Anna, Troy, and I head out at 6:30am on our 2 ½ hour drive to Lake Berryessa in Na

pa.   We have our bikes on top and our gear in the back.  It’s become our yearly tradition to compete in the Open Water Swim and follow it up with a 52 mile ride.  This year Troy and I will each complete ½ of the ride while the other rides in the car with Anna.

 We arrive just 20 minutes before I need to check-in.  I drop off Anna and Troy and find a parking spot ¾ mile away!  I get a good warm up hurrying to the registration table.  I pick up my stuff and Troy’s.  I'm in the 2mi wetsuit division and Troy is a pure swimmer today!  No wetsuit, just him, his lovely speedo and cap.

Troy, Anna & I find a currently shading spot (stress currently!) where we lay down our tarp and set up our changing tent (great purchase!!).  It’s already getting pretty warm and I’m wondering how my wetsuit is going to feel today.  I run into Diane Perun…a great swimmer, runner, triathlete and good friend of the great Helen Barker.  She’s doing the 2 mile too…cool!   Actually I find some other familiar faces doing my race: Super Chiropractor, Rikke Johansen, and the very fast Tina Lount-Pretre.

I swim from our beach to the swim start and around for a warm-up.  I see Anna and Troy on the shore.  I swim over to them and give them hugs and kisses.  Next, we pray together.  I feel His comfort and peace wash over me.  I’m ready to go!

I swim out to the start and boom, we’re off!  I get out fast and look for some feet to follow.  I'm  seeing lots of different feet around me so I can’t keep track.  I keep looking ahead and side to side and see swimmers but they’re too far away.  I veer a little to the right hoping to merge with a group.  But every time I look over, it seems like they’re getting farther away.  I look straight ahead and seem to be in good position.  Where are you guys going?  I focus on having good form: high elbows, reach out long with my arms, snap the hips, and breathe every 3 strokes.

There are two islands you have to swim around: Goat Island and Flamingo Island.  I make it around Goat Island and finally find myself among the “Wayward Swimmers” that kept veering off course.  They are zigzagging a bit so I hang back just enough to feel a draft.  I thank God for being with me.  I feel His strength and I press on.

The “Wayward Swimmers” are really hard to follow now.  They start banging into each other and I try to stay out of it.  Almost suddenly they’ve disappeared.  I look around and see them to the far right of me again.  Ok, I say to myself, I’m not following!

I find another wetsuit swimmer just as I’m about to go around Flamingo Island.  I stick to her toes and follow her around the island.  Now we have about 800 meters to go and I can see the balloon arch.  I push as hard as I can.  I’m hoping for a PR so I go for it.  The girl I’ve been swimming with pulls ahead and I try to stay close.  Another guys comes along side and I try to match his pace.  500meters, 400, 300, 200, 100…I’m almost there and I’m looking for a place to stand up.  I’m just ahead of the guy and just behind the girl as I stand.  I start to run, but see there is a waiting line for the finish line!  I walk across the finish line and I’m done!

Diane had a great race today!  She was the first wetsuit woman out of the water!  Awesome!  Rikke and Tina had great races too!  Tina’s getting ready for Ironman Coeur d’Alene and this is a good workout for her!

 Lake Berryessa 2 Mile Swim - Wetsuit Division

Troy has a great race too!  Read on…

It's a beautiful, sunny day. Anna & I just watched Robin come out of the water from the 2 mile swim.  I remember watching her finish the 1 mile swim last year with a big round belly holding 7 mo. old Anna inside.  Both times she has a big smile on her face.  Robin loves this swim race.

I try to warm up with some sprints in the water.  But without a wetsuit it feels like a lot of work.  They call for the 39 and under men to swim out to the start buoy and that's when I realize I'm the only one wearing a women's green cap.  I got the wrong one!  It doesn't bother me except I don't want officials to start yelling, "This is the men's race, wait for the women's race!".  The announcer is joking around and says, "Let's see some muscle, men!" so we all flex our biceps.  I'm hoping that will prove I'm really a man... but maybe it's not convincing enough.

Anyway, I'm in a non-wetsuit swim race, a "real" swim race, and it feels pretty cool, gathered with all these stud swimmers.. that are going to dust me in a few minutes.  But it's still always cool to be amongst fast athletes you respect.

Go!  I feel pretty confident and strong...for the first 50yds.. and then I feel like a wet bag of cement.  As the group pulls away I have the negative thoughts that it's not my day and I'm just not going to feel strong for the remainder of the race.  But then I'm reminded to always have hope, that things can change, that a bad start doesn't mean a bad finish.

I've seen this in life also when circumstances point towards a failure but trusting in the Lord results in surprising success!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Prov. 3:5

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Phil. 4:7

I've also seen this in my Dad's golf game when we used to play together.  On the first hole we'd both hit a bad shot out of bounds.  I'd be bummed because there's no way I'll shoot my best round starting off with 2 penalty strokes!  But my Dad would smile and tell me, "Some of my best games have started with penalty strokes."  How is that possible I'd wonder?  Perhaps sometimes we need to turn our brain off and just keep going hard to the finish...

I'm trying to find a rhythm, control my breathing, and look for a draft.  Ah, I find a great guy to follow.. straight and steady.  I'm feeling cold even though the water is good temperature.  At the first turn I'm still hoping to warm up.  I'm feeling a little better about my swimming, though.  Another guy passes me and keeps bumping into my draft leader.  While they bump into each other, I get the benefit of a double-wide draft.  I even try to take my own line as they go off course.  But I can't really get ahead of them.

After the 2nd turn, it's a 600 yd straight shot back to the beach.  And suddenly I find a groove, and some energy, and really start pulling the water.  I close my eyes, it seems to save the energy of looking around while I thrash along.  I'm thinking, this IS a good swim, and the trouble I had at the beginning is all forgotten.

Then the first woman passes me.  Wow, started 5min behind me.. she's really moving. Then another.. and another.  But I'm focused on the 2 guys near me and the finish line.  They are stronger but swimming crooked.  My line is straight and sometimes I get some draft.  I think I can pass them.  But near the finish everyone is sprinting and it's all I can do to see the balloons through the water spray.  We feel the shore below us and, gasping, try to stand and run to the finish line.  I loose track of what place I'm in but am very glad to finish.  It was a good swim for the shape I'm in.  I can feel the stiffness and soreness in my legs and arms.  I could really use a nap now.

Lake Berryessa 1 Mile Swim 35-39 division

..there's one more water thing I want to do... take Anna for some wading and dipping.  She holds on to my neck when she's scared, but also wants to feel the water and splash it with her hands.  Some day we probably won't be able to get her out of the water.

Anna has enjoyed joining us at the races and we really have fun showing her all the neat stuff to do on these get-aways.

Oh, there's one last effort before we can pack up and find dinner... a 52 miles ride through Napa.  This has become a tradition.  But now we split it up... I ride 26 miles while Robin drives Anna, and then Robin finishes the loop.  After the first 10 miles the heat is really uncomfortable for me.  I must not be acclimated after our cool Spring.  I'm glad to hand off to Robin and drive ahead to a shady spot to play with Anna while Robin climbs over the hills back to Berryessa.  A great day!

Thanks, Lord, for the opportunities.