Saturday Samoan Festival. No Swim, Just Pictures

I went to the beach about 6 PM and it was still very crowded.  The Samoan Festival was going strong and lots of people were all around the pier area.  I didn't swim, although the ocean looked great at low tide.  I think I'll be on dry land for a bit until my back is feeling better. 

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

No Swim Thursday, Just Pictures

I was kept out of the water today by low back pain and muscle spasms.  I stood at the sand and wavered between going in or not.  The 'not' won out.  The water was sloppy--no waves, a choppy surface, and the sky was totally overcast. 
I thought about wearing fins to exercise the back, but I didn't have any with me; I had cleaned out my trunk a week ago.  Oh, well.  Maybe it's better to rest up?  I'm guilty of contradicting my post-script this day.

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

Jellyfish Sting Oceanside Pier

So I was watching the Olympic Trials in swimming this afternoon and looking at the difference in kicking beats per stroke in the 1500 meter swim heats.  I noticed that all the top 1500 swimmers were kicking their butts off continuously in what I think is 8 kicks per 2 strokes; the other swimmers were kicking at 4 beats per 2 strokes-I think.
Flash to 7 PM and I am in the water swimming around the pier with a continuous 8 beat kick per 2 strokes around the pier.  I think that I'll be swimming faster than before but it didn't seem to help much.  I got around in 29 minutes in calm, great swimming conditions.  I guess I need to keep working on it.
The exciting thing is that on the way in I brush against what I think is a pink/purple shirt which startles me.  Instantly I realize it is one of these 2 foot jellyfish and it starts to sting.  It got me on my left arm, left underarm, left leg a little bit.  So I swim in and keep thinking that I'm going to have an asthma attack or something on the way in--but nothing happens--except the stinging hurts some more.
I get home and rub the sting spots with Adolphs Meat Tenderizer mixed with water and it stops the stinging.  It has papain in it--an enzyme that breaks down the proteinaceous toxin in the jellyfish sting.  I also took a Benadryl to play it safe.

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

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."