Horsetooth Lake Swim 2013

There's no doubt in my mind: Swimming is the best sport in the world.

The water supports you, caresses you, and keeps you cool. You don't have to worry about avoiding trucks and RVs, and the course is marked with gigantic fluorescent buoys rather than faint chalk. And best of all -- in swimming, you don't have to climb any stupid hills!

I love the Horsetooth Lake Swim. It's in a beautiful location, and is a well-run event. The 10K is probably a better distance for me, but this year I entered the wimpy 2.4-mile race, just to avoid having to find a kayaker and spend the night in Ft. Collins. Besides, I wasn't sure how tired I'd be after Saturday's bike ride.

I was lucky enough to bum a ride with the Spaeth family. I met them at 4am. Jim wasn't swimming, so he drove while Lisa, Ellesse, and I relaxed. We wanted to make sure we were there well before the start, and we ended up arriving more than an hour before we needed to. With no time pressure, and with my bike-ride burnout as a built-in excuse for going slow in the water, I was very relaxed, and just enjoying a lovely morning sunrise over the water.



The Foothills Masters Swim Team was well represented. In addition to myself, Lisa, and Ellesse, we had Leif, John, Reynold, Kim, and Lydia at this end of the lake, and Karen at the other end (participating in the 10K.) I know I say this over and over, but I am always proud to be associated with this outstanding group of athletes. They're wonderful and inspirational people, and I'm proud to call them friends.

I also had a chance to chat with other masters swimming friends, and a few of the folks who came to watch the race and lend support. These included Jim (of course), Leif's wife, Margaret (shown here with her hubby), and Kim's wife, Karen -- who was kind enough to let me use her photos for this blog. (Yes, these are all her pictures.)

Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. My arms and neck were a little stiff, and my plan was still to do the swim as an enjoyable workout rather than a race -- but I was much more energetic than I was expecting after my Salida collapse.

It was not surprising, though, that my brain was still not working very well. As you can see in this photo, I'm the only swimmer walking down to the start line without the official green cap. Jim was kind enough to run back up the hill to grab it and bring it down to me before the starting horn.



We had to file into the water across the timing mats. There wasn't really a designated "starting line", so people just kinda wandered into the lake far enough to make room for the others who needed to pass the mat.



I snuck around behind the crescent orange tube that marked the beach area and tried to make my way to where I could find the guys I hoped to draft. But they fired the starting horn before I was in position. I ducked under the tube and started swimming.



I had no desire to sprint, no desire to grapple in the scrum, and no idea where my rivals were. So I just moved over to the side and tried to find a good pace I could settle into.



I'm guessing I was about at the triangular yellow buoy when the following photo was taken; somewhere in the middle of the pack. From that point on, no one passed me that I know of. Once around the buoy, I started to look for good drafting prospects.



Since this was not a triathlon, I was expecting the swimmers to be more experienced and savvy. Indeed, the kids from the Air Force Academy swim team had already disappeared in front, and the folks in my neighborhood were pushing a pretty solid pace. My challenge was to find someone who could navigate well and was too fast to pass, but slow enough to draft. That's the formula for a fast open water swim.

Unfortunately, it seemed that every swimmer I chose as a potential pace-setter was either a squirrely zig-zagger, or a "pop your head up and stop dead" sighter. I actually rammed my head into the back of a couple of different people when they inexplicably halted to tread water. What's up with that?

So, I became a serial leech. I'd follow someone's feet for a few hundred yards, then swap to a different leader when they lost momentum. Many of these draft-swapping maneuvers required a brief sprint to catch up to a group that was further ahead, but each sprint would move me up a little bit in the pack.

Still reluctant to really hammer (out of fear that I'd fizzle before the finish), I was content to hold a bit in reserve throughout the first lap, and into the second. At each buoy, I'd pass another 3 or 4 people -- for some reason, most of them were swimming really wide around the buoys, and then stopping for a sighting. Um, dudes...it's out and back! No need to look, just make a 180 and put your head down!

On the final northward leg, I sped up to catch a woman who was setting a good pace and seemed to be going straight. She was gaining on the next pack in front, so I tucked in behind and enjoyed the slipstream for a bit. But a few hundred yards before the final yellow buoy, she did the annoying "stop and look" thing, so I pulled out to go around.

This is what I love about open water swimming. As I tried to pass, she and I were eye to eye, a foot apart, each thinking about whether it was better to push to the lead, or drop back to get pulled. As I was pondering the question, it occurred to me that this gal looked a lot like Ellesse. Well, if it was her, that would settle the question, wouldn't it?

OK, then...pedal to the metal. There was only about a half mile to go, and if she had the juice to stay with me, then I'd tip my cap and acknowledge her toughness. But once I cut it close around the buoy on the final leg to the finish, the water to each side appeared to be vacant. There were a couple of folks a dozen meters in front, so I forgot about Ellesse as they became the next target.

They were swimming roughly the same speed, about 3 meters apart. The one on the left appeared to be a woman, and the one on the right was a large guy. I chose the guy, figuring that a big body meant a better draft. But about the time I had attached myself, he started swimming breaststroke!

Sheesh. I zagged to the left and put on a burst to catch up with the gal. She didn't seem to be going very straight, and the breaststroker dude seemed to be going the same speed--really cranking his breaststroke. Long story short; I swapped back and forth between them two or three more times until the guy took off to where I could no longer keep up. That's when a different woman tried to pass me.

At this point, I could see the orange tube around the swim beach, and therefore knew where to find the finish. Sprint time, baby. I even started kicking, and was pleased to find that my legs were actually able to contribute.

My right shoulder was rubbing the orange tube, which meant that my competitor was forced to the outside around the curve. That appeared to be enough to make the difference. When it was too shallow to swim, I stood up and ran to the timing mat, finishing a mere 3 seconds ahead of her. Ellesse was another 15 seconds back, confirming that it was indeed her who had given me the incentive to speed up.

Lisa, Reynold, and Kim finished shortly after that.





It was a good day for Foothills Masters. Leif, John, and Ellesse each won second place in their respective divisions. And I was very pleased with my 4th place in the USMS male non-wetsuit division.



After the event, those of us with no other plans stopped at Johnson's Corner to try their "World Famous" cinnamon rolls. I had the cinnamon roll French toast, which I have to admit, tasted pretty darn good. I wish I had a picture of that little piece of heavenly decadence...but since I forgot to capture it, I guess I'll have to go back for that. Anybody up for some road-trip breakfast this weekend?

In summary, my weekend can be described as follows: Tough and disappointing ride followed by a delightful swim day, in turn followed by sugar overload, an afternoon nap, and some serious couch potato time. Overall, I'd have to say that I'll mark it down as a grand weekend. I'm already looking forward to whatever comes next.

Thanks for dropping by, and thanks again to Karen for providing the pictures. Have a great day!