Up Next – Fort Ritchie Swimfest

This is not the lake I will be swimming in, but it’s pretty. xuuxuu / Pixabay

Last Saturday, it was in the 50’s and raining.  This Saturday, it’s going to be in the upper 80’s and humid.  This weather is ridiculous.

This Saturday, I’m going up to Lake Royer for the Fort Ritchie Swimfest.  This is one of the best events of the year, because it’s a low key swim practice in real race conditions.  Except that I don’t have to bike or run afterwards, of course.

The race is offered in three distances and you can do one race, two races, or all three.  The course is a 750m loop, so the distances are 750m, 1500, and 2250m.  For anything more than a single loop, you get out of the water and run along the beach, then jump back in off the dock.  This year, I’m doing the 2250.  The past two years, I’ve done the 1500.  So it’s three loops for me.

I don’t mind the idea of the looped course because I know it’s coming, plus it’s kind of nice to be able to get out and grab a drink of water at the well placed table before getting back in.  It also helps mentally break up the race.  And for a lot of people, it also offers an out if they’re nervous about doing the full distance.

This will definitely be my longest swim to date, though of course I’ve done much further distances in the pool.  But I’ve never just done a continuous 2250.  I’m actually not sure I’ve done more than a continuous 1600, if I think about it.  Still, I’m not particularly worried about the distance.  I may not be the fastest swimmer, but I’m capable and competent in the water.  Plus this race is wetsuit legal, so floating is super simple.

After last weekend’s race, I’m glad to be getting back into open water so quickly, so I can really see if my issues were related to the weather or if I just need to get a lot more OWS work in before my next race.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to the early morning, but it will be a fun day with friends and great practice, so I’m glad to be doing it.  And it’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday weekend.

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