I'm back! First day of the Polar Bear Swim

Well, a lot has happened since the Swim Around the Rock. I continue to swim with the fine folks at the Dolphin Club 3 times a week.

In September, I swam the Alcatraz Invitational with my wife, Lisa. This swim was unique because I lost my goggles when I jumped off the boat and had to swim it blind.

In November, a cargo ship ran into the Bay Bridge and dumped 60,000 gallons of bunker fuel into the bay. That shut down San Francisco beaches for almost a month.

In December, we resumed swimming with a new appreciation and respect for the bay.

Today is the first day of winter and so begins the Polar Bear Swim! The Polar Bear Swim is unique to the Dolphin Club. The challenge is to swim 40 miles in the bay, without a wetsuit, during winter (12/21 – 3/21).

This morning 10 folks turned out for the 6 am swim. We all logged our first mile. The water temperature was 49 and the air temperature was 40. It was a frigid first step toward our Polar Bear Swim goal. After the swim, a bunch of us went out to a local diner to share a hearty breakfast to commemorate the first swim of winter. To me, it was the perfect San Francisco morning!

News report - Swim Around Alcatraz

Channel 5's video footage of the swim.

No humans were harmed during the filming of this news report!

Dolphin Club Movie

I wish I had brought my camera with me to the club this morning. It was the nicest sunrise I've seen in a long time. I think I'm actually enjoying swimming more now than when I was preparing for the swim around the rock.

Below is a a 5 minute documentary video from Youtube about the club. I think they did a good job of capturing the feel of the club. It might provide some insight into why I enjoy swimming in the bay.

Enjoy!

If the clip below doesn't work, the direct link is here

NEW Alcatraz Photos (No Race Report)

Well, a week has passed since the Swim Around Alcatraz. I have attempted to write a race report on a couple occassions. However, each time I stopped short. The swim had an unexpected and profound impact on me and I just felt my narrative didn't capture the swim.

It is ironic, I can easily and enthusiasticly write about seemingly insignificant events. However, I am at a loss when it comes to adequately describing the actual event.

Not to disappoint, I have some wonderful photos to share with you. My kayak pilot, Bob, took these photos with a disposible camera. These photos give you a unique perspective on the swim, the island, the conditions and the 'feel' of the event. I hope you enjoy them!

Approaching Alcatraz (35 minutes into the event).


The island was longer than I expected. I think I am trailing the blue kayak in this photo.


The water behind the island was protected, warm(er) and calm.


Check out these creepy water caves on the back side of Alcatraz.


Signature Alcatraz.


At this point there was a strong current pulling me into the island. Swimming parallel to the island was difficult. It was slow going here.


Struggling to round the island. The strongest currents and coldest water were during the part of the swim.


The start of a long swim home.


Sighting San Francisco.

Race pictures!

Here are some photos, more to come! Also, race report coming soon. Enjoy.


When you are feeling cold, just grab a two year old.


That is me at the back of the pack, but not for long!


I deeply respect every one of these swimmers.


Ominous Alcatraz - notice the kayaks, that is our route out to the island.


Coming in strong.



Finally, standing up after 2 hours of hard swimming.


My five year old was the first to greet me.


Cold and exhausted.


Look at this smile!


It is all about family.

Success! Finish time 1:54!

My first aim was to complete the swim, my second was to break two hours. I am proud to have accomplished both. My finish time was 1:54. The beach was filled with family and friends. It was an unforgettable experience. I'm so thankful to have participated in this swim. The conditions were good at the start but were really challenging as we rounded Alcatraz. I'll write a full report soon! Thank you for sharing this experience with me.

Also, lots of photos to share. Check back soon!

Race Day!

I slept soundly and got up 5 minutes before my alarm went off (5:30). After a quick breakfast and Papa-B and I are heading out. Thanks for all the support. I'll post results at noon and write a full report soon.

RACE UPDATE - START TIME CHANGED TO 7:45 a.m.

Pre-race briefing

Going to bed now. Think warm thoughts for me. Here are the photos from the race briefing. I'll post descriptions of the day tomorrow after the race.

Lisa's first no wetsuit swim (Day Before Race)

No time to blog now, but here are some photos from this afternoon. I could not believe Lisa was willing to give swimming a try without a wetsuit. It was freezing! She is the most supportive person I've ever met.

No worries, Papa-B is here!

My dad, Papa-B, hit town last night. It is a truly special visit because he experienced mulitple life threatening health issues this year. Thankfully, he is now healthly and strong.

Papa-B has always been the 'rock' of our family. Here is Papa-B helping me with my wetsuit after an Alcatraz crossing.

This particular race was called the "Sharkfest" Alcatraz swim. My brother and I did the race just to get the cool tee-shirts!

The group shot is my immediate family. From left to right is my brother's wife Jennifer, Papa-B, my mom, my brother Brad, me holding Brant (no Lance yet) and my wife Lisa. I believe these photos are from 2002. It is amazing to me that the infant in the picture is now my 5-year old son.

Oh yes, the BBQ. . . we are hosting a BBQ at my house sometime after the race. It will probably start around 1:00. It is an open invitation. Please feel free to drop by. E-mail me if you need my address at kevinbyronhaugh@yahoo.com.

Event schedule

The race is two days away. I’m getting fairly anxious at this point. Alcatraz has always been visible during my commute but lately seems further from shore and larger then I remembered.

Yesterday was last swim before the race. My conditioning today is what it will be on race day. No better no worse. The mental aspect of the race has already begun.

Below is the official event schedule. We are planning a BBQ at my house sometime after the event. I'll post details tomorrow.

OFFICIAL EVENT SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY MAY 25th -
4:00 P.M to 5 P.M. - PRACTICE SWIM FOR SAR REGISTERED SWIMMERS AQUATIC PARK
5:30 P.M. - RACE BRIEFING - AT AQUATIC PARK - WATER WORLD SWIM COACHES WILL BRIEF RESULTS OF TEST SWIM AND TIDES AND CURRENTS FOR NEXT DAY
5:30 P.M. - PRESS and TV INTERVIEWS
PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION - ALL PARTICIPANTS by WWS EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER COLIN GIFT
6:00 P.M. - DINNER AT CAPURRO'S ( 498 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94109 )
FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS ( $10.00) - GUESTS $ 25.00

SATURDAY MAY 26th
6:30 A.M. -REGISTRATION OPEN
7:30 A.M. -BRIEFING
8:00 A.M. -SWIM STARTS (tentative)
11:00 A.M. -AWARDS CEREMONY

Not According to Plan

This morning, my last training day in the bay, things did not go as planned.

Midway through our planned route one of the swimmers in our group became exhausted due to exposure to the cold. He swam away from the group to a nearby boat to rest. When we swam to meet him, he was shivering and disoriented. We decided to swim directly to the beach.

Unfortunately, the tide was against us and the beach was a long way off. So instead, we ‘pirated’ up the closest dock which happened to be private property. You can see the dock on the left side of the photo above near the trees, it has a white building attached to it. We safely negotiated a barnacle covered rusty ladder to the landing. Our goal was to get the swimmer to land and run back to the warmth of the club.

As I mentioned, things did not go as planned.

There was no access from the dock to the beach. The door leading from the dock to the beach was locked from the outside. We were trapped on the dock. We wasted precious time trying to come up with plan B.

Just then, a boat approached and someone screamed, “That is private property!”

Perfect.

The gentleman on the boat became more of gentleman when he realized we had a swimmer in distress. He unlocked the door to the beach and we quickly exited the dock and starting running back. It was difficult to support the weight of the swimmer and continue running. Note the distance, in the photo, from the dock near the trees to the end of the beach on the right side of the photo. At this point we were all quite cold.

As we approached the club I realized we had no way of gaining entry since the Dolphin Club is also locked. I sprinted across the beach and dove into the cold waters of the bay for a second time. The shock of the cold was much greater than when we got in 40 minutes earlier. I swam under the dock beside the club (see the right side of the photo) and ran to the entrance of the club.

Once in the club, the swimmer warmed quickly and fully recovered.

Rest Weekend and Nobu on Ice!

As part of my race preparation, I stayed out of the water this weekend. It was a nice physical and mental break from swimming. It was my wife’s birthday on Saturday so we stole away and stayed at the Claremont. Lisa completely understood why I lazily floated on a kick board while she cranked out 36 laps for her 36th birthday.

This morning I was back in the bay with the usual crew at 6 am. When I arrived at the club I noticed Nobu sitting in his car clutching a coffee thermos and looking uncharacteristically serious.

After a quick change we met in the club house to discuss our route. To everyone’s surprise Nobu was not wearing a wetsuit. It was to be his first no wetsuit swim. I told him the mantra for entering the cold water without a wetsuit, “I know how to breath, I know how to swim, I know how to breath, I know how to swim.”

After 20 minutes of swimming, the effects of the cold were visible in Nobu’s stroke. He slowed considerably had become a confused as to the route. Rebecca and I decided to swim with Nobu directly back to the club while the others continued swimming.

When we finally reached the beach Nobu was all smiles. However, he had become so cold he was unable to walk into the club unassisted. I kept a firm grab on his arm as we climbed back into the club. After a shower and sauna, he continued to shake and shiver. He later commented that he had no recollection of the time that passed from the beach to the shower.

I think Nobu had Stage 2 hypothermia. The swim might have been a bit too long for his first swim without a wetsuit. The attempt alone was impressive. I hope he gives it another shot. It was a stark reminder, however, of the dangers of swimming in cold water. Judgment, stroke and stamina are all vulnerable to the cold.


Here is picture of Nobu on the day we joined the Dolphin Club.

5 days to go until the Swim Around Alcatraz!

"Does Nobu really exist?"
See Dave's comments. . .

Past Alcatraz Crossings - Brad Haugh

My brother, Brad, has three Alcatraz crossings under his belt. Before he headed down to Santiago Chile to teach at Nido Elementary School, the Alcatraz Invitational was ‘our’ annual event.

Brad is a strong swimmer. We finished within seconds of each other at our first two events. After each swim we celebrated at Houston’s with the best prime rib sandwich around.

His third crossing was a different story.

We both wore wetsuits at the time and were constantly devising ways to avoid the inevitable wetsuit friction burn on the back of our necks. I tried vaseline, rash guards, even duck tape to protect my neck.

Brad came up with his own solution. He modified his suit by cutting away the neckline from the back of his neck down to the top his shoulder blades.

On race day, he expected a fast pain-free crossing. Instead, with each swim stroke the back of his modified wetsuit filled with water creating a parachute effect and slowing his swim. Also, the force of the water entering the wetsuit constricted the front neckline of the suit around his throat.

Due to chaos of the swim start and numbing effect of the cold water, Brad was unaware of the problem. All he knew was that he was barely moving and was quickly becoming exhausted. Brad called out, I swam back beside him.

He was obviously in distress. I encouraged him to keep swimming, thinking he was just freaking out and not used to the cold. I wondered if perhaps a micro current had a hold on him. Rather than signal for a boat ride back to shore, we made a pact in the middle of the bay to swim together until we reached the beach.

It seemed a lifetime before we entered Aquatic Park. Brad would take 8-10 strokes and then stop to rest. It was a really difficult finish and I really admire him for completing the swim. I’m not sure if he still has the wetsuit or not, although I do tease him about it every chance I get!

Oh yes - keeping with tradition, we made our way to Houston's after the event for a prime rib sandwich! Here is a picture of Brad and I and his beautiful wife Jennifer at Chile's verison of Aquatic Park - Zapallar. It is much warmer there, no wet suit needed!

Also, I've asked Brad to post his version of the swim in the comments. Be sure to check back later.

Final long training swim

I swam at Aquatic Park with Nobu Saturday morning. My goal was 2 hours in the water. The conditions were tough. It was high tide and windy. Between the chop and the flooding current, it was perfect training conditions for Alcatraz preparation.

Nobu swam with me for the first hour then returned to the club. We were swimming faster than usual and I think the pace, along with the rough conditions, had taken a toll on him.

As he staggered onto the beach, he agreed to swim with me again after a 30 minute rest at the club. As I swam away from the beach, I mentally prepared myself for swimming the remaining hour alone. I was cold and swam away from the club and into the wind at a much slower rate than the first hour.

After completing a lap around the cove I swam back toward the club beach and there was Nobu - chest deep in the water, goggles on and sporting a very determined look on his face. Nobu had regained his strength and took off into the spray of the bay. I didn’t have time to doubt or assess, instead, I just swam hard to keep up with him.

We exited the water with a total elapsed swim time of 2:03:33.

With the race two weeks away, this was my last long training swim. If the conditions are good on race day, I hope to complete the race in about 2 hours. Mentally, completing a 2 hour swim was really important to me.

As always, I recorded my swim time on my Kobold watch. Since the remaining training swims are not time critical, I did not reset the chronograph on my Kobold. My swim time is frozen on the dial of the watch and serves as a daily reminder of the preparation I've done for this race.

I’ll reset the chronograph once more on the morning of the race. Then after recording my swim time, I’ll return it to Kobold with the actual swim time on the dial.

One more solid week of training, then tapering begins.

Thanks Nobu! I’m not sure I would have made it without your help!

Inspiring film clips

Training continues and I snatch up inspiration wherever I can find it to stay on task. Last night I went to see 'Agua' at the SF International Film Festival. I really enjoyed 'Agua' and was glad to have seen it on a big screen. It captured the feeling of long distance swimming and was beautifully shot. I don't know if non-swimmers would appreciate all the swimming sequences as much.

If I were to recommend a swim related film, I would still first recommend 'On a Clear Day'.

Here are two of my favorite inspirational You Tube clips. The first features Ted Ericksen's swim from the Farallon Island to San Francisco. It is authentic and his records still stands. I'm not sure anyone else has done it. The narration and music is so quaint, it feels like you are watching it with his family at his home after a meal. Listen for his mention of the Dolphin Club near the end.

The second may move you to tears and is my favorite training story of all time. It is the story of Dick and Ricky Hoyt and their Ironman Championship race. TRY THIS - write down something you've always wanted to attempt. Then jot down the reasons why you can't. Then watch this film clip.

Above is a picture of my 5 year old at his first triathlon. He is my inspiration.

S.F. Film Festival and Wildflower Results

The San Francisco International film festival is going on this week. Kenneth told me about an Argentine long-distance swimming film featured this year. I'll try to go see it Wednesday and post a review. E-mail me if you are interested in joining me for the show.

"Agua (Movie) -
With striking camerawork, innovative sound effects and a dramatic twist, this minimalist tale of two Argentine swimmers at different places in their careers plunges viewers into the mental variance, physical fatigue and sensory awareness of the long-distance athlete.""

Congrats to my fellow Dolphin Club members who participated in the 25th anniversary Wildflower Triathlon this weekend. Nobu swam the first leg of a relay team. I am sure the water felt like a warm ofuro compared to the bay. Mark and Sunny competed in their 14th Wildflower. They placed 5th and 2nd in their respective age groups. The 'initiated' know how tough Wildflower can be due to the heat, never-ending climbs and early season calendar. Well done everyone! I'll see you in the water!

83 degrees in S.F. today!

Today was a rare hot day in San Francisco. It was sunny and beautiful. It felt more like summer vacation than training.

The whole family joined me at the Dolphin Club. My wife, Lisa, played with the kids on the beach. Lance (2 yrs) buried Brant (5 yrs) in the sand. I got a long swim in and enjoyed every minute of it.

The typically windy, cold and lonely beach was packed with folks in swimwear and sunglasses. After emerging from the water, I sat in the sun and warmed while played with the boys. It was a welcome change from the straight legged, shivering march to the sauna. It was one of those perfect summers days you never want to end.

Missed workouts and mind games

This week was tough. Balancing a career, two kids and well, everything else is always a challenge, even more so after a couple sleepless nights with my two year old. I only swam twice this week – once with a master’s program and once in the bay.

Race panic, when you are injured or miss workouts, goes something like this. . . the race is three weeks away, this is was supposed to be my most important training week, this swim is further than I’ve ever gone, last year the slowest swimmer was in the water for nearly 3 hours, I’m not sure if I can last 2 hours, everyone in my master’s program thinks I’m crazy, I’ve got a funny pain in my shoulder, my breathing has been off lately, I’m stuffed up, I’m having a hard time breathing right now, it is too far, it is too cold, I can’t. . .

Not to worry though, I’ve gone through this many, many times and know myself and how I deal with the inevitable race freak out. I just acknowledge each negative thought and promise to deal with each one, in turn, after the event. I’m too busy to freak out right now, but I’ll get to it. I’ve found it is much easier to deal with all the reasons why I can’t do something after I’ve done it or at least attempted it. I know this sounds silly, but I’ve used this approach so many times it is almost automatic.

“Too busy to properly train.”

“Yes, I see you there, please take a number and we’ll chat after the event.”

The Score - Sea Lion (1), Jon (0)

Despite the freeway collapse, there was no delay driving into San Francisco this morning. It was misting when I left home at 5 am. By the time I arrived at the club, the rain was really coming down! I waited around wondering if maybe the swim would be cancelled. Then, regular as the tides, Vince, Jon, Rebecca and Tom arrived on the scene.

Each swimmer commented on how the rain clouds actually warmed the air and the bay. They kept nodding their brightly colored swim caps in unison. Its funny, I think they were all just trying to make each other feel better about hitting the icy bay in the grey downpour. Hey, it made me feel better.

Jon had been in Florida over the weekend and enjoyed swimming in the 80 degree waters of the gulf coast. So, we weren’t surprised when, 15 minutes into the swim, Jon decided to head back to the warmth of the club.

Not long after Jon’s departure we spotted a huge sea lion patrolling the cove. From eye level, while swimming, it looked more like a submarine than a seal lion. We changed course to avoid the beast and enjoyed the remainder of an exhilarating swim.

Back at the club, the locker room was buzzing about Jon’s solo swim back to the club. Apparently, he got bumped, ‘whiskered’ and nibbled on by the sea lion soon after he left our group. I asked Jon to post his version of the encounter in the ‘comments’ section below. If he hasn’t posted yet, please check back later. It is pretty funny.

Tanker truck accident, freeway collapse!

On Sunday morning a tanker truck crashed under a local freeway overpass. The heat of the resulting fire led to the collapse of the freeway. Experts predict the disaster will make the already bad Bay Area traffic worse. They aren't called 'experts' for nothing.

It will likely take months to repair the road. The Monday morning commute was a big question mark, so I took advantage of the Terminator's offer of a free BART ride. By the way, it sure was nice of the Gov. to visit Oaktown. He left Monday morning, but said he'll be. . .

Unfortunately, without a car in the city, it is tough to make it to the Dolphin Club and back to work on time. As a result, I missed my swim this morning. I'll give it a try Wednesday.

Annnnnd thats Bay Area traffic, back to the newsroom!

Finally broke the Century mark!

I hit the bay solo Saturday morning to attempt a 90 minute swim. Here is a picture of my drive to the beach. As you can see, the conditions were ideal. The bay was smooth as glass, there was no wind and the air was warm.

I started my swim with a couple laps around the park. After completing my second lap, I saw something that made me nervous. There was a swimmer cutting across the cove, weaving between the boats, and something was following him.

I took my goggles off and looked again. My view was obstructed by a small sail boat, but I was sure something was following the swimmer. He was only 100 yards away, but he couldn't hear me call out. I put my goggles back on and swam closer to the swimmer and his pursuer. As I got closer, I was surprised and relieved to see it was his dog. I'm pretty sure it was Jake the Alcatraz dog from my previous post.

Three more laps around the cove and I was close to my goal of 90 minutes. It was 8:30 and the sunshine was warm on my shoulders. A band of wetsuit clad Team-In-Training folks were starting a training swim. I stopped swimming and treaded water while watching them practice. I must have stayed put a bit too long because I was starting to shiver.

I glanced at my Kobold, a total of 80 minutes had elapsed. All I had to do was swim back to the club and I'd be done.

Just then an older swimmer, probably in his early 60s, swam up and asked me to join him for a lap around the cove. The cove is a big commitment, there is no short cut back. However, after almost an hour and a half swimming alone, I appreciated the offer and decided to join him. I felt really cold during that last lap. I noticed he was breathing on his right, so I pulled up along side him so he would notice if I ran into trouble. Since we were swimming together I felt safe.

By the time we reached the Dolphin Club my Kobold showed a total swim time 1:46 minutes! I finally broke the century mark! My swim partner waived goodbye and headed out for another lap. The 100 minute mark is a huge milestone for me. I've tried twice and fell short each time.

'05 Alcatraz Invitational (Lisa's First Swim)

On the day Lance Armstrong won his last Tour De France, I had a bike accident and broke my right wrist. Ironic and painful. When I fell, my plans for Ironman Florida and the 2005 Alcatraz Invitational came down with me. My good friends and training partners Doug Cameron and Dave Landa went on to finish IM Florida and my wife, Lisa, completed her first Alcatraz Invitational.

Lisa signed up for the race with the condition that I swim next to her the entire distance. I think it would have been easy for her to pull out of the race when I got injured. Instead, she went it alone and unknowingly completed a swim of historical significance. It was the first time a dog swam Alcatraz! If you look closely at the attached press photo you can see me on the right with by big 'ole cast and my son Brant wearing my vest down to his ankles as we waited for Lisa to arrive. You can't help but worry a tad while waiting for a loved one during an event like Alcatraz. I was so proud and relieved to see her finally appear on the beach. She looked so beautiful.

Lisa and I will swim Alcatraz together this year on 9/15/2007 and the list of swimmers is growing. Cary (Lisa's brother) and Nobu are also joining us as well. Anyone else interested? I'd be happy to help with a training plan and I have a spare wetsuit to share. Give it some thought. Look how happy Lisa was!

Uncle Bob? Pops? Brad? Doug? Dave? Bob? Brian? Werts? Bueller?