The Pier Swim Game

Today there was only a handful of surfers in the water.  The south side had some 4 foot waves now and then that looked nice, but most of the beach was very choppy and closed out in close.  I had a hard time swimming out against an incoming tide that was really cold and very choppy sideways.  I had 2 small gulps of water to make me gag a bit.  I froze for 16 minutes pretty good until I hit the end of the pier.  The swim was 30 minutes; it took a bit less coming in because I had a little push from the tide.  I may have to take a few days off; I have a pinched nerve in my neck where it's fused. 
Good swim today. Getting the year off to a good start.

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

Second Annual New Year's Day Pier Swim Oceanside CA

North County Times Article New Year's Day Plunge

I added this link to today's article in the North County Times covering the cold plunge in the beach.

I do my own cold plunge in Oceanside.

It was a little rough getting in but nothing like yesterday.  The water pulled south mildly; farther out there was no current.  The water temp says 56-58.  It was cold today, like yesterday.  I froze for a good 14 minutes, which was when I hit the end of the pier and checked my watch.  The way in was warmer.  Lots of beachgoers enjoying a gorgeous day.  Only one idiot doing a pier swim in trunks: that would be me. Time 28 1/2 minutes. 
I can tell you in that cold water you really think about kicking harder and faster, and doing a quicker and more effective arm stroke.  I declare myself the winner, once again, of the Second Annual New Year's Day Pier Swim.  And once again I was the sole participant.  Perhaps next year a few of the Del Mar Plungers will do the Oceanside Pier Swim.

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

New Year's Eve Pier Swim Oceanside, CA

The water was freezing today.  Surfline has it as 56-58 but I'd bet $$ on the 56-57.  Face hurt, body froze, hard to get through the surf zone cold.  I was pretty frozen by the time I was done in 32 minutes.  The ocean was extremely choppy: about a two-foot chop all around.  No kidding.  I swallowed some water a few times.  Getting out it was difficult to get past the surf before I was pulled into the pier.  I had my doubts whether I could make it.  There were about a dozen surfers on the south side but crummy shape to the waves.  As I was coming through the surf, one surfer asked me, " Are you frozen?"  I said, " Yeah, I am today; I really am."  He said there was an upwelling of cold water.  The ocean was dirty; I guess with the recent light rains running off into the beaches. 
So, what about my New Year's Day Pier Swim?  I suppose I'll do it alone.  It will be my second annual.  I hope I come in first place.


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

Overdid It Last Swim

Boy, My back has been a twisted mess of nerves and discs since my two-miler December 23rd.  I went too far.  When I'm back functioning, I'll go with one mile.  I've been trying to kick better but the low back has its limit it seems, nowadays.


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

Sunday Two Miler Swim Goal Oceanside CA

The last two days I did one-mile swims and had energy and warmth to spare.  So, what's next for this silly guy.  I uttered the words "two mile swim" to my son this morning; then the gauntlet was laid down.  So I went out with the intention of doing a two-miler.  I started at Wisconsin St. and swam out to that float that can be seen in some of the photos above.  Surprisingly, that pole is far; it took me eleven minutes to get to it.  But I learned something important getting into the water there; there are a couple of logs sticking up out of the bottom.  I hit one hard, but there is a positive side to that; the pain took my mind off of getting into the oh-so-chilly water.
I turned north to the pier at the float and hit the pier at 47 minutes.  It was a smooth swim--a very mild southerly current.  I had two scares.  Scare #1:  I swam smack into a ten-foot patch of kelp that was startling.  Scare #2:  fifteen minutes or so later I breathed to the left and was very close to what looked like the head of a harbor seal.  A second and third glance revealed it to be a float for a lobster trap that happened to resemble a seal's noggin'.
So at 47 minutes I'm cold, but I have a plan to swim to a little south of the harbor south jetty and turn around and do a round trip.  I figured that might be 2 miles easy.
At Surfrider Way, I am colder and looking at my watch.  I had decided to change my plan to turn around at 60 minutes.  This I do at 60 minutes and head back toward the pier.  I am very cold at 60 minutes.  This surprised me.
The water gets a little choppy and I start to wonder if I am swimming into a current--making mental excuses.  It's human nature.
I am pulling hard to get to the pier again--this time from the north side.  My fingers are freezing; I can't keep my fingers together to make an efficient 'pull' of the water with each stroke. 
Oh, exciting episode #3:  I am west of the pier 75 yards, look up, and close on my right is a family boat--about 60 feet long.  We wave 'Hi' to each other.  I should have been paying more attention.  The effects of the cold.
At about 75 minutes, just past the pier, I revise my plan due to cold and head in toward the beach.
What went first: the will or the effects of the cold?  The will, I say.  Cold will reduce Arnold Schwarzenneger (the movie version) to a little girl in an hour.

On my swim in to the sand I had a difficult time keeping my swimming stroke going decently.  I imagine the Lifeguards in the Tower looking at me wondering (or taking bets) on whether they'll have to get the jet-ski out to drag my sorry butt out of the water.  This helps to motivate me.  I hit sand at 1 hour and 34 minutes.  Cold, but feeling better.  I jog about a half-mile south to my starting point, Wisconsin St.
OK. This is where I have my final bit of excitement.  I had left a t-shirt and a coke on some rocks at Wisconsin and some character stole them.  Agghhhhh. 
I did my two-mile swim plus some, I think.  I didn't achieve my goal, but I did break some barriers.  Good swim.





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