80 yards, I really felt the current.  I didn't really want a hard swim tonight but I got one.  I had to swim hard to reach the pier, and then to get past the pier.  I was tired swimming in because the current, albeit weaker, still was there.  The swim was 1 hour and 11 minutes total.  Kicked my butt.  Well worth the parking meter fee of 1 dollar.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Difficult Swim Wednesday Afternoon

I went too early today to the beach because it was way too crowded for me.  I got in just south of Surfrider Way and swam out and angled to the end of the pier.  It was hard swimming out against the chop and tide coming in, but a southerly current drifted me toward the pier.  I rounded the pier and swam in on the south side.  However, I didn't land; I turned around at 34 minutes before I hit the surf zone and went back the way I came. 
The southerly current was a bear to swim out and toward the pier against.  I mean a bear.  I swam my butt off in the chop and tried to reach that doggone pier.  It's an interesting experience at times like this--you're stuck out there drifting backwards, and you not only have to swim toward the pier, you have to add in the effect of the ocean.  You think about giving up and going back to the sand, but what do you do?  Me. I got an abdominal cramp from kicking and pulling and kept kicking and pulling even harder.  I really don't like the ocean to get the best of me when the current thing occurs.
The water was warm with good visibility--about 15 feet visibility far out.  A greenish color to the water was a bit tropical.  Breathing was a pain with the chop; that sea water sure causes instant retching.  After I got around I took a quick look at the watch and it was 1 hour and 1 minute.  The last segment of my swim in toward where I started was pathetic.  I was done. And still swimming diagonally against the current.  I finished at 1 hour and 24 minutes.  A tough swim.  I gotta' build up my endurance times. 


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Lazy Swim Evening

64-66 degree water per surfline.com.  2-3 foot waves.  Choppy, cloudy water with a current moving to the south.  I swam 36 1/2 minutes around the pier from north to south, taking my time.  Not a special day for the water and I was lazy.  I swallow a bit of water a couple of times with the chop.  Only several surfers--the conditions were too sloppy.  My swim was 5:30 PM or so.

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Sunday Longer Swim--Rough Water Oceanside, CA

I had a swim of 1 hour and 42 minutes yesterday (Sunday) in a very choppy ocean with all sorts of currents.  My goal had been to swim for 2 hours Sunday but I had a few times during the swim when I wanted to wimp out: the first time being at about 40 minutes as I swam north from tower 2 toward the south rock jetty.  That crazy water area again.  Against the current and breathing water mixed with air.  I had a few vomiting episodes during the swim because of the chop.  It took me 48 minutes to hit the jetty. A long time.
Then I swam south to the end of the pier.  Chop, chop, and more chop.  When I was 200 yards north of the pier, the water started moving in hard toward the beach in 1-2 foot waves.  I was getting ready to wimo out again then.  I was tired--arms dead--and I had to pull and pull and pull some more to move out against the incoming tide and get around the pier.  I hit off the end of the pier-about 80 yards out-at an hour and 20 minutes. 
Then, the last stage--the swim in to the beach.  That was even difficult--because I was dead. 
I didn't achieve my goal of 2 hours but because of the conditions I did OK.  This was another Oceanside Rough Water Swim.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Saturday Oceanside Swim

I got in the water about 5:30 PM yesterday (Saturday) and there were LOTS of folks at the beach.  For us here, it was a big crowd.  Of course I waited until late for most of the people to go home too. 
Smallish waves, 1-3 feet, warm water, clean water in some areas and cloudy in other areas.  I had a goal to swim approximately 2 miles.  Its just about impossible to figure out distance in the water.  I used to go by swim time but now I don't feel that time is accurate for me because I'm slower than I thought.
Then there are currents possibly which have an impact on estimation of time and distance.
I swam for 89 minutes.  I entered at Lifeguard tower #2, about 100 yards north of the pier, and headed out and then north.  I reached the rock jetty at 32 minutes.  Faster than yesterday by 8 minutes.  Little to no current.  Once again, that piece of water about 200 yards off the condo complex North Coast Village and north of it is something else.  Its an exciting piece of water--always.  Yesterday it threw me around and had a washing macine feel to it, but with big chop.  I'm cool with it because I've been there so much--it gets cloudy and silty with bits of kelp too.  That's a piece of water that I'm not sure if I like or dislike--it's odd.  I do get a bit afraid out there at times like yesterday--but not because of the rough water--but because I get to wondering if a sea monster is gonna' take a bite by mistake.
The turnaround swim back toward the pier was choppy, and then got really rough, choppy, and had a current that I had to swim through.  It started to kick my butt a couple of hundred yards north of the pier--I really had to pull to get around the pier. 
So, I got around and swam in to the beach.  I was tired; my arms were tired from pulling, but my back felt good.  My neck hurt--as usual, but it was a good workout swim.  I enjoyed it--lots of variety.
I couldn't find my camera.  Boy, the water is warm nowadays. I think I got 2 miles in, but who knows?  I'm out.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."