I can remember a time when no lawyer would advertise his services. It was considered unprofessional to do so. I think it may also have been forbidden by the American Bar Association’s Code of Conduct at the time. Now lawyers advertise. Some thrive on offering lawsuits related to automobile accidents and medical malpractice. They can win you a big, fat settlement for your personal injury, lost work time, and mental suffering. …
The first time I entered and finished the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (2005) I came out of the water and said "I'm glad I did this once but I never want to do it again." Two years later I wanted to do it again and did. And now, five years later, I have done it for the third time. This year, three men were recognized who have done it 25 years in a row. Multiple swims are the exception, however. Sixty percent of those who complete the bay swim only do it once. …
In one sense, this is a swim I would like to forget. I began and swim and did not complete it. But in another sense, this is a swim where hopefuly some lessons were learned that I can take away. We sometimes learn from our failures even more than our successes. …
2012 was the 25th anniversary of the Jim McDonald Lake Swim in Reston, VA. It was my third time to swim. I swam in the 5k (3.1 miles) event on Saturday, May 26th. There were also 1 and 2 mile swims on Sunday. I finished 68th out of 90 swimmers in the wetsuit division of the 3 mile swim with a time of 1 hour and 41 minutes. My pace per mile was 32 minutes and 52 seconds. I was reasonably pleased with my effort, although I had hoped to finish with a pace closer to 30 minutes per mile. It was a nice day to swim, although warmer than you would have preferred. I had planned to do the Sunday swims but due to the water temperature wetsuits were not allowed and I chose to skip. In in 3 swims combined there were nearly 800 swimmers. Jim McDonald is a popular and premier event and ably managed by the Reston Masters Swim Club president Gordon Gerson. …