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?

Fantastic bay swim this morning! (Training Plan)

The seal lion must have overslept this morning. Everyone at the club seemed to be at ease. The sunrise was beautiful and the bay was calm with a slight flood tide. I felt stronger this morning than I have all season. I considered staying in and trying for the 100 minute mark but opted to get out feeling strong and still warm after a 45 minute swim.

Four weeks remain before the big swim. The last week will be a light taper week to rest up for the race. So, basically there are three solid weeks of training remaining.

The plan for each week is: 2 x 1 hour masters swims, 3 x 40 minute bay swims and 1 long bay swim. Masters swims help me improve my technique and gain speed. Frequent, short bay swims help improve my conditioning to the cold. The most important swim each week is the long swim.

My goals for the long swims are: 90 min. (4/28), 100 min. (5/5), 110 min. (5/12) and back down to 45 min. (5/19). I'm kind of making this up as I go along so it helps me to post my training plan.

The picture above is from last year's event. I'm not the swimmer in the picture. I think the picture is cool because it gives you a sense of what it looks like out there on the way back from Alcatraz. Have a great weekend!

What does a 500 lbs Sea Lion do?

Whatever it wants.

I was the first of our usual swim group to arrive at the club at 5:45 am. Mark was the next to show up. We met at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach. While we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive we heard some shouting down at the pier. It was still pitch black, we both had ear plugs and swim caps on so it was a bit confusing. Mark took a step out of the club, paused and listened. I made my way down to the beach to see what was going on. Russ, a club member, had been hit by a sea lion. He wasn't bitten, just bumped.

By the time I made my way back into the club there were 6-7 swimmers discussing whether we should go out at all. Vince, who swam the Maui Channel where the pilots are required to carry firearms due to shark threat, seemed unphased. Rebecca's vote was to hit the sauna. Mark seemed less enthusiastic than Vince but slightly more so than Rebecca. Mark said he and his wife Sunny encountered a sea lion a couple months back. He said the sea lion was all over Sunny but she wasn't injured. Finally, we all agreed to go out. The plan was to swim as close together as possible and head for the beach if anyone in the group got bumped.

As I waded slowly into the water I thought, "it is hard enough to get into the cold water at daybreak without wondering if a 500 pound sea lion is lurking just beneath the water." Just then 6 swimmers bolted past me. It was more like the start of a race than our usual slow, spiritual entry into the bay. Vince took the lead, as he usually does, and everyone else followed. I think everyone was afraid of being left behind and confronting the sea lion alone. It was my turn, so I dove in and muttered the usual expletive. Off we swam, faster than usual and in the tightest swim formation I've ever seen. We were literally shoulder to shoulder, finger to toe swimming. It was really cool.

Well, we made it back unscathed. Another exciting morning in the bay. Later in the sauna, we talked about the freak sea lion attack last week in Australia where a 13 year girl was left with a broken jaw and three less teeth. We also recalled the less frightening week last year when a baby sea lion attacked 14 swimmers in Aquatic Park. The poster above hangs in the Dolphin Club. Its meant as a joke, but then again. . .

Missed the century mark but Swam with a baby whale

I waded into the bay Sunday afternoon with the goal of swimming 100 minutes. I had a really off day. My swim stroke was a mess. I wasn’t feeling very good. There was a bug going around the office last week and I was sure I had contracted it. The water was 50 degrees (a couple of degrees colder than normal) and the wind was whipping.

At 80 minutes, I was done. At this point in the swim, I couldn’t have imagined swimming another 20 minutes. Cold and tired, I headed in to the warmth of the club. One lesson I learned during Ironman training is to let tough days like this go. . Some days are good. Some are bad. It is just training.

Now for the fun part of the story. . .

I stopped at the opening of Aquatic Park to admire the bridge and wave to some tourist. As I turned to head back toward the shore, I heard a faint but distinct high pitched screech underwater. I pulled up immediately and scanned the surface of the water. Nothing. I quietly treaded for a bit and removed one ear plug. I then slipped under the water and listened. The high pitched screech rang out again, louder, clear as day! Again, I scanned the surface and saw nothing. I was certain it was a whale, but at the same time I knew it couldn’t be a whale. The thought spooked me and I sprinted back toward the beach.

Later, on the beach, I ran into a woman who was a member of the South End Rowing Club. She said SERC held an Alcatraz swim event the previous day and during the boat ride out to Alcatraz they saw a baby whale that had apparently gotten lost and swam into bay.

Alcatraz Swim Escape Attempts

Official records indicate no prisoner ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz. There are five prisoners listed as "missing and presumed drowned," but no record of an inmate who reached land without getting caught. Thirty-six inmates tried to escape in 14 different attempts during Alcatraz's 29-year history.

Here's a summary of the swim related escape attempts. I just copied and pasted these for the blog. The John Bayless attempt description is funny to me. The bay is cold, but surely worth the swim. Didn't John know how good the restaurants were on the other side?

"16 December, 1937 - Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe may have escaped. Officially, they are listed as missing and presumed dead. Currents in the Bay were very strong that night.

15 September, 1941 - John Bayless gave up shortly after noticing how cold the water of the Bay was. John even tried to escape from the courtroom during his trial.

14 April, 1943 - James Boarman, Harold Brest, Floyd Hamilton and Fred Hunter took two officers hostage while at work in the industries area. All four of them climbed out a window and made it to the water's edge. One of the hostages was able to get help and alert other officers to the escape attempt. Hunter and Brest were both apprehended, Boarman was shot and drowned, his body was never recovered. Initially presumed drowned, Hamilton was discovered alive two days later back in the very same industries area where the escape attempt began.

7 August, 1943 - Huron 'Ted' Walters disappeared from the prison laundry building. He was caught at the shoreline.

23 July, 1956 - Floyd Wilson was discovered at the shoreline after several hours of hiding.

29 September, 1958 - Aaron Burgett and Clyde Johnson overpowered a correctional officer and tried to swim from the island. Johnson was caught swimming, Burgett's body was found floating in the bay two weeks later.

11 June, 1962 - Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin disappeared from their cells and were never seen again. They are officially listed as missing and presumably drowned. This is the attempt made famous by the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz.

16 December, 1962 - John Paul Scott and Darl Parker were the last prisoners to try to escape. Parker was discovered on a small rock near the island and returned. Scott, who had tried to swim towards San Francisco, was pulled out to the sea by the strong currents. He was found suffering from shock and hypothermia near Fort Point and was taken to the Presidio Army hospital before he was returned to the Rock."

Training continues. . . my goal is to break the CENTURY mark (100 minutes) in the bay this Sunday. Thanks for checking in!

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

"And the sign said, 'long hair freaky people need not apply'" - The Five Man Electrical Band ('72) Actually, that isn't what this sign said. I just had that song running through my head all day. Click on the image to see what the sign at the Dolphin Club really says.

Nobu and I joined the Dolphin Club tonight. We attended the monthly board meeting and were surprised at the turn out. It was an unlikely band of like-minded folks. The room was split evenly between those interested in swimming and those interested in rowing. As I listened to each of the 11 new members introduce themselves, it was apparent that each shared a love of the sea and San Francisco.

I introduced myself as a friend of Jon Nakamura who swims with the crew at 6 am. The reaction in the room was a bit of a surprise. I surmised that, even among the membership of the Dolphin Club, the 6 am swimmers are viewed as a bit crazy.

The president of the club described swimming in the bay as a "spiritual experience." Another said he felt reborn after each swim. An older fellow, drinking a martini in front of a remarkable view of the sun setting on the Golden Gate, simply said "its f*#@n cold." I'd say they all hit the mark.

At the close of the meeting we got a tour of the club. I learned that the club has a full kitchen and a boat building shop. I also realized it was the first time I had seen the Dolphin Club beach in daylight. Here are a couple of pictures I took. In the background of the first picture you can see the "Cathyer" that I described in an earlier post. The second picture is Aquatic Park and the Golden Gate. Click on these images, they are really nice!

Kobold Report!

After 7 weeks of training, my Kobold is performing flawlessly. It has been on my wrist for every training swim and has been the subject of many compliments around the office. It truly is an amazing timepiece.

When there is chop in the bay, my swim stroke is anything but graceful. It is more like a violent punch into freezing cold water than a swim stroke. I am averaging about 6 miles a week now. That is more than 10,500 yards. I cover 25 yards in about 8 strokes. Thus, my Kobold endures 3,500 'violent punches' every week.

It has been in the 50 degree waters of the bay, covered with sand and salt, spent hours in chlorinated pools and has been in and out of hot tubs and saunas. Despite this abuse, my Kobold is running at +2 seconds a day and could pass as new. So far, the score is Kobold 1, Alcatraz 0.

Click on the photos to view full size images, it is the only way to appreciate the craftsmanship of Kobold.

No Glow Sticks Needed! Sea Lion Encounter!

Nobu and I met in front of the Dolphin Club at 5:45 this morning. The usual group of 4-5 Dolphin Club swimmers didn’t make it this morning. Finally, a member with whom we had swam with before, Vince, appeared out of the darkness and admitted us to the club.

After a quick change we discussed the route and headed down to the beach. It was 6:00 by the time we entered the bay and the shore was light enough to swim without glow sticks. It seemed like a milestone of sorts but the cold was sobering.

Vince led us around the cove and into the harbor. There is a new boat called the "Cathayer" in the harbor, so we swam around it to check it out. She is a beautiful ship, I hope to take pictures and post some next week. At 6:30 Vince headed back to the club.

I’ll be out of town this weekend, so this morning was my planned long swim for the week. Nobu was feeling strong so we decided to swim another loop around the cove to check out the Golden Gate Bridge. The sky was bright orange and the bridge was an amazing sight!

At one hour, Nobu headed back to the club. I was really tempted to join him as the cold was starting to take hold. However, I decided to head out, alone, for 30 more minutes. I swam parallel to the beach and decided swimming alone feels much colder than swimming with a friend. Just as that thought crossed my slow and cold noodle, a huge sea lion popped up right in front of me!

I don’t know how big it was, but the head was enormous. I was a bit apprehensive and felt really vulnerable. I treaded water for a bit and recalled that you should never look a strange dog in the eyes because a dog perceives direct eye contact as a challenge.

I slowly and deliberately looked away from the seal lion toward the open bay. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the huge bulging eyes of the sea lion follow my gaze and look out to sea. I couldn’t help but look back toward the beast. As I did, it turned back toward me and blinked its huge eyelids in slow motion.

Again, I looked away, this time toward the beach. Again, the sea lion also turned and looked in the same direction. The interaction was hilarious and suddenly the sea lion seemed as cute as a puppy. I smiled, put my head down and swam around my new friend toward the end of the beach. It followed me for a while and then disappeared.

I managed 90 minutes in the bay this morning. The last ten minutes were torturous, but the third leg of the swim was well worth the opportunity to share space with a seal lion.

In my defense, the sea lion I met this morning was a bit more imposing than the stock image I posted above. Although, I guess, he did look more like this photo after we got acquainted.

Have a great weekend!

Rain, runoff and weight training

We had some rain this morning in San Francisco. Swimming in the rain is fine, but after a heavy rainfall, the run off does pollute the bay. Personally, I prefer to wait one tide cycle before hitting getting back into the bay after rainfall.

Not so with the folks at the Dolphin Club. The topic came up in the sauna last week and they told me the tale of a winter morning, following three days of rain, when debris in the surf accumulated to the point where they could not enter the bay from the shore. Call it a morning, shower and sit down for pancakes at the local restaurant? Nope. Not to be denied, they traversed a pier and jumped into the bay further out!

When I choose not to swim in the bay, I do fatigue induced training in the pool. Basically, I lift weights to exhaust my arms prior to swimming. The idea is to simulate the effect of the cold. Otherwise, swimming in the pool doesn’t really help condition me for swimming in the bay. At the start of the masters swim program I can barely lift my arms. This is exactly what it feels like 1 hour into a bay swim. It is great mental preparation and there is no risk of getting sick from run off pollution!

Happy Easter!

The last qualifying swim for the Swim Around the Rock was held yesterday (Easter Sunday). Maybe the race organizers were kind enough to hide a few brightly colored eggs in the sand, but I doubt it. I took a break from swimming this weekend, relaxed and enjoyed spending time with my family. It was a treat to sleep in, watch the boys hunt for Easter eggs and stuff myself with honey baked ham.

This morning I was back in the bay with members of the Dolphin Club at 6 am. After the swim, several of the members encouraged me to attend the once a month board meeting and apply for full membership. I suppose insanity loves company.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to join. I'm not sure getting up at 4:45 is sustainable. The Swim Around the Rock is only 6 weeks away and the minimum club commitment is 6 months. To be completely honest, my thoughts getting into the bay this morning were “this is crazy, just get through this, these guys are crazy, only 6 more weeks to the race and you never have to get in without a wetsuit again.”

However, upon completing the swim my perspective had completely changed. The sunrise was beautiful, my arms felt heavy and the water felt wonderful as I quietly shared space with new friends, floating in the surf, waiting for the last swimmer to make it back to shore. It just felt right to me. After reflecting on the morning, I am left wondering how participating in this event might impact my life after the swim is over. After all, Jon has been swimming with the club for 20 years.

On a Clear Day (movie recommendation)

"On a Clear Day" is an awesome independent film I’d highly recommend to anyone reading this blog. It is loosely tied to open water swimming, but it is more of a character driven film about the trials of life. The cast is excellent! Watch the trailer and decide for yourself. Note - Barbara Streisand does not appear in this film!

plot summary:

“After decades of laboring as a Glasgow shipbuilder, Frank Redmond, a no-nonsense 55-year-old working-class man, suddenly finds himself laid off. For the first time in his life, he is without a job or a sense of direction, and he's too proud to ask for guidance. His best mates - rascally Danny, timid Norman and cynical Eddie - are there for him, but Frank still feels desperately alone.

An offhand remark from Danny inspires Frank to challenge himself. Already contemplating the state of his relationships with loving wife Joan and all-but-estranged son Rob, Frank is determined to shore up his own self-confidence. He will attempt the near impossible - swimming the English Channel.

As Frank plunges headlong into his new daily life, his astonished friends are swept along with him. Prodded by stalwart fish-and-chips shop owner Chan, the men support Frank, train him - and keep their goal secret from his wife and son. Frank is unable to confide in those closest to him, but as the big day and moment of truth draw near, there is a sea change.

Frank's family confronts him, and he realizes that he must repair his strained family ties. As Frank and those closest to him discover - or re-discover - reserves of love and compassion, he realizes that he is also swimming from one part of his life to another.”

If you have seen it or rent it, please post your comments on the film.

Who dares to swim in the bay at 6 am?

After two days off, I hit the bay this morning at 6 am. It was much lighter out this morning. Here is a CLASSIC picture of the usual morning crew at the Dolphin Club. From left to right you see Jon, Sunny and Mark.

Jon is very generous and is always smiling. He is the former president of the Dolphin Club and has been swimming in the bay for nearly 20 years. I thanked Jon for sharing his space with me and he replied that 20 years earlier his co-worker invited him for a swim and he was merely returning the favor.

Sunny and Mark and super nice folks. I was surprised to meet their grand-daughter at the club one morning. I was surprised because they are superstar triathletes and in better shape than any 20 year old I’ve ever met. This morning Mark casually mentioned he went biking with Floyd yesterday. My brain was still thawing, so it took a moment to register. . . Landis? I asked. Yep, he replied. Check out Sunny and Mark’s web page.

Huge congrats to Nobu for joining us this morning! Poor Nobu had a tough start as he forgot everything but his wetsuit. Borrowed cap, goggles, towel is no way to start your first dark swim. He swam well and was all smiles when we returned to the beach. I hope he joins us on Friday morning.

QUALIFIED!!!

I picked up Bob around 9:00 and headed down to Aquatic Park. We brought all the kayaking gear down to the beach and were surprised to see Nobu! He had come to cheer me on in the qualifying swim. What an awesome guy. I was the first swimmer to check in. We had to wait an hour before the other swimmers arrived. Then, we were fully briefed on the swim route and conditions. Here is a picture of Nobu and Bob (Please click the pictures, they are so much better full size!).




Nobu took this picture of Bob and I on the beach. Bob is an awesome kayaker. We once logged over 20 miles of kayaking together during the Boston Balance Bar 24 Hour Adventure Race. His kayak experience was tested today as his paddle broke midway through my swim. He improvised and completed the course using half a kayak paddle as an oar. It was really reassuring to have Bob as my pilot.




Once assembled, the race organizer, Pedro, briefed us on the swim course. He made it clear it was going to be a difficult swim. He said each of us needed to be tested because anything could happen during the Swim Around the Rock. He said last year the test swim was "hell" and it took over 3 hours to complete. The following week, the inagural Swim Around the Rock went smoothly with an average swim time of just under two hours. It was a reminder that proper training only gives you the opportunity to complete the swim, the rest depends on how the bay treats you on the day of the race. Here is a picture of a couple of kayak pilots, me and the four other swimmers. Yes, I was the only non-wetsuit swimmer today.




It wasn't supposed to be a race, but this was a very competitive group of swimmers. Pedro said go and the race was on. . . for everyone but me. Hey, it is a lot harder to get into the bay without a wetsuit. The initial shock of the cold is pretty hard to describe. Anyway, you can see the other swimmers about 100 yards ahead of me. Wait up for the non-wetsuit guy? Not.




Here is a picture of me trying to catch up. The bay was 52 degrees, warmer in some spots, definitely colder on the outside of the breakwall. During the course of the swim, I passed two wetsuit swimmers and ultimately finshed 3rd out of five.




Here is picture of me approaching the break wall. You can see the shape and distance of the wall in the background. The current at this point in the swim was really strong. The temperature of the bay dropped right here too. It was a difficult demoralizing start to a long, 3 mile, swim.




Ah, back to the protected cove of Aquatic Park. The cove is warmer than the open bay and there is less current. However, the time in the bay was starting to take its toll at this point in the swim. Shortly, after this picture was taken Bob's paddle broke. I remember looking up at Bob, paddling with half an paddle and wondering if I was losing it due to hypothermia.




My official finish time was 1:10:20, 20 minutes faster than I expected. The time on my Kobold is 1:13 because I didn't stop it until I got to the beach. In my view, the swim was a great success. I swam further and faster than I ever had before. Huge thanks to Nobu for coming out, cheering me on and taking pictures. Thanks to Bob for being a great pilot and overcoming gear failure. Thanks to Pedro for allowing us to test ourselves against the Rock.