I usually take the viaduct to Alki (or home) and so planned to meet up with a few north-end swimmers at Golden Gardens instead. Three of us showed up on a beautiful, sunny, flat day. The water was clear, and the sun was out. I almost worried about sunburn!
Golden Gardens is known for having a bit of a current as you swim around the point. I'd done it many times before and, although I'd felt the current, it had never been an issue. Until this time.
I also have a new toy (I'll post on that soon) that is a GPS and gives me real-time auditory feedback on my pace. This ended up being very helpful, and a great safety tool, in this situation.
As I got used to the temperature, and started getting into my pace, the GPS was telling me that my "laps", which I'd set to 50 meters, were about 1:09 to 1:25. I knew this was fast for me, but since I usually swim in a yards pool, it was hard to track how fast. The swim was easy. I was watching the beautiful sand and sea floor. I had a goal of about a mile, but after 650, the other two swimmers were coming back, so I turned around with them.
The next lap jumped from 1:20 to 2:20 then to 4:20. I wasn't sure, since the GPS is new to me, if this was a sign of the current, or of the GPS malfunctioning. You can see the change in pace around lap 11 here:
Either way, I decided that it was safer to start swimming towards shore, so I'd be closer in if I needed to bail. This was a good idea. It took me minutes to get near shore. And then, the current was pushing me so hard that my slowest 50 m was over 5 min! I got close it to shore and started to walk, in shoulder deep water, to see if I could get free from the current. I couldn't. But I tried for a few min. I realized I was making no progress, so I got out, and walked back to my gear. My friends met me half way back with my shoes and towel. You can see my route here:
Notice that the color of the line is an indication of pace. The green is faster than the blue. The darker the blue, the slower I was going. Basically, from the turn around spot, I dramatically slowed down.
What did I learn from all this?
First, swimming with friends is a good idea, I knew they were watching out for me and aware of where I was.
Second, the GPS ended up being a real safety device. I wasn't sure I'd like the every 50 m updates, but in this case, it highlighted for me much quicker than I would have noticed alone, that my pace had dropped dramatically.
Third, the habit of swimming parallel to shore is a smart one. I knew if I couldn't break the current, I would be able to turn around and swim across and with it to shore. Another safe choice.
Finally, once again, I got into an uncomfortable situation and got myself out of it safely. As I push my limits swimming, I need to also balance that with swimming safely. This was a good test of my response intuition and I'm proud of how I responded. I never felt unsafe. I was confident the whole time that I knew what to do. That was a good learning experience.
And really finally, there is no shame in walking. I don't regret it. And I still think of this as a fabulous swim. Every swim teaches me something new. This one was about current, and planning.
Thanks for posting. I loved your three lessons-they could help many. Also-I am familiar with that unexpected eddy you're talking about--current can get really strong there. A super-good-swimmer friend I know got caught there one time in a similar way, and really struggled to get back. Caution!
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