I completed the Alcatraz swim on Sunday. Last year my time was a dismal 1 hour and 27 minutes; I not only swam slowly, but I also had difficulties swimming straight. This year I trimmed my time to 50:23. While that time still landed me towards the back of the pack, it's an improvement nonetheless. My goal was to swim the 1.5 miles in under one hour so I feel good that I improved by more than 30 minutes.  

Thanks for all of your assistance. I am definitely swimming at a better pace thanks to your feedback and guidance. I have a long way to go before I am respectable, but I have a clearer understanding of the elements of my technique that still need improvement and will continue to work on the drills that you shared. Also, the advice and information that you gave me about the other elements of open water swimming (nutrition, sighting, chafing, goggles with prescription lenses, etc.) proved to be invaluable.

Brian

Simon is fantastic swim mentor as he's an inspirational swimmer and he's so generous with his knowledge and his experience. When I first spoke to Simon about venturing into open water swimming, I was a confident pool swimmer but hadn't raced anything further than 400m and I only considered a sea swim to be a cooling plunge or an opportunity for body surfing. With Simon's guidance, I've pushed up the distance, cranked up the adventure and discovered that waves are also exhilarating for 'head down-goggles on' swimming. I'm so glad I took the plunge and followed his advice!
Lucy