Davis County reponse to swimming in Bountiful Lake

I sent an email to Jerry Thompson regarding the safety of swimming in Bountiful Lake and here was his response:

Mr. Gridley: I have received your inquiry regarding swimming in Bountiful Lake. Bountiful City tells me they have no restrictions on swimming in the lake, and Davis County Health Department has not closed the lake to swimming due to public health concerns. That is not to say it has a clean bill of health. It does not meet public pool standards, and there may be parasites, toxic algae or other safety issues that are under the surface, but we don’t know/test for that. What we have tested for doesn’t show obvious public health hazards are present.

The landfill (BARD) operates the lake, and their number is (801) 298-6169.

I would suggest the following if you still plan on swimming: Swim with a buddy. Do not swallow the water. Always go feet first especially if you don’t know what’s under the water. Probably best to keep your head up above the lake surface. Be cautious and stay away from snapping turtles. Shower after use. Jerry Thompson, Davis County Environmental Health (801) 451-3296.

From the start I've always used earplugs when swimming in BL which I originally did for preventing heat loss, but am glad because it keeps water out of my ear and possible parasites entering that way. I also am good about not getting water in my mouth not to mention swallowing. I find that my throat swells from the start. It's like my body knows that stuff shouldn't go in there and I end up coughing up a bunch of phlegm after the swim and the swelling goes away. Only thing is that occasionally a very small amount of water enters my mouth and nose and are quickly and fully expelled. With goggles no water ever is exposed to my eyes.

So until somebody (probably me or Josh) actually gets sick or something, Bountiful Lake will probably remain open to swimming. It's pretty funny that the lake is administered by the dump.

So are my concerns satisfied?

• Well as far as swimming with a buddy? I agree, that its a good idea, but it won't happen every time. When it gets cold I'll have to meet that standard, but I have a few weeks left before hypothermia will be a valid concern.



• As far as going feet first, everytime. Diving isn't an option.


• Toxic Algae and parasites possibilities? It doesn't look like the county health dept plans to test for that so it's highly likely that it's there as BL isn't a typical swimming hot spot, just a fisherman's hangout. So my concern isn't quite satisfied there and I'm having trouble wondering if I'm overly cautious or what.


• Watch out for snapping turtles? Maybe that's what bit Josh last month.


• Shower after use - everytime I've gone I've showered right afterward with plenty of soap. Either at work or my parents house.

So without BL getting tested for parasites, it's highly possible that it does to an extent. With the amount of exposure I've had so far (over 16.5 hours), I've not got sick or had signs of skin or stomach issues. But at the same time, just cause you haven't got mugged after a couple weeks in Queens, doesn't mean that your beating isn't just right around the corner.

Thoughts?

Cause for concern

Last Saturday I was talking with Brian Child. His wife, Teri did the Daybreak Triathlon. Apparently they had to move the swim portion of the tri to a pool that included a simple 50 yard swim and then a 1 mile run to transition. The reason for the change was a roundworm outbreak in Oquirrh Lake.

This morning I got to Bountiful Lake at 6:40 and started my swim at 6:45. Here are the stats:

Air Temp: 54 degrees
Water Temp: 65 degrees
Distance: 1 lap (@1.1miles)
Time: 28 minutes

I was planning on three laps, but the situation at Oquirrh Lake kept plaguing my mind! When I was on the southeast corner of the lake I kept smelling garbage (from the dump to the North). It made me think of how foolish I've been to just assume BL is safe to swim in. So I decided to call one lap good and get busy. So I went to Davis County's website and found that Jerry Thompson is the manager for Water Resources Bureau. I sent him an email asking about BL. Hopefully I hear back from him soon because I'd like some peace of mind.

Getting in this morning was tough. It is definitely cooler than last week. Again, once I start though, within just a few seconds, I'm no longer cold, but get in the routine. Once it gets down to 60 degrees I'm going to have to a partner for sure every time just to make sure that we're watching each other for hypothermia. 65 is cold, but nothing that's gonna give me hypothermia for a few laps.

2nd tough workout from coach JaGal

300 - 300 warmup loosen
1200 - 12x100 on 1:40 (held 1:13 on all of them) strong effort, even pace.
200 - 4x50 recovery (15 seconds rest, nice and easy)
800 - 8x100 on 1:40 (held 1:13 on all of them) strong effort, even pace.
200 - 4x50 recovery (15 seconds rest, nice and easy)
400 - 4x100 on 1:35 (held 1:08 on first three and 1:06 on last one) FAST, all out!
200 - 4x50 warmdown

3500 yards total

I misread the workout and didn't get the 10x100's and I also didn't pay attention that I was only supposed to get 5-10 sec rest on the 100's, not 25 seconds. On the way out, I thought I was awesome for getting 4500 yards in an hour, and duh, I missed the 10x 100's.

I'm going to do this workout over and do it the way it was written and pay better attention to the prescription. Even though it was kicking my butt even with 25 sec rest between sets. Usually when I do 100's I do them on 2:00 so going down to 1:40 was a big step. I know, I take way too much rest.

I discovered that I'm not breathing properly. I'm holding my breath as soon as I put my face back in the water and not exhaling immediately. I'm holding it in and end up exhaling after the first stroke so that by the time I get my head back out on the third stroke, I have to force exhale the rest so I don't end up breathing out when me mouth is out of the water. I just didn't feel right, so I tried to focus on exhaling sooner, but I just didn't feel like I was getting enough air, or I was hyperventilating. I either need to try every fifth stroke instead of third, or lengthen my stroke and bring my cadence down just a bit to get more time between breaths.

Today's set was tough. My heart rate was higher than it normally gets and on the last set of 4x100s sprint I was really breathing. I was worried that I'd get slower on my last 100 so I really pushed that one. It was still two seconds faster so I was pleased. I can still push it. Only thing is I need to do the same thing, but with less rest, and don't miss a major set either.

Will swim BL on Wednesday and do this one again on Friday morning, but do it right. It's really gonna kick my butt. With less rest, I'll have to expect to hold probably just under 1:20.

Ton of fisherman - 4 laps in Bountiful Lake

Today I got up at 5:45 and got ready to head out to Bountiful Lake. I started the swim at 6:45am and was planning on 4 laps. I did two full laps before the sun came up over the mountains. On my third lap I had to stop because I saw someone fishing from one of the islands which I've never seen before.

I had to check to see if I wasn't just imagining it when I breathed off to my left. By the time I finished the four laps there were about 15 cars in the parking lot. There were fisherman all over! I hope I'm far enough from the shore that I don't end up going over someones line or get a hook in my arm or something.

When I got out, one of the regular fisherman is this old lady who fishes right there next to the boat ramp. She has a walker loaded up with fishing gear. She said quietly her displeasure at seeing old plastic bottles floating in the water. I nodded my head in agreement. It is gross. There were about 4 of them that I could tell throughout the lake.

I also noticed a tree sticking out of the water only about 12 inches, located about 100 yards from the east fishing dock. I'd hate to run in to that. I'm surprised I haven't noticed it before.

Stats -
Distance: @ 4.4 miles
Time: 1:57
Water Temp: 67 degrees
Air Temp: 60 degrees

Tomorrow is the Top of Utah Marathon so I'll be up in Logan with the fam. Will be running the last 10K of it with Cathi. But no plans for a long swim/bike ride or run this weekend thanks to other family events (football game, Stake Conference)

Next weekend is my infamous Pocatello to Syracuse ride (160 miles) with Dale Majors.

Swimming three laps with Kevin

Got to Bountiful Lake this morning just before 7am and noticed a runner stretching by one of the picnic tables. When I parked he started running towards my car. When he got close it was Kevin Mortensen. He was here to swim. Very cool. Josh was sick so I thought I was on my own today.

We did three laps and the water temp was 67 degrees. It was cold to start, but after a few strokes, unnoticeable and actually pretty refreshing.

Distance: @ 3.3 miles
Time: 1:27

It was a beautiful morning totally clear skies and halfway into the second lap the sun came up over the mountains. Pretty good swim, not the most energetic swim I've had. Looking forward to swimming at Layton on Monday morning.

Two laps in an unsettled toilet

I got a ton of sleep yesterday. I took a 3 hour nap in the afternoon and also got to bed last night at 9:30pm. I set the alarm for 6:00 am and slept through it till 6:20. So I got nearly 9 hours of sleep plus a nap in the past 24 hours! But it sure was tough getting up.

Both Layton and South Davis Rec Center pools are closed, so instead of not swimming at all, I decided to do a couple laps at Bountiful Lake.

Despite the storminess last night there weren't very many clouds in the sky at all. The sun had not yet popped over the mountain. I threw in the thermometer and eased my way in. It's getting colder. The water is usually as smooth as glass, but this morning it was a little choppy. Only tiny little 6 inch waves, but enough to make breathing sometimes involve getting some water in my mouth. YUCK! One of the only things that Bountiful is helping me prepare for the channel is to keep water out of my mouth.

Did two laps and by the time I started my second lap the sun came over the mountain top. When I finished there were quite a few fisherman at the Northeast corner where I enter/exit. They always just look at me like I'm a freak. It's funny. The thermometer read 67 degrees. Sweet! That's the coldest it's been so far and I'm looking forward to it getting to low 60's. I wasn't cold one bit, once I started swimming. It was perfect.

Will swim on Wednesday too here at Bountiful Lake (BL). I gotta quit calling it the toilet.

Distance: @ 2.2 miles (3900 yards)
Time: 58:13

First coached workout since High School

So I now have a coach! She gave me this workout to do and it felt great fulfilling this presciption:

400 - 400 free warmup
500 - 10x50 (5-10 secs rest) descend 1-3 and hold to 5, repeat again. (as in, 1 easy, 2 med, 3-5 hard, and repeat)
4000 - 20x200 (find an interval that's 15-20 seconds rest tops) hold within 3 seconds the same time for all. keep stroke long, smooth, steady
400 - 50 easy, 3x100 kick w/ board, 50 easy

5300 total

On the main set of 200's...Despite intentionally going slower on the first one to keep a reasonable pace, it still was too fast to maintain (2:38) By the 5th set I was at 2:47 and was able to maintain that speed throughout except for one screw up at 2:50, but 80% of them were at a 2:47 pace. So it looks like my 100 base pace is about 1:23. I ended up doing these on 3:00 so I was getting around :13 rest between sets. It was tough, but my focus was on long, smooth and strong strokes.

What a great workout! Those 200's were tough. The water was so warm! I put in my thermometer after the workout and it was 80 which I guess is normal for Layton, but I'm getting used to colder temperatures swimming open water lately. Not that I'm ready to just jump in to 60 degree water or anything, but 70 is perfect!

The swim plan for next week: Mon - SDRC morning, Wed - Bountiful Lake, Thu - SDRC morning. Layton is closed next week for putting the bubble up.

3 laps in Bountiful Lake and chatting with Kevin Mortensen

Met wet Josh at 6:20 at Bountiful Lake. We did two laps together and he had to go to work. I did one more lap. What a beautiful morning. It was cool with the steam coming off the water. I'll have to take my waterproof camera next time and capture that. The outside air temp was 59 degrees, the water temp 71 degrees.

When I got out a biker guy came around in the parking lot. He said Good Morning and stopped. I immediately recognized him once I saw his face. It was Kevin Mortensen. He swims at SDRC with the masters team. We talked for a good 10 - 15 minutes. I invited him to join us next Wednesday. Told him about the facebook open water group and the utahopenwater.org website. Hopefully we can get at least one more regular on Wednesdays.

Total Distance: @ 3.3 miles
Time spent: @ 1:25

Makeup for the cancelled 10 mile Deer Creek Race

So with the cancellation of the Deer Creek Race I was bitterly disappointed. I was determined to make up that race some time this year. I figured that Labor Day was the perfect opportunity, even though I just did a half marathon two days ago and am limping around like a half crippled old man. I was hoping that since my upper body wasn't affected that much from the marathon, that it would be fine and my lower half could just drag along.

So I hired Hayden Buchi and my son Austin to be my support team. They did a good job staying relatively close to me and keeping me fed during my allotted times. I immediately noticed that the water was a good two feet lower than last time I swam at pineview. The thermometer read 71 degrees when I got in at 7:30 am. The sun had not quite come up yet and it was mostly sunny. No chance of getting rained on today!

The first 4 miles went really fast and I was getting sub 30 minute miles. At around mile 3.5 I could see the bottom and it got shallower. I was in the mood to play so I yelled at the boys to come over and see some fish in the water. They eagerly paddled closer. When they got right up next to me I said, "I'm gonna go under and see if I can catch one." Then I went under and planted my feet on the ground and jumped up as hard as I could. I yelled out at the same time and came a good 3 feet out of the water. Hayden about fell out of the boat. It was hilarious. The look of fear on his face was classic!

I immediately then resumed my swim. We went to mile 5 and I decided to keep going and skip one of the many bays that we went into on our way there. So when we got to mile 5.75 we turned around.

Coming back was tough because it was later in the day and the waterskiers and jetski people were zipping right along creating wake and also the wind was coming from the south so I had some fairly decent waves to deal with, but nothing out of control.

Here's the map of my route.



The last mile was tough. From mile 8 and on my shoulders were giving me the "Low Oil Pressure light", but I kept on going, although at a slower pace. My overall time was 5:26:04.

That included a little goofing off, taken some pictures, yelling at the boys to stay closer and some quick feedings. It was very sunny and I'm glad I put on some sunscreen. According to the GPS we went 11.4 miles, but after straightening out the zig zagging that the boys did in the boat, it came to 10.6 miles.

So now I have a new distance PR. Although it was in very toasty water, I'm pleased with this milestone and hope to get 15 miles sometime next spring. You can check out the full collection of video and pictures taken of this swim here.


My entire body is now completely thrashed, not just my lower body anymore. Need to take some serious recovery time. Will pick up the bike probably one Thursday.

Next weekend will be nice to not have a major physical event going. I'm taking Lucy camping on a Daddy-Daughter campout. So I'll be taking this weekend off to spend time with my little girl.

I don't wanna stop

Bountiful Lake swim this morning. Started the swim later since the sun is coming up later and I don't want to swim in pitch black. Josh swam Alcatraz last Saturday and had some stuff to catch up on at work so I went solo today.

Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 1:27
Water Temp: 73 degrees
Air Temp: 70 degrees

I noticed that I'm consistently after every swim in Bountiful Lake coughing up a ton of phlegm after I get out and on the way to work. I think my body realizes that I shouldn't swallow any of that water and causes some sort of reaction in my throat to fill up. I don't get that in pool swimming and haven't noticed it in any other bodies of open water I've swam in. Weird.

On my way to Bountiful Lake this morning, this song came up on my MP3:



The song played over and over in my head. "I don't wanna stop" Very catchy.