Winter Tether Swimming in Salt Water Pool

Started adding swimming into my overall physical fitness routine.

These days, you will find me running barefoot and with FFs, doing Tai Chi, progressing with Yoga, and swimming. I am feeling very fit. Some diet changes include further reduction in animal products (not a vegan...yet), more whole grains and vegetables, daily Green Foods Green Magma drink, less beer.

The results. Feeling much stronger and getting leaner and lighter. Could be good.

Upcoming races include:
Saturday's 9 Trails race in Santa Barbara.
Orange Curtain 100km in February 2008 (Spartathlon qualifier)
Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon in March 2008

All this activity leading to:

IronMan 1890 (2008)
Badwater Solo Attempt 2008
Spartathlon 2009
Catalina to Mt. Wilson 2012

Polar Bear Swim 2007 - Dos Lugares

Ona and I made it into the January 2nd Daily News

After the swim - Endorphin kick

Ernie has participated every year at Hansen

Ona braved the cold too.

Polar Bear Swim 2007: Part 1
Location: Hansen Dam Swim Lake

We woke up at 7:30am. The swim began at 8am, so we had to move it in order to get there on time. Sun was out, but it was quite windy. This year I stayed in the shallower side of the pool and ran and porpoised my way to the finish.

Very happy to see many regulars at the pool, including the famous Ernie, a.k.a., Headwig. He has participated every year the Polar Bear swim has been held at Hansen Dam.

Swimming in cold water is extremely exhilarating. I think it must get the endorphins pumping vigorously. I did not feel cold on exiting the water, and this year there was a really nice fire pit and big fire burning at the finish. Very nice.

I hope to do it again next year. We are off to Cabrillo Beach to participate in the Polar Bear Swim there.

Polar Bear Swim 2007: Part 2
Location: Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro, CA

I am pretty sure I am the only person in all of Los Angeles who participated in both City sponsored Polar Bear Events, one at Hansen Dam and the other at Cabrillo Beach.

It just so happens that we live within walking distance of Hansen Dam and my mother within walking distance of Cabrillo. So, it has become a family tradition to swim in both locations on New Year's Day.

Cabrillo was fantastic. Water was quite warm, around 58 degrees. I was among the hearty souls who swam out to the buoy and back, about 1/2 mile.

My mom made some terrific stew that I had as soon as I got out of the water. I also had a nice glass of Port. Come and join us next year.

Before the swim

Family

After the swim.

BFT

Barefoot Ted's Adventures

PS. You can read about last year's swim here. Ona made the Daily News last year, and apparently, we made it again this year.

Lake Nacimiento, California

Spent the weekend with Luis Escobar and Family at Lake Nacimiento.

Barefoot Ted's Mermaids

Picnic-bench Yoga

Ona Faces Car Trouble

Ona with FuFu and her FiveFingers which proved very useful in our campground that was full of broken glass and lost fishing lures. Way safer than the flip-flops kids were wearing.


BFT

Summer Fun

Howdy Folks

Many have been emailing me asking why I have not submitted any news lately. Well, I've been busy running and swimming.

Since the beginning of June, I have been running the equivalent of a trail marathon every weekend. Most of my daily running is still barefoot; however, whenever I venture into the mountains for runs over 20 miles, I carry and/or wear my Vibram FiveFingers. They are life savers when running on terrain you are not familiar with. I have put over 500 hard miles on a pair, and the soles are still as good as new.


Some highlights included running from my house along the top of the Verdugo Mountains to the Brand Library and back, around 31 miles.

Running the last 25 miles of the Angeles Crest 100 course.

Running from my house to the ocean on my birthday.

Running 20 miles in the middle of the day from South Pasadena to my house in training for my crewing job for Luis Escobar at this year's Badwater Ultramarathon.

I have also been swimming a lot.


Last week, I swam more miles than ever in my life while camping at Hume Lake in the Sequoia National Park here in California. My goal of doing an Ironman as if it were 1890 is pushing me forward in my quest to become an accomplished long-distance swimmer, too.

Spent last Sunday at our favorite beach in North Malibu: El Matador. Body surfing is glorious.

So, I am still around and running and swimming up a storm.

Best Regards, BFT

Swim Tether - Turn Your Pool into an Ocean

Swimming in Place

As many of you know, this year I am going to focus on trying to increase my open water swimming ability. This new swim tether allows me to swim and swim and swim and not have to turn around and around. I love it. Learn more here.

My swimming dream? Well, I would like to be able to build up the endurance to be able to do some sort of channel crossing, but that will be some years off into the future, and will depend a lot on how my training goes.

By the way, I am swimming in a salt water pool. Read about them here.

BFT, a.k.a. El Mono

Deep Creek Hot Springs

photos by Roger Klemm

A cluster of natural hot springs in an isolated canyon in the high desert. Requires a gradual 6-mile hike or a steeper 2-mile one. The Deep Creek Hot Springs are quite a find and will amaze you once you get there. Completely natural and undeveloped, the springs have become popular for obvious reasons. The water is generally clear and an almost perfect temperature (averaging 105 degrees F.), with several pools from which to choose.

We chose to keep our shorts on, but not everyone did. Freedom of choice is nice.

I spent most of my time climbing rocks and jumping into the COLD river that runs along the springs.

Thanks to Roger and Markus for inviting us!

BR, BT

New Years Polar Bear Swims (plural)

Flash, Ona makes Daily News Newspaper


This year, I did two polar bear swims: one at Hansen Dam near our house, and the other at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro near my mom's house.

Hansen Dam



Cabrillo Beach






Video footage from Cabrillo Beach Polar Bear Swim 2006