The Summer of Open Water Swimming has ended

My summer of Open Water Swimming ended with Hurricane Irene. I did not have any swims scheduled for the weekend of the hurricane but I had agreed to volunteer for the SheROX Tri in Asbury Park. Obviously it was cancelled and I ended up dealing with a basement full of water (I am still dealing with it).

Spending the summer competing in the Ocean Miles that each NJ Shore Town has was a fun change up. The bikes stayed in the back of the garage but I have found that changing up the workout routine is a great way to keep the training intensity high without experiencing the extended breaks that I used to have. The swimming hit some new muscle groups and I was also able to spend some more time in the weight room.

For the summer of 2011 I competed in the following swims (Rays Notebook has a full Calendar):

1. The Nav E Sink or Swim in Rumson, NJ on May 29, 2011 - This one did not go too well
2. Swim-Palooza at Lavallette - June 5, 2011 - This was my redemption swim
3. The Asbury Park Ocean Mile on June 25, 2011 - My first encounter with the folks from the NJRC. The 1st of the NJRC Trilogy
4. The Bradley Beach Ocean Mile on July 2, 2011 - This was probably the first swim I had fun doing. The course was not well marked and we had to walk back on the beach to the finish
5. Avon by the Sea Ocean Mile on July 10, 2011. Do you really remember much about this race. The Spring Lake race was scheduled for July 9, 2011 but it was cancelled.
6. The Manning Sea Bright Ocean Mile on July 16 - The second of the NJRC Trilogy - I remember this one being a perfect day. Water was perfect and it was a good crowd. Close to home as well.
7. The Manasquan Ocean Mile on July 23 - I think this was a good swim at all. Funny that I know I did them and it was a good experience but the details are getting kind of hazy.
8. The Ocean Mile Swim at Sea Girt Beach on July 30, 2011
9. The Shana Ocean Mile at Monmouth Beach on July 31, 2011. This was probably the best run off all the races. It was definitely a fun one an will make sure I do it in the future as well. This was also the 2nd swim of a two race weekend
10. The John Boyd Memorial Swim in Seaside Heights on August 7. This was an evening race and was the furthest that I traveled to swim. The water temp was 64 degrees but the swim went from south to north with the current. This was my fastest swim. The is a party on the beach after the swim. Keg of beer with hamburgers and hotdogs. Lots of fun. Met some new people.
11. Belman Ocean Mile on August 13, 2011. This was the 3rd in the NJRC Trilogy.
12. The Long Branch Ocean Mile (Ray Licata Memorial Swim) was rescheduled for August 20. This was a tough race against the current swimming from south to north. This was well run but they did have an issue with the bus shuttle from the registration area to the start. I walked the boardwalk as warm up.
13. The Ocean Mile for Smiles at Bradley Beach on August 21, 2011. This is a new race promoted by the Red Bank YMCA. I was not going to do this race but decided to make it a 2 swim weekend. The water was rough and the lifeguards disappeared. I felt all alone when I made the turn around. The guards stayed with the leaders. My time was not that great but I was happy to finish.

There was a swim in Atlantic City today (September 3, 2011) called the Pageant Swim but I have decided to end my open water swimming season. Time to get the bike out again and move back to the pool. Still worn out from the hurricane.