Coast 2 Coast Swim Challenge 2013: Raising Money for Kids Swim Lessons

Coast 2 Coast Swim Challenge 2013: Raising Money for Kids Swim Lessons

This past Sunday June 2nd was the 3rd annual Coast 2 Coast Swim Challenge. The event is hosted by LA Tri Club and raises money for children’s swim lessons. Every lap you swim ends up counting towards a donation for kids swimming lessons.

I have done this race every year since it began in 2011. The first time I did it, I barely knew how to swim in a pool properly. This was in the beginning of my triathlon days. For the past two years I have used the event to kick off my swimming season (since its held in early June). This year I felt pretty ahead of the game since I’ve been trying to swim regularly since February.

The way the event works is you sign up for circuits. Each circuit is 30 minutes long and within that circuit you count your laps / yardage. The event runs all day long so you can come and go as you please and swim whenever it is convenient for you. I signed up for 2 circuits so it was one hour of continuous swimming. I usually wear my fins in the pool when I swim for that amount of time but I decided it’s time to wean off the fins and I swam the entire time without them. If you are a seasoned swimmer you are probably laughing at me right now but this was a really big deal for me!

I shared the lane with a girl who was doing breast stroke the whole time. I figured she would be a good lane partner because there would be enough distance between us. Have I mentioned I am slow at swimming? Because I am! I ended up swimming continuously and stopping every 500 yards for a breather and drink of water. I ended up swimming 2250 yards over the course of an hour. This equals about 1.28 miles so I was pretty happy about that! In previous years I’ve barely been able to hit a mile within the hour time so this was really good for me and made m happy.

When I got out of the pool I was exhausted. I didn’t really feel how depleted of energy I was until I stepped out. I immediately went to grab my water and I stopped at a stand that was giving away free electrolyte sample drinks. This stuff made my morning! It made me feel a whole lot better right away. I took some samples and stashed them in my swim bag.

One problem I had during my swim was my goggles. They kept fogging up during my swim and I had to put them on super tight to prevent them from leaking. I got out of the water and I had some major panda eyes going on. There was a Zoggs goggle stand at the Coast 2 Coast event so I decided it might just be time to retire my pair of goggles and get a new one. I tried on a couple pair of Zoggs and fell in love with their Women’s Predator Polarized Goggles. I ended up buying a pair and got 15% off. Sweet! But then I went online and saw I could have got them on Amazon for $27 instead of the list price of $39.99. Doh! Here’s what they look like:

My sweet new goggles. Polarized lens, too!

On our way out we also stopped and tried some Homemade Harvey. This stuff is a bunch of fruit mashed up and served in one of those pouches that looks like baby food. I am not going to lie, I really enjoyed this chunky fruit textured goodness. I am not sure if I would buy it on my own, but it’s a great snack option for after working out or when you’re on the go.

Overall I am really happy with my swim at the Coast 2 Coast challenge and I look forward to doing the event again next year!

What about you? Have you done any swim races or events this season? Do you plan to? Post in the comments and let me know!