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Ridges Resort 5K Swim - SwimOther


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Young Harris, Georgia
United States
Greater Smokey Mountains Triathlon Club
69F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 54m 4s
Overall Rank = 61/95
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/2
Pre-race routine:

Ate Joe's magic oatmeal and coffee and drove up from home with Doug. We dropped the canoe at the start and Doug drove to the finish and then shuttled back to the start while I applied sunblock, atd a Cliff bar, warmed up and met some other swimmers (Rick, a teacher from Grayson; Babs, who develops science cirriculum for the Federal forest service in Athens; and another nice lady with Seal goggles - I think her name was Priscilla).
Event warmup:

25 yards easy just to test out my goggle adjustment.
Swim
  • 1h 54m 4s
  • 5000 meters
  • 02m 17s / 100 meters
Comments:

In addition to the other racers, there were two swim teams of high school kids who had never swum an open water race before. I got behind them and on the left-hand side to start. For some reason, I veered way right after the start and ended up on the far right. We were supposed to be skirting the shore and the three points on the left so this was dumb. I think I just got turned around in the scrum.

The lake was awesome. The water was clear and green and felt smooth and cool. As we started, I was so excited to be doing the race and felt great in the water. It was such a pleasure to be in the lake and see the beauty all around us as we started.

I felt very good as we rounded the first island and went under the powerlines. The rescue boats (including Doug, in Nat's dad's kayak) circled the group and kept us from wandering off. It was a good feeling to know Doug was there watching for me. The weather was overcast so it was not too hot and the storm clouds looked like they wouldn't catch us.

Out in the channel, I felt a little adrift heading towards the 2-story dock because there was no one around me. The dock was right there just like Rick said it would be so I just kept chugging along. Once I passed the dock (too close to it - bad navigation because the RD said that the shortest route was on the left), I was able to see the first buoy. Joy!

There was not a lot of chop, except when one of the larger escort boats would come by, so that was nice. There seemed to be a little current, but not too much.

I ran into (literally) Rick at the 1st or 2nd buoy. He was in good spirits and we swam in the same area for a while. Because the buoys were so far apart, I started sighting every 20-25 breaths instead of every 15 because it was demoralizing to see the buoy not moving closer each time. This probably cost me some navigation accuracy but I felt better mentally that way. The RD had recommended sighting every 15-20 strokes but I don't know if he meant breaths or strokes. I kept running up near the female high schoolers when I sighted. It appeared that they were not swimming because whenever I looked up they were treading water. They must have been really fast during the parts they were swimming, though, because they still finished before I did. Rick, Babs and I all finished close to each other, which was neat.

As I rounded 4th/5th buoy, I started to tire a lot. Doug circled back and said I was about 500 meters from shore so I turned up the pace and started kicking.

Those felt like the longest 500 meters ever but I brought it home reasonably strong (albeit slowly) and walked gingerly out of the water to hand in my cap.
What would you do differently?:

Stick to the shorter left-side route like we were supposed to.

Sight a little more often.

Maybe bring a GU for a pick-me-up mid race.

Go out a little slower so as not to fade at the end.
Post race
Warm down:

Helped Doug carry the kayak up to the parking area. Stood around while he brought the car (he's nice that way) and helped load it up.

Ate an uncrustable in the car on the way home. The post-race food was uncrustables, granola bars and the like. Not bad at all.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of experience at this distance and lack of knowledge about the course.

Event comments:

There are no other 5K swim races in GA that I know of, so I'm pleased that GSMTC does this one. I had a great time and would definitely do the race again.

The course could have been better marked (with buoys and distances) and the race could have been more organized but these were only negatives to folks who had never done the race before. Next year I won't care about that. The course was stunningly beautiful and it was really cool to swim this distance in a race.

Lots of people suited up for bike rides after the race (Rick had even run before the race) so that would be a really cool brick, especially if IM training.




Last updated: 2008-06-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:54:04 | 5000 meters | 02m 17s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/2
Overall: 61/95
Performance: Good
Official results say 36:48 per mile pace.
Suit: Speedo racing suit
Course: We started in front of a dock at the Ridges Resort. Everyone jumped in and swam to the approximate start line. We swam across a big expanse of lake to and under a set of powerlines. Then we circled a large island or peninsula with three points on our left (this was just over 1,000 meters according to my map). Next we crossed an open area towards a two-level dock on our right. Then, we aimed at a succession of yellow buoys (3-4?) until rounding a point on the left to finish in a cove at the Clay County Recreational Park.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2008-07-01 7:50 AM

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Master
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Subject: Ridges Resort 5K Swim


2008-07-02 6:24 AM
in reply to: #1501159

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Veteran
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Roswell, GA
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Wow that is awesome! I am so proud of you! I could never imagine a 5k swim! Way to go.....
2008-07-02 7:44 AM
in reply to: #1501159

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Master
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Atlanta, Georgia
Gold member
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Awesome!

I would really like to do this race one day..
2008-07-02 11:27 AM
in reply to: #1501159

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Master
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Roswell, GA
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Absolutely incredible.  Congrats.  I am so in awe of you to be able to swim this distance in open water. 
2008-07-02 12:14 PM
in reply to: #1504138

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Master
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Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Thanks you guys. : ) I didn't set any speed records but it was a fun race to do and say I've finished.
2008-07-02 12:15 PM
in reply to: #1501159

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Master
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Atlanta, Ga
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
I can't imagine the thoughts that go through your mind over that distance in the water. Most people have a hard time not letting their minds wander toward the negative in any kind of open water. I've done a 1.5k stand alone swim, but never a 5k. It's been on my wishlist for awhile. I think you should spearhead getting a group together for next year.

Great swimming out there, and highly impressive.


2008-07-02 1:26 PM
in reply to: #1504264

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Master
1432
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Woodstock
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
What a great RR. I was just thinking about how I would like to do a 5k swim- and you just convinced me to put this one on the list next year. Great job on the long swim!
2008-07-02 1:36 PM
in reply to: #1501159

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Extreme Veteran
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West Chicago
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Nice job! And great RR!
2008-07-02 3:52 PM
in reply to: #1501159

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Extreme Veteran
547
50025
Atlanta
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Very nice swim.  And I would also love to do this next year.  You've inspired me.
2008-07-03 5:36 AM
in reply to: #1504949

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Master
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Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
OH, and I forgot to mention that there was a shower in the bathrooms at the finish line. How neat is that?
2008-07-04 9:45 AM
in reply to: #1501159

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Master
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Atlanta, GA
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Good stuff.  After reading your RR, I am down for this next year.  I may even specifically train for it.  I love the RR about sighting which is my biggest issue.  Sounds like you had a great race and had fun at the same time.  Congratulations! 


2009-07-02 6:57 PM
in reply to: #1501159

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New user
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2525
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Fantastic job!  That distance in open water is outside my realm of imagination!!!
2009-07-02 7:30 PM
in reply to: #1501159

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Master
1888
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Winder, GA
Subject: RE: Ridges Resort 5K Swim
Way to go, Steph! I knew you'd rock it.
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