10K Swim in Pineview Reservoir

My Brother in law Steve Low and his wife Meg drove up from Draper early this morning and we drove up to Pineview together. We got there right as planned at 7:45 am. Got everything in the boat and started our swim at 8:10 am. I left a message a few times on John's phone but wasn't able to get a hold of him. I was worried that he was on his way and didn't have cell coverage. But decided to shove off anyway and get started.

I started out really slow and decided I was going to pace myself and not push it. When I swam for 28 minutes I stopped for some water even though I wasn't thirsty yet. Meg threw me out the water bottle and I asked Steve how far: 1.1 miles. Good time. So I started off again. I decided stopping every thirty minutes was the plan. I felt strong the whole time. My stroke was easy, long and efficient.

The goggles I picked up a couple days ago hoping that they would work well were Speedo Baja. They worked so good! They didn't fog up the slightest, and provided a great range of vision.

I was able to bilateral breath the entire course. Meg and Steve did a fantastic job with they spacing and boat position. I could tell that they weren't pushing it that hard staying with me. In fact they had to slow up for me several times. As the morning progressed I was pounded with more and more waves from nearby waterskiers. I didn't mind cause I kept thinking that it was something I would have to get used to when I swim the Channel. The waves also gave me a sensation of being like a ragdoll in the water. Completely relaxed and just keep my strokes nice and long and roll with the waves. Don't try to fight them. I just kept on with my bilateral breathing and had fun.

I told Steve to stop me at 3.12 miles and I ate the rest of the banana that I ate just before starting. Had a buzz bite and a few sips of gatorade. Heading back I tried picking it up a bit. I was trying to not go fast the first half so I wouldn't be dead at the turn around point. Problem was I had a ton left in the tank even when I finished. I think stopping every mile is unnecessary. Next time, I'll try to go 45 minutes or so between water breaks. That would be 2 less stops per 10K.


I did forget to shave this morning so I had a couple of good burning chaffing on my left and right shoulder. It was cloudy and the sun only came out in spurts behind the clouds. Wind was minimal and here's the real shocker for me today. The water temp according to the thermometer I had dangling behind the kayak showed 76 Degrees. The water was so warm! I would have died in a wetsuit. I was a little disappointed it was so warm.

I was very pleased with my bilateral breathing, the lengths of my strokes, the fact that I didn't cramp up one bit. It was a great swim and makes me feel that the Deer Creek 10K won't be that tough. I'm really looking forward to it.

I found out when I got back that John had some form of food poisoning the last couple days and was feeling really ill. That was too bad. I'm just glad my support boaters Meg and Steve were able to come through for me. I couldn't have done it without them. They were so patient. My final time was 3:13:38. I wanted under 3:15 and I got that. But was really hoping for under 3 hours.

I had a fantastic time and would definitely do it again. The last mile was a little tough as my shoulders started to feel a little "dry" like an engine grinding lacking in oil, but that was the only strain. Nothing really that bad and it didn't damper my resolve or spirits.

Thanks Meg and Steve for the support! (And for committing to support me @ Deer Creek)