SCAR SWIM 2015 - Arizona, U.S.A.
KNicholas
ArizonaCharter Member
APPLICATIONS for SCAR SWIM 2015 will open November 1, 2014.
Four Days / Four Lakes / Roughly 40+ miles of swimming.
Swimmer / Paddler Social - Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Saguaro Lake - Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Canyon Lake - Thursday, May, 7, 2015
Apache Lake - Friday, May 8, 2015
Roosevelt Lake - Saturday night, May 9, 2015.
Look for the new video currently under production from the 2014 year. Here is a link to answer your questions in more detail. https://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=43413&team=amsmac.
Four Days / Four Lakes / Roughly 40+ miles of swimming.
Swimmer / Paddler Social - Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Saguaro Lake - Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Canyon Lake - Thursday, May, 7, 2015
Apache Lake - Friday, May 8, 2015
Roosevelt Lake - Saturday night, May 9, 2015.
Look for the new video currently under production from the 2014 year. Here is a link to answer your questions in more detail. https://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=43413&team=amsmac.
Comments
loneswimmer.com
I am really looking forward to swimming SCAR this year. Is anyone else here on the forum going to be there?
I was really excited about SCAR. Back when it was just the "idea" it. But now a more accurate (and honest) description of my emotional state would be... hmm, let's see. Terror?
The idea of pulling off those distances on consecutive days makes my palms start to sweat (wiping off my keyboard right now). While I can handle each distance alone, the ability of my rickety old body to withstand that kind of abuse four days in a row is a total unknown. Should be an epic adventure!!
"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..."
I can totally relate to that emotional state. As it approaches I am increasingly terrified about it. Since I am so new to this, every open water race I have done add up to less than the 42+ miles of SCAR. What's scarier is that I have only ever done 2 races longer than a 10k - a 7.5 miler (w/ current assist) and a 10 miler. So for me both the distance of Apache, and the combination of 4 days in sequence are unknown variables for me
@DanSimonelli, you've done it before, right? What did you think of it?
A few things I did to get ready and be successful:
~ simulated the 4 days in training doing many Fri-Mon swims, increasing the hours of each as I ramped up.
~ I started focusing more on time/duration of each training swim rather than mileage per se.
This allowed me to relax and focus more on enjoying the time vs straining or getting overwhelmed with the distances.
~ constantly practiced and tested feeds throughout training until I had it set.
~ on Day 3, I started off slow and relaxed, letting my mind drift and didn't pay attention to the time at all. Just focused on stroke, breathing, scenery, feeds...
treating it like I was simply on a long walk.
I was then able to build my pace throughout and push toward the end for the last couple hours.
This made for a pleasant experience and I was feeling good going into Day 4.
Oh, and the double dinners I had after at the Apache Lake restaurant helped a lot too!
Oh good lord. I just pulled up the results. @Cole_G you're not worried about finishing. You're worried about winning!
"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..."
Thanks, @JustSwim. I really enjoyed the LRLH swims. I did admittedly used a wetsuit the first year I did it since it was my first big swim (and it was colder water than I had swam in before). And of course I will be bringing the hat! That is my signature, and the secret to my speed - I don't actually do any swim training I just sit around wearing the hat
I have actually worn it to every race (both in the pool and open water) since '07 I think.
@Spacemanspiff, I am actually worried about both. I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to try and win, but that 17 mile Apache swim is intimidating. I have never gone that far, and I don't think I will have the chance to do any open water training before SCAR. If it were day 1, I wouldn't be too worried, but setting a new personal max distance after 2 days at 90+% of my max distance is a tall order.
My Background:
Current regime: I swim masters 5 times a week, but its mostly high-intensity, anaerobic interval work. I'm intimately familiar with the LSD vs. high-intensity debate and HR training etc (I'm a recovering triathlete, after all). But masters gets me in the pool consistently and I've found that swimming daily has produced better results than inconsistent LSD work, so that's what I do.
Long swims: I'm not sure if I've done 17 miles (Apache distance), but I've been in the ballpark enough to know I can get there. I've never been particularly fast, but I have always been able to swim a long damn time. Muscle fatigue is typically my limiter (as opposed to overall fatigue, joints, etc). It just gets hard to lift my arms out of the water!
Multi-day events: I've also done several multi-day stage swims, but never anything even half the SCAR distances. I tend to feel great on day 1 and even better on day 2 and best on day 3. But day 4 is usually a day of reckoning.
My Plan:
Weights: I haven't done much purposeful weight training in at least a decade. In preparation for SCAR, I started doing 20 minutes of modest weight, high repetition (3 sets of 20 reps, shoulders, back, arms) three days a week. I see two benefits: (1) build strength to combat fatigue and (2) get used to swimming with muscle fatigue (I do the weights right before masters).
Distance: In January, I made two changes: (1) on the days I'm not doing weights, I've added a straight 1,000 M easy cruise at the end of my masters set, (2) on Saturdays I'm doing an easy 10K (some days broken, some not) In February, I plan to substitute LSD swims for 2 masters days (same 3K as masters). One Feb. weekend, I'd like to do back-to-back easy 10K days and on a second weekend, I'd like to do back-to-back 10K and 20K. In March, I'm going to substitute an additional masters day with LSD (so 3 LSD, 2 masters). One weekend, I'll do a 30K (OW if possible) and on another weekend, I'd like to do a 10K, 15K, 20K on sequential days. Not sure about April yet. I typically don't like to taper as much as most, but I'll avoid any excessive efforts in the 10-12 days leading up. Frankly, I've never felt like tapering helped much.
Nutrition is another focus. I'm hit-and-miss with maltodextrin products. Sometimes I get nauseous and even vomit on the stuff. I'm willing to risk it on single-day events, but I figure a nutrition hiccup at SCAR would have a carry-over effect. I used Cliff Shot Bloks on my Cozumel swim last month and I liked them. I've used hammer gel in the past without problems. I tend to feel a bit of revulsion toward liquid feeds after a couple of hours, so I might try to work in some solids.
Thoughts?
"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..."
Feeling your best on the 3rd day certainly bodes well for the challenge of Apache.
As for your plan, it sounds very similar to the approach I am taking. Unfortunately, I don't have a masters club that I can train with, but a lot of the work I do on my own has previously been masters-like interval work. Recently, I have been working on slowly incorporating at least 2 longer distance practice days a week into my training, and am planning to start doing some moderate lifting at least 1 day a week starting next week.
@Cole_G My Apache swim last year measured ~14.5mi (http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/496375396) -- big thank you to my terrific paddler for not taking me for a 17mi swim! That said I've done a 17mi swim that was easier than Apache and shorter swims that were tougher. I'm telling myself now I need to be ready for a longer swim this year, because you never know!
May 6 - 9, 2015
50 swimmers (2012 - only 4 swimmers attempted Apache)
28 Female / 22 Male
Age Range: 18 - 66 (Bulk of swimmers 40-55)
Representing 14 U.S. States
Swimmers from: South Africa, Japan, Scotland,
Australia, Great Britain, and United States
Ali Hall
Amy King
Ann Von Spiegelfeld
Anna Delozier
Beau Bearden
Becky Jackman-Beeler
Brad Lundblad
Cheryl Reinke
Chris Greene
Cole Gindhart
Colleen Blair
Craig Coombs
Cynthia Hertzer
Dan Simonelli
Eileen Burke
Elizabeth Fry
Emily Evans
Erica Flickinger
Graeme Schlachter
Helen Conway
Janet Harris
Janina Dowding
Jason Overbaugh
Joanne Menard
Kathleen Wilson
Kelly Gentry
Mark Sheridan
Mark Spratt
Matthew Hills
Mo Siegel
Molly Nance
Patty Gray
Patty Hermann
Paul Rekoff
Paula Yankauskas
Peter Lofquist
Phyllis Ho
Roger Finch
Scott Blietz
Shannon Cleary
Stefan Reinke
Stephen Key
Steven Minaglia
Susie E Paul
Suzie Dods
Tanya Maclean
Tiffany Mcqueen
Yuta Tauboi
Joe Zemaitais
Jacob Miyauchi
Everyone's different, but that's what works for me.
I can't wait for this big event! I'm looking forward to the challenge and sharing it with such an impressive group of swimmers.
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
I agree w Patty to a point, I like the maxim and gels but a treat every once in a while is something I look forward to.
MUST make hotel reservations....
Less than a week away! I'm really looking forward to this. I just read my earlier post about my training "plan" and thought, "Now these would have been some good things to do!"
At least I'm staying with what I know: wingin' it. Here's my new plan: Start slow & smooth. Finish slow & smooth. Don't speed up in between.
I think I've resolved my nutrition issues--a custom blend from Infinit Nutrition and alternating in some warm Spaghetti-O's (carbs, sodium, warmth and tastiness) and that all seems to be working. So if my wrist holds up and I respect my limitations, it should be an epic week!! @KNicholas hooked me up with a great kayaker (sends me scouting reports on water temps!)
I love the adventure aspect of SCAR. Different, beautiful venues every day. Everything point-to-point. A night stage. 40 friggin miles. If only climbing/leg-breaking was still involved.
Should be awesome! Looking forward to meeting everyone.
"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..."
See you soon! Totally stoked for this event!
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
I am equal parts excited and terrified at this point
I'm so jealous! I hope I can be there next year to celebrate turning 50.
I'm looking forward to hearing about it and seeing pictures of splashing arms set against that lovely scenery.
Have fun Everybody!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I've always thought it would be pretty badass to go back to back SCAR and 8 Bridges.
Mo Siegal and Anna Delozier have signed up for the challenge this season.... And both have other stuff going on as well.
Best of luck to them and the entire SCAR field and support crew!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Elizabeth Fry is pretty badass - pulling a double at Saguaro today. That's right - from dam to dam to dam swim.
Not just pulling a double, crushing it! She reached the starting line (half-way for her) right when the third wave was starting. She whipped half the field on her return. Total badass. Remarkable human being.
I started a S.C.A.R. 2015 blog: swimfar.blogspot.com/
"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..."
If I'm not mistaken.... Liz Fry finished her 3rd SCAR DOUBLE today in Apache Lake
Tough cookie that Liz!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
She did more than that. On a brutal day (I'd guess 15+ DNF), she finished her double, turned and started back for the hotel marina (7 miles??). I would have been no less impressed if she'd levitated and flown. Kent was still pulling swimmers out at sunset.
"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..."
From what I've heard and read, yesterday was a really tough day! Kudos to all involved!
SCAR SWIM 2015 results, including the new SCAR SWIM SERIES results are here: http://www.webscorer.com/seriesresult?pid=1&seriesid=37079.
Congrats @KNicholas on another great event. Love all the pics everyone is posting on FB.
Sorry I missed it!
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Thanks @KNicholas and crew for another amazing SCAR experience! I witnessed some amazing teamwork between motor boat crews and kayakers on Apache. I always felt safe and it made for a great training swim, with a couple feeds providing a good reminder that I really need a longer rope for Lake Tahoe
.
I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to spend these days with what I like to call "swim family". Hope to see folks again soon.
Thinking of requiring swimmers to handle 100% responsibility of recruiting their paddler for SCAR 2016. There were some great pairings including the match for @spacemanspiff and @cynswims but in other instances the pairings are random and therefore can be unreliable. If the swimmer recruits their own crew - my thinking is that the crew is more committed to the swim. Thoughts?
Press on the event in Houston: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/health/article/Open-water-swimmer-goes-the-distance-in-endurance-6252059.php?cmpid=gsa-chron-result#photo-7949744
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
@KNicholas - "Thinking of requiring swimmers to handle 100% responsibility of recruiting their paddler for SCAR 2016." Could make it a bit tricky, and expensive, for swimmers comming from abroad.
It would be a barrier for me entering an event if I had to find a local kayaker. I was more than pleased with my kayaker assignment. One of the many things that would take me back to SCAR would be if I could get my kayaker to kayak for me again. I know there were some issues with some of the teams. As in much of the logistics people have to just try to relax and be tolerant.
I can certainly see your side Kent as the organizer. Finding kayakers has to be a lot of work and the complaints tend to go in your direction.
@KNicholas , You could require that local swimmers supply their own kayaker and supply one for international and out-of-state swimmers. Also, require that the swimmer pay the kayaker a set fee (on top of any tips). I was lucky in 2013 and got a great teammate (thank you), but if the kayaker isn't emotionally or financially invested in the event I can see why they might dropout when the going gets tough.
I just wanted to echo others' praise for what a wonderful and joyful event this was. The logistics involved in getting 40+ swimmers, kayakers, and kayaks to and from remote locations for long, point-to-point swims, day after day, must have been grueling, but Kent managed it all with remarkable efficiency and enthusiasm--and his big smile and cheerfulness are contagious. Big congrats to Kent and the whole team of kayakers, boaters, and volunteers who pulled this off!
As long as poaching the volunteer kayaker "the Ninja" you paired with me this year counts as "supplying my own" next year! But, seriously, this is a tough question. SCAR seems (in my limited experience) somewhat unique in its demands on kayakers: 40+ miles with no support boat allowing kayakers to rest or trade off. That's a big ask.
I can't imagine the work required to recruit such a hardy and selfless crew of volunteers (I can't even recruit 1!), so I can't weigh in on that side of the equation. But here are my thoughts from a swimmer's perspective, pro and con:
(1) Significant barrier to entry: No question about it. But I suppose the barrier would be at least partly proportional to a swimmer's commitment to the event. If there's a will, there's a way. At the current trajectory of this event's reputation, a barrier like this might help pre-screen candidates.
(2) Swimmer/kayaker relations: Seems to me that the swimmer bears primary responsibility for reaching the finish line, which includes taking the lead on kayaker relations. While it's true that a bad escort can be like dragging an anchor, isn't my figuring out how to educate, communicate and motivate my kayaker just another part of the gauntlet that God, mother nature or the RD laid down for me today (like the Apache wind and that sumbitch who made us swim into it
)? There were times when I cursed the Ninja and the mother who spawned him, and he cursed me. But conquering SCAR in a dependent partnership with a total stranger isn't just a test of physical endurance, it's a test of emotional maturity.
(3) Swimmer complaints or perception of experience: personally, I wouldn't put too much weight on this. You put together a fine team and they worked damn hard. This ain't the Ritz-Carlton.
(4) Kayaker drop outs: It would be awful to get pulled from the water because my kayaker couldn't keep up. But if I appreciated this risk before relying on a random volunteer, I'd sleep in the bed I made. So I suppose if you do continue to supply volunteers, make sure swimmers know this is a risk.
(5) Cost: Frankly, I would expect to pay extra for a kayaker. If I brought my own, I'd pay his/her expenses, so I would not object at all to paying for one supplied by the RD.
"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..."
A few blogs worth reading if you are considering SCAR 2016:
http://reminiscencesofalongdistanceswimmer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/arizona-scar-swim-2015-41-miles.html?m=1
http://zimhippo.co.uk/
http://swimfar.blogspot.com/
Been thinking about the Kayaker thought. not that I'd be ready for the SCAR challenge this year or next, but... I am super fortunate and unusual to have a fantastic kayaker who is not my significant other. As a team we just clicked, I'm a better OWS because of the support I get when I do swims with him. I'm a bit particular and if I were to do something as huge as SCAR I admit, I'd probably just figure out a way to fly him out there, but...that said, if I didn't have that person that I know 100% would be anticipating my needs/issues, I would have to say that it would be a deterrent to have to recruit...
I echo @HollyT's comments. Again, not ready yet, but when I am, I would bring a kayaker I know and have used before.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
It would be out of the question financially for me to bring a kayaker from the UK, and as others have said, recruitment of kayakers from overseas can be tricky. It's more reassuring to be able to draw on a bank of already-vetted kayakers (with a set fee paid to the kayaker for their time and effort), although I realise that's a lot of work for organisers. I know some people don't enjoy swimming with someone they don't know, but as happened to me through MIMS, a random kayaker allocation can also lead to a friendship and more swimming / paddling adventures.
A new addition this year was aerial video at Canyon Lake. A new perspective on a very rugged desert swim. Best to watch on the Vimeo site itself for viewing without the stops and stutters.
This looks absolutely amazing.
Best. Video. Ever.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
How is everyone recovering from SCAR? I'm back in the pool and feeling very spent. The older I get the more recovery I need but would like to see how everyone else is feeling.
Feeling good! Got back in the pool the day after Roosevelt - I may have a swimming problem.
Swam in your state last week at the LC IHOF pool.