Rob's PINK Speedo: Maybe It's a Good Thing That the Picture Is Blurry

This picture is for those of you who have not been following the saga of Rob's Pink Speedo on Facebook -- and if this doesn't get you join us on Facebook, what will? (OK, Kids and Grandkids -- but a Pink Speedo -- that's gotta be worth something!). And as for exactly why the picture is blurry... it wasn't done on purpose... I put it down to amused camera shake! As to WHY Rob has a Pink Speedo? That's a question that only Rob can answer!

5 Degrees? 5 Degrees! I Want the Summer... I'll Settle For Spring!

Above is the "Official" Weather for Huntington, New York on Monday, January 24, 2011. At 7:56 AM it was 5 Degrees! Not exactly outdoor swimming weather but it certainly made the temperatures in both Y pools very welcome... like a quick Caribbean vacation. See you in the pool!

And don't forget to sign up for the INDOOR TRI. It's just TWO WEEKS AWAY -- on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 8:00AM. All three events -- Swim, Bike, Run -- are completed indoors, using the pool, stationary bikes and treadmills to complete each event. For more information or to sign up, call the Huntington Y at 631-421-4242.

Blast From the Past: September 1997, John Daly One Mile Ocean Swim, Long Beach NY

Long before blogging or facebook, your's truly had a little digital camera that held all of 8 pictures -- and it was remarkable! The question is, did I actually have that camera when I took these pictures of the 1997, (or was it 1998), John Daly One Mile Ocean Swim in Long Beach, New York? If not that first digital camera, then where did these digital pictures come from?

Oh, I know where I found them -- they were on a treasure trove of old Memorex 2SHD, (two-sided, High Density), 1.44 MB Diskettes. The pictures are small. The pictures are grainy. But they're more than a dozen years old! To realize just how long ago that was in "computer years" you'd have to understand that in 1997 I would have needed to carry over 75,000 of these Floppy Disks with me just to start to come close to the memory on my cell phone in 2011! Be that as it may, enjoy this blast from the past! And better yet, it was SUMMERTIME and it was WARM enough for outdoor swimming!

A YouTube Video From Today's Swim (January 15, 2011)

Winter Outside... SUMMER Inside!

Saturday. January 15, 2011 at the Huntington Y:

"Oh the weather outside is frightful... but the pool is so delightful... and so long as we're going to swim (inside), let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

OK, so actually the weather today wasn't so frightful at all. In fact, it felt almost balmy walking out of the Y -- if you can call 25 degrees balmy. But with no wind and a bright blue sky overhead, it really didn't feel bad at all. Looking at the mounds of snow everywhere... well, that's an entirely different issue! So my feeling is that one "snow-filled" picture (above) is more than enough. Let your eyes wander down to pictures from Norton Pool -- like a little time machine to Summer!

Margot, Don, Paul and Sal line up in swim-speed order. 

What are Harry and Margot so happy about? I'm guessing it's because the workout has been over for about 20 minutes already and this is just "cool down" and "fun swim" time. In my book, the yardage still counts!

Joe makes sure to stay hydrated. 

 The water was so warm and blue, Sal thought he was in Hawaii!

Ahh, a boy and his kickboard!

First Sunday Swim in 2011 (January 2nd, 2011)

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo but the window in the hallway that looks in on the pool is not exactly crystal clear. And, with a cell-phone camera from that distance... Oh, and about the action OR lack of it, (lots of standing, sitting and gabbing) -- the workout was pretty much over by this time with most swimmers logging 3,000 or MORE yards (Paul was probably pushing 5,000 yards) -- OK for a Sunday morning after the big New Year's celebrations. 

Christmas Eve 2010: Last Minute Shopping OR Last Minute Swimming... Which Would Be More Popular?

Well, I'm gonna have to say that it looks fairly obvious that virtually ALL Huntington area swimmers were extremely efficient in their Christmas Shopping this year! 


December 24, 2010 turned out to be one of the biggest swim turn-out days we've had in a LONG, long time! The group pictured below is but a fraction of the swimmers who graced Norton Pool with their presence this morning, (I suppose because they had taken care of all their "presents" well before Christmas Eve Morn). 


The Christmas Eve Swim started at 5:30AM and was still going strong, (although with longer "chat" breaks), when I shot these pictures around 8:20AM! A few potential swimmers, who will remain nameless, on peering in the windows at the pool and seeing the crowd, turned around and headed for home -- perhaps for some last-minute shopping! 


So, non-swimming spouses and significant others who are reading this and seeing the smiles on the faces of the swimmers below can rest easy that all the last-minute shopping has already been done -- for who among us would put swimming ahead of Christmas shopping? Merry Christmas to All

A Saturday Morning Swim Winds Down

This iPhone photo was taken Saturday, December 18, 2010 looking thru the water-splattered window of the hallway door just outside the lifeguard office. Not too many swimmers left... and those that are still in the pool seem to be doing more talking than swimming!

Morning Workout? Should You Eat Breakfast BEFORE or AFTER Exercise?

The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast
Click the link above to go to the New York Times 12/15/2010 news story.

Cold Weather Cure 2: Open Water Swim "Art" From West Neck Beach

Can't you just feel the warm Summer sun on your shoulders? 

Cold Weather Cure -- Open Water Summer Swim Pictures (Brooklyn Bridge)

If I was an artist, above is how I'd like to paint the "Pre-Race Instructions". 

Above: Swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge and past the Coast Guard Cutter.

Below: The first wave lines up, ready to start the race.

Editors Note: Photoshop is a lot faster than actually doing the painting!

Christmas Brunch 2010 Edition: Best Ever?

Some people say that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the "kick-off" to the Christmas Holiday Season. Some say that its the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center. (Some stores seem to think that the Christmas Season starts right after Labor Day!) But for the last 25 years or so, if you were a Huntington area Swimmer, (or married to one!), the REAL "kick-off" to the Christmas Holiday Season was, is and hopefully always will be the Annual Swimmer's Christmas Brunch.


Was 2010 the Best One Ever? Based on turn-out and calories consumed, maybe it was. 

Plates were piled high and many went back for seconds... some for thirds!

Carole is the artist... and she, along with everyone else, enjoyed how the light shone through on her original stained-glass "To The Sailboat And Beyond" work of art.

Before the food and during the drinks, there was a lot of ernest conversations going on. Some of us get together nearly every day but for many others, the brunch is a great time to get caught up in what has been happening with friends not seen on a daily basis. Facebook is good but it's no substitute for "face-to-face"!

And sometimes, the "Fast" Lane and the "Slow" Lane never get to talk to one another... but at a brunch, swim speed is never an issue -- talk is king! And, if we didn't have these occasional "out-of-the-water" get-togethers, when would we ever get to use the ever popular "I didn't recognize you with your clothes on" line!

Y Parking Lot Is Open For Business... Including the Jackson Avenue Entrance!

Mark this day well -- Friday, December 3, 2010 -- the day that the new upper parking lot was opened and we were able to park in peace. So, Bring on your rain. Bring on your snow. We won't be walking through mud, mush and gravel -- we've got ASPHALT!

Happy days are here again. And, oh yeah, I can stop taking pictures of construction and concentrate on parties and swimming! See you in the pool... and Sunday at Black & Blue Restaurant for our annual Swimmer's Brunch (a yearly tradition since the 1980's!).

Asphalt is DOWN -- Jackson Ave. Entrance Gate Is Still UP!

It's true. As of 8AM Thursday, December 2, 2010 the asphalt in the Huntington Y parking lot(s) and driveways was totally down and looking good. I guess we're lucky that it didn't all wash away in yesterday's rain! Though cars still couldn't get in via Jackson Ave, pedestrian traffic was "clean & green" walking into the Y from Jackson Ave on our nice, new sidewalks! Sunshine is supposed to rule the weather for the next few days so we should be parking in style real soon. We can't wait! 

Huntington Y: The Gift of Asphalt! -- Tuesday, Nov. 30 2010 Progress

The weathermen are all predicting rain for tonight and even heavier rain for tomorrow, (Wednesday). What will this mean for the "pouring" of the asphalt? Only time will tell but, progress is obvious!

Huntington Y: The Gift of Asphalt!

Monday, November 30th THRU Wednesday, December 1, 2010 the soon-to-be-completed "upper" Main Parking Lot for the Huntington Y is scheduled to be closed including both entrances to the "upper" Main Parking Lot from Jackson Ave and the driveway from lower lot. The lower lot (entrance on 25A) will remain open but there will be NO Access to the Y from Jackson Ave -- including pedestrian access!

"Without Asphalt... it's been a Jungle!"

Huntington Y: Work on the Jackson Ave Entrance Continues

While the inside construction at the Huntington Y is pretty much done, (it seems like we've been using the new 7,500 square foot strength training center forever -- and happy we are about that!), work on the outside sidewalks, driveways and parking areas continues.  Asphalt is scheduled to be applied to the roadways and parking lots on November 30th so those of us who normally enter from Jackson Avenue should be able to resume doing so in early December -- just in time for Winter weather!

Bob's Trip to Hawaii: Pictures to savor on a cold Winter's Day!

I just received the following 4 pictures from Bob along with this note: 


"Here are a few shots of out trip to Kaua'i.  Went off Bali hai in about 70 feet of water and got a couple of shots of a 12 foot monk seal...he came up about a foot away from me, but...figures, that shot was out of the frame.  The last shot is one of me I took body surfing at Hanalei Bay...such a beautiful island!"


Perfect pictures for a cold winter's day -- of course today in Huntington, it is already up to 61 degrees, the sky is a beautiful blue and I know that a few of you are secretly thinking of "just one more open water swim at West Neck Beach". Alas, even on it's very best days, the water around Long Island doesn't quite look like this! Enjoy and THANKS BOB!

The Little Apple Run: Lloyd Neck, New York

Thanks to Rich Huminski for the pictures and the following "eyewitness" report from the Little Apple Run on Lloyd Neck this past weekend.


"I took my son to a run last Sunday called the Little Apple Run.  It was in Lloyd Neck.  Saw Don Bond, Liz Pearlman, and Scott.(pictures attached)...what was fun for me is that my son has kept a race shirt I got at the Southampton Tri in September of 1988...(see picture)...he was born on June 11 of the same year and was at the race..If us old guys can't relive the past on the roads we can at least relive it in our T-shirts.."

Thanks again Rich! And, BTW if anyone else is sitting on a good story -- hopefully WITH pictures or video... send it in... the BLOG is ever hungry!