^{PLACE & TIME:} 

Troy 20th  - 29:20; Robin 3rd - 56:13**

Previous PRs or Personal Records:

      Troy - 28:30, '06

t's 6:30am and Team Soares is on the way to the Lake Berryessa swim.  :)

Robin's 2mi Swim

My wetsuit division is the last wave of the 2 mile swimmers.  The field seems smaller.  Probably because Team Sheeper (of Menlo Park) isn't here today.  Just before I get in Troy and I pray...thanking God for the beautiful day, safety and the ability to race hard.  As I head into the water, Troy tells me he had David Ridder look up my previous best results.. the time to beat is 55:15...seems a little fast but I'm going to give it a go.

As I swim out to the start, I see a guy from my new Masters team, RAMS, and say hi.  It's nice to know someone here.  Ready, set, go!  The first 1/3rd of the race is a straight shot out to "Goat Island".  I find myself alone.  It seems like I'm always somewhere in the middle.  The fast wetsuiters are pulling away.  I do try to keep them in my sight as I look up every once in a while.  I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm really glad I did that extra long warm up!  I focus on having a good stroke, a consistent kick, breathing every 3 strokes, and keeping my head down.

As we get close to the first turn, I'm coming up on the previous waves and it seems like I'm getting close to some of the wetsuiters.  Now we head to Flamingo Island.  I feel like I'm going the wrong way because all of the swimmers ahead of me are over to my far left.  I look up several times just to verify that the next buoy is straight ahead.  I seem to be in the right place but maybe they all know something I don't.  I just know that the closer I am to the buoys, the better the time.   I try to kick harder on this stretch and feel a difference in effort.  I check my watch...40 minutes.  I have 15 minutes to get to the finish...that sounds possible, right? 

I've caught up to a wetsuiter...it looks like a woman.  I'm really focusing now on good form and I hope it really is good form.  I round the last turn and now it's straight back to the finish.  I keep wondering if I'll beat my time.  I should be able to since I'm swimming a lot more this time around.  I find myself glancing at my watch often.  This is silly, I'm just wasting time looking when I can be focusing on finishing!  It's 50min, 51, 52, 53!  I still have a bit to go.  Come on and sprint!  I make a mad dash for the finish and pass the wetsuit girl I caught up to and one other.

I come out of the water at just a little over 55:15.  The swimmers ahead of me are walking to the finish.  I want to run.  But the volunteers keep saying "stay in place".  I look at Troy and point to my watch in frustration.  I cross the line at 56:10.  Moments later I realize how silly it was for me to get frustrated.  It's a gift to be out here competing and pushing my body.  If God is going to get me to Hawaii it won't be because I hit a certain time, it will be because I focused on Him first.  I also realize that I need to be finishing with a smile on my face no matter the time or place.  At that moment I make a commitment to do that in Coeur d'Alene.  Amazingly I am the 3rd wetsuit woman out of the water.  I thank God for that!  Despite my not-so-great attitude at the end, He rewarded me for my effort and reminded me that attitude is everything.

Troy's 1 Mile Swim

It's a beautiful day at Berryessa Lake.  Robin just did the 2mi wetsuit swim in a good time and I've just closed my eyes for a quick nap on the beach towel.  Robin says "Troy, your race is going to start" to which I say, "don't worry, I've got my alarm set".  3min before the start I realize my alarm wasn't set!

Grab my cap and goggles and wade out to the start.  I'm doing it non-wetsuit which is always a neat change for me because I get to swim with all the fast swimmers and try to keep up.  With 10secs to go I start swimming and hit the starting line right when the gun goes off.  Go!

It's not long before I'm already cold and still a long way to go.  I better start kicking and swimming like mad to make heat.  It's working a little.. I'm feeling better.. But don't know if I can keep it up.  After rounding the first buoy, I'm surprised that my energy is staying and I keep thrashing away.  I should be going faster with all this effort but the past has shown that trying to keep warm doesn't equal faster times.  Anyway, I'm working really hard and now I've found a good draft.  Around the last buoy.  It's a LONG way to the baloons at the finish.  I can barely see them in the distance.  I stop for a sec to clear my fogged goggles.  That was all it took to lose my draft.  Now I struggle to try catching back up.  All of a sudden a blue cap goes motoring by!  The women's wave has caught me. It's amazing how fast she swims by.  Too fast to even catch the draft.  I wonder if it's our friend Leonie.  I think it's her each time a woman goes by.  I better start swimming faster, maybe I can fend off the rest of them.  Finally I can see the people helping swimmers up the ramp.  Totally exhausted, I happily touch ground and get to stand up.  Wow, my arms are wiped!  My legs, too.  That's a good feeling.. To leave it all on the course.  It'll only make me stronger.  My time, 29min, wasn't that great, but it was a great effort.  And Leonie didn't pass me.. Although She did start 5min behind and made up all but 1min of that.. But that was the challenge we set.. To see if she could catch me.   We enjoyed our lunch and seeing friends from our previous club, MVM.  We saw Mark and Candee, On Your Mark Events and directors for Angel's Camp.  And we met Leonie's really nice friends.  Thanks, Lord, it was a really fun, even relaxing, day!

Michelle Deasy Finishing

Leonie Finishing

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Family Fun After the Races(=