Here's the link to the swim race info: http://www.lakegastonchamber.com/Text_files/THECROSSING2007info.pdf
Notice the part that says There will be prizes for the first male and female out of the water, and the most outrageous entry. Since I'm so, umm, not fast, I figured it'd be fun to have a little fun and try to win the most outrageous competition.
So I borrowed a 6-foot long inflatable killer whale that belongs to the Duke Faculty Club pool. It barely fit in the back of my truck! Then I did a little shopping at Party City and picked up some fish accessories: a clown fish pinata, a pack of 3 small inflatable fish and this gooey, super-stretchy thing called an "inside-out ball".
Later I realized I could wear the inside-out ball, pulled over my head like a swim cap! Sweet! Here's Rob wearing the ball:
On Friday night, Rob helped me put everything together into my costume which I decided to call Shark Bait. I used my triathlon belt to secure the clown fish to my back, and also to attach the rope with which I towed the killer whale behind me. Then we used string and zip ties to attach the small inflatable fish to the straps on my suit and on the back of my inside-out ball/swim cap. Here's a pic of me on the kitchen floor, modeling the clown fish attachment.
As you can see, I had to put cellophane on the clown fish pinata. I couldn't find any packing tape in the house, so I just used scotch tape. I hoped it'd work okay once I got in the water.
So Saturday morning rolls around and I'm awake at 5:45, which is an hour earlier than my normal Saturday routine, but I don't mind, as I'm excited about the swim and the fun we're going to have later. Joe, Derek and Mark Smith meet at my house and we carpool to the lake, which is a surprisingly easy 70 minute drive. I register and then get my costume ready. Once I'm ready, I take myself down to the start area and everyone is pointing, gasping Oh my! Look at that lady! Random people I don't even know were taking my picture, including 3 people from local area newspapers. Everyone agrees that I'll win the most outrageous entry. Here I am modeling my costume for the newspaper dudes:
We have to go off in 4 different heats, since the dock was really small. I waited to go off on the last heat. Going along with me was Sonia, her husband Dmitri, Josh, Mark Smith and about 10 others. During the short boat ride over to the dock, an older man sitting across from me joked that he'd use my killer whale inflatable if "he got into trouble on the swim". I smiled politely at his comment, not thinking anything of it. I had asked Heidi's friend's wife to videotape me during the beginning of the swim, as I was curious to see how dorky I looked dragging around a big killer whale behind me. It did look pretty funny!
So at the start, we jump in and we all start swimming, except for me. I felt my pinata fall off my back (it was only secured by this bungee cord net thing), so I went to retrieve it and it took me about 5 seconds to come to the conclusion that I would just hold the fish during the whole swim. I didn't want to leave it because it was part of my costume, and by dumping part of it at the beginning, it would show that I was more interested in swimming than I was in winning the outrageous costume award. So I grab my fish and start kicking, hoping to think of a way to swim while holding the fish. My thoughts are distracted by the older fellow who made that comment about trouble on the boat -- as he is flailing his arms and yelling out "Help!". I'm thinking, holy crap, this guy is freaking going to drown! I swim over to him and help push him towards the starting dock. Once I realize he's going to be okay, I swim off, carrying my fish pinata in one hand, dragging an orca behind me.
I've got a video of this start/guy almost drowning/me swimming off with orca in tow....and I wish I could post it up for you all to see, but unfortunately it's just a tad too big to upload to YouTube. I need to remember to set the resolution on my camera a little lower next time.
I swim a combination of things - for the first half, I did 1-arm freestyle. I'd take 6-10 strokes with one arm, breathing every other, and thankfully not having to sight very often, as the bridge was on my right, and a bunch of Coast Guard and other boats on my left. Then I got tired of 1-arm Free, so I switch to 1-arm Brst with a flutter kick (can't do Brst kick as I'm wearing fins - dammit!), but that got tiring real fast. Then I notice that my cellophane-wrapped pinata is starting to get water logged, so I put it on my head and the bottom of it sort of molds to the shape of my head, and yeah! My hands and arms are finally free to swim a complete stroke cycle! After that point I did a mix of Tarzan-style Free, some Grandma-breaststroke, and some sidestroke with an awesome fin-assisted scissors kick! Near the end, the current became more of a bear, and the waves were choppy enough for me to swallow more than a few mouthfuls of water. I glanced at my watch near the end and I saw that I'd been swimming for 37 minutes - my heart dropped at that point and I kicked my swimming into high gear. 3 minutes later, I'm finishing, thank God! Here's a video of my finish, which is somewhat theatrical and comedic (listen to what the others are saying about me!)
I check in at the finish area, get my finisher t-shirt, and grab a bottle of water and some sugary Halloween-sized snacks. I completely forget about winning the most outrageous entry award until a little later when I ask Heidi if she got an award for first female finisher (I think she was, not sure?) and she said she didn't see any awards being handed out. Oh well, I figure I don't care to press the issue -- I had fun swimming it, and that's all that really matters, right?
Afterwards, we go to Food Lion to grab some side dishes and beer to share for lunch. I park next to one of those awful 3-foot tall poles you see in some parking lots that help "safeguard" the shopping cart corral area. Well wouldn't you know it, as I'm backing out of the spot, I turn my wheel to avoid hitting the car parked behind me (it was a small lot), and I hear "Screeeech, bong, bonk!" Oh crap! Joe's laughing and saying "I knew you were going to do that!" We get out to inspect the damage, and thankfully it's not much. No dent, no paint missing, just a light rubbing of black rubbery stuff that can be buffed out later. Whew! I really didn't want to dent or scratch my new truck!
So we eat hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled to perfection by Bill. I love what his shirt says. Check it out:
Here's a pic of most everyone that was there for lunch (missing Erik, his wife and baby girl):
After lunch, it was time to hit the lake on the boat, the jet ski, and to lounge in the float that Bill calls "Party Island". We all took turns getting pulled on this huge float thing. My arms, tired from the swim earlier, could only take so much during this pull. We were pulled along at about 25mph, hitting wake and screaming and laughing the whole time. Here's a pic of me, Heidi and Dawn on the ride:
I took a jet ski ride with Dmitri and we hit speeds of 40mph - funny how speed on water seems so much faster than on land by car or bike! Other highlights of the day included me getting a chance to drive the boat (a feat I've never attempted, nor have I wanted to do before),
a quick 10 minute nap by myself in Party Island while everyone else was out water skiing (something I know I'm not good at, nor did I want to try for fear of falling down and further escalating my herniated disc in my low back!), a full tour of Bill's house (it has 6 bedrooms!), and a pull on another crazy float called "Wild Thing - Ski Trix". The ski trix thing was brutal! I'd love to be able to hang on for longer, but I think I need to build up some more upper body strength before I attempt it again. Here's a video of me being pulled in the Ski Trix torture tube:
The lake was great! And I think everyone who attended the swim and the fun afterwards had a great time. Here's a few more pics of the day.
and one final picture of the lake view from Bill's house. The bridge is visible, as is the other side of the Lake. Even though it doesn't really look like it, that's the mile length we all swam. We hope to make this an annual event, and maybe even try to get the organizers to join forces with us as we make this an official US Masters Swimming sanctioned event!
It was so nice to see Elizabeth Nowak, Erik Crankshaw, Martha and David(?) from the THAT Masters team, and Billy Su from RAM. It was great to finally meet Sonia's husband Dmitri, who didn't seem as socially reclusive as Sonia had led us to believe! Many thanks to Bill Kerns, again, for inviting us and for letting us know about the swim in the first place! I speak for Derek, Joe, Mark Smith, Dawn, Heidi, Karen, Josh, and myself when I say "THANKS Bill! You were a great host! Invite us over ANY time!"
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