Rainbow and I competed in the Velzy-Stevens Pier to Pier paddleboard race yesterday and had a lot of fun. Paddling pier to pier is a piece of cake compared to the race we competed in last month. The race started in front of the Manhattan Beach pier and ended on the south side of Hermosa Pier on the beach. My finish was much more graceful this time around. I was able to ride my board to shore and run to the finish line. Heading out to start the race is a different story. I had issues going out and wave after wave kept getting pummeled. I ended up losing my water bottle and my beloved chin pad. That chin pad was such a pain to get and now its gone. To make it worse I got my headphones wet and had no music to listen to.
After the paddleboard race the swimmers had their race and Rainbow and I had friends to paddle for. The purpose of the paddlers is to escort the swimmers so they don't zigzag or end up in the middle of the ocean which some of them have a tendency to do. Seeing the swimmers start the race was something I've never seen before. Once the gun went off all I could hear was the splashing of hundreds of people running into the water and splash of their strokes. The swimmers swam the same distance as the paddlers but against the current. It was insane.. I can't imagine swimming that distance and it gave me a new respect for people who swim in the ocean. I whine and groan when it's choppy out and I'm laying on a board with the option to stop and rest. Stopping to rest wasn't even an option for them and plus they have a greater chance of being bit by a shark.
Rainbow and I positioned ourselves outside of the main pack to find our swimmers. Finding our swimmers was going to be an arduous task. There were so many people in the water and all the swimmers were required to wear a standard yellow competition cap. It was virtually impossible to recognize anyone and it literally became a game of "Where's Waldo". Somehow Rainbow and her swimmer found each other (like they do every year) and I absolutely had no luck. I felt horrible and spent a long time looking for Annie (my swimmer) and finally gave up when I started creeping people out. Much to my chagrin I turned into this stalker on a paddleboard. I kept mistaking Annie for other swimmers and would start following them around. Part of my problem was that I wasn't saying anything and just kept staring at them. Even this lady that was way off course didn't want my help. I tried to tell her that she was heading towards the Channel Islands but she just ignored me. At that point I was done and left her for the sharks.
Rainbow: #133 time: 22:54.8
Me: #1 time: 24:19.8
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