Here I am getting prepared for the swim.  I started the swim on the beach where we would finish the swim portion of the race, and I swam out about 200m.  What I did not know is that the current was running very strongly in from sea.  That meant that my return swim was against about a 2 knot current.  I stopped at a yellow buoy outside the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and I had to swim breaststroke hard just to stay in the same place.

 

After this swim in the Bay, I practiced removing my wetsuit and did the run to the bike transition area wearing just running shoes.  I made the decision that the idea of growing a beard and rubbing Vaseline in it was not required.  I realized that the SF Bay temperature was warmer than Elk Lake that I had been practicing in, and it would be more important to keep cool in the bike and the run than to keep warm in the swim. 

Video of Swim Practice - .avi file (6 Mgs)	Video of T1 Practice  - .avi file (2 Mgs)

 

What did I learn from the Swim Practice on D-2?

 

As it turned out, I did not even notice that the water was cold during the race.  I was more concerned with just choosing the best route, passing the slower swimmers and concentrating on keeping an effective stroke.  It was a good thing that I shaved off the beard because the sweat poured off my face during the run up the sand stairs, and if I still had the beard and grease on my face, I would have really overheated!

 

Click Here for the link to my Facebook swim photos!