What are your swimming goals for 2018?
evmo
SydneyAdmin
Anyone want to share? Public commitment = motivation!
Previous years' threads:
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evmo
SydneyAdmin
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End Wet, have not figured anything else out yet
EC - my window opens 20th July...duly motivated
To swim...
Same as @pavlicov. To swim. I'm in a new area with far fewer local organized events, and unfamiliar water, so just getting out there and comfortable is kind of a big deal for me right now. Plus all the work travel....
Double Issyk Kul, if I can arrange it.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
While I have some personal swim goals, they seem trite in comparison to my goals to share my local OW community with the global swim community. The last few years Oregon’s OW community has grown in numbers and depth of experience. This winter is the first that I know of that we’ve had people swimming skins in the River once a week, even as it hit 38F. This year I hope to mentor swimmers to spread their wings outside of our borders. I’ve organized a group attend the 24 hr relay. I have others interested in crewing for my long swims then attempt the width of Bear Lake and Tahoe the following days. Some want to race Big Shoulders; others Swim the Suck. It will be a balancing act to grow outward and inward (yes, I know we need more ratified swims in OR - I’m working on that too). For 2018, I promise to give it all I got, in the water and out organizing.
I'm going to take a shot at a million yards. I hit 892K in 2017 with a few illnesses, an injury (got a rock stuck in my knee after a fall), and a severe laziness attack that lasted from mid-Oct thru the end of the year.
I also want to do some sort of 10K-to-10-mile thing again in late July or August that doesn't require significant travel from MA. Still trying to figure out what that is.
I have a place for 20 Bridges, although I'm worried that I'm too slow. Working hard to improve and can only give it my best shot. I've just bought a kayak and will be taking lessons so I can do swimmer support. I'm also going to fit in some more observations in the English Channel.
Three times a week.. whether it's 10 min or 3K.. I miss the feeling of being fit.
I have a mental health goal for my swimming—to transition from being anxiety-driven to something else-driven. Not sure what the something else is. Goals?? Intrinsic motivation(I think)? Anyway, I think this will be a bit like transitioning from carb burning to fat burning. Haha.
I also have the goal to coach myself, planning my own macro-plan, for my longest swim yet.
Continents Seven - swimming a major significant race in each of the seven continents (END-WET, Lake Titicaca, Bosphorus, Robben Island, Clean Half, Rottnest and Antarctica). Catalina, 8 Bridges and SCAR as a bonus. Really testing my limits with travels, distances, and especially temperature. Good luck to you all!
Get my face wet. Back surgery #10 in a few weeks, so no training any time soon. Baby steps.
SCAR and Border Buster!
Back to the Hudson for the 8th year in a row, this year my big ones are Stages 2 & 5. I'm also going back to Northeast Kingdom VT for the 10 miler and Swim the Kingdom week. All of my work this year is to see if I can train up for a run at 8 Bridges in 2019 or 2020. So my real goal is to get faster, stronger, and smaller. As a few race directors have said to me over the years...as long as you continue to make forward progress i won't pull you. So my goal is to continue to make forward progress!
@KatieBun I imagine you're plenty fast enough. I had the same fear as you, so I did what I always do when I'm anxious/obsessed about virtually any subject... I made a spreadsheet. I compiled projected tide/current data, by hour and by expected location (there is A LOT of available information for these waters) in order to determine where I should expect to be at the top of each hour of the swim. While you're welcome to my spreadsheet if you want, here is the gist:
With your Pier A start there's really just one critical deadline: you need to reach the Ward's Island Bridge (just past Mill Rock) approximately 3 hours after the start (varies based upon day/tides).
This is about 8.25 miles (13.25 km) from the start, so it seems challenging. But once you factor in the tides, it is no nearly so. On average (and your day should be better than average--by design) the projected approximate currents for the first three hours, based upon a start time of 1 hour before high tide at the Battery (which is pretty close to what @david_barra and @rondi seem to aim for) are as follows (converted to metric for your benefit)
Hour 1 - 3.22 kph; Hour 2 - 1.93 kph; Hour 3 - none (conservatively speaking)
This means, if you maintained just a 2:00/100m pace (net of feeds), on an average day you would make it with nearly 1 km to spare! After that, the Harlem warm-water slog is more mental than physical and the Hudson is like the downhill side of a roller coaster.
Based upon your past swims you'll do just fine (congrats, btw, since this appears to be the final leg of your triple crown!)
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
@Spacemanspiff thanks so much for the information. Very useful to have an idea of what to expect. Long slogs are fine, I just plan on building more speed so that I'm less anxious. To that end, I'm interval training like nobody's business. I'm really looking forward to it, actually.
Since I'm privileged enough to have a place, I'd like to do it justice.
Confirmed for a 20 km swim in the Rotte (river) in the Netherlands at the end of April, but still looking for inspiration for something bigger for August/September...
http://fermoyfish.com – Owen O'Keefe (Fermoy, Ireland)
Eenie, meanie, miney, moe. . . :-)
I want to take another crack at Lake George, applying what I learned from it last summer. That means gathering another team. Main goals: Finish strong, eat more, and scrub the algae off Diane's Rock ahead of time to prevent slipping and skinning. I'm prepping for it, but will make a final decision around Spring Break.
I'm in my winter slump, and won't ramp up miles for a few more weeks, but a neat goal one day would be 1,000 miles. If the lake would just stay a bit warmer and not freeze, . . . I got to 711 for 2018.
I did some coaching last year, and hope to work with some more open water swimmers this year. #Cwerhane seems to have a lot going on in Oregon, but I'm a bit isolated. I have one swimmer interested in seeing how much of Lake George she can take on-- she was just asking me about getting together for a 6-8 mile swim sometime soon. It really is wonderful to see someone gain confidence and power.
I will be watching for the 2019 dates for 8 Bridges in November-- do the tides ever let it start after school is out??? ;-) She finishes high school in 2025, and I'd rather try sooner than later.
Owen, how about Cornwall to Scilly?
Looking toward 5K in fly.
After a huge 2017, I'm aiming to step it up even more in 2018. Got several huge goals I'm working on.
@batches - awesome!
What is the existing record for longest solo butterfly?
@evmo according to my research, it's Vicki Keith's swim of 80.2 km in Lake Ontario in August 2005.
Yes, what a feat that was. Some food for thought, as you plan your Lake Powell route:
If you measure the actual route of Vicki's swim, as described in contemporaneous accounts, you will find it is somewhat less than 80km.
Excerpted from the swim log:
Additionally, the planned route was shortened by 4+ km as she neared the finish:
In the pre-Google Maps era, nobody was really checking on these things.
Good to know, but I'm still using 80km/50 miles as my benchmark.
That would be legendary (and a record). Good luck.
Excited to be part of your year in many different ways. While I am ecstatic about supporting on #3, I'm super geeked about #4. And BTW I'd love your help in Seattle this June.
@cwerhane I'm there!
I'd love that, @KatieBun! I'll have to check the budget though!
http://fermoyfish.com – Owen O'Keefe (Fermoy, Ireland)
@owenswims93 http://www.charterboats-uk.co.uk/celticfox/
Mark is extremely good value. Go for it.
My goals is robben island swim by the end of March. Will be in a wetsuit for now. Then after that swim I may start a few swims without the suit and maybe one day I'll do RI without the suit
If you do decide to go for this one and you need extra crew or any logistical help, give me a shout.
@KatieBun has anyone else completed this swim since Beth's successful crossing in 2014?
I don't believe so. Vicky Middlemast (Miller) stopped at about 17 hours and a team with Sarah (Shortt) and Pauline Barker has been blown out a couple of times. If anybody has done it, there hasn't been much publicity.
I've had a few enquiries about Scilly to Cornwall swims, but none have been completed to my knowledge.
Re swim goals this year. I'm going to do 20 Bridges and Windermere. Probably nothing else as I don't have the time!
I'm going to venture into swims longer then a 5K including Swim Around Key West and Swim the Suck
After the last couple of years of injury-soaked failures to start swims, I'm struggling to even dare to set goals. Maybe not having a goal is a goal? Or maybe I won't be able to resist....
My goal is to just get back in the water, after the arrival of these two:
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer
my goal for 2018 is Lago D'Orta 27k.
This year I signed up for the Bosphorus cross-continental swim in Istanbul (6.5 km) and I am hoping to swim my first 10K race at Lake George... In between trying to squeeze in some ocean swims in the Atlantic and lake swims in my hometown Ohrid, Macedonia...
I want to hit 30K per week as much as possible in the off-season, and then, figure out my big swim for the summer!! I want something 15-20 miles, not cold, and Europe would be lovely.
Taking suggestions!
I suggest you take me with you!!
Looking at goals, I received the following from Eli Ball from Sydney, Australia. I'm supporting Eli, his fundraising goal, and his family. He has a big dream and a big goal. My father died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and I am a fellow butterfly OW swimmer so his Rottnest Channel swim is personnal to me. Please follow his adventure and give as generously as you can.
http://openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Eli_Ball
Forwarded:
In 5 weeks time I will be attempting to swim butterfly across the Rottnest Channel in Western Australia. That’s 19.7km, all butterfly.
I'm swimming to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. To donate, please visit my fundraising page: https://rottnestchannelswim18.everydayhero.com/au/eli-ball-butterfly-swimming-to-rottnest
The Leukaemia Foundation is a national charity dedicated to helping those with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders survive and then live a better quality of life.
Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are all types of blood cancer and they can develop in anyone, of any age, at any time. Another 35 Australians are diagnosed each and every day.
Recently, one of those 35 Australians was my 18 month old cousin. I'm swimming for him, and the many like him, as he bravely battles this terrible disease.
Loch Lomond in August, but I've had a bit of a rubbish start to winter training since I've also just started a PhD. See how we go anyway and hopefully will get my arse in gear soon.
Best wishes,
André Roberts
—
Torbay Swim Secretary and Publicity Officer
@aroberts ..... you'll do it. You always do! Just get some cold water practice in! ;-) Good to see you on the forum. :-)
What I've read about Lago d'Orta sounds like it is right up your alley!
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
10k butterfly in June. Looking for a second 10k fly in Sept. Seems like open water butterfly is catching this year. Something is in the water...
You are so right! Orta was so great. I did it two summers ago. I would love something exactly like that again!!
https://swimcrest.com/2016/07/29/lago-dorta-marathon-swim-the-ridiculously-long-race-report/
I've got:
1. Do a 25 minute mile;
2. Do a 10KM within 3hours and 10 minutes
3. Windermere One Way to just complete the 11 mile distance
Considering my previous years were 'swim a bit...possibly enter a mile OW swim' then 2018 is going to be a big step up for me!
After a difficult 2017 involving two unplanned surgeries and as a result getting to complete none of my planned swims (including missing out on Portland and year 2 of the Wellington 10k), I am trying not to tempt fate. So very quietly and without expectation, I will say I have a date with Pacific Swim Co. to Swim the width of Tahoe and hoping also to do a swim from Little Presque Isle to McCarty’s Cove in Lake Superior, Marquette, Michigan. I am also looking for volunteer opportunities locally...and other things, but will not list them here in case the universe has different ideas like it did last summer...it is all good and no complaints! I am so lucky to be a Marathon swimmer!