2023 update

2023 a look back

With 60+ triathletes 2023 season was the biggest season for us in Team Asha Triathlon. The team took part in Tri Santa Cruz Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon - we also gave back to the sport by volunteering  during the race. Other events we were part of were:

1) Alcatraz swim (20 swimmers) - with Pacific Open Water Swim Co.

2) Bridge to Bridge swim (B2B Swim 10Km) (10 Swimmers) - with Pacific Open Water Swim Co.

3) Donner Lake swim (Team participation)

4) Lake Tahoe swim (Team Participation)

5) Tri Santa Cruz Sprint/Olympic

6) Santa Cruz 70.3 (Half Ironman) (23 athletes)

7) Ironman California (Full Ironman) (4 athletes)

23 of us completed the Santa Cruz 70.3 (Half Ironman) and had a great time training and participating. 4 completed the full Ironman in Sacramento and we had 20 folks who swam from Alcatraz to the city and 10 who completed the B2B swim (10Km). All in all it was a fantastic year. We continue to build a strong base of swimmers and triathletes. Many of our past participants have become mentors and are instrumental in inspiring new people into the sport and into a life of fitness. 

The team before the 70.3 race in Santa Cruz

At the finish - Santa Cruz 70.3

  

Team Asha at Donner Lake swim

The Alcatraz Escapees!

Personally, I kept fit by running a half marathon in Feb, swam 2.4 miles at Donner Lake (July) and Lake Tahoe swims (Aug). Did the Santa Cruz 70.3 half Ironman (Sep). I continue to hone my Stand Up Paddleboading (SUP) skills by volunteering at the Team Asha swim support. 

'The incredible, wildlife-filled experience of swimming off Alcatraz Island'

Article in the Mercury News:

'The incredible, wildlife-filled experience of swimming off Alcatraz Island' 

Covering the experiences of local swimmers in the Bay Area. 

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/04/20/the-incredible-wildlife-filled-experience-of-swimming-off-alcatraz-island/

I had a nice quick chat and exchanged a few messages with John Metcalf of the Mercury News for the above article. I've always loved swimming - and swimming in the Bay and around Northern California is just brilliant. It was during the conversation with John that I realized how tough it is to explain the exhilirating feeling of swimming in the Bay. Words betray you - there is fear (of the known and the unknown), apprehension, hypothermia, excitement, euphoria...as Philip Hoare writes in his book -  'RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR' - "Every swim is a little death. But it is also a reminder that you are alive." (Bit dramatic...but it does get the point across.)

I just re-read John's article after I got back from a 3 week trip to Bombay. With the temp hovering around 32C -33C (88F - 90F)  and 80% humidity - it felt like 102F! The pool swims were warm - warm water and warmer ambient air temps - ugh! Felt like swimming in a sauna! It was absolutely fantastic to be back in the water in Santa Cruz - cold and calm 52F - brilliant feeling.

As you enter the cold waters - there is a freeze burn, your face and other exposed areas (arms, fingers, toes) are screaming at you. Ah! That sweet, sweet pain! Your breathing is hurried and your heart races. About two minutes in it starts to feel comfortable - the breathing is calmer, the blood has receded from the surface of exposed skin and gone to the core. The freeze burn has dulled to a tingling numbness and the rhythmic strokes splash out a steady beat. You can see the sun rays dissapearing into the deep, there is a sense of calm. The feel of cold salty water - there is a freshness to it. You have managed to control that deep fear of the unknown and are comfortable enough to crack a smile through frozen lips. You are in a happy place....until you brush up against a clump of drifting seaweed! Whoa! Every sense is awake now. It takes a few seconds to relax and get back into the zone. There is wonder in that unpredictability and the ocean never lets you forget! 

A quote from John's article. 

"Environmental conditions can change in an instant. Rajeev Char, a Sunnyvale swimmer with the nonprofit Team Asha, had to abort a swim last year after getting fogged out. “I could see a mere glow of sunlight over my left shoulder. But out front of us, the city was completely blanketed out in fog and behind us, Alcatraz, too, was blanketed out.”

Every swim in open water is different. I swim around the Santa Cruz wharf almost every Sunday and I can tell you - it is never the same. The weather, water conditions, tides, wild life, the time of the year, water temp, the people you swim with, all play a part in your experience. Every swim is special and is savored. I always take time to stop and take in the sights - float on my back for a bit and just relax - just feel the movement of the water - those waves may have traveled a long distance, enjoy them for a bit.

Another quote from the article.

“I was halfway across and a shadow just zipped right underneath me, and that was terrifying. It zipped underneath me again and it was like, ‘I’m getting out of the water because I don’t want to be somebody’s buffet breakfast,'” says Gary Emich, a Pacifica retiree who’s swum from Alcatraz to San Francisco, Marin, Treasure Island and other landing points a staggering 1,065 times. “Right about then, a little sea-lion pup breached in front of me – it was just being playful and having a good time.”  

Indeed, like San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz is also known for its frolicking Sea Lions and Seals - like inquisitive Labradors, they sometimes buzz swimmers. They are wild creatures and we are just visiting their domain, it is best to steer clear and swim wide of their feeding zones. The thought that they (and sharks, Jelly-fish, etc., as well) are out there is never far from my mind when I swim. Probably what Hoare meant when he wrote, 'that little death that makes you feel alive'. 

Santa Cruz Wharf - swimming past the Sea Lions. (Photo Credit: Michael Peck)

I have always been passionate about open water swimming - and be it in the open seas, lakes, rivers, we at Team Asha hope to help others fall in love with this activity and pursue it with utmost safety and conditioning. 

As Philip Hoare writes in his above mentioned book:

"The ubiquity of the sea - from this grey estuary in which I swim, to the great open oceans - is itself interplanetary, connecting us to the stars, not really part of our world at all. It doesn't begin until it begins, and then it never seems to end. It writes itself in the clouds and the currents, a permanently changing script, inscribing and erasing its own history, held down by air and gravity in a tacit agreement between land and sky, filling the space inbetween. It's a nothingness full of life, home to ninety percent of the earth's biomass, providing sixty per cent of the oxygen we breathe. It is our life-support system, our greater womb. It is forever breaking its own boundaries, always giving and always taking. It is the embodiment of all our paradoxes. Without it we couldn't live, within it we would die. The sea doesn't care." 

The world is dark, beautiful, deadly, dazzling, and fragile.

Being able to swim in these waters is indeed a blessing. 

Happy & safe swimming!   

 A look back at 2021.

As the COVID tide ebbed and flowed - some events went back to normal (whatever 'normal' is!) - Team Asha continued to train and encourage athletes to embrace Open Water Swimming (OWS) & triathlons. Keeping safety in mind we kayaked and Stand Up Paddleboarded (SUP) with the swimmers at Gull Park and Santa Cruz. We had swimmers participate in Alcatraz crossing, Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe, Bridge to Bridge (Golden Gate to Bay Bridge) swims. Team Asha also had a few more first time Ironman 140.6 finishers and a bunch of 70.3 and Olympic triathlon finishers. Absolutely wonderful to see our athletes getting stronger on the bike, run and more comfortable in open water. 

I decided to stepped away from running Chicago Marathon in 2021 (it was cancelled in 2020) - a race I had run 15 years in row (2005 to 2019). Going forward, I'll look for local races to run. 

That said, I did enjoy my swims. Did 7 swims in the San Francisco Bay and swam the Santa Cruz Wharf on Sunday's whenever I could get there (28 times around the S.C. Wharf in 2021). I also did a 6 mile swim in San Diego (La Jolla Cove). Absolutely nothing better than swimming in the cold Pacific waters. 2021 was the first time I took my SUP to Santa Cruz. Felt great to paddleboard around the lumpy sea waters with the sea lions going 'wharf! wharf!' at us.

I continue the search for my biking muse...(I'll look harder for her in 2022), have kept my running at a maintenance mode. 2021 ended with: 

584 miles running (a heel injury kept me out for 3 months).

245 miles biking 

216 miles of swimming (~380,000 yards. That is more than the previous 3 years combined!)  

Here are some of the fun swims of 2021:   

3/17/21 - Alcatraz (With Pacific Swim Co.)

4/16/21 - Tiburon Coast (With Pacific Swim Co.)

5/01/21 - Alcatraz (With Odyssey Swim)

6/11/21 - Alcatraz #14 (With Pacific Swim Co.)

6/14/21 - Alcatraz (aborted about half way due to thick fog)

7/25/21 - Donner Lake 2.4 mile

9/08/21 - Swim around Angel Island 

9/26/21 - 6 mile swim at La Jolla Cove (San Diego)

Let's hope we all stay healthy and happy in 2022. 

Happy swimming everyone! I leave you with a poem by Amos Russel Wells.

The Cup of Ocean

by Amos Russel Wells

What does the cup of ocean hold?

Glory of purple and glint of gold;

Tenderest greens and heavenly blue,

Shot with the sunlight through and through;

Wayward ripples that idly roam.

Tumbling breakers with gallant foam;

Sands and pebbles that chase and slide;

Mystic currents that softly glide;

Mighty spell of the ages old,

This does the cup of ocean hold.

What does the cup of ocean hear

To the lips of land folk everywhere?

Danger's ominous, ghostly breath,

Battered forms of an awful death;

Howling tempests and bitter sleet,

Crash of the sea steeds' terrible feet;

Ships a-quiver with fearful shock,

Anguish heaped on a savage rock;

Loss and turmoil and fatal snare,

This does the cup of ocean bear.

Look ye well to the ocean's cup,

Ye who gladly on beauty sup.

Tarry long at the treacherous brink,

Gaze within e'er ye bend and drink.

La Jolla Cove 10 Mile Relay 

(My solo 6 mile swim)

While searching for some open water swims around the west coast (so we could just drive rather than fly) I came across the La Jolla Cove 10 mile relay in San Diego (SD). They had an option to swim 10 miles solo as well. So I emailed the organizers and asked them to let me know when the registration opens up. Given that I was already slated for a 5 mile swim around Angel Island - I figured I could swim about 6-7 miles and we could use the trip to SD to meet some friends who had moved there. Basically a fun swim in a new place.

The drive was an uneventful 8.5 hours! The Hybrid car meant we could drive straight through with no need for a gas stop! 468 miles on a tank of gas and still some left! After a wonderful couple of days with friends I was all set for a long swim on Sunday Sep 26th.

Event day: September 26th 

Where: La Jolla Shores Beach 

Weather: Sunday was an overcast but calm day. 

Water temp: 61F-63F

Fuel: Gu gel & Gatorade, about 150/180 calories/hr.

Gear: Sleeveless wetsuit.

It turned out to be a huge event - there were 133 relay teams (up to 5 swimmers per team) and 20 solo swimmers, a total of 652 swimmers! The event section of the beach was crowded with teams, supporters, and volunteers. The rest of the beach was also getting crowded with weekend beachgoers. At 6:30AM the parking lot was almost full! We managed to get one of the last few spots and I rushed to get into the bathroom line. All swimmers had to have a beach volunteer, so Renuka was to take care of my swim feeds and make sure all my loops were counted. We tried to get one of the many groups to let her share their picnic tent, but luckily since it was an overcast and cool day, she did not need the shade. We set up our chair and icebox and I started suiting up.

The teams set up.

The swim loops (Coros watch)

The swim was set up as one mile triangle loops with all swimmers having to exit the water and run up the beach through a timing chute and back in for the next loop. As this was primarily a relay event, it made sense to have everyone (including the solo swimmers) follow the same protocol. This was similar to the 10K swim I had done in LA almost a decade ago (OptimisSport - Distance Swim Challenge) - although that entailed swimming along the coast and exiting at different beaches. The good thing here was it was looping back to the same beach - logistically much easier for the support crew.

  

I did not hear the swim start - but apparently it started at 7:00AM sharp! I was a bit confused as one of the buoys was still being towed into place - one of the organizers said to me 'unless you swim faster than that water scooter towing the buoy, you should be good to start - the buoy will be in place before you get there - GO!' I chuckled and ran in. Tandy showed up to cheer me on and I was glad to see her - that also meant that Renuka would not be alone for the duration of the swim.

 

Wait! Did they start!?

For the first loop I was pretty much alone as I started about 3 mins after everyone. I felt pretty good, the water was a bit warmer than in Northern California and the ocean was calm. Loop 2 (mile 2) I took in  some Gatorade and proceeded to mile 3. For a brief moment the sun broke through and the clarity of the water was brilliant - I could see some big fish idling around and the water was still nice and calm. 

Other than a few upwellings of some really cold water, the water temp was good 62F-63F. By mile 5 my wetsuit started cutting into my back and that was a bit painful (once the skin splits, the wetsuit friction and salt water makes it a continuously irritating burn). After the first loop there were plenty of swimmers around. It was nice to see the different styles, stroke rates as they powered by. Since it is a fun  event, swimmers were allowed to wear flippers, snorkels, whatever one wanted. There were a bunch of SCUBA divers as well, we could see their bubbles rising up every now and then.  At one point there was this huge pod or murmuration of birds that came through - all in a line just a few feet about the water - quite a spectacular sight! 

Looping through the timing chute.

Unlike the swims in San Francisco Bay, there is no tide/current assist here. You actually swim the distance. Mile 6 was tough, I could feel my arms. Given that we were to drive back right after the swim I decided to stop at 6 and not go for the 7th mile. I let the organizers know and after a quick shower at the beach - we headed back home for another 8.5 hours in the car. All in all a wonderful trip and a great event, well organized and super friendly volunteers. I'll be back next year to do the full 10 miles :) maybe we will have a few relay teams in as well. 

I finished the 6 miles in 4:07:29 (the official time) - check out the last name on the list :)

The swim cap

     

Attempted circumnavigation swim of Angel Island (San Francisco Bay).

Under the watchful eyes of Pacific Open Water Swim Co. 

September 8th 2021

~5 miles, water temp 63F-65F (17C/18C) 

I was wearing a sleeveless wetsuit, two swim caps, tinted Aqua Sphere goggles and ear plugs.

liberal application of Body Glide and Vaseline. 

The swim map (Coros watch app).

The meeting time was set for 5:45AM - there was a bit of delay and we finally made our way to Angel Island and started the swim at 6:50AM. 

Swimmer drop was at Point Campbell, the west end of China Cove and I headed east for a clockwise swim around the island. It started off well - the water was choppy but not too cold. I was heading east directly into the rising sun. The views were stunning - the sun's orange glitter path was really mesmerizing. You could see the shimmering shades of orange and yellow underwater.

While I painted this based on one of Bryan's photographs from a Tahoe swim. The sunrise looked just as stunning here in the Bay.

I kept the sun dead straight ahead until we rounded Point Simpton and headed South/South East. There were patches of seaweed that brushed against me and shook me out of my tranquility. The Bay waters are wild and choppy and home to many creatures, I was happy it was only seaweed. Land sighting marks were difficult to find at times due to the waves - but I kept the sun to my left and got glimpses of the SalesForce tower every now and then. Bryan (the pilot) shouted out that I should aim for Alcatraz Island (heading south) and go wide of Point Blunt Rock. The next sighting point was the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, I think the idea was to move out of the eddies created by the Blunt Rock outcrop. 

Sighting direction (From your right to left) South to the city. Aiming for Alcatraz, sighting south tower of GGB, sighting the Sausalito houses. 

I ended up swimming past the Green Buoy off Point Blunt and thought I may have gone too far into the shipping lane! But I knew I was in safe hands. A bit about the pilots on these open swims - they are amazing! Super multitaskers - they had to continuously monitor my progress, check in with the Coast Guard for ship/boat traffic, arrange my feeds and keep a track of the currents! Bryan was the sole pilot on this swim and this was my 5th swim in the Bay with him. Absolute Rockstar!

The pilot signaled and asked me to aim for the houses on Sausalito (I was now heading West) - this was the final westward swim before turning into Racoon Strait. I made that right turn and thought I was heading west towards Sausalito. But for some reason I kept drifting right and swimming more northwest than west (not sure if it was the current pushing me or a stronger right arm pull). That drift cost me some time and Bryan asked me to aim for the rocks just before Perles Beach and go in as close as possible (shallow waters have milder currents). This was to get me out of the flood current that had kicked up a few gears. As I got close to the rocks - I got a bit nervous - I've been cut by sharp barnacled rocks before - so I tried to swim out a bit and away from the rocks! This is where an exasperated Bryan probably realized that I was not going to get out of that flood (he wanted me to go close to the shore - 10 feet from the rocks - as close as possible in order to make that right turn for the home stretch). So after a few more calls of 'swim to the  rocks, swim!!'...he pulled the plug and asked me to get on the boat as I could not outswim the flood current. Ah well! :)

Another 100 yards and I'd have made the turn. But I kept moving away from the shore. That is the power of the flood current.

He repositioned me to the west of Perles Beach and I made the final portion of the swim around Point Stuart and headed Northeast into Racoon Strait for the home stretch. All in all a 9,200 to 9,300 yard swim (about 5.2miles). 

I enjoy swimming in the Bay and even after being repositioned I was happy to jump in and finish the remaining 3,300 yards to get an almost full loop around the island. :) 

Timing.
The yellow circled 500 yard section was where I was on the boat being repositioned.

Feed stops were every 45 mins. That worked out well. The first feed included a gel and my Gatorade drink. The only problem was that the feed was handed out to me in a paddle net and by the time I finished the gel and sipping the drink I had drifted 15-20 yards away from the boat. Swimming back with a bottle in my hand to put it back in the net was a bit challenging. The next feed was the typical bottle tied to a rope - it was easier to drink, drop the bottle in the water and swim - Bryan pulled the bottle back in - that worked much better. Total calorie intake was about 350 total about 150/170 per hour.(sports drink + one Gu Gel).

What went well:                   

1) I had bandaged all the hotspots to stop friction burns. My training swims had given me an idea as to where I'd get wetsuit friction rash. Being a runner, taping hotspots that become blisters is a common experience that helps across sports.

2) Knowing that the swim would be about 3 hours long, my longest training swim was about 2.5 hours. That worked out well. I was not fatigued at the end.

3) Swimming throughout the year in Santa Cruz made me well acclimated to the cold water.

4) Having done a lot of open water swims all year made me comfortable with the chop and wave action of the bay. I had done 4 prior Bay swims with Pacific Open Water Swim Co this year. 3 Alcatraz crossings and a 90 mins swim along the coast of Tiburon.  

5) Sighting was generally fine as long as I had the sun as reference during the rough spots and then it being a clear day all the other sighting points were clearly visible. Bryan pointing the way at other times.

6) We went clockwise around Angel Island - which worked for me as the boat was on my left most of the way - I breathe on the left.

7) Heart Rate was pretty steady as I kept the effort at a reasonable level.

8) I've racked up about 150+ miles of swimming this year (pool and open water). 

 

Things I could improve on:

1) Need to work on getting faster. 1:45/100 yards to 1:50/100 yards in open water. Longer pull buoy sessions add more paddle work. Strengthen arms and refine my pull. 

2) I need to ask more questions prior to the swim start. Maybe carry a printout of the map for a more visual depiction of what to expect. Where to expect the tide/current to switch. What sections need to be faster, wider, etc.

3) Need to understand the currents movement at the start. I knew that low tide was at 7:12am - so had I started at 6:30am I may have made the westward swim section just before the flood stepped up a gear. 

4) Work on feeding during training. 

5) Need to do a blind swim test to check how prominent my right drift has become.   

6) Figure out how to combat saltwater tongue. I've heard of coating it with coconut oil - may give it a shot on the next 3+ hour swim in the Bay. A day later and the tongue is still sore.  

Notes: 

The above pace is not really indicative of my actual swim pace. Most Bay swims are 'current assisted' or as they say - you 'ride the tide'. So they will be much much faster than normal. And on the other hand, if you mistime the tide you can get stuck against the flood current (or ebb current) and end up swimming in one place or even pushed backwards.

Definitions and a wonderful tutorial from NOAA:

Tides: Tides are the rise and fall of water levels. 

Current: Currents are horizontal flow of water.     

 

Here are some visuals on the tides/currents in the Bay.

Tidemap from Tidetech

Youtube visual of currents in the Bay

If you imagine the San Francisco Bay as a big lake that drains out and fill up every ~6 hours - as the tide goes out (ebbs) you get a strong ebb current (where the water is leaving the Bay and heading out under the Golden Gate Bridge into the Pacific). As the tide comes in (flood) there is a very strong flood current coming in from the Pacific into the SF Bay. These are almost like rivers flowing in and out.

In the San Francisco Bay, ebb currents are stronger than flood currents because of the river water flowing into the bay. 

 

Eddies and counter currents: Around the islands (Angel, Alcatraz, Treasure etc.) and the coast there are counter currents and back-eddies and swirling eddies that are caused by shallower water, obstructions to water flow (natural or human made). As flowing water hits an obstacle such as an island, pier, underwater mounds or an outcropping it diverts the flow and causes counter currents that flow in the opposite direction of the main current or causing eddies where the water swirls around in circles. Typically, the main currents are stronger in deeper water than in shallow waters near the shores. 

Swim Safety tips: Never swim alone in the bay and know the area you plan to swim in.    

Gull Park, Foster City CA - Swimming

Gull Park in Foster City  

(Updated on September 30th, 2023)

Over the years Team Asha Triathlon has introduced swimmers to Open Water Swimming (OWS) at Gull Park. It is a great place to start out on your open water experience.

Advantages: With the closed channel, calm waters and plenty of sighting markers to choose from, this is a great place for first timers to get comfortable and learn the basics of OWS. The zero visibility underwater is also an advantage as it helps new swimmers re-calibrate their equilibrium and gradually overcome the feeling of nausea (or sea sickness). Water is tested on a weekly basis.

Disadvantages: The water looks, well, 'Murky' - with  the occasional blob of goose poop floating around (it could be vegan or may be veganish - I don't know, I haven't tried it). But it's all good and relatively safe (see updated paragraph below in bold). In the main channel you have to be careful and look out for kayaks and boats. Having a swim buoy (orange/yellow) and a bright colored swim cap will help make you more visible to the boats/kayaks.  

Word of Caution: The lagoon is shallow and in some areas close to the shore, if your stop and stand, you could cut your feet on the abrasive (shell strewn) bottom. Further, don't "hug" the shore as you may stub your finger on a parked boat or the  pier.

Weekday swimming: Gull Park is near a school and surrounded by residences. Some residents do not like swimmers changing on the road/sidewalk (close to the school or houses). They have called the police citing indecency. So be respectful and change into your wetsuit at the beach, or wear a swim parka until you get to the beach.

The Lagoon also has fish - you may, at times, touch a few while swimming - may be a bit disconcerting - but it is pretty harmless. Here is a quote from the City's page. 

"Non-commercial fishing is allowed in Foster City, and a state fishing license is required. The Foster City Lagoon contains Halibut and a large population of bait-fish."

    

Lagoon maintenance: 

The lagoon is maintained by Foster City and is frequently drained/flushed as rain water from the streets drain into the lagoon during the (rare) wet season. We typically do not swim for a few days after a heavy downpour as the drainage of water into the lagoon could have increased the bad bacteria levels. Be safe rather than sorry - avoid the lagoon during the rainy season. Aquatic Park in San Francisco or Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz are better places to swim during the rains. 

Lagoon water is tested once a week - San Mateo County has an interactive map that shows you if the water is good for swimming or not. Waters are tested on Monday and the updates show up a day or two later on the sites below. 

Interactive map. Just shrink the map to see the entire area covered by San Mateo County testing. 'Green dot' means good to swim, 'Red dot' means avoid swimming.

Water quality webpage: The link to the interactive map (above) is on this page. 

The rather unnatural blueish green color of the lagoon is because the city dumps 100s of gallons of non-toxic blue dye into the lagoon in summer to help stop the growth of algae. Here is an article about it. 

October 2022 update:

That said, in October 2022, I exchanged emails with the wonderful Foster City (FC) folks about the poor water quality reports from San Mateo County testing and various media sources at their various beaches (including Gull) and they were very prompt in responding. FC folks said that the bad reports from Heal the Bay's annual 'Beach Bummers' list and other media are misleading and are not an accurate portrait of Foster City's Lagoon System. As per FC - the risk of swimming in the lagoon is the same as it was last year or the years before - but they would leave it up to the swimmers to decide based on their own comfort levels. The City has taken measures and continues to work towards improving the lagoon system. Here is more information on that.   

Swim distances:   

I've used Google Earth to map some of the more common swims we do at Gull Park. Here are some photographs and specific notes below each one.

A swim from the beach to the 'Yellow house' and back is about 400 yards. Always stop before crossing the main channel and look out for boats and kayaks. The main channel is the water body in front of the Yellow house - the turn around point. Sighting tips - the yellow house bang in front of the beach (they may repaint it some other color someday - so don't hold me to that 'Yellow House').  On the way back aim for the big trees right behind the beach.

This 200 yard swim is within the enclosed area near the beach - a good session for sighting and turning in open water. Sighting tips: There are always boats parked there - you can make a triangle based on them.

Right side bridge and back is about 1600 yards. Good for Olympic and Half Ironman distance training. We typically have the swimmers stay close to the shore (stay right going to the bridge and right on the way back). This keeps them off the center of the main channel which has kayak and boat traffic. Keep an eye out for oncoming swimmers as they may not be keeping the same traffic rules as you.

Left side bridge and back - about 3200 yards. Good for longer swims and for the full Ironman distance swims as well. Again, stay close to the shoreline (not too close) and avoid swimming in the middle of the channel. Traffic rules are NOT followed by all swimmers so keep an eye out for oncoming swimmers. 

Other swim areas close by: 

Coyote Point Park, San Mateo, CA 

Here is a link to Dylan Tweney's write up about swimming at Coyote Point Park in San Mateo, CA.

Here is a prior post on Open Water Swim safety.

Enjoy!

2020 - A time to revisit my running

A quest for a quicker Half Marathon: 

2020: I was scheduled for Ironman Hawaii 70.3 in May, Santa Cruz 70.3 in September and Chicago 26.2 in October....but the Bats and the Pangolins had other ideas.

All races have been postponed or cancelled. All swimming pools closed. We (Team Asha Triathlon) decided against biking outdoors during the height of COVID-19, primarily to reduce the likelihood of having to make a hospital visit in case of an accident. Given that our season has been shifted to a virtual environment I decided to work on my running. The goal is to get (safely) to a 1:40:00 (One Hour: Forty min) Half Marathon (13.1 miles) by July 31st. My previous best was a 1:41:& change - fifteen years ago (2005) and I wanted to see if I could roll back the years. So far, so good. April (95 miles) and May (84 miles as on the 19th) have been loading up months with 4 runs a week. My routine is:

Monday: 6-8 miler 8:00 to 8:20 min/mile pace. (Midday/Noon run.)
Tuesday: 4-6 miles 5K pace (7:30 to 7:45 min/mil).(Midday/Noon run.)
Wednesday: 30 min Spin session and 20-25 min strength and core workout.
Thursday: 5-7 miles mild elevation and step climbing @ landfill heap. (Midday/Noon run.)
Friday: Rest with a 20-25 mins strength and core session.
Saturday: Long run 10 to 20 miles at 8:15-8:30 min/mile. (Late morning run.)
Sunday: 60 min Spin session.

The midday runs are - well - because I prefer the heat and I am not a morning person (hence a late riser). Running in the afternoon helps me acclimatize faster to our summer temperatures and forces me to pay attention to my hydration. Plus, with the social distancing guidelines the roads and trails are empty at noon - so no need for SCUBA gear as extra protection during my runs.

Strength & Core: The deal is to keep a moderate core and strength training routine going (nothing excessive). I have a routine that I put together for the triathlon program about a year ago that is a quick 20 to 30 min session (2 sets). I do that 2 to 3 times a week. Strength & core training is absolutely essential for balance, good posture and general well being.

Spin & Biking: The spin sessions or riding outside is also essential for runners as it helps in toning and strengthening the quads and is a great non-impact form of active recovery.

Swimming: Once the pools open - I'll be adding swim sessions as well. Great workout for the upper body and also a great non-impact active recovery specially when you are concentrating on your runs. And swimming is my version of meditation.

So far in May - I have managed to run three half marathons - keeping my Heart Rate (HR) under 160bmp, maintaining a regular cadence (174-180 spm) and gently increasing my pace after the 6 mile mark. The idea is to slowly build into a sustained sub 8:00 min/mile by mid June and then push for a quicker Tuesday speed workout.

The three 13 milers this month were on
May 2nd: 10:00AM - 61F - 75% humidity (that humidity messed with my long luscious hair).
May 9th: 9:10AM - 60F - 60% humidity.
May 16th: 10:40AM - 65F - 56% humidity.

I've put together a sheet with the details of my three 13 milers (a photograph below). All details from Strava and my Coros watch. I'll add to this as my quest unfolds.

Analyzing my three 13 milers in May (Strava details).

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Update on June 16th 2020:
On May 28th I pulled my hamstring - so this quest, like my hamstring, has been iced!
:)