It's the little things...

Lately, it seemed there had been nothing truly noteworthy swimming wise aside from the day to day of training for the English Channel relay. In thinking back over the last week I realize its the positive little day to day events that make for a happy life and really make a difference.

Last weekend I swam in the 3rd Annual Jim Doty Memorial Mile swim in South Boston. Jim Doty was  a legend in the Boston open water swimming community. This year, they dedicated a clock tower at the  Curley Community Center/L Street Bath House in his honor.  Elaine Howley and Greg O'Connor are the organizers of this event and the historic Boston Light Swim.  It is a low-key well run event that goes from the L Street Bath House to basically the G Street apartments and back. This was the second time I've done this swim with my friends Jonathan and Katie. I got fifth overall and generally felt ok about my swim. Just getting in colder water ( 60-63degrees) is a good thing for me to do right now. Katie won the Bobby O'Sullivan Award for first place wetsuit woman. This was the second time for Katie. She is a solid openwater swimmer that swims straight as an arrow.  Everybody was happy and looking good for our requisite post event photo.

This weekend's highlight came out of the blue for me. Elaine is doing a very long open water swim in Idaho this summer. In preparation for this event she had huge training event...to swim for 24 hours in Lake Cochituate!  Crazy! I am sure I had heard about it before but I had forgot. On Friday, evening I saw Facebook posts and pics of Elaine and her training partner Jen,  entering the water for their big swim. As I was lazily sitting in my backyard feeling guilty and drinking a glass of red wine I thought what could I do to help out? It then dawned on me...I would support Elaine by swimming with her. Knowing that it isn't wise to drink red wine and swim I decided to surprise her early in the morning. I had another glass of red wine, ok two glasses of red wine and I set my alarm for 4:30am. I got to the lake at 5:00am as the sun was rising and as luck would have it Elaine was just pulling in for a feeding with her kayaker. She said, "what the *#?! are you doing here?". I said, "we are going to swim together!" I think my arrival was timely as she had a long, lonely slog in the dark. At that point she had been in the water for 12 hours and had swum 30k. I had never really swum in Lake Cochituate before. It is beautiful, quiet (at least at 5:00am) and much longer than I had expected. We swam nearly 3 hours with each other for roughly 4 miles. We stopped for a feeding and I had to go home and Elaine kept soldiering on. At 5:00pm on Saturday she finished her 24 hour swim-Wow! I felt good (and sleepy) all day knowing I got to be there for a small part of her journey. 

This past week was really a reminder to stop, think and realize it's the little day to day things that just happen and that we do that make the difference.

Travel note-today we spend the day at Good Harbor with Gram and then a side trip to Rockport. We had never been there-what a cool little seaside town. 

#56 Lahaina Aquatic Complex & Maui Open Water Swim Fest

Aloha!  This was the mother of all swim weeks a new pool (kinda) and lots of open water swimming and snorkeling. Shannon and I went to Maui for the week for a work trip. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. There were no real work resposibilities aside from a couple of fun activities and dinner events. While there are too many swim adventures to share I will highlight just a few.

The first morning, Shannon, Katie, Matt and I went to Kaanapali around 6:30am. Shannon and Katie walked up and down the beach while Matt and I swam. Actually, Katie and Shannon did bi-athlon of a walk/swim. We started basically at Black Rock and went down past the Hanakaoo Point and back to a little past Black Rock doing some snorkeling and some speedo cliff jumping. We figured it was about 3.5 miles-a long swim but when you are looking at the West Maui mountains, Lanai and tropical fish it goes by quite fast! Breakfast followed at an electetic place called Java Jazz. Perfect way to start the morning and the trip. 

Valley Isle Masters and the Lahaina Aquatic Complex were also on the radar for two morning swims. Practice starts at 5:30 so it's an early bell to answer. Coach Mike, is an active coach on the deck calling out splits and lending technique tips. He remembered me from a couple summers ago and I recognized some of the other swimmers.  As always, swimming in an outdoor pool is great and watching the sunrise over the mountains made it even better. Both practices were 3500 yards and Matt swam with me one day. Swim practice is always capped off by driving down an empty Front Street in Lahaina with a brief stop at the old banyan tree and the Pioneer Inn and looking out at Lanai. Starbucks at Lahaina Cannery makes the trip back to Kapalua complete.

The final swim adventure of the week was at Napili Bay. It's a beautiful tranquil bay next to Kapalua. Shannon and I spent an afternoon there ealier in the week. It is now one of my new favorites as it's smaller and it doesn't necessarily have the transient feel of bigger beaches. Matt and I swam way, way, out past the point and swam up to Kapalua Bay by the Montage. Lots of good turtles and fish to watch. Post a master swim practice the pace of the swim was tempered.

There are two other non-swimming activities that should be highlighted. First, was a snorkeling trip on the Hula Girl to Honolua Bay with Shannon and small group from work. It was tropical setting with some great marine life to observe. Shannon loved it.

The second, was something I have always talked about doing but never bucked up to do because of the 2:00am wake up call-the sunrise bike down Haleakala! Robert and I sucked it up and did it and it was awesome!  At 10,000 feet above sea level, we had a perfect day to watch the sunrise with some clouds but not too many. You look out over the crater and can see the Big Island in the distance. There are quite a few people up there watching however we were up there early and got a good spot. The bike down is not much exercise as you are basically coasting the whole way down. We had a few stops along the way in Kula and Makawao and ended in Pa'ia by the beach . We got back to the hotel at 12:30pm so it's a long day no doubt but well worth it to watch a spectacular sunrise and ride a bike down a volcano!

Awesome week!  These Hawaiian open water swimming conditions are not good cold water training for the English Channel but what the heck!

Aloha hui hoi & Maui na ka oi

#55 Boston College @ the Flynn Field Center

This brief blog is a couple weeks late and without pictures. My friends Katie, Jacki and I had intended to go to MIT Masters Sunday practice but we were stymied by an age group meet.

Katie, works at Boston College and Jacki coaches the master team there so we settled for our own self coached workout at BC. I have swum at this pool in the past. It is without windows and I feel dark. To my delight while still windowless it was much brighter as they had painted the walls and the bottom of pool white. 

I don't recall the workout but we swam 4000 yards.  Katie, Jacki and I always swim well together so it was a good workout.

One day I hope to get a pic of the pool to complete the blog.

#54-Feeling Olimpic (circa 1992).

The Piscines Bernat Picorell was a big pool to swim in as it was the competition pool for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Not often does one have the honor to check that box.  Although I have swum in two in the last 8 months (Los  Angeles).

The day started with a long (5 hour) bike tour of Barcelona with Jonathan, our American guide that has lived in Spain for over five years. It was on Sant Jordi day. He took us all over town from Born, Gothic areas to Barcelonetta and El Raval neighborhoods. The tiny winding alleyways were especially tight because of the holiday. After a lunch of fried sardines and sausage at a local tapas bar  followed by gelato it was time to check out a new part of town the-Olimpic Parc.

The Olimpic sporting venues took place on top of Montjuic overllooking Barcelona. What made pool #54 particularly fun was that it was a family affair (ex-Ryan). Walking onto the pool deck it was a big open feeling.

We were all suited up and ready to go until Shannon put her feet in the water and it was cold. Not refreshing cold but...cold!  I thought all three were going to walk away. With some encouragemt they all a finally got in first Shannon, then Sean and lastly Courtney.  They all swam 100 meters and the got out.

I must admit it took at least a 200m to begin to feel moderately warm.  I swam 1100m and then it was time to get out so as not to keep everyone waiting and it was...cold.

Yes-this was a big swim as it was in the Olimpic piscine but also it was Shannon's first 50m pool and her first outdoor pool. She did very well despite the cold water.

A refreshing and great way to end the day and to prepare for sangria time.

Who knows maybe my next challenge will be to swim in all the Olympic pools since I was born. I've already hit three!

#53 Real Canoe, Naticion Club, Madrid, Spain

Tapas muy bueno, sangria muy bueno y la natacion muy bueno but...not one after another!

Spain is the destination for spring break this year. It's a family of four for the first time as Ryan already had his break. Our itinerary has us in Madrid for a few days before we head to Barcelona.  

While we conquered the Plaza Mayor and a few sites yesterday today was the first full day. After a fairly leisurely morning we went for some culture at the modern art museum the Reina Sofia. There was some pretty funky art.  The piece below was in one of the last galleries we were in and I think apropos for this blog-Women in Swimming Costumes.

After the museum we went on a long walk through Parque Del Reitro, a large park in the middle of Madrid. It was a beautiful Saturday with a lot of people out and about. Below is a family pic in front of the Estanque where they use to hold mock naval battles. After our walk we went for tapas in the mid afternoon. Wow, they were good and different and they just kept coming and coming...

With weary legs and a very full stomach we came home for siesta. Not sure what got into me but I realized I had a couple of hours before we took off again so I set out for Real Canoe Natacion Club. My friend Maggie had her college winter training camp there so I thought I would give it a try. It's a health club with a focus on swimming . There are three pools at the club, two indoor 25m pools and a 50m outdoor pool.  The 50m pool was closed for the afternoon so I swam in the newer and brighter of the two indoor pools. With the late lunch I had I was thankful there was no pace clock on deck because I was feeling sluggish in the water after a big lunch and a lot of walking.

Nice clean pool and complex but a tad expensive €22 ($30) for 2200m or as I like to think about it 34 cents a lap!

Glad I sucked it up and did it...mañana I will siesta for sure!!!

Looking forward to Barcelona.

 The pic below is just for fun from the Palza Mayor

#52 North Shore Aquatic Complex, St. Petersburg, FL

Wow-what a great pool and setting and way to start the day!

It's been a while since I have been to a new pool and have blogged. This was certainly worth the wait. After a long flight delayed trip to St. Petersburg , FL I checked into my hotel at 11:00pm and slept so so until my 5;00am wake up for St. Pete Masters from 5:30am-7:00am. I did not want to get up.  Eventually I walked slowly, the short distance from the Vinoy Renaissance in the dark to the North Shore Aquatic Complex.  When I walked into front gate this is what I was treated too (actually this pic was post practice). 

There we're probably 35+ master swimmers in the water. I swam in the Shark group of about 15 people and clearly I was a bit over my head.  We (they) were doing 50's on the 33. I swam with a young fast guy that probably humored me.  I got in a bit late and did 4100 yards of the 5100 yard workout.  The coach of the masters workout was a friend of J. Dwyers from high school. 

After the workout I walked across the parking lot and was rewarded with the following view.  I can't wait to explore new outdoor pools.

What an awesome way to start the morning!!!! Wish I could do this everyday.

Red Tide State Title #22

It's been awhile since I blogged. I guess if I am going to break the dry spell it should be for something good and this is good. Yesterday the Weston Red Tide, won the MIAA Division 2 Boys State Swim Championships at MIT. 

After graduating 90% of 2013's state points with the likes of Ryan, Tommy and Jack it looked like the Tide was going to have rebuilding year. Throughout the season the boys got stronger, faster and depth of the team really began to become fully realized. In the regular season, they won all but two dual meets. The divers, Sean and Garrett got better each passing week and became strong regular point contributors.

As the championship season approached and as the head coaches looked at the psyche sheets there was a possibility that perhaps the Tide could win states. And that they did...

It was an unbelievable meet from start to finish with awesome relays and some spectacular swims by the seniors. Sean had a great meet with some beautiful dives that were critical to the teams success in providing some point important cushion before the 400 free relay. 

This was the third straight title and the 22nd in the Tides illustrious history. The best part about this victory was nobody saw it coming at the beginning of the season. 

Sean had a great season for both swimming and diving. His goal was to qualify for states in both diving and the 50 free-and he did!!! His dives improved meet after meet and he made states at the Newton South meet. Along the way Sean, became one of the fastest sprinters on the team much to everyone's and perhaps his surprise.  In the championship Sectional meet he did something that has rarely been done in Tide history and he swam in the 200 medley relay and then ran to the diving well to compete in his 11 dive program-and did very well. In the State meet it was important for Sean to focus on his diving program. He did great placing 8th above his seated position. I loved watching him diving from the diving well and cheering for the swim team.

We are very proud of him setting a goal,his hardwork and how he balanced diving/swimming and skiing to a successful season for him and the team. It's now time to ski!

Go Sean & Go Tide!!!