Dave Galli (lt blue), Chris Roberts (dk blue) and Emily Evans (orange)
Today was our first long ocean swim of the year: 7 miles in 3 hours and 30 minutes from the north side of Newport Pier, south past Balboa Pier, outside The Wedge to the Newport Harbor breakwater and back again. It was a good taste of what the Catalina swim may be like.
I loved the swim south to the breakwater- the pace was just right, my stroke felt strong, the water was warm and smooth, and the sun was bright. We had Brian in a kayak on one side and Scott on a paddleboard on the other. At 1 1/2 miles, we met up with Emily Evans and her entourage which consisted of her pace swimmer/dad and her sister in a kayak. In the midst of this armada, it was about as safe as you can feel in the Pacific. Though some dolphins passed right underneath us, I missed them.
After we reached the Newport Harbor breakwater we refueled and headed back. Emily apparently had been sandbagging the trip south and turned up the speed going north. While Dave met the challenge, my energy level dropped and I started to lose ground. Scott stayed with me as I began to trail the group (thanks Scott!). At Balboa pier, Emily headed in to shore and Dave waited for me so we could finish the last 2 miles together. After half a mile, I begin to loose energy again and my stroke got "lazy". While my "lazy stroke" is easy to maintain, it is too slow to keep up with Dave- even when I am drafting. We decided to separate. Brain accompanied Dave back and Scott guided me for the last 1 1/2 miles. I finished about 10 minutes behind Dave. Even with lead shoulders, it was a fun swim coming back. Though I had no extreme fatigue during the swim, I did become accutely aware of the strength training and feeding strategies I would need to improve upon before our Catalina attempt to ensure that I can maintain a strong stroke for 21 miles.
On a final note, Scott told me that a little seal was following me for a while when I was about 1/2 mile from Newport Pier. While I appreciate nearby dolphins, I prefer to swim without seals (aka sharkfood). As I came into shore after going around the pier, a large crowd was on the shore. I wondered if a fight had broken out. I swam in and looked to see what the others were oggling. Someone had pulled a dead baby seal out of the surf. It had two broken bones extending out of its body where its tail should have been and its abdomen was punctured. Given the fresh state of the wounds, it was obvious that it had been killed very recently- within minutes or hours. I don't know if it was a propellor or shark, but I was grateful for my beautiful and peaceful swim.
This swim has me even more excited for the Catalina swim. It is a zen like experience being in the ocean while listening to the sloshing of the water and thinking for hours. Click here to get Dave's take on the day and see additional pictures.
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