Swim Camp Video

Utah Open Water Mini Swim Camp

Last Friday was the first Utah Open Water Mini Swim Camp. It was one of the best time I have had swimming in a long time. I wanted to get to the camp site by 3:00 p.m. but once again life got in the way. By the time I got all of the camping gear loaded into the truck and the kids loaded it was 6:30 before we hit the camp ground. I got the tent set up and kids settled down by the time Chandra showed up. We had dinner and watched UP for our first time. After the movie was over there were a few of us that loaded up and went for a night swim. This was my first night swim and to say it was totally awesome! I was teased a little because I but glow stick bracelets on my goggles and they said I looked like Mickey Mouse with the huge ears swimming along. We finished our night swim and headed back to camp to get some rest for our swim the next morning. I did not sleep well at all, I think it was because I wanted to swim so dang bad. I was up at 5:30 and just laid in the tent until I could hear more people awake and then I got out of bed the hang out. I met some new swimmers this weekend, I am sure we will be friends for a long time. It was great to see some new faces. We all went back to the lake for more swimming about 10:00 and it was great to have my family with me. I swam the mile “Race” and cut 3 minutes off of my time since the GSL swim. I was really happy about that because I have not been swimming much since the GSL swim. After the “Race” I swam a few more laps to get some mileage in and then it was play time. Me and Josh went over to this huge rock pocking out of the water and were going to jump into the water until we heard some people say that the water was not deep enough. Josh assured them that all was good and off he went. It took me about 2 seconds to follow behind him. I could keep rambling on forever about the swim camp but I won’t. All I have to say is I can’t wait until next year. Thank you Josh for putting this on and Gords and Goody, I missed you guys. I will post pictures when I get a Few more minutes along with the video of me and Josh jumping from the Rock!    

Grantsville Swim

I have been wanting to swim at the lake in Grantsville for quite some time and Sunday I made it happen. I took my family to the lake Sunday afternoon put the kyak in the water and got everything ready. Chandra was on the shore line watching the kids play in the water and skipping rocks. Colton got in the kayak and I got in the water. It took me a few minutes to get used to the water temp. it was about 66 degrees. I was off I wanted to swim around the lakestaying close to shore but far enough away from all the fishermen lined up around the lake, and to try to stay away from the small boats on the lake fishing. When I got to the first turn I was really sore and stiff in my shoulders I took a drink from Colton and took off again. as I was sighting I saw a boat getting closer to me so I pinned myself inbetween him and Colton in the kayak. I stopped for a minute and I could here the guy in toe boat complaining about me swimming and messing up the fishing. I got to the 3rd turn and took another drink and told Colton where to aim for as I was swimming I caught myself staring at the bottom and at all the fish that would swim up to see what was going on and then scatter. It was quit funny. I got back to where Chandra was at on the shore line and got a sandwich she had made and scarfed it down. I told her that I wanted to do another lap and just when I was getting ready to get back in it started to down pour. we rushed back to our cars and just went home. the lap was just about a mile according to my hydro tracker. Yet a fun swim and I will be there alot leading up to Deer Creek.


http://www.finisinc.com/streamline/share/workout/view/500c633e73030

Back to the Water

I got back in the water after not swimming since the GSL race. I have been out of town working and there is nowhere to swim in Battle Moutian Nevada. I met Lang at the GSL marina at about 9:15 am and I had been reading all of the posts and blogs about the bugs at the GSL but I did not think it was going to be as bad as it ended up. we took off out of the marina and headded towards Black Rock and I was feeling really good for not swimming for a while. as I was going the water was getting from clear to really murky, when I would lift my head up to sight I could see the layer of Brine Eggs in the top 1/4 inch of water. no big deal until it kept getting thicker and thicker as I got closer to Black Rock. I stopped about 75 yards before I got to the beach because I was in awe of how thick the eggs got. they were clumping up all around me. I got a drink and started to swim back to the marina. I had to keep stopping to clear the eggs from my goggles and to hack up a few flies I was taking on as I would breathe. I looked up and Lang was headding back to the marina as fast as he could go. I think the bugs were eatting him alive. I swam out into the lake farther to get away from all the eggs and when I got closer to the marina it again started to clear up. I figured I swam about 3/4 of a mile in a gravy like substance and probabally ate my weight in protien. I chalked it up to another unique swim in the GSL. total of about a 2 mile swim but not nearly as far as I wanted to go. If Im going to swim the 10 mile event at Deer Creek next month I really need to get my butt into gear with my training. I also want to mention a person that I have met this year named Goody Tyler he swam the Catilina Channel last Monday and he did somthing that I dont know that I could ever do. HE made me realize how awesome of a journey he went on swimming for 15 hours in the channel. Goody you are like a robot and I am glad I know a great swimmer like you. Also Gordon Gridley will be swimming the English Channel next month. I would like to wish him all the luck in the world in completing his dream swim! and Just likes Goody's swim I wish I could be there for your support.

8 mile race.........uh-oh I mean 1 mile race

On thursday I got an email from Gords telling me that the 8 mile race was cancled because of the high winds forcasted for Saturday. I went to the marina for a short swim that afternoon and Gords was there with another 8 mile swimmer that he had picked up from the airport. we chatted a bit and I found out that he was working on getting the 8 mile race moved up 1 day to Friday. I still would not be able to swim because of that thing called work. After further talking it was decided that they would split the race into 2 days with the knowledge that if the winds got to bad that we would be pulled from the water for those of us that could not make it on Friday. I was happy as I could be. My race was back on. I was at the store Friday night getting my hydration and snacks for my swim and Gords called me and asked "are you ready to go tomorrow" why yes I was. he went over everything with me again about the winds and told be that it would be just me and 1 other swimmer. I hung up the phone and started thinking about the winds and just 1 other swimmer. I now was bummed and jellous for 2 reasons. I was jellous because I did not get to swim with the swimmers that got to swim on Friday morning, and Bummed because what I was about to do. I called Gords back and explained to him that there was no sence in taking just 2 of us over to the island. that I knew he was worried about the wind that I would just swim the 1 mile event. I told him to talk to the other swimmer and basically make him do the same. So now I was just going to swim the 1 mile event. there is always 2013 and I have the Deer Creek 10 mile event to look forward to now. Saturday morning came and Chandra woke me up to get going to the marina and get checked in. I was the first one there other than Gords and Josh. I chatted with Josh and joked around that there was no place on my arm to draw my race number on because of my tattoos. Josh said to just put it on my forehead. We had the pre race safety meeting and was off into the water to the starting bouy. Josh did the count down and sounded the buzzer and I was off. I probabally started off to fast but I got into my groove pretty quick. The waves were strong for part of the race but I had been training in the GSL so I was used to it. I was swimming my normal route to Black Rock and I had a kayak keep trying to push me closer to shore. The problem with this is the water becomes really shallow and I have to shorten my stroke and slow down. I just kept swimming my normal route I picked up my head to sight and ran right into the kayak. I asked him to leave me alone and he did. when I finished I was the 6th person out of the water. with a time of 28 or 29 minutes. my time was thrown off because I was in the 8 mile group. No big deal I still took off 10 minutes from my time last year. I was the first in the guys in the age range of 35 to 40 there was one gal I think 41 that beat me other than that they were younger "kids" that beat this old fat guy. It was a blast and once again Josh and Gords put on one heck of a race. cant wait for it next year 8.12 miles you will not elude me in 2013!

                                                 My Awesome wife after the race my #1 fan

                                                    Getting ready to grease up and swim

Start of the race

Rough Waters

Mondays swim was a good one. there were quite a few people that showed up at the marina because KSL was supposed to be there to do a story on the race this weekend. They never showed up imagine that. We all got in the water and headded out of the marina to the red bouy. Goody, Kim, Lang and I took off towards Black Rock. Josh stayed close to the marina with the other swimmers. the wind was blowing pretty hard and the lake was mad as hell. the best part was that you could stick your head into the water a little more than normal and it was just as peacefull as ever, water was crystal clear and the bottom was awesome to watch. I finally made it to Black Rock in 46 minutes. probabally the slowest mile I have ever swam. I looked at Lang who was paddiling along side of me and he had white spots all over him because he was getting pelted with waves along the way. A few minutes later Kim and Goody got there and we chatted for a bit and took off towards the marina. Goody had goggle issues so he hiched a ride with LAng on the way back. I was swimming with little effort because we were swimming with the wind. I was basically body surfing the whole way back. at the red bouy I stopped my watch and it said 19 minutes. We were flying. total swim for the day was 2.2 miles with the first half being a heck of a work out. Listen to the first part of the video you can here Lang say UH-OH.....LOL

Awesome Saturday Swim

I went to the Marina Saturday for a swim and met Lang there so he could get aquainted with what he will have to do this Saturday for the race. The water could not be more perfect. it was clear as a bell and I could see the bottom pretty much my whole swim. Lang also did a great job paddling just on the last lap of the Gridley Straight he got side tracked and started looking around. No big deal I told him that he did not need to stay to close to me on the way back. I also got to see Josh and Gords finish there swim from Antelope Island so that was cool. when I got back to the red bouy I looked and saw Gords and Josh headding towards me. after their 8.12 mile swim the added on another 1 mile back to the marina. those guys are animals.