Tampa Training has stepped up!!

The past 2 weeks has seen the onset of a new year and the onset of "amping up" the miles/yardage and time in the water in preparation for the upcoming Tampa Bay 24 mile swim.
It's been a bit of a suprise that I had not accurately recalled how tired/sore/fatigued my shoulders get when past the 20 mile + per week range...What's been a postive for the mind and body is the loss of a significant amount of my "channel weight" since August of 2010 (when Dan and I returned from his wonderful EC crossing!!)
I am a bit faster, but the down side is some struggle at La Jolla Cove with no wetsuit!! (Wetuits are for wimps!!!)

The goal is to maintain an average of about 35-45K yards (20-25 miles) per week for the next month, with the majority in the Endless pool, and then it's a bit more "speed" and "power" work, since Tampa is race, and now that I know I can do the distance, it's a chance to see if I can still compete with speed.

Let's hope that the recent warm San Diego weather gives us the summer we missed this past year.
98 days (14 weeks) until the gun goes off for the Tampa swim.

Tampa Bay Marathon is set for April

The next big marathon swim is now set as I have been accepted into the Tampa Bay Marathon race on 23 April 2011.
I'm back in the Endless pool, loosing the "channel" weight and starting to get mentally ready for warmer water.
And to add to the year, brother Dan is in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. If we both succeed, we will be the only siblings in history to have completed the Classic Triple Crown (England/Manhattan/Catalina) and the American Triple Crown (Tampa Bay/Manhattan/Catalina).
Time to start the serious training. What you do now will pay off the last 3 miles..

Keep swimming!!!!

Update on the "other" swimming Richards. My big brother Dan (age 53) successfully completed the English Channel on 20 July 2010 in a fast 12 hours, 32 minutes. It was an absolutely stunning day in the Channel, sunny with not a ripple on the water.
We are now the only brothers and just 2nd set of siblings to have successfully complete both the English and Catalina Channels in a solo swim.
Bravo to Dan.
It looks like I have to start training for my future swims as my time coaching is now over for a while.
2011 looks like it will be a year of at least 1, if not 2, major long swims for me.
Peace and light to all.

Things have been put on the back burner as per swims for 2010.
But there is still a lot of activity for this year as my brother, Dan, is planning his attempt of the English Channel in late July.
He'll be coming out to San Diego monthly and we'll train together. He's asked me to run his crew, and with this big of a swim, setting up the Tampa/Key West/Miami swims was low on the priority list.

Wonderful Yesshow #84 last PM after a lovely 3 mile swim off La Jolla in the AM.
Now on to #85 tomorrow in L.A. where I'll navigate the swarm of people in town to memorialize MJ.
Have started to swim 6 days a week recently and like the Chicago song "feeling stronger every day".!!!

June is here and it's getting warmer

Nice 2+ mile swim today at La Jolla Cove in 64 degree water... The sun was shining and swimmers were everywhere...Most of the La Jolla swimmers are gearing up for the summer season--best of luck to all those who just finished this years Manhattan Island Marathon Swim which was today.
Today feels like the first day "back" as I started to think about the plans for 2010. With Tampa next April, the need to get back to at least 10-15 miles a week is the plan for the next few weeks.
Can't swim the La Jolla Shores tour of the buoys (5 miles) this year due to being on call...
But the bright spot is YES concert #84 is in just 29 days!!

I have been out of the blog zone but will be starting a regular blog in the near future as I gear up for 2010 with plans for a potential "Florida Triple Crown". The tenetative plan is to swim the 2010 Tampa Bay 25 mile marathon in April 2o10, the around Key West swim (approx 12-15 miles) in June of 2010 and then the "big one" of trying to become only the 3rd person in history to swim the 26 miles around Miami Beach.

I'll keep everyone posted.