Lavallette NJ: Mid-Summer Mile

This morning we got up at the crack of 5 am to head down to the beach to  support Zelda in her first attempt at Lavallette NJ's Mid-Summer Mile, an open water ocean swim competition. We arrived at 6:30 for registration...



...then walked down the boardwalk to the start...



We had some time for a little frolic in the waves...



...but soon it was down to business.



The whistle blew and 300 swimmers plunged into the water...



...battling the surf...



All you could see from the shore were little dots...



We walked along the beach, along with the other families supporting their swimmers...





At the finish we saw the leader in the surf...



...he came out of the water to a boisterous round of applause...



A few minutes later, Zelda emerged from the waves...



She looked please with her performance...



Results were posted and everyone crowded around...



Zelda done good. First in the Masters Category for Women 40 - 45.



We stayed until the medals were awarded and only a lone paddleboarder remained.



Home by noon. Great morning.

Wow, my northern end of the Jersey Shore was really rough today.  I am impressed!

Ditto GSM. She's earned a moniker....The Great Zelda ?

Zwimmin Zelda ?

Go Zelda Fish ?

Oy Vey.

HCZ

a mile of open ocean swimming is a big deal..kudos to zelda

Harv, you need to hit the trails with James and I. Zelda's gonna trade you in for a fitter model

Blue Toes says: "You go, girl!"

I concur and must confess that as someone who loves being ON the water but is not a big fan of being IN the water, the concept of swimming a mile in the ocean totally freaks me out. Zelda and her fellow swimmers are to be commended not only for their fitness and swimming ability but for also having the nerve to head out into the open water, get bashed by waves and ponder all the sea creatures. How do you keep track of where you are?

I swam one winter in the ocean in Florida a long time ago.  It was actually kind of cool to swim above the ocean floor and see stingray and other creatures.  In New Jersey yesterday my experience was much murkier...  You definitely can't see the bottom or much else around you for that matter.  I took a test run out to the first buoy before the race for a warm up.  I started to notice the sensation of something nibbling or sucking at my fingers.  It definitely freaked me out. I met up with some others and they told me those were jellyfish and that they come in pockets.  !!  When I actually swam the race, there definitely were long pockets of just jellyfish. I was so thankful they weren't the stinging kind.

Keeping on track wasn't easy with such dim visibility.  The only time I noticed other swimmers was when I took a breath or when we were swimming on top of each other.  So I ended up zigzagging around a bit more than I would have liked.  The waves to get in at the beginning and at the end are fun to dive through or to get powered by.  However, when I finished the race, I did feel a bit sick to my stomach, but that was gone by this morning.

I would definitely recommend open water swims to anyone who does laps at the pool.  It just makes life a little more interesting.

I'm always impressed by someone who can swim competitively.  My only experience is a handful of short-distance triathlons, and the swimming was always an obstacle for me.  While swimming a half mile in Lk Champlain, my buddy Damon swam past and said I looked like I was gonna drown.  I certainly felt that way.  
Curious how you trained for that Zelda, in the pool or open water?
Also, no wetsuit?  Seems like most people swimming tri's up here use a suit, partly for the warmth but also (I think) partly for the buoyancy.  

x10003q wrote

HCZ

 

Hard Core Zelda

Swimming is just the sport I did in the winter and summer growing up.  I didn't intentionally train for the Lavallette mile.  My brother (a driven triathlete) mentioned that he thought I should do it since it was right where my family was vacationing.  I was already swimming a few times a week at my pool to stay active.  I'll usually swim a few miles each morning on the weekend.  I'll go for walks other days.  In the fall I'm a jogger.  I'd never call myself a runner.  I just do as much as feels right for me.

Re:  wetsuits, I'd have no idea what to do with a wetsuit.  I guess if I were swimming in an icy lake I might consider one.  Now if I was swimming from Cuba to Florida like Nyad, I'd definitely go with the shark cage!

Adk Jeff wrote

Also, no wetsuit?  Seems like most people swimming tri's up here use a suit, partly for the warmth but also (I think) partly for the buoyancy.

Jeff - wetsuits were basically disqualified by being put into a different category. Of all the swimmers, only one wore a wetsuit. Regardless, Zelda probably wouldn't wear one, although it would make good jelly fish protection.

Consuming a good bean burrito, prior to donning a wet suit, will help inflate it's bouyancy and also produce a small degree of forward propulsion and shark repellent.