USMS Search for Monongy Swim

Race: 1.2 mile open water swim
Date: July 14, 2012
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Time: 38:31.16
Overall Rank: 7 out of 15
Age Group Rank: 1 out of 1

This was my first open-water swim race. It was sanctioned by U.S. Masters Swimming. Going in, there were a number of things I was worried about, but today turned out great and none of my fears were realized. In fact, I could have easily swam farther or faster than I did today.

Basic facts: 45 swimmers, adult males and females of different ages.
Water temperature of Allegheny River: Listed officially as 78 degrees, the water felt much warmer to me--probably 82 degrees.
Water current: About 0.1 mph, so swimming upsteam was negligibly harder than swimming downstream.
Air temperature and weather: 69 degrees with light rain and a 3 mph wind.

I was in the fourth heat: men (all ages) swimming 1.2 miles. The earlier heats were for more experienced or crazy swimmers doing two loops and going 2.4 miles. We started between two buoys about 20 yards off from the riverwalk at Heinz Field (where the Steelers play). With the bullhorn, the eight men in my heat started swimming. I overtook 4 of them immediately but had no idea that three took off far ahead of me. So during the whole race I was thinking I was swimming first in my heat. I'm not that fast a swimmer so I wondered as I swam past the first turn bouy at Ft. Duquesne Bridge whether I should slow down a bit and conserve my energy, as "everyone" else in my heat was behind me and they must know something more about pacing themselves than me. So I slowed down.

Soon after circling around the turn-around-point buoy, a couple women zoomed past me. "Who are they?" I wondered (I'm still not sure). At that point I worried that others would start passing me, so I sped up a little. Besides those two women, I swam this whole thing without seeing another swimmer. That was fine, except it didn't encourage me to swim fast. I need a competitive event to push me beyond my perceived limits, as that is how I get better and stronger physically, and how my self confidence is reinforced.

Soon after the turn-around point at PNC Park I saw my friend Dan watching me from a pier. I waved slightly (so as not to disturb my stroke) and kept swimming, thankful for having someone watch over me.

I started to tire a little bit as I swam past the Del Monte Foods headquarters. But at no time was I worried that I wouldn't finish. This race was easy! Water was warm, water was flat, current was very slow, the river water was a foggy green color but not impenetrable to light, and there were so few competitors that I didn't have to worry about anyone accidentally hitting me in the face.

As I neared the finishline, I felt I had some extra energy left and I debated when and how to use it. "Is this the point where I should go all-out?" I kept wondering. But distances were hard to judge and I didn't want to burn out before I got to the finish. So I never did go all-out. I had joked earlier about swimming a portion of the race using the butterfly stroke, but as I approached the shoreline I had to make sure I was swimming to the proper target. So I just swam straight to the finish line, proud to have completed another new experience in my rich life.

I was the 7th person to finish out of a field of 45, but since some folks were swimming two loops and I swam only one, this is not the best comparison to make. All I can say is that I placed 4th among the 8 men that swam in my heat. Not bad for a first try. Not bad at all.