Before 600 swimmers began the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday, race director Chuck Nabit announced that those unable to finish could flag down one of the dozens of support boats.
“No harm, no foul,” he said.
But then he explained that the boat would drop swimmers at the “did-not-finish pier” and they would have to walk back to the finish area on the Eastern Shore.
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The “did-not-finish pier”?
That sounded like the “walk of shame” to me, further motivating me to make sure I finished my first 4.4-mile Bay Swim.
I did finish — in two hours, 12 minutes and 55 seconds, well within my goal of two to 2 1/2 hours. I placed 200th overall and 13th of 33 women ages 40 to 44.
It was a grueling swim. Although Nabit had said the current wasn’t that strong, I found myself drifting underneath the southern span of the bridge after the second mile, and had to swim at a diagonal for the rest of the race, trying to aim for the midpoint between the two Bay Bridge spans. I never did reach the middle, but I wasn’t disqualified for swimming outside the spans.
Not only was the current strong, but also the chop was rough. That affected how fast I could swim, how much water I swallowed (a lot) and how much I could keep my stroke technique together. It’s much more difficult to focus on rolling your hips and extending your stroke when swells are constantly washing over you.
Still, it was a warm, sunny day and the water was 74 degrees — perfect weather for a swim. As I worked my way across the Bay, I found myself singing the uplifting and fast-paced “Perfect Day” from the “Legally Blonde” soundtrack.|
I swam my first two miles quickly — 50 minutes. But then the chop and current picked up, and the third mile seemed to drag on forever. When I reached the orange buoy marking the third mile, I checked my watch while enjoying the view from the middle of the Bay — 33 minutes, which explained why that mile felt so slow. The next mile was even slower, 36 minutes. But once I swam into the cove on the Eastern Shore, protected from the chop and strong current, I was able to sprint to the finish line with surprising strength.
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Though my tendonitis-inflicted left shoulder came out of the swim OK, my right shoulder did not fare as well. With about a mile and a half left, every stroke began to hurt. But I could not stop — there was no way I was going to be dropped off on the “did-not-finish pier.”
Now I have had to stay out of the pool to give my shoulder time to recover. Fortunately, it’s time to try to overcome my sore knee and start training for my first triathlon — or at least train for my second aquabike, which is a triathlon without the run, for those of us with bad knees and ankles. So I’ve been riding my bike and hitting the treadmill.
The enormity of the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim didn’t really hit me until I was driving over the Bay Bridge to go home Sunday afternoon, after a celebratory lunch of crab cakes and a margarita.
Looking down on the water, I reviewed the highlights and lowlights of my 4.4-mile swim, and realized just how far I had gone.
I can’t wait to do it again.
Cathy Gainor is the editor of the Personal Best page. She can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
