Birthday Laps

I put in 5500 yards on my birthday, thinking that life is like a workout. Some years go by so quickly, you hardly remember them. Others are like swimming butterfly - a lot of work but a lot of fun. Some are like breaststroke - try as you might, you just can't get ahead. And others are a mixed bag of IMs, kicks, drills and sprints.

I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm probably in the best fitness of my life right now. If you had told my 18-year old self that I would be attempting to swim the English Channel in 30 years, I would have told you to sleep it off. I'm enjoying this particular slice of middle age. Paul and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, our daughter is in college (at least that's what she's telling us), work is going well and I'm blessed to have fantastic friends. Really - see for yourself!

I don't take any of this for granted. Working in a rehabilitation hospital lends itself to counting your blessings. I am very grateful to have the gift of each day even though I still complain once and awhile. It's what humans do.

There's not much new to report in the way of training. I've missed a workout here and there, but have managed to generally stick with my plan in spite of lots of holiday distractions. One of these was torch singing class - you know, like lounge singing. I channeled my inner Ella Fitzgerald and sang "Up on the Housetop" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" at Zen's Lounge. I hope that love will keep me warm from England to France!

For now, I'm getting in my swims, working hard at the office and enjoying the many indulgences of the holidays. Though I love this time of year, I'm also looking forward to getting down to the business of channel swimming training after the New Year. Life is about to get very simple: eat, sleep, swim, work. Repeat.

The Hours

Training takes up a lot of time -- time I could be sleeping in bed (especially around 5:30 a.m.) or watching TV (evening swims or kettlebell) or hanging out with friends or doing any number of things that don't involve being face down in the water for an hour or two. Add in the shower, dress and blow dry time and a 90-minute swim takes 2 hours. Which is a tiny drop in the bucket to what it will take me to cross the English Channel. I expect that will run 16-20 hours. And it's just around the corner - less than 8 months away.

Last Saturday, I swam 6 hours at the Y, stopping every half hour to swallow some carb drink and/or run to the bathroom. Last Sunday, I swam 2 hours and 20 minutes with my good friend Melissa at her fantastic Y in Council Bluffs. This week wasn't my best for morning workouts. I made it Tuesday morning, but fell into sloth and didn't swim again until Thursday evening. Friday morning was good. Saturday not too bad - swimming, yoga and a massage. Today, I swam Suzie Dod's 4-hour monster workout: 200s on the 3:20 for an hour, 200s on the 3:15 for an hour, 100s on the 1:45 for an hour and 100s on 1:40 for the last hour. I had to pad the intervals a bit for the last half hour of the fast 200s and 100s, but still felt good about my effort. I really liked that workout. I'm sure it helps increase speed and stamina.

I'm trying to figure out my spring training. I'll be increasing my time and distance during the week, but also need to fit in as much cold ocean swimming as possible. I'm thinking of Tampa in early February, but the water may not be cold enough to have a qualifying swim. I'd really like to knock that out if I can. San Diego or the east side of Florida would be alternatives. I'll do some more research and get it figured out. 

The cold acclimation continues to freak me out. I really hope I can get used to it. I haven't been taking cold showers like I should and I tend to forget to not wear a stocking cap and gloves outside. I need to find my inner Celtic Warrior Princess.

Meanwhile, we're getting ready to host Thanksgiving for my family next Sunday. Paul put the Christmas tree up and I decorated it so the house will look festive. We don't usually put the tree up before Thanksgiving, but since it's so late this year, Paul agreed to put it up for me :-) He's a good guy.

In the Middle

I made the decision to attempt the English Channel in late January of this year and shortly thereafter secured my July 19-27, 2014 tide with the Sea Leopard  I've been swimming toward this goal for 10 months and have 8 more to go until the big event. The middle of training is a lot like the middle of a marathon swim. I'm tired, but not defeated, and there's a long way ahead. I can't see the beginning behind me, nor the finish ahead of me. It's just one arm stroke after the next with nothing in sight. 

I'm trying to figure out my spring plan and I don't have a coach or pre-packaged plan to follow. There aren't a lot of English Channel aspirants in Nebraska, though I am fortunate to have some advice from Kris Rutford, the only Channel swimmer I know of conveniently located right here in Lincoln. Kris is in a league of his own. He's not only conquered the English Channel, he's also swum the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim about 28 times. He's swum it clockwise and counterclockwise - he's probably swum it with bells on, all 28-miles of it. And as if that weren't enough for a statue in the park, he's a totally nice guy. The kind who picks up trash on the sidewalk and throws it in a trash bin. The kind who helps people find directions. The kind who tells an already slightly overweight swimmer she should pack on another 10 pounds to acclimate for cold water swimming insulation.

So between Kris and the many accomplished swimmers on the Marathon Swimmers forum, I have access to people with knowledge and experience. But I still need to swim this damn thing on my own and be prepared for it as best I can. I'm not sure whether it would be better to have two 4-day ocean swimming trips in the spring or just one for a full week. I need as much cold, ocean swimming practice as I can get and I need to complete a 6-hour swim to qualify for the English Channel. Are my chances better with 2 short trips or one long one? I just don't know.

I have some time to figure this out and will keep pool swimming and weight lifting and cinnamon roll eating in the meantime. Just keep swimming.

Crewsing in Louisiana

One of the nicest benefits of swimming -- or of any hobby, really -- is getting to know other knuckleheads who enjoy your particular (or peculiar) interest. I have enjoyed meeting several wonderful, amazing and equally quirky people through the marathon swimmers forum and other websites for wet people. Tim Root was one of my early acquaintances on the marathon swimming forum. He was also registered for the Red River swim and didn't need to twist my arm too hard to talk me into the Pensacola 25K. In fact, he and his wife kindly invited me to join them and their family at their vacation rental home in Pensacola. Sweet! And, if you dig through the blog, you'll find my glowing recap of that weekend. Except for my rotator cuff impingement, it was a fantastic experience and my first official ocean swim race.

So, when Tim asked if Paul and I might like to help crew for his attempt to cross Lake Pontchartrain, it was a Big Easy answer - hell yeah. We hit the road after my swim practice on Wednesday morning and drove through 2 days of rain to get to New Orleans.

It was a pleasant coincidence that Tim's swim happened the weekend of Halloween. Halloween in the French Quarter? Don't mind if I do. It was as interesting as you might expect -- ghouls, gargoyles, vampires, Waldo, an entire chain gang from Orange is the New Black, most major political figures and everything in between. 

 

I sampled a very, very, very, very ridiculously expensive absinthe cocktail. Contrary to popular myth, there were no flying monkey sightings. It was OK. Mostly tasted like licorice, but with citrusy-herbal notes. For the same cost, I could have had a bottle of wine served by flying monkeys.



We enjoyed working our way through the Quarter and made it back to the hotel well before 10 am. Yup, we're pretty depraved.

On Friday, we dug into some grits and eggs and coffee at our delightful hotel, the Saint Marie, and then made our way to Tim and Amanda's house in Gonzales, a southern suburb of Baton Rouge. We met Tim's delightful parents and his kayakers, Mike and Aaron. Amanda's lobster bisque made a delicious ice breaker for us all before the swim.

We went to bed early so we could get a little bit of sleep before rallying at midnight. My alarm went off 90 minutes after setting it, we loaded the cars and headed for the starting point. 

Tim had quite an entourage: a 52 foot sailboat, 2 highly qualified kayakers and a search and rescue team occupying another motor boat and 2 jet skis. Ke$ha should have it so good. He started swimming in the dark of 3:15 a.m.

It was surprisingly cold. I had thought of bringing my fleece jacket, but then thought that would be overkill. It wouldn't have been. I tried to keep it in perspective and consider it a good acclimation exercise, but I still had to resort to my stocking cap and fuzzy gloves. I was cold.

The kayakers were managing the feeds, so we really didn't have a lot to do on the big sailboat. We tracked Tim's coordinates each half hour and napped a little here and there. I was the designated observer, but since Tim was swimming well behind us in the dark, that was an easy job.

After the sunrise, which was beautiful, things became much more interesting, but not in a good way. The wind had picked up and the waves were getting downright bumpy. Tim said he was getting cold, but still doing OK. The waves just kept getting higher and after another hour or so, Tim told one of his kayakers he was ready to get out. The kayaker then relayed that message to us on his radio.



When Tim made his way to the sailboat, I thought he looked surprisingly good. He said he was cold, but he articulated that perfectly. If you can actually put your lips together and form a coherent sentence, you're not THAT cold - at least not in the throws of hypothermia. The waves were the real issue. Our gigantic sailboat was popping up and splashing down continuously. Tim was getting beat up out there, but he agreed to keep going to the next feed.

I put on my swimsuit, thinking I'd buddy swim with him for awhile. But, I wasn't sure he wanted any assistance, which is totally marathon swimming legal, by the way. I thought I'd wait until he got a little closer to the bridge and then I'd radio his kayakers to see if Tim would like the company.

More than a half hour later, Tim called it and pulled himself up onto one of the jet skis. He made a great effort, there's no shame in his swim at all, but it still stings when the swim isn't finished. Tim was terribly disappointed, but also knew there was no other choice. The weather wasn't getting any better.

With the swim aborted, we regrouped and relaxed on the sailboat, finishing the proposed track to the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. The sun was up and we were finally warm, enjoying the powerful sailboat ride.

We arrived earlier than expected on the other side, which caused some logistical changes. It took awhile for Tim's friends to get their car and drive it to the landing spot, but it was actually nice to just hang out at the marina, checking out the beautiful boats and sitting in the sun.

That evening when we made it back to Tim and Amanda's, we dove into one of the best sushi dinners I've ever had. Who knew sushi out of an old Pizza Hut would be so divine?

The next morning, Paul and I thanked everyone for their kind and generous hospitality and started the 2-day road trip home. Thankfully, it wasn't raining this time. We spent the night with Paul's parents in Springfield, Missouri, and finished the last leg of the journey home the next day.

It was a great trip - full of adventure, time with great people and lessons learned. I told Tim he may need to approach the Pontchartrain swim like any major channel crossing - establishing a weeklong window and having a crew ready to go whenever the weather looks the best. He had his logistics down and a great support team, so I know he can and will do this when the time and weather are right.

Now, I'm focusing on my own training and trying to figure out when I'll get in some cold ocean swim time. Guess I'll put that on my Christmas wish list :-)

Keepin' on

A former Madonna patient and GOAL Award honoree, Garrett Girardin, has a saying I appreciate: "Keep on, keepin' on." It's a phrase that inspired me this week after my dismal performance in what I had hoped would be a long training swim at Branched Oak last week. I only lasted 2:40 out of a planned 9 hour swim. On the bright side, I now know I need to do more long swims in cold water. On the dark side, there's no cold water for training around here until next spring. I may be crazy, but I'm not swimming in 40-some degree water. 

So now it's time to focus on speed, technique, weight training and yoga. I'll put in some long pool swims and taper a little before the end of the year to avoid injury and get rested and pysched up for the big build after the first of the year. This week I did regular swims and enjoyed a gorgeous fall day of cycling out in the country with my friend Michaella to visit our other friend Julie. Sometimes, even when you keep on, keepin' on, you need to stop and smell the roses. Or, the cows in the fields.

The Cold Hard Truth

You know why fewer than 1500 people have successful swum the English Channel? Because it's freezing fricking cold. Other obstacles, like exhaustion, changing weather, jellyfish stings and medical emergencies are contributing factors, but I am pretty sure it's the cold that is the root cause of unfinished business.

I've put in some time in the backyard pool and swam in the lake last weekend and on Thursday afternoon. Thursday was gorgeous - sunny and warm with air temp of about 82 degrees, water temp of 60 and although I was shivering when I got out and for about an hour afterward, I felt pretty good. I swam nearly 2 miles in just a little over an hour.

So, I thought I'd give a long training swim a go. I had 2 friends and Paul who generously agreed to provide kayak support. I asked them each to do a 3-hour shift, hoping to get in a 9-hour training day.

What was I thinking? 

It was 45 degrees at the start, some wind, and mostly sunny skies. Water temp right at 60. As usual, it was a bit of a terror getting submersed in the water, but also as usual, I felt good once I got going. I followed Matt around the first point and we headed for the dam. I knew I was going faster than my normal pace, but I wanted to keep the furnace going and I felt like it was a pace I could handle.

At the first feed near the dam, things were going pretty well. I was chilly, but my core felt warm and I was trying to concentrate on things other than the temperature.

We passed the marina and a couple of boaters. I could hear their "that's crazy" comments telepathically. The sun was rising a little higher and I could sort of feel it on my back. I concentrated on my stroke and kept an eye on Matt, hoping the next feed wasn't too much longer.

At the second feed, Matt asked if I was doing OK and I said yes, which was mostly true. The waves were getting to me and I was starting to think that I wasn't going to make this, but maybe I could make it at least 4 hours. That became a new goal - at least make it through the transition with Tammy and get through another hour. These are not good plans to be making just one  hour into the swim.

We carried on, plowing through the rough water and making good time. At each breath, I'd glance up at the sky. It was a perfect blue - the kind of Nebraska skies we get on clear fall days. A few whispy clouds lit up in the sunlight and a flock of white birds gathered overhead. I'm not sure if they were seagulls or snow geese or something else.

I noticed my left hand was losing coordination. I tried to bring my fingers together but they wouldn't stick. I was clawing through the water. My right groin also started to act up. It does this every damn open water swim. I don't know if it's cold or fatigue or waves or what but it's totally annoying. It messes up my kick. Instead of kicking evenly, it turns into kick-drag-kick-drag. I feel like a mummy dragging one leg across the water.

Third feed. I'm trying to be a trooper and slam down the carb drink and get my bearings. We still need to cross the north part of the lake. These feeds go fast. I don't want to take too much time so I don't ask about my smokes or any of the usual chitchat. Head down, back to lopsided kicking and arms digging.

We cross that part of the lake and round another point to the last feed in the bottle. I'm bone chilled and my head is no longer in the game. I slam it down, breaststroke through a comfort stop and try to focus on my swimming without thinking about the temps. The water is rough again and I'm having some trouble getting a good breath every other stroke. I have a belly full of lake water.

After about 10 or 15 minutes, I breaststroke again to see where in the hell we are. Matt asks how I'm doing and I let him know I'm too cold to keep going, I'd like to go straight back to Area 1. I hate doing this. But, I was getting colder and I knew I wasn't going to get any warmer as time went on. I'd rather be able to swim to the beach than have to hang on to Matt's kayak while he paddles to the nearest side of the lake - which would inevitably be some nearly inaccessible place to reach by car.

I followed Matt as he pointed the kayak toward the beach and crossed the lake pretty quickly. Just like biking on country roads, the point you are trying to reach always looks closer than it is. At least the waves were going in our direction so I didn't have to fight them.

When we finally reached the beach, Tammy was there ready to go. She asked if I was OK and I told her I just got too cold. I felt badly to have her load up her kayak and come all the way out there only to turn around and go back home. I felt more badly that I so underestimated how hard this would be. I knew it would be cold but I had hoped my cold water dips would have been enough to get me acclimated. Total swim time, approximately 2:35.

I'm disappointed but not defeated. It was a good learning experience. I definitely need to spend more time in cold water. On the bright side, I was swimming faster and felt fine after the swim. I'm getting stronger, but still a long way from being ready for a 16-hour Channel swim. Gotta keep at it.

Diving into cold water

This was a big weekend of cold water swimming, which was much needed and not nearly enough, but at least it was a good "warm-up" for my long swim next Saturday.

Saturday, October 5, 2013
Put in my earplugs and pulled on my cap and goggles within the warm atrium of the indoor pool, then pushed the door open and ducked into the freezing cold wind to make my way to the outdoor pool. A frosty 48 degrees with chilling wind made getting into the pool an enticement. But what a shock to discover the outdoor pool was no longer heated! After a brief heart attack and hyperventilation, I just started swimming to get through it. Thank goodness for that little miracle of cold water swimming that makes the water seem much warmer after about 10 minutes of freestyle. The frigid air was biting my shoulders and my cheeks were getting chilly - all the more motivation to stay in and keep swimming. I must have made it look like an easy swim because a couple of guys, one after the other, came out and did a couple of laps, then, one after the other, they shouted something about it being freezing and they left. It really wasn't bad in the water, but once I got out - I felt like a human Popsicle. It took a long time to get over the shivers.

Sunday, October 6, 2013
Put in a 6000 yard swim at ProActive, knowing my lake swim would be brief. It was a cold, cloudy, windy and all around horrible day. But I wanted to get in practice on a rotten day. Who knows what kind of day I'll have when I get to Dover. I need to swim in the worst of the worst. This was a "worst."

Paul and I met Sarah at Area 1 and we got down to business: Cap, goggles, quick strip of our warm jackets and sweats, then walked quickly through the cold wind to the cold water. It was so cold, it sucked the breath right out of me. We swam to keep alive - or so it seemed. Sarah was smart and turned in when she knew she needed to. I kept swimming for another 10 minutes or so. I actually felt pretty good, even thought the waves were ridiculous and the wind was howling. I couldn't have kept that up for hours on end, but I'm pleased with how it went for the 18+ minutes I was in the water.

See the video!