P.S. I forgot to mention the lovely little impromptu apre race birthday party that Nicolee, Tacoma Jim, Rosie, et al, put on for Mrs Sparkle at Caves Beach on Sunday. I'm sorry I can't remember who baked the cupcakes but they were in superb nic. They put on a marvellous little spread of deadset ironman food, which of course included a birthday cake, adorned with a singing candle, along with a wee tincture of champers to desalinate the vocal chords for singing "happy birthday" to the lucky girl.
And just as Mr Os.c bangs on about the kulcha of oceanswimmin, it doesn't get much more kulcheral than that. What beautiful gesture to cap a beautiful weekend.
Regs,
Davo.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Achy-breaky-body no more!
After a weeklong bout of a debilitating mystery fever that I've named "Achy-breaky body syndrome", and therefore no training, I was a doubtful starter at Lake Macquarie on Satdy.
But what glorious day it turned out to be. The sun was shining, the wind was light and we had a lovely ferry ride over to the start at Coal Point. The Nor'easter threatened at the start but we called it's bluff and swam into the lieu of Green point whereupon we had glassy conditions right to the finish.
To my regret, with approximately 500m to go, I tried to drag off a fellow swimmer of similar ability, whom I'd been match racing for the best part of course across the lake; whereupon I copped a couple of filthy calf cramps for my trouble, and got done like a dinner by him.
As I tried to stretch my calf muscles out and keep swimming, the shin cramps came in and it was all over. As I'm sure many a fellow swimmer has experienced before, it was like dragging a pair of bootmaker's lasts through the water behind me.
But on the whole a great event. Well done to the organisers at Swansea Belmont SLSC; I'll be back again with a little more stamina next year.
Albeit stiff and sore, but without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I headed on to Caves Beach the next day. Another ripper sunny day except this time a different challenge. Not one of shear distance, but one of adverse marine conditions. The Nor'easter was fairdinkum this time and the chopped up open expanse of the Tasman Sea lay before us; littered with sea lice and peppered with blue bottles. Slap, sting, splash and itch was the order of the day.
But what great swim? The seabed was visible throughout the entirety of the race, especially as we swam along the bombora a little outside the cans. And at one point a set even broke across the course, with a foot high foamy wave necessitating a dive under it, lest one should cop a gob full of the mighty Tasman.
Aarrgh me hearties! Now that be ocean swimmin, yer hear!
Once again, love the work of the organisers at Caves and I'll be back again with bells on next year.
Regs,
Davo.
But what glorious day it turned out to be. The sun was shining, the wind was light and we had a lovely ferry ride over to the start at Coal Point. The Nor'easter threatened at the start but we called it's bluff and swam into the lieu of Green point whereupon we had glassy conditions right to the finish.
To my regret, with approximately 500m to go, I tried to drag off a fellow swimmer of similar ability, whom I'd been match racing for the best part of course across the lake; whereupon I copped a couple of filthy calf cramps for my trouble, and got done like a dinner by him.
As I tried to stretch my calf muscles out and keep swimming, the shin cramps came in and it was all over. As I'm sure many a fellow swimmer has experienced before, it was like dragging a pair of bootmaker's lasts through the water behind me.
But on the whole a great event. Well done to the organisers at Swansea Belmont SLSC; I'll be back again with a little more stamina next year.
Albeit stiff and sore, but without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I headed on to Caves Beach the next day. Another ripper sunny day except this time a different challenge. Not one of shear distance, but one of adverse marine conditions. The Nor'easter was fairdinkum this time and the chopped up open expanse of the Tasman Sea lay before us; littered with sea lice and peppered with blue bottles. Slap, sting, splash and itch was the order of the day.
But what great swim? The seabed was visible throughout the entirety of the race, especially as we swam along the bombora a little outside the cans. And at one point a set even broke across the course, with a foot high foamy wave necessitating a dive under it, lest one should cop a gob full of the mighty Tasman.
Aarrgh me hearties! Now that be ocean swimmin, yer hear!
Once again, love the work of the organisers at Caves and I'll be back again with bells on next year.
Regs,
Davo.
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