Gorgeous Beach Day For Surfers & This Swimmer

I felt better today (from my chill treatment yesterday) and did the same swim as yesterday.  These pictures show the swim.  You start at the bottom of the stairs, head way out, and pass beyond the pier end by about 80 to 100 yards.  Then you continue the arc in, but a smaller arc because I'm tired and concentrating on form and performance, and hit the beach.  I did it in 33 minutes today.  I would say that's a mile for me.  Yesterday there was a strong south current and it took me 6 minutes more, I think.
While standing on the sidewalk above, I got a very cool view of a 4-5 foot dolphin swimming parallel along a breaking wave. Just one.  I didn't get any other dolphin sightings out there.
Something happened twice today that doesn't happen to me, except very rarely.  Two different surfers passed on to me their respect for my swimming in the raw like I do (swimsuit only, cap, goggles). One man 45'ish must have seen me before; because he told me, "I gotta' give you your respect for swimming in that; that's something.  Then I told him a was a  little off, and he says, "Who isn't?"
The other young fellow passed along, "Good work.  What did you do, 2 miles."   He was out waiting for waves and he saw me way out there.  He gave me a "fist bump."  Now that is cool.  I told him about 1 mile because my time was 33 minutes.  Now I'm wondering why I didn't do 2 miles?  I could have.  Maybe tomorrow...
You can see from these photos that the swimming conditions were great.  I feel good.


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

15 Days Without Beach

I couldn't get in the water for 15 days and it took a toll on me.  I was in a bad state yesterday and today and forced myself to swim today.  Thank goodness!  The water was very cold.  Surfline says 59 degrees but it was colder than that.  I swam a good mile at 42 minutes, I think. The water was smooth and flat, but not glassy.   Very nice for surfing with long intervals and long waves.
Nice to be back.  I'll be less grouchy and less antisocial.


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

Thursday Pier Swim in Easy Water

So I had the camera and I took about 8 photos.  I get home and something with the memory chip won't let me load them in the computer.  I have to order a new memory chip.
Really, this used to be easy. Write the blog, upload the pictures, stick 'em in the blog.
Now, since I'm a senior citizen I guess (55), I can't do anything right. 
Water at 59-60 was nice.  Mild waves and flat ocean. Even about 4 feet visibility.  Air temp 66.
I decided that today I would try to swim a faster time around the pier because I never get faster.  Guess what?  I didn't get faster.  Doggonit.  I was swimming harder than usual, I thought, and came in at 31 minutes.  I mean it was a nice, refreshing swim; but I was disappointed in my time. 
I've been pulling harder because I am feeling it in my triceps.  I've been kicking a bit harder.  I'm doing less breathing, or getting more strokes in between breaths.
Blue sky today. Only about a dozen surfers. Quiet beach. We'll see what the next few days brings.


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

Google/Picasa I Hate You for Making my Blog Harder to Do

Only five photos today for my readers because I am a lousy photographer and need to spare you my crummy photos.  But look at the series of small waves in sequential order in a couple of these photos today.  Can you deny nature's beauty there?  The shape of the smallish waves was nice, especially on the south side, as usual.  Water temp 59-60. Air temp 66 at approximately 3 PM.  Such a difference in the flatness today compared with the angry choppiness of yesterday's water. 
I didn't have it in me to swim today.  I drove and parked at the Pier and couldn't get my butt in gear. I debated it in my head for ten minutes and got changed.  Then, once a few beachgoers see me in a swimsuit and goggles & cap, I can't let them down.  And off I went.  Getting in was chilly.  I took note of the time when I got used to the cold; it was six minutes out.  I'm really just out of practice with the cold water.  I haven't put any real pressures on myself yet this winter about longer swims.  I'm just going along day by day.  No goals at this time.
A 31 minute swim around and I felt good, really good in the swim.   Glad I got there.


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

Tuesday Rough Water Swim (Cold & Against the Current)

What more could one ask for?  Just colder, rougher, and scarier water I suppose.  I had a 42 and a half-minute swim this afternoon; I'm home now and still have a chill.  Water temp about 59-60 degrees.  There was a moderate current running southeast with a big 2 foot chop to it.  I decided to swim into that. Why?  To be miserable, that's why. 
My swim was longer because I started farther away from the pier.  I'd guess 3/4 mile swim.  There were only about six surfers out because the water was so sloppy and choppy. 
I have several photos but I don't know if I can publish them. 


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