Race Report: Jim McDonnell Lake Swims

I didn’t do any grappling this past week, since the Jim McDonnell lake swims were this Sunday. After the Nanticoke race, in which I was still really sore on Sunday from a hard class the Wednesday before, I decided to give BJJ a rest for a full week before this one. I had some good swim workouts, and I was optimistic that I’d beat my times from 2007 in both the one mile and two mile.

No dice. In fact, I was considerably slower. So much slower that I actually wondered if the course was measured differently this year. I suppose it’s possible. but it’s also completely possible that I tanked spectacularly.

The water was just about perfect, about 71 degrees. I definitely didn’t need a wetsuit for this one. I ended up warming up late and getting to the start line late for the one miler. In fact, everyone had piled up at the start so that I had to jump over several ropes to get past the scrum and into the line for my correct wave. Then, as soon as I stepped in the water, my timing chip floated free from my ankle. Ack! I was furiously treading water and trying to knot it into place (I had no idea where the velcro part was) and praying they wouldn’t start us before I had it in place. I didn’t kick with my right leg pretty much that whole race.

 

Site of the McDonnell Lake Swims

 

 

The two miler was an exercise in pain. I had stiffened up pretty well after the one miler, and I couldn’t seem to get into any kind of a rhythm for about the first half. The second half, I found a rhythm, but it was a slow one. I also found one heel jammed into my right eye at the first buoy first lap – my eyeball just about popped from the socket, but at least the goggles would have caught it if it did! That one was accidental, so no hard feelings. But I also found, second buoy, second lap, one elbow, hard, to my solar plexus. That one pissed me off. Seriously, think of stroke mechanics. You can’t elbow someone in the solar plexus like that unless it’s deliberate.

All that aside, the best part of the race was the fact that Sister and Nerfy did the one miler as well. Sister placed second in her age group (hardware!!), and Nerfy, in her very first ever open water race not only finished it, but flew past the people in her wave and several of the waves that left before her.

 

 

Sister, Grappledunk (sporting the drowned rat look), and Nerfy post race(s). Note those still finishing in the background!

 

Next stop, Bay Swim! I’ll need try to figure out what happened with this one and get back in gear, but no matter how fast or slow I go in the Bay Swim, it should be a blast.

The wedding with the perverted bear

Last weekend was spent in Harrisonburg, Virginia at my cousin’s wedding, which accounts for part of the lack of swimming and BJJ that I mentioned in my last post. The wedding was held at an old country church with a beautiful view of a lake and meadow out one side, and a farm on the other. Nerfy, Sister, and I had fun spending time with the family, wrangling wedding guests, and being badly behaved. As Nerfy rightly noted in her comment , I have been remiss in my reporting on the weekends activities. There are two important events to record.

First, we foiled the bride and groom’s attempts to circumvent our plans to detail their car before leaving the reception. One minute, we were sitting at our table, busily comatose with too much food and wedding cake. The next minute, when we heard the rumor that the bride and groom were about to leave, we sprang into action and made sure that any and everybody who saw them drive past that evening would be in no doubt of what they had been up to that day. 

 

Grappledunk and Sister with art in progress. Due to wind, skirts heading north of the equator.

 

Whipped cream is not good for decorating cars

 

Troublemaker. I can respect that!

One of the most defining moments of the trip, however, came courtesy of the local Shoney’s. There was a small area off to the side of the lobby which had the usual candy and toy machines, video games, etc. Somebody at the Shoney’s had the brilliant idea of providing children with lollipops. That’s fine; I completely understand why you might want to offer candy at a place that markets to families and children. However, I don’t understand the manner in which they did it. Are we wrong in thinking there’s something not quite kosher here?

 

Nerfy filled with unholy glee as she grasps the bear's lollipop

We all tap out eventually.

My grandmother passed away on Saturday at the age of 96. I was able to take a couple days off of work to go visit her last week when it became clear that she wouldn’t be with us much longer. She was confused and unable to leave her bed, but she was relentlessly cheerful. She was concerned the nurses would hurt their backs when they shifted her in her bed. She saw the number of people who had gathered to spend time with her, and was convinced she was having a birthday party.  And when she passed, the crowd in her room included her son, grandchildren, great grandchild, and a number of friends from the nursing home. 

 

Rosemary

 

 

She once told me about her travels in Italy and how Italian men would often harass women who were traveling alone. And then she told me she would love to watch what I would do to the guy who tried grab my ass. Who knew Grandma had a violent streak? I’ll miss her little vignettes, all of her complicated juxtapositions of personality, her flower arrangements, and her birthday notes – I don’t think she ever missed one. And I’ll keep training BJJ with her in mind, so when I finally do take that trip to Italy, I can, with excellent technique, show her what I’d do to that unsuspecting Italian guy who tries to grab my ass. Take him down and go to knee in belly, probably. I think she’d like that.

As my mom says, nobody gets out of life alive. In BJJ terms I guess you could say we all tap out eventually. The challenge is to learn as much as you can, take advantage of the opportunities, and enjoy your roll. 

Grandma, congratulations on a life well lived! I’ll miss you.