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."

Rough, Open-Water Swim Oceanside, CA

I didn't bring the camera because I just got my car cleaned out today, so I didn't have any junk in there, including cameras.
Friday night--about 5 PM to 6:30 PM.  I just had a great 70 minute rough swim out there.  The water really is warm:great for beachgoers, but I could use more cold.  I will look up the temp now on surfline.com
64-66 degrees. Probably the high side of that.  The surf zone was rough.  It took me about 3-4 minutes to swim through the continuous 3 foot waves.  I have found out through experience that I swim more effectively and quicker through rough surf if I swim with short arm strokes with a quicker cadence. 
There was a strong enough current running south that I decided to swim against it.  I swam north into the current about fifty yards past the surf zone where there was a big, irregular, nasty chop to go along with the oncoming current.  All I needed was to be cold and I would have been really happy.
I swam to the first rock jetty and turned around.  I reached the jetty at 40 minutes. I swam 30 minutes back to where I started-about 100 yards north of the pier.  I still felt good.  I had good wind, no fear, and deecent swimming technique for me, I think.
A really nice swim workout for me.  I had not felt up to getting in the water all week-4 days without salt water-so it was a welcome treat.

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

Sunday Swim Oceanside Pier

Late Sunday afternoon the sky was totally clouded over, but the air temp was pleasant and the water too warm in some spots.  The water was a bit choppy, which made swimming out a bit difficult. However, then on the way in I was trying to catch the small waves and get a push from them. There was a strong wind onshore and a mild current to the south.  I had a 34 minute swim, which is quicker than usual for me.  Lots of people enjoying the water.

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