2013 Lake Erie Open Water Classic - 4 More Days to Sign Up

This year's t-shirt looks like this. But you've got to swim or volunteer to get one.  Registration deadline in midnight Tuesday. Go to www.ohiomasters.com to enter.

24th Annual Lake Erie Open Water Classic - July 27, 2013

Yes, it's that time of year again. The Indians are playing. 

Tax season is almost over. The ice is off Lake Erie. Planning 

for the 24th Annual Lake Erie Open Water Classic is on schedule. 

Put it on your calendar. 
 
Event: 24th Annual Lake Erie Open Water Classic 

Date: Saturday July 27, 2013
Place: Edgewater State Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Distances: 1/2-mile, 1-mile and 2-miles.
There will be a wetsuit division with wetsuit division awards.
 
Online Entry Link and information for USMS members:
https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1236&smid=4674
 
Online Entry Link and information for non-USMS members:
https://www.clubassistant.com/club/mr.cfm?c=1236&smid=4673&ngb=oevt
 
This event is a fundraiser for the St Malachi Center Summer 

Kid's Swim Program. We like the idea of big swimmers helping 

little swimmers.
 
Competitive Aquatic Supply, North Canton, Ohio is a sponsor for 

our event.
 
Questions may be directed to Tom Spence at talltom13@msn.com or 

440-777-0849.
 
In 2014, the International Gay Games will be in Cleveland. As 

the only person in Cleveland with any open water event management 

experience, I have been asked to run the open water event for 

the Gay Games. I told the Gay Games organizers I would be pleased 

to do that.  So next year, the 25th Annual Lake Erie Open Water 

Classic and the Gay Games open water event will be combined into 

a single event. Stay tuned....
 
This year, I hope you will join us on Saturday July 27th at 

Edgewater State Park.
 
See you in the water,
 
Tom Spence
 
O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club
http://www.ohiomasters.com/
 

Pilates and Swimming

After 20 years of swimming, you'd think I'd be really, really strong.  I'm sure my cardiovascular system is in good shape.  I'd guess my upper back and upper front are in good shape. But my core is weak. For me, this is a conundrum.  After all this swimming, my lower back and core are weak. For me, this explains why kicking is so difficult for me. There is no strength connecting my arms and legs.

My chiropractor, who helps me control L4, suggested I try Pilates.  He said it is a good exercise for core strength and overall stretching. Just what I need. So I followed through and joined a Pilates class. I feel as though I've discovered the mother-lode. What a great workout. It is exactly a great workout for stretching and developing core strength.Now I'm doing dry-land workouts.

Picture, if you will, nine women and me in the class. It is clear the women have been there before. It's all new to me. They blast right through the workout while I try to get L4 off the mat. They don't sweat. I do. But who cares. It's as much my workout as theirs.  My legs are getting more involved in my swimming as my core strengthens. It's all good.

Getting Reagy for 2013

We are planning our swim schedule for 2013.  Diane and I will swim in the Senior Games which will be in Cleveland, Ohio in July.  We plan to swim in the 2-Mile Cable National Championship in August. It will be in Lake Placid, New York. We are considering the Short Course National in Indianapolis, Indiana in May and the Pan-Ams in Sarasota, Florida in June. This will come into focus as the weather warms.

Recollections from 2005 - The Potomac River Swim

I am getting to an age where I am getting older faster than I am getting faster - which means I am getting slower. But with age comes patience. If I can’t swim faster, maybe I can swim further. The question is … how much further can I swim? In hopes of satisfying my curiosity, I have become my own experiment. What distance can I swim with grace and dignity? Grace and dignity are the key words here.

I swim the 1650 or 1500 whenever I get the opportunity. This past year, after swimming masters for 10 years, I made Top Ten in the 1500. Yes, I know, it was short course meters, but still my plan is working. I’m outliving the old guys. I used to swim the 2-Mile Open Water at Edgewater State Park but now I organize it so I can’t swim it anymore.

Many people talk about the Chesapeake Bay Swim as though it is a rite of passage for long distance swimmers. This is a 4-mile swim across the Chesapeake Bay starting at Annapolis, MD. On a certain Saturday in January the CBSer’s take entries on-line starting at 8:30am. They take the first 600 entries. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to go to Orange for a workout before going on line. I got on-line at 9:30. They had their 600 entries by then and weren’t taking any more. They took 600 entries in 45 minutes! Wow! And mine was not one of them.

I searched the Internet for another swim and found the Potomac River Swim. This swim is 7 ½ miles from Virginia to Maryland across the Potomac River where the river joins the Chesapeake Bay. This seemed like a worthy goal so I sent in my application and estimated I would make the swim in 4 to 4 ½ hours. Then I set about learning what I needed to know to make this swim.

I learned that people who don’t swim don’t get it. I learned that swimmers who measure their swims in seconds – not hours – don’t get it. And I learned if a person did not get it, there is nothing I could say to help him get it. A fellow I work with expressed the thought that bridges were built so people would not have to do this sort of thing.

People expressed their concerns about the water temperature, sharks, sunburn, water quality and ending up in Delaware. I was offered advice on what to drink, what to eat, what sun block to use, what swim cap to wear and how many swim caps to wear, what goggles to wear and where to put the Vaseline – in the armpits and on the chest. I decided I needed to swim 15,000 to 20,000 yards per week for several months leading up to the event. I figured if it weren’t enough, I’d find out the hard way. My team of advisors had me prepared for all issues except one.

Being worried about getting lost in a fog bank, I brought a small magnetic compass for my kayaker. He thought I was from Mars. Not only did he have a large compass rigged on his kayak, but he also had GPS. He had a high-tech kayak. I’m a low-tech guy and now I know. My kayaker’s name was Mark. He’s a good guy.

At 6AM on Saturday June 4th, the day after my 61st birthday, by the way, a wide beamed boat transported 21 swimmers, 24 kayaks and 24 kayakers and assorted dignitaries 7.5 miles from Point Lookout State Park, Maryland to the Virginia side of the Potomac River. We swam back. Water temperature was 65 degrees. One swimmer was unable to finish due to hypothermia. Yours truly has ample natural insulation. This is an event that rewards fat! We swam in an East-North-East direction. The river was mostly flat with only occasional chop. The sky was overcast so sunburn was not an issue. I asked Mark to stop us every 30 minutes for water and every hour for gel paks. Progress was to be measured in 30 minutes increments.
After picture taking, it was time to swim. As in any long distance event, the swimmers spread out pretty quickly. By the first water stop, Mark and I were alone. We could see other swimmers, but we weren’t in groups anymore. It had been suggested I entertain myself by counting strokes or singing a song. Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall twice backwards might have worked. Mostly I was just in the moment. It was just the water, Mark and me. There was nothing to do but swim. When my right shoulder would start to hurt, I would bi-lateral breathe for a while. This would cause me to wonder away from the kayak. Mark would wave me back.

After several hours, my upper back started to hurt. Ever so gradually and until the end of the swim, my back, neck and shoulders went from discomfort to pain to serious pain. This was the thing my advisors forgot to mention. At the end, being a comedian, I wanted to say, “Is this Delaware because if it is I’m going to be VERY unhappy.” Instead, what came out was, “I’ve never hurt this bad in my life.” I’ve been advised by one who knows to bring ibuprofen next time. Take it before, during, and after the swim. It’s legal, she says.
The finish was a 500-yard push along a break wall from the Coast Guard Station to the beach. The organizers had sort of forgotten to mention the ebb tide that flows along the break wall.

Swimming these 500 yards was more than just in the moment. It was more like being locked in place and time. It could see the bottom and it wasn’t moving. I could see the beach and it wasn’t getting any closer. What I could not see was the humor in the moment. Grace and dignity took a back seat to frustration and back pain. I finally finished with a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. Coming out of the water, I was met by Cheryl, the Meet Director. She yelled at me - What do you need? Water? Food? Can you stand up? Lemme take your picture. Here’s a towel! – To which I responded with the aforementioned – I’ve never hurt this bad in my life. After all that planning and organizing, this was Cheryl’s reward. Cheryl must have the patience of Job.

After 30 minutes, with real food in my stomach, grace and dignity returned and the back pain went away. I attribute the back pain to lactic acid buildup unrelieved by flip turns or long winded coaches and enhanced by having to raise my head forward from time to time. Next time, I’ll remember to bring the ibuprofen – legal or not. The grilled chicken was the best I’ve ever tasted. I can’t imagine why.

So, mission accomplished. I was the oldest swimmer and I was 15th out of the 20 swimmers who finished the distance. Cheryl allowed that my time was very respectable for a person my age. I’ll take that as a compliment. I learned that 15,000 to 20,000 yards per week for several months would prepare me to swim 7 ½ miles in 4 ½ hours. For challenge challenged swimmers, I recommend the Potomac River Swim. It’s well run. It’s a blast. I’m glad I did it. The experiment was successfully concluded. But the question still remains…how far can I swim?

2012 GREAT LAKES OPEN WATER SWIM SERIES - GLOWS - Final Summary

	2012 GREAT LAKES OPEN WATER SWIM SERIES
Great Lake Zone Members will earn points for their place finishes in each of the following
events, which have been designated as "GLOWS" swims. In order to earn a GLOWS award,
you need to participate in at least 2 of these swims.  Zone Members will also receive 50
Participation Points for each event they start. Finish points will be awarded according to
the USMS Long Distance Rule 307.12.1 found on page 61 of the 2012 USMS Rule Book at
www.usms.org/rules/part3.pdf. Point totals will be updated throughout the summer.
Award winners will be announced at the USMS Convention in September.
2-Jun	OHIO	Greenswell OW Swims			1/2-mile, 1.0 mile, 2.0 mile
23-Jun	INDIANA	USMS 3 - 6 Mile OW National Championship				5k
14-Jul	ALLEGHENY	Search For Mononghy OW Swim			1.2 mile and 2.4 mile
28-Jul	LAKE ERIE	Lake Erie OW Swim			1/2-mile, 1 mile, 2 mile
11-Aug	KENTUCKY	Ohio River OW Swim			0.5, 1.2 & 2.4 miles
18-Aug	WISCONSIN	Madison OW Swim  MOWS			1.2 & 2.4 miles
8-Sep	ILLINOIS	Big Shoulders OW Swim			2.5k & 5k
	TOTAL EVENTS		7
	TOTAL "SPLASHES"		1878
	TOTAL SWIMMERS		1657
	TOTAL WOMEN		679	41%
	TOTAL MEN		978	59%

3000 Yard Postal Is Done!

Yesterday Diane and I swan the 3000 yard postal. I timed her. Then she timed me. I swam the first 1500 yards in 26:11 and the second 1500 yards in 26:43.  I was 32 seconds slower in the second half. I'll take that. But I still want to cut about 5 minutes per mile to be competitive nationally. The pool was a 25 yard pool. That's a lot of turns. I put my dry-land pumped stomach muscles to work during the swim. More work is required in the stomach department. Diane by the way was about 9 minutes faster than me which is normal for us.

If you are interested in learning more about this event, go to https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1287&smid=3918. I entered the event online yesterday. Cost to enter is $7.00. Check the website before you swim.

So what did I think about while swimming. I kept asking myself what condition is my condition in? Are my feet at horizontal for minimal drag? Am I getting a good push off the wall for fewer strokes?  Am I using the large body muscles or am I swimming with my arms? And where the heck is Diane's signal that I have 300 yards to finish?  I did the best I could in that place and at that time. I can't complain. Gotta go pump some iron.