We are three weeks away from the 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. After recent cortisone shots in my right shoulder and left wrist, lots of pool swimming and some open-water swims in Crownsville, Maryland, I seem to be ready—at least physically. At this point the hardest part is psychological. When you swim a pool practice, there are lots of distractions. You’re with other swimmers, so there’s the motivation of trying to keep up with those in your lane and the adjacent ones. There’s some socializing before and after, and that makes it fun. Despite some occasional questionable pool-water quality, you can see really well what’s around you as you go back and forth. The water is also calm. The coaches make the workouts interesting (usually), with sets that differ in distance, intervals, number of swims in each set, the stroke, and so on. And after an hour and a quarter, you’re done. None of this prepares you for the boredom that sets in for the Bay swim. It’s