Don't look back at Dover or it will never disappear...., don't look towards France

Wednesday September 29th
Air Temperature 64
Water Temperature 62-63 F
Location: Green River Reservior, VT

Overcast skies with breaks in the clouds to let the sun make a brief apperarance and trees sporting stunning red leaves were our backdrop today, "do you think this is peak folliage?" I ask Cara on the way to the reservior, it is beautiful out today, a strong breeze is blowing and it is warmer than in recent days, 70 degrees when we left Stowe, true to form it drops 6 degrees by the time we get to the boat launch, it is always 6-7 degrees colder at the reservoir, I have come to expect it. We load the kayak up with paddle, life jacket, rescue tube, thermos of tea and my feed bottle, a light load today as we are planning only a 1.5 hour swim.
 Time to drop in the trusty turtle thermometer to get a temperature check, "oh wise one tell me if I will have popsicle toes today" I think to myself as I drop the little guy in for his swim, 60 seconds later he is ready to spill the beans, I pick him up and study the readings, 63 degrees shoreline, the temperature drops as I get into the middle of the lake I am expecting to swim in 61-63 degrees today.
 Cara surveys the conditions, "calm in the inlet, midlake we will have rougher water", wise Cara she calls it that is how our swim plays out.

Cara paddles out and waits patiently for me to put in my earplus, swim cap on and goggles, then I inch slowly into the water, " think warm blanket, think warm blanket" I repeat to myself in my head, I take the plunge and once again my skin is pounded by the cold, it is like I am being thumped by a thousand fists all over my body..." warm blanket, warm blanket, I am wrapped in a warm blanket" I command my brain to listen, a few hundred meters of fast strokes and I settle down. Today  like the 10km race on Sunday I instantly fall into my forever stroke, my "performance zone", I feel good, even comfortable, my only issue is water swishing around in my goggles( right eye only) and some weird cramp feeling in my right heel, it is the 3rd time I have felt the heel cramp swimming and it is weird, like a stabbing pain in my heel that renders my right leg unwilling to kick.
 The good news is my core is warm and my stroke feels strong and relaxed, time to address my issues, I make a mental decision to ignore the foot cramp and the goggles, besides I can't stop for another 25 minutes or so so may as well get over it now. I focus on how good my arms feel and notice how my back is not cold, done....I forget about my issues, they are out of sight out of mind.
 Cara asked if I would like to swim to Picnic Island today, we have been avoiding it for the last few weeks as it is a little over a 3 mile round trip and a long trip back to the boat launch if I have the need to stop swimming for any reason. I jump at the chance " yes I love picnic island" and I do it is my favourite swim in the reservior, I know every tree line on the way down and back, I know where it gets shallow and deep, where the water chops up and where the cold water springs make the water temperature drop, I know it like the back of my hand and I am beside myself with excitement to take one last trip to picnic island this year and check out the fall colors while I go.
 The first 30 minutes is fast, we are nearly to the Island in just 30 minutes, it usually takes me 40 minutes, an increase in my swim speed often happens to me after racing and today is no exception. I practice gulping my feed, the reservior drinks more than I do and I am off again, around the island, we are on the return leg of the picnic island loop and swimming into the wind, this makes the water choppy and erratic, every stroke I am pulling hard, I am curious to know where I am, I lift my head higher than usual to breath to get a look at the tree line, darn too far out to see, I try again to get my bearings and resign to the fact that I am not going to leaf peep today, sigh.
 We stop for feed # 2, one hour, " we are going around bluberry Island" Cara announces, I feed and I resume swimming, " sneaky little toad adding in extra distance" I think to myself, I wasn't planning on that, well played Cara" I think to myself as I continue to swim while working on changing the messages I had been sending to my brain about being on the way back to the boat launch, new message brain," it is not time to go in we have another island to go around,  round that and then it is time to cruise in", I am feeling relaxed, knowing I have swum faster than in past swims and feeling good in the water, I can feel my feet, hands and have not had to drink hot tea at my feeds today.
I get impatient " Where is that second island?" I  take a peak, we round the island, it is shallow, I take it wider than usual to avoid scrapping the bottom, in my mind we have made it and I cruise and do not paying attention to Cara, I drift left, she tries to get my attention but I continue to drfit left, she slaps her paddle, it gets my attention immedialtely and I get back on task, my stroke count lowers and I decide to once more look up a few times to see where I am, Cara is not pleased with me and gives me a build speed sign to get back me back on task, it works and I pick up the stroke count the remainder of the way to the shore.
 It was a good swim, I worked harder than I had before while swimming the pinic Island loop, our home stretch pace from Blueberry Island to the boat launch was slower but it was good, thanks to Cara's attentativeness that I was able to refocus and pick up the pace to swim into the shore.
Todays swim 1 Hour 26 minutes 61-63 degrees = best effort in cold water to date....Good stuff.

 Lessons learned today:
I need a new hand signal for when my stroke gets slow and I begin to drift, when I see it I will know my support team are telling me to..... " tidy up mate, tidy up"

To follow is a tip from many who have made the English Channel crossing:
Don't look back at Dover ( England)....or it will never disappear, don't look forwards to France....it will never appear ......Gulp, no more peaking.


Cara at the boat launch



Flat River Reservior 10km Challenge

Sunday September 26th: Flat River Reservoir Warwick Rhode Island
Air Temperature 59 degrees
Water Temperature 68-70

On the road by 7:00am, destination Warwick RI, armed with a map quest printout of directions and  my Blackberry Navigator GPS we still managed to get slightly of course, correct road and exit just a minor detail of going south instead of north, amazing how one simple word  can have such a snowball effect, ours was an extra 40 minutes travel time and missing the race check in time. I focused on not stressing about it, " stay relaxed, it will be fine, I am ready to go", I say quietly to myself ,  I call the event director and let him know we are in the area, he is super cool about us being detained, "no problem, you have plenty of time" he says, we arrive at 8:35, the event is due to start at 9:00am, we unload our supplies into the Kayak, one hot thermos filled to the brim with hot tea, a plastic bag containing a warm hat, pants, gloves and wind breaker to be used if I have to get out early, chap stick for dry, cracked lips, throat lozenges in case of a dry mouth and finally my feed bottles, I have 2 new feed containers that I am excited to test today, they have a wide mouth and are a flip top bottle, no more straw feeds which take longer to drink from, I am excited to pull off a faster feed stop, my goal for this swim is to get my feeding down, I plan to take in 250mls of liquid fuel in 20-30 seconds. My last feeds have been 1-2 minutes and time adds up, the costs can be great. Feeding needs a great deal of thought, for example 3 minute feeds every hour for the first 2 hours then 3 minute feeds every 30 minutes will add over an hour to a twelve hour swim, the English Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation recommends feed time to be less than one minute, Ned my mentor told me to go 20-30 seconds and to "gulp that feed down", I am on it, today is going to be a chug fest.
 Kayak support is ready to go, Jeff my husband is my kayak support today, we have our plan of attack down, a stroke count every 15 minutes, at 20 minutes a sign for me to build my speed, at 25 minutes a hand signal to pickup the pace for 5 minutes until my feed stop. We are off, Jeff navigates to get right by my side quickly, I instantly leap into my regular quick first few hundred meters and size up the scene, water is feeling balmy, wow how can 68 degrees feel this good, I feel like I am swimming with that pink poofy dressing gown on and the possum hat, I am feeling toasty and it gives me strength and power, I am immediately relaxed, gliding through the water in a fish like fashion. I try to focus in on what thoughts are buzzing around in my head but there is nothing I am already in the ever elusive "performance zone" the "here and now "that so many athletes struggle to stumble into, today for me it is as easy as diving in, my body is on automatic pilot, driving forwards one stroke after the other instinctively and it feels great, I sit back and enjoy the ride. My only thought now is to relax and enjoy the moment, I estimate the race to take 2 hours and 45 minutes, maybe 3 hours depending the conditions, I want to savour every minute I think to myself, "this will be over before I know it and I don't want to miss a beat", I am right it goes fast.
 The course is 2 laps, each lap is 5km ( 3.1 miles) we head up the reservoir, at the turn around we encounter wind and choppy water, it slows me down and I have to pull hard, around the turnaround buoy and it is into the current, Ray the event director mentioned there would be a current in the middle of the reservoir, he was right and I loved it, I imagined battling the currents in the English Channel, this is great training I thought as I swam.
 My first feed felt lightening fast, it was not Jeff said it was my slowest, subsequent feeds he tells me were around 30 seconds, I was happy as my feeds were much quicker than previous swims and I didn't throw up! When my mentor was giving me advice on food choices for feeding he said " pick something that you don't mind the taste of when you throw it up", not an issue today as all my feed stayed down, phew!
 Lap one complete, I command myself not to " rubber neck" today, no looking at other swimmers, this is about a training swim for you, I can't help myself  I notice another swimmer about 25 meters ahead of me at the turn around, hmmm..... I love a good race, I pick up my pace, I am gaining, slowly but steadily. I have increased my strength training over the last 6 weeks to build some muscle, I have read from another English Channel swimmer that muscle adds insulation. I can feel that increase in muscle add power to my stroke as I add power to each pull. We reach the turnaround of the final lap just over 1.5 miles to go and I feel great, still in the ' zone" I stroke past the swimmer who I have been chasing but it is 30 minutes and time for my feed, I stop, drink a quick 20 second " chug", as I begin to swim I say to Jeff " this is my last feed', he looks pleased and we are off, we quickly catch up to the swimmer in front of me, she has a good pace and I am pleased she is there to push me to swim stronger, I can't see her but see her Kayaker and mine, it seems like the kayakers are racing not the swimmers, her Kayaker is in front, them mine moves forward, they jockey about and finally I drive in harder and we pull away a mile to go. I hold my 74 strokes per minute not daring to let up, if you go by someone you better be prepared to hold it. Jeff gives me my 25 minute pickup signal I do the math in my head, always the control queen I figure out I am at 2 hours 25 minutes, I must be within 15-20 minutes of the finish, I wa right, 2 Hours, 39 minutes and 23 seconds I am on the shore, my personal best 10km time , I am pleased. Kate arrives in with a time of 2 hours 40 minutes and 15 seconds a great swim, we high five, I enjoyed swimming with her today, a great swimmer and competitor.
 I am unsure if there was another swimmer who finished before me, I am not concerned as my focus today was fast feeding, as it turned out I got to race too, I love to race, it was fun!
 Merino sweater on, fuzzy sweatpants, hot tea and a chat to Ray who organised the race. Turns out he is booked to swim the English Channel in 2012 the same dates as I am, we  later discover that I am booked with the same pilot as him, he is the 2 way ( double crossing) that I am booked after, I am excited to meet someone that is also training for the  English Channel and will be in Dover, England the same time as me, a good day for sure. Ray and I chat he crossed the EC in 2009 and shares some useful tips with me. Then it is awards and off home, it turns out I came in 1st place, that was of course not the highlight, meeting another EC swimmer and gulping down the feeds was top class today. Next up back to Vermont, the cold water training continues as the temperatures continue to drop and the leaves fall from the trees, brrrrr..... Green River Reservoir coming up Wednesday September 28th, wrap up it's going to be a cold one!
 I 'll keep you posted.

Ripe Tide Rules

Saturday September 25th the day of the Triathlon
 Location: Sachuest Beach ( second beach), Newport RI
 Air Temperature 68 degrees, Water temperature 65 degrees.

 After arriving from Vermont late last night we are up early for the 6:00am check in for the race, I am scheduled to swim the 750 meter swim leg of the Triathlon, followed by a 12 mile bike and 5km run completed by my teammates Claire and Jacki.
 Our plan this morning is to pick up our race packs early, then go back to Jacki's house ( just a few minutes drive from the beach ) and fuel up with hot tea, banana on toast and a protein drink.
 When we arrive at the beach to check in at 6:00am it is still dark, a gusty warm wind blowing and the waves loudly crashing in the background. We struggle to see as we sign up for our one day US Triathlon Membership," be sure to sign both places on the form " says the guy collecting the forms, due to the darkness I can't read what the form says but know it must have something to do with liability
  " participation may result in bodily harm or death"
 We pick up our race bags ( check), scope out the transition area ( check ), get our race numbers( check), walk down the beach to view the swim course ( problem) , the waves are crashing angrily into the shore and the swim course is not marked.
 I ask a volunteer if she knows where the swim start is, " they may have to cancel the swim" she says. Shortly after the loud speaker blasts information about start times and swimmer waves. OK we think we are good. We head back to the house refuel and return to the beach at 7:15am, the team swimmers are due to go off at 7:45am, perfect timing I think.
 As we pull into the parking lot we see Ray a pro who is racing today, " swim is cancelled, it is a day for the land sharks" he announced through the car window. Those who are not strong swimmers are saved, the surf is rough and they would be at a disadvantage if they had to navigate today's conditions in the water, the Triathlon is a different ball game today and one more favoured to those strong on the bike and run.
 For me I am out....No Swim Portion No Race,  RATS I wanted to play, Jacki and I regroup within minutes, we both knew what we each had to do, Jacki had to go race with our team mate Claire and me, the solo swimmer had to go get my cold water training swim in.
I have already decided I was going to swim regardless of the swim being cancelled due to the rip tide, 3 foot waves and water that was choppy from the wind.  A quick calculation, no one to swim or paddle with me = problem, I drive back to the house to ask my husband Jeff if he will be my eyes and walk along the beach while I swim, he agrees, " how do I help you if you get in trouble ?" he asks, "make call for a rescue" I replied.
 We park at the end of second beach, two piece Tankini, cap and goggles I am ready to go, I walk into the water sizing up the situation, breaking waves rolling in, I am going to have to get out to swim beyond those crashing waves, I move further out diving under the waves as I go, the water is 65 degrees and feels great, I am quickly out past the breakers and amongst the surfers, " Hey the water's warm today" says a friendly surfer sitting up tall on his board waiting for his next wave, " sure is" I reply, I notice the thick full length wetsuit, he must be cooking in that thing I think to myself. I am feeling surprisingly good in the 65 degree water today, the 58 degree 2000 yard swim in the lap pond that I had on Thursday is making the ocean feel like a warm pool.
 I swim parallel to the beach, I am being jostled about like a cork, bobbing up and down as I swim, I am swimming a few hundred meters offshore to avoid the bigger crashing waves, yet I am still encountering white caps, some crash on me, others I have to abort my breath to the side to avoid inhaling a mouthful of salt water, a fake breath, I put my head down for a few more stroke cycles without getting air then try again. I lift me head occasionaly to sight Jeff, the waves are too big, I can't see him and can barely make out the beach, " I wonder if he can see me " I think, I make it down to the end of the beach and turnaround, I begin the return swim, I feel strong and comfortable in the water today. On the way back the waves are more frequent and I notice how much I am drifting left away from the shore, I have to pull harder to stay in sight of the shore, I am making good ground and am super excited to run into a number of " clear jellies", not the stinging jelly fish but never the less still slimy feeling like jello, good training for me to navigate. The waves get bigger, some of them are picking me up and tipping me on my side and back.
 Today's wind is an on shore wind, making the waves closer together only 6 seconds apart and the water choppy, there is also a rip tide, a current pull under the surface water that sweeps across the beach and out. Today it is pulling me away from the beach and I have to dig deep and pull hard with each stroke to stay in sight of the shore, I am drifting out and change tactics now sighting every few strokes to stay better on course, it works and I am a few hundred meters out from my exit point. The swim in is hard, I have to fight the current, I weave in and out of the surfers and body surf a few waves in. One hour and ten minutes, 2. 4 miles and the swim is complete, I am pleased.
 Jeff said I looked strong on the way down and slowed down on the way back, fighting the current I told him, " could you see me I asked?', ' I would see you, then a wave would break and I would lose you, then see your arms spinning as you stroked through the water".

 I dried off, wrapped up and then off to see how the Triathlon team feared in the bike and the run, then it was relaxing on the beach followed by lunch, yoga, packing up for tomorrow's 10km swim and two big steaks for dinner. The temperature is due to drop overnight, how will the water be tomorrow in the Flat River Reservoir where the 10km swim is being held? I'll keep you posted.

Second Beach Training Swim

Shut Up Swim, Feed & Repeat

Tuesday September 21st, on the Open Water menu today: 3 miles Open Water Acclimatization

I had already decided that I was doing more than 3 miles when I woke up this morning, I was going to swim longer than I did on Saturday and I was going to like it. Since Saturday I have had a number of emails from my mentor Ned he is based in Ireland and has crossed the English Channel and has had 6 Hypothermic experiences, each with it's own lesson, one ending him up in hospital after completing a solo crossing of Santa Barbara Channel in 59 degree Fahrenheit water which he described  as strong hypothermia ( the photo taken in the hospital shows Ned smiling)
 I am now armed with some helpful information regarding Open Water swimming and hypothermia, and a nifty graph that shows the probability of death from hypothermia at certain temperatures and different length of times. I read the graph and scope out today's swim, hmmm....64 degrees for 2 hours, the graph shows death from hypothermia as being highly improbable, cool,  I can relax when I swim today it is improbable that I am going to die, I feel comforted in reading this, I believe it, now I am going to work on convincing my primitive brain, the survival brain that overrides all cognitive thought and screams you are going to freeze your ass off and die, get out now, alert , alert , alert!
 The scientific stuff ( from Ned )
Mild Hypothermia: Core Temperature falls below 37C TO 30-35
Shivering & Blue skin, slower stroke rate, heading away from the boat and can't go 30 minutes without stopping, UMBLES, this means mumbles , stumbles and grumbles, brain goes funny, if you are asked your name it might takes you 10 seconds to reply.

Severe Hypothermia
Core Temperature falls below 30C
No shivering, No feeling Cold
MEGA MUMBLES, STUMBLES, GRUMBLES
Skin temperature like a corpse, only a rectal thermometer works
Next Step Cardiac Arrest

Feeling better yet? Funnily enough as I drive to the Reservoir I am feeling better, hungry for taking this swim on," grabbing the bull by the horns " and checking this new knowledge and mental space out.
 I am meeting Paula and Deb who are my support today, Deb is kayaking and Paula is swimming, both Paula and I have swum already today in Masters practice, we had a good set of 200s SCM on the 3:00 interval, a good pace for me toady, starting at 2minutes 50 sec for the first 200 meters and descending to a fast 2:38, I am pleased feeling long and relaxed in the water. I dream of feeling the same comfort I feel in the pool today when I am swimming in 64 degree water.
 We meet at the canoe launch, load the boat, discover we are short a paddle, a quick mini ride to Dusty's to swipe a paddle from her garage and we are ready to go, the water temperature is 64 degrees.
 A new trick today, a tip from my mentor, baby oil on the shoulders and arms helps reduce the chill from the cold north wind. I am equipped with a massive bottle of baby oil, Paula lathers me up, it smells great, a blast from the past, memories of putting this stuff on as a teenager and sneaking up onto the roof of the boarding house where I went to school in New Zealand to " crack a tan", a lot has changed, these days it is factor 85, no sun lotion today except on my face, cloudy and 53 degrees, very little chance on sunlight let alone warmth from the sun.
 We are off, I dive in and get going with my usual fast few 100 strokes, then I relax, turn down the volume in my brain and just swim. It felt a million times better than my "Saturday freak out swim". I wasn't frightened, I focused on my breath imagining I was practicing Yoga and each breath was creating heat and energy in my body, it worked a charm, I was able to enjoy looking at the red leaves on the trees and Picard, Deb's " Russell Sprout" 4 month old puppy, last time he slept the whole swim being showered by waves and drips from the paddles, today he is alert, I see him sitting up sporting his "Picard "bright orange life jacket, when we stop to feed he licks my finger and gives it a little bite, checking to see if I am alert.
 The first 30 minutes a strong pace, 70 strokes/ minute, I build to a 72, we round a corner into the waves, I "love the waves" they warm me, before I know it we are at another feed, I thought it was a feed, I misread one of Deb's signals and like a dog looking for scraps from the dinner table I was over at the boat ready to be fed, I took the feed 10 minutes early without knowing until after, no big deal we were off again. Deb piloted well today, we worked together better than our last outing, she navigated me smoothly  around islands and inlets, through waves and flat water, we were a good team today.
 Paula swam strong and headed to shore after 50 minutes, she felt good and was swimming great but felt if she dropped behind I would get cold waiting for her at my feeds, she was right, an unselfish move and the right one, I was grateful for here intuition. It was harder for Paula than me today, although she has a wetsuit and fins I had Deb by my side, Paula did not and had to sight forwards to see Deb, a tough way to swim , I have had to follow a kayak before, it is hard both physically to have to yank your head up to sight and mentally it sucks, you feel like whatever you do can't keep up.

 Third feed, I drink my feed, Deb says we are heading in and I listen and follow, I know we have swum longer than 3 miles, i can tell by the feeds we have had, my stroke slows on the swim back to the canoe launch, 64 strokes/ minute Deb tells me afterwards, no less I felt good on the way in, my gut feels warm, I can feel both my hands, the baby oil helped my arms and shoulders today and my feet have feeling. There are times during the swim I remember thinking I feel warm, times I felt cold too, but more importantly today I felt confident, that I wasn't going to die and how am I going to get out of here, instead I leaned down into the water, last time I swam pulling out! One hour 48 minutes we reach dry land and I am pleased, 3 minutes longer than Saturday.
 I exit the launch possum hat on, Deb's towel wrapped around me ( I forgot my towel today, what a womble!) , then a jog, it felt like a jog to the mini, suit off, fuzzy warm winter leggings on along with Burton zip up under layer and the Merino sweater on top, Possum lid and furry slippers, agghhh pure bliss.
 Into the car, engine on, heated seats blasting and " hot tea"...rats I'm out, note to self, two thermos next trip!
  Tonight I had a 40 minute phone conference with my mentor, lots of helpful stuff, short and sweet what I left the meeting with was  HEAD DOWN SHUT UP SWIM, FEED & REPEAT.

Next up Rhode Island this weekend, my friend Jacki needs a swimmer for a Triathlon relay team on Saturday, it is a half mile swim course, I of course said " yes, love to help out" it will be fun to play in the water with other swimmers, I am sure I will be one of the few not sporting a wetsuit, the appeal of wearing a wetsuit if it is allowed is for warmth,the water will be 66 degrees so it will provide insulation, it also gives you a considerable speed advantage, giving you buoyancy and lift. Am I wearing a wetsuit....NO I promised myself back in May after that 52 degree swim that was the last time I would wear a wetsuit, it is not condusive to my EC Crossing goal, will I wish i had the extra speed advantage YES! Just have to push it out the old fashion way, English Channel rules apply to everything I swim for the next 23 months!
 Also coming up this weekend a 10km Open Water event called the Champions Challenge at Flat River Reservoir in Rhode Island, temperature low to mid 60s, NO Wetsuits, I am excited others like me to swim with, How will it go? I am sure it will be an adventure and I will meet some cool people in my travels, I'll keep you posted!



Newport Rhode Island 2nd Beach Location of Triathlon Swim , photo by Jacki Schriber Lane



Training Speed Bump

Saturday, September 18th, I awoke to a still, foggy morning, I walk outside to get the  paper from the mailbox, the air temperature is in the high 30's, hope it warms up fast I think, I am scheduled to leave home at 9am, drive 20 minutes to pick up Cara and then off the the Reservoir. It is damp and cold, I shiver loading my supplies into the suburban. The scheduled swim today was 6 hours, things have cooled down faster than I anticipated this fall, when I set this goal, it was a late add in, added into the goal list a mere few weeks ago, an "ignorance add " I now call it on reflection.
 I talk to Cara Friday the day before the swim," I don't know that this swim fits in with our current priority of cold water training I say", she agrees, unsure what is appropriate we both agree we will shorten the swim to 4 hours. I am not relaxed, the morning of the swim I am anxious and unsettled, a strange new feeling comes over me that morning, it is a lack of confidence, new and unusual for me.
We arrive at the lake, I forget a key component of our supplies, the feed bucket that we store all my feeding supplies in on the kayak, " that's it " Cara says, " this is the last time you are in charge of packing up the supplies", she is right, I am scattered, like a rookie who has never prepared for an Open Water swim before. We make do,we drop off the boat at the canoe launch, the reservoir is busy today, for the first time this summer we have to drive up to the upper parking lot to park the suburban, this is going to be a long walk back to the car after the swim I  note.
 I have  a new post swim plan today to solve the problem of having difficulty getting my clothes back on post swim when I am shaking as my body tries to warm up, the plan involves a large, poofy over sized dressing gown that I am going to cover up with to walk down to the shore and wrap up in after my swim, I look like I am mentally ill and may have just escaped from the  psychiatric ward of a mental health hospital.
I am wearing a ridiculously expensive but incredibly warm possum fur hat which was a gift from my brother, I always like to buy something " New Zealand" to bring back to the US each time I visit down under, in 2003 it was a possum fur hat, how could I forget NZ wearing this furry lid during the cold Vermont winter? As I walk to the canoe launch  I am sporting the pink poofy dressing gown, winter shoes,  my " proud to be Kiwi" black swim cap, ear plugs and goggles. The ear plugs mean I can't hear myself speak and talk louder than usual, as we walk down to the shore I am talking to Cara super loud, no question about it I look and sound odd! Usually I find people friendly, they often want to strike up a conversation with me, ask a question or just share a story, today no one dares to make eye contact with me let alone start a conversation, I giggle this is  funny today I am officially a " freak"!
 Cara doesn't mind a bit, she is loyal, right there by my side, there is method to our madness, a reason for what we are doing and why we look the way we do, she is dressed in her Ithaca rugby jacket,  pants, winter hat and rubber boots,  I make a mental note to myself, I must not judge others by the way they look or act, I may not have the information and knowledge to know why  someone is behaving in a way that seems unusual to me, respect others and what they are setting out to achieve , I make a mental note, done.
 Cara sets off in the boat, today the turtle thermometer says 62 degrees, I gingerly edge into the water, my heart is thumping in my chest, it seems to take me hours to get in today, I dive under and am off, agghhhh this is uncool, I swim fast, my strokes are short and choppy, a few hundred meters goes by and I am still tight and tense, I try to relax but am frightened that if I slow down I will feel the cold more, I read this week of a channel swimmer who got very cold a few hours into his English Channel crossing, he saw a dark object moving under him in the water freaked out that it was a shark and started swimming fast, running on adrenaline, it warmed him up, snapped him out of his depression doldrums. Today this is my approach, I  swim fast, it does not work well, I burn through so much energy on this fast inefficient stroke and from my anxiety. I am freaking out about 4 hours in the water today, I have done 4 hours before but not in this cold, I do not know what to expect, it is cold and I feel like I am going to throw up. 30 minutes goes by and I stop for a feed, Cara notices my stroke, " your strokes are short, you are high in the water, 72- 74 strokes per minute, take it easy and relax" , it is good advice, I try to relax and slow down, as soon as I stretch it out my head is consumed again by the threat of cold, the unknown, what will it feel like if my body shuts down, if my core gets too cold? How will I make it back to the boat launch? Am I  too far from the freaky pink bath robe?, I keep  asking myself the question over and over.
 The one hour feed arrives Maxim and hot tea, I take too long to feed wasting valuable time, the longer I am not moving the colder my body gets. I shout to Cara " I think I have 30 minutes left in me" , I swim on, the reservoir has cold water springs in it, the water temperature dives in spots, it is painful to swim through, I long to get by the cold patches. When we started the swim the air temperature was 48 degrees and the sun was out, I kept thinking when it warms up Cara will take off her woollen hat, it will get better, it didn't Cara's hat stayed firmly pulled over her ears, the wind picked up, it was cold. The choppy water was good, it warmed me up when I swam into the waves and it felt good, today we were swimming a 40 minute loop so we could access the boat launch if we needed to exit at any time, it would only take us 20 minutes to get the the shore.  We went around Blueberry island, it was shallow and the water a little warmer, I scrapped the bottom and laughed, I smiled at Cara, it always make me laugh when I nearly beach myself. Then we were at the 1 hour 30 minute feed, Cara asked "one more lap or back to the boat launch? "that was all I needed, back to the launch I spat out and I was off, I felt like I was swimming fast, Cara tells me my strokes were slow and erratic, 62-64 strokes per minute. Was I losing it, losing function, absolutely not I had  checked out mentally, I was consumed with getting back to the canoe launch and out, it will feel so good pulling on the pink robe and  the possum fur hat I thought as I swam to the shore, it did not feel good, I was disappointed with the swim and cross that I got out prematurely, I knew I could have swum a few more strokes, another 5 minutes, another lap even. We packed up the kayak our supplies and were off home. I felt deflated and down the rest of the day, "how can I even consider taking on the English Channel if I couldn't make today's swim?", I ask myself.
 When I got home my 10 year old daughter asked me what was wrong, I was not pleased with my swim today I told her, "why" she asked, I planned to swim 4 hours today and only swam 1 hour 45 minutes I said, " was anyone else swimming today" she asked,  "no I said it was 62 degrees when we started too cold for people today"," but you swam today, how long have you swum in that temperature before" she asked, " one hour 15 minutes " I replied, " that's great that' makes today your best yet!" she said, she was right!
 I regrouped, licked my wounds and went back to the drawing board, what went wrong? I went over all my training swims and a past email from one of my mentors about setting goals every 3 months, reviewing training plans and making changes when necessary, how did I forget this one?,  I shake my head as I ask myself the question.
 I decide to turn adversity into advantage and go over the lessons learned from the less than pleasing training swim. The  lesson.....smaller steps and realistic goals, I went over all my Open Water swims this year and saw that I had only swum under 65 degrees 4 times before Saturday's swim! I was not prepared or ready for a 6 hour swim in  62-64 degree water, I would have been better reviewing the plan and making a change to a more suitable and achievable  2 hr swim, I mentally checked out of the 4 hour goal before I got in the water, I wasn't prepared and knew it.

 Where to now, I am on track to keep with the 1 hour, 1.5 hour and 2 hour exposures to cold this fall, I have sent my two mentors an update of my training and questions about how to best tackle my cold water training this fall, they have done the training and made the crossing, I trust their advice, last but not least after a rest today  I am back in the saddle tomorrow, pool training Monday and Tuesday, I return to the lake on Wednesday. How will my next lake swim feel? I'll keep you posted.

Lap Pond ~ Early morning Dip

Thursday September 16th ~ Today on the training menu  is a double swim, an early morning 4000 yard outing in the lap pond, followed by a short drive to a 2000m Pool workout.
 I awake at my usual 5:15am time to the sound of heavy rain and pull the covers firmly up around my neck for a few seconds before I launch out of bed to get my gear together for my early morning dip. I am an  "up and at em girl", I hit the ground running.
 It got cold last night, colder than it has been since the early spring, the air temperature is 46 degrees as I drive to the lap pond, it is a calm morning, overcast skies and a definite chill in the air, as I drive across the field two young deer are grazing, they look up at the car then continue to graze, after a few more moments they decide the field is not big enough for my green mini wagon and the two of them, they dart across the field and leap into the air just feet in front of my windscreen, exciting today already even without the swim I think to myself as I pull up to park at the top of the hill, from here it is just a short 25 meter walk down to the pond.
 The pond is steaming, good sign I think that means the water is warmer than the 46 degree air temperature. I walk down to water and put my turtle thermometer in for a swim to let me know what I am dealing with today with regard to the cold. I scan the surroundings, the canoe that marks my turnaround at one end is still in place, the raft that marked my turnaround at the other end has drifted, rats I have to move that back so I can sight, I drag the raft back down to the shallow end of the lap pond, it takes a few minutes which is long enough for the turtle to give me a temp check and for my toes to start to turn white from the cold, time to get moving I think as I hurry to situate my post swim clothes on a rock near the pond ready for my exit after the swim is complete.
 The water is 61 degrees,  the air46 degrees, I think how much warmer the water will feel than the air today, I am wrong, the water feels like a thousand needles piercing my skin as I swim my first lap, why did I declare swimming twenty 200s today, I curse myself for doing so and quickly decide that taking 10-15 seconds rest between each 200 yard lap was out of the question, I will have to keep moving to have any chance of enduring this.
 I am concerned about swimming too fast, when I do I tend to pull left and I am not interested in swimming into the dock if I deviate off a direct route from the raft to the canoe and back, lap one, lap two, lap three, lap four, this is OK I think to myself, 20 may not be as bad as I first thought, lap five, lap five, lap five, did I already count lap five  I think to myself,  I'm not sure, another lap goes by as I am going back over the swim to figure out where I am at, OK  I decide straight to lap 6, if I miscounted it will be extra distance and extra good training I justify to myself and keep swimming.
 Lap nine, this is tough, I forgot to put my ear plugs in and my head is feeling the cold, lap 10 can I finish 20 laps? I talk myself into swimming just 2 more, number thirteen arrives and I am still swimming, soon it is number nineteen and my last lap is within my reach, I turn for the final lap, the sun has reached the far end of the pond saluting me, I lap it up feeling a glimmer of warmth on my back as I head for home sun on my shoulders, my final lap is complete, I look at my watch as I climb out, 58 minutes, 30 seconds, a good swim.
 I struggle to pull on the Merino jacket, pants and a hat, the 25 meter walk to my car seems like a hike up a mountain, I fire up the mini, heat on high, heated seats on high, then it is hot tea from my thermos and I am off to my pool swim. I am shaking uncontrollably as I park, I sit for another 10 minutes in the car. I can get back in the water, I can, I tell myself over and over,  the last thing I want to do is get wet again but I know the water is a balmy 81 degrees and it is Cara's birthday swim workout, I promised  her I would swim,  I am late but I make it for the last half of the workout. I get in the water, it feels like a hot tub yet I am still frozen, 10 x 50's Cara shouts followed by a 50 fly, swim fast, I am off instinct kicks in and I push hard, 10 minutes later with my heart rate up, we blow out the final 50 butterfly, I have finally warmed up, in fact I am over heating, I am too hot!
  Training swim complete, was it hard YES, today's lesson learned?
" Very few things are impossible to achieve if we put our minds to it, there is nothing more powerful than a mind made up" quote from English Channel Swimmer 2010
 Tomorrow's task : Green River reservoir Cold water Acclimatization
 Training Crew Member  sporting a Kayak and lots of supplies = Cara
Calling for 32 degrees tonight, chilly water predicted tomorrow, but isn't that what we want!
 I'll keep you posted

  The Lap Pond, a view of the shallow end and dock.

Beach Attire? Merino Wool & Slippers

Wednesday September 15th, where is that Indian summer? Today it is rainy, the sky is black and it is 53 degrees, it looks more like Halloween than one of the last days of summer, last night brought heavy rain and thunderstorms with a low of 40 degrees, the water is sure to be cold, every time I say this at home my son replies " Mum isn't that what you want", no one says it like a kid and he is right! I am reminded of the saying " watch what you wish for, you might just get it!" I know it is going to take more than a wishbone to get me ready to attempt the English Channel, it is going to take  backbone and today is no exception.
 2pm is our scheduled rendezvous at the Green River reservoir, I arrive and walk down to the  canoe launch with all my swim gear in a large soft grey cooler, wearing cotton sweat pants, flip flops, a T- Shirt and my hoodie, inside my bag are mittens, my hat, a towel, goggles, cap and other bits & bobs like sunscreen, body glide and chap stick to name a few. I am getting chilly already, I begin regretting not making the adjustments to the cold day and bring a blanket and some heavier clothing for after the swim, " she'll be right " I say to myself a good old Kiwi saying, I'll tough it out!
 Paul, Cara and Deb all members of my EC my training crew are with me today, I couldn't feel luckier or more supported, both Paula and Cara are willing to swim in wet suits with me in the 64 degree water, I am wearing my Tankini and Deb is bundled up and in her Kayak, the emerald eyes cat statue is strapped to the front of her boat and there is a new team member with us today, Deb's new dog Paquite, a puggle I think, he is equipped with a puggle sized life jacket, he is small and jolly looking with eyes that melt your heart, how can I say no to this little guy if I have a thought of bailing out from today's swim, I have to go!
 We all meet on the shore, I show them the new course on the map, it is a 3 lap course,  out to Blueberry Island and back 3 times for a total of 3.3 miles. The plan is to stop after each lap for " a spot of tea" as we say in New Zealand, Deb has the thermos and is ready to go, she is also going to count my strokes at the 15 minute mark and give me a build speed signal at 20 minutes and a pickup sprint at 25 minutes, oh and did I mention she was going to paddle with Paquite on her lap while she does all this  while I am swimming, I have told you before Deb can do anything and she did a fine job piloting me today!
 We are off, I have a new "add" to my equipment bag today, ear plugs, I have been meaning to get some for weeks but kept forgetting, they keep the water out of your ears help reduce heat loss from your head, they really made a difference and everything was less noisy, the water is really loud when you are swimming,
 the down side is when we stopped at the end if each lap today I could hear little to no words from my training crew, Cara was talking to both Deb and Paula at our tea break, I felt like I was watching a silent movie and desperately wanted to know what the chatter was all about!
 Lap one was good, cold at first then I warmed up, the air temperature and wind were cold on my arms and shoulders, I keep driving my entire head under water to warm it up as the water was warmer than the air, going around the Island was shallow and I bottomed out a few times laughing to myself and grinning at Deb as my belly rubbed along the bottom, I wonder if she could see my grin or if perhaps she thought that was a grimace frozen on my face? The return leg of the first lap we were fighting the wind, working hard through the waves, warmed me up. First lap complete and it was time for tea, WOW that was so hot it was like an iron fire poker driving down my throat and into my chest, I could feel that stuff going down, excellent! Almost too hot though, I can drink it faster if it is not as hot next time. Then we are off for lap 2, I always feel better after a feed, today was no exception, Deb and I are in a great rhythm, she counts my strokes 69 for the first lap, now 72 for the second, things are looking good, my hands are not cramping and I can feel them, both feet are still with me and there is no sign of the achy frozen jaw I felt in the spring.
 Lap 2 done, more tea and we are off for the final lap, I am excited and swimming harder, when I pick up the pace I tend to pull left, and today I not only pulled left but didn't follow Deb as well as I could have, instead of making changes I began peaking, where am I at? Am I going to hit the shore? I note to myself to do better, I put my head down and concentrate on turning over one arm at a time, focused now, it works 74 strokes per minute and we round the final turn and are headed to the canoe launch, I am happy and can't wait to visit with the team.
 Out of the water and to my gear bag, I have to get this suit off and wrap up, it all takes too long and I am quickly shaking uncontrollably, I can't talk, my T Shirt and sweatpants are wet and my cozy woolen hoodie suddenly doesn't feel very warm! I am off up the steps to the suburban, it is only a few minutes walk, today it feels like hours to get there, Cara helps me in, engine on, heat blasting, I want so badly to go hang with my crew, share the stories of the day's adventure and hear theirs but I am rendered useless as my body shakes trying to raise it's core temperature, I feel so bad as this is the first time I have not helped pack up the gear but I know it is the right thing to do today waiting in the car so I stay put, Cara said " wait there" very firmly and I did.
 Then an amazing thing happens, Paula opens the door of the suburban and drops in a big paper bag stuffed full of the warmest sweaters I have ever laid my hands on. " Dusty said I have to give these to you NOW", says Paula, I dive into the bag, first thing a see is the woolliest, coziest slippers ever, then Cara helps me pull on a Turtle neck , all the other sweaters I wrap around my legs, hat, slippers and mittens on, I am in heaven. Cara kicks me out of the drivers side and says "you are not driving lady", I gladly move over and snuggle into my clothes. I warm up in 12 minutes! I new record time of stopping shaking.
 I say goodbye to Paula and Deb then Cara and I are off to her house a 15 minute drive, I refuse to get out of the car, climb into the drivers seat and drive home, hot shower, hot cup of tea and I sit down and regroup.
 I look at the label on the sweater, 85% merino wool, wow, I look at the label on my own warm, cozy sweater 15% wool. It is not warm and cozy! Dusty saved me today and taught me a valuable lesson I learnt as a kid and had since forgotten, wool is the real deal!
 My mother used to make me wear a woollen singlet in the winter in New Zealand, I hated it, it was a dirty brown color for starters and was scratchy, I protested loudly every time I got dressed in the winter as a kid, with this scratchy singlet under my winter clothes, this is torture, how mean I used to think, well Mum was right, Dusty reminded me today and I realized what a caring thing Mum was doing to keep me warm on those cold South Canterbury winter days.
 New Zealand is the worlds 3rd largest producer and exporter of wool, in 2009 it produced 154,000 tons. New Zealand is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, an island, the first sheep were landed in New Zealand by Captain Cook in 1773, the sheep population has grown to 45 million, there are more than 13 sheep for each one of the 3,853,116 people who live in New Zealand. February 15th in NZ has been declared as national " Lamb Day" to celebrate the history of sheep production!
 The Merino is a breed of sheep that is thought to have come from Spain or North Africa, it is found in the rugged South Island Hill country, despite the heavy fleece the Merino are fairly small and hardy which means they survive the cold, I think of myself, I am small ( only 18 pounds of body fat ) and hardy, I will think of the Merino when I swim next.... I AM suited to the cold, I AM suited to the cold!
 The Merino grow 7.7 - 11lbs of wool each year, it is fine, soft and is made into very fine fabrics for fashion wear, it is even made into billiard cloths.
 Today's swim distance 3.3 miles, time...... I forgot to note the start time, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, today's goal checked off, dare I say it " I had fun today!" Next up an early morning swim in the lap pond tomorrow morning, the goal 20 x 200 yards on the 3 minute interval ( that's 20 laps of the pond)
 What am I taking for after the training swim? A Merino sweater and woollen slippers of course!

Rhode Island Ocean Adventures Day 2

Sunday morning the second day of training in Rhode Island, on the books today an 8:00am fitness class called " Bounce" taught by my good friend and hostess for the weekend Jacki, she has just opened her own studio in Newport RI called PULSE, I am excited to check out her new training facility and catch a workout with her, she is a tremendous instructor who has the knack of making you work harder than you think you  want to or think you can! True to form Jacki leads both me and the rest of the class through a high energy cardio class complete with push ups, squats, lunges, plenty of plyometric jumps to sky rocket the heart rate and an abdominal workout that was a true crowd pleaser,  I am officially warmed up for my cold water training swim!
 Post class it is off to refuel, suit up and then down to 2nd beach for day two.
  Every English Channel swimmer has his or her own training program based on previous experience, conversations with other swimmers, coaching ideas and  mentors. I am no exception, I have been a member of an English Channel chat group for a number of months allowing me to  read other swimmers questions, the answers and to field my own questions, I also have 2 mentors both who have made successful English Channel crossings, one is  based in Ireland the other in Britain.
 One thing is for sure you need some distance training under your belt in preparation for an English Channel crossing attempt, my mileage has been accumulated both in the pool and open water this year, building up this summer to 40,000- 48,000 meters/ week. Now the fall is here and the focus priority moves to cold water time. My new training volume is 38,000 meters/ week , down from the 48,000 I swam a week ago, will that power and endurance accumulated over the summer pay off ? I am about to find out.
 Sunday, 10:00am refueling complete after a fun " bounce " class with Jacki, now back to training and back to the beach. Today I am sporting a one piece suit with thin criss cross straps in the back, I find that wide strapped suits chaff, the rubbing of the straps leaving my skin raw even after applying Trislide.  Trislide is an aerosol skin lubricant, on the can it says " gives you freedom of movement to train and race harder " , " significantly reduces blistering, chafing & hot spots". I have a nasty scar from " experimenting " with a one piece wide strapped race suit in August, a one hour, 40 minute swim and a line of raw flesh under my arm, (now a scar) to show for it, a grim reminder to suit select carefully for each and every swim whether a training swim or a race. I have also tried Body Glide, it looks like a stick of deodorant and works well too.
 Today's weather overcast skies, wind and a high of 58-66 degrees, I am hoping for the 66 end of the temperature scale, it doesn't come through for me, I am perched on the side of a rock on the beach looking out at today's conditions  feeling rather snug in my cozy woolen zip up Hoodie, reluctant to shed it and my warm blue hat. Jacki is accompanying me today on a SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), she chooses that over her surf board as it is longer and more stable in today's wind, we figure if we need to pull me out I will fit on the board with her! We also have a dry bag with a warm hat, towel and fleece jacket in case we need to pull me out mid swim, that way I'll have something warm to pull on.
 The mission today swimming from 2nd beach to 1st beach and back, a round trip, 1.7 miles each way, I am excited I love going somewhere, this is a destination swim and I could not be happier. We are off, I dawdled into the water today, Jacki was already out past the breaker waves waiting for me, I edge in step by step the memory of yesterday's cold water fresh in my mind, I sing a song in my head by a New Zealand band called Spit Enz , the name of the song  is " I just spent 6 months in a leaky boat ", now or never I dive in humming the tune in my head. Hey, today doesn't feel as bad as yesterday, give it time I think, then the body scan, feeling in both hands and feet, good stuff! I spin my arms for the first few hundred meters, my working muscles demand oxygen, the heart thumps to deliver but there is a difference today, a pronounced warmth in my midsection, is my body wising up and taking care of the vital organs, shunting blood there? Not sure if it is a yes or if the one piece suit is that much warmer than my trusty 2 piece tankini that I have been swimming in all these months! Regardless I am most please and " swim on".
 New surroundings to check out, Jacki is on riding the SUP on my right, dressed in a wetsuit and carrying the dry bag on her back, on the beach I asked her if she had spent much time on a SUP before? She replied in a relaxed manner "no I have tried it once or twice in the last few weeks", yet she was solid on the board, I was impressed, when the wind picked up and the waves grew bigger as we rounded the point to 1st beach she very calmly knelt on the board and continued paddling, it got rougher yet and she lay down on her tummy and paddled the SUP like a surf board, it was a cool feeling powering through the waves and looking to my right and seeing Jacki laying on the SUP fighting the waves alongside me, I felt like we were a team, we were.
 I did not fill Jackie in on the detailed 30 minute training plan regiment and hand signals that my training crew and I have developed over the last few months, I did tell her what to look out for with regards to signs of Hypothermia, it went like this:

• If my lips are blue that is a warning sign of hypothermia,  if I can't talk another warning sign
• If you ask me where I live and I say Mars not Vermont we  have a problem, if I am not making sense that is a sign of hypothermia, time to pull the Kiwi from the water, even if I don't want to get out, be firm!

 We set off, I am swimming like a tourist checking everything out, my new surroundings, houses that line the cliff and the added thrill of someone new to watch while I am swimming.  Three times on the way to first beach I stop and ask questions, I feel starved for contact, Where are we?  I ask .Who lives in that house? I quiz Jackie again, What are those rocks called? Are we half way? I am inquisitive today,  a brat in the water, it takes me 30 minutes to settle down. We make it to the rocky point where the wind and waves are heavier, time to buckle down and behave, the swell knocks me about, the waves jostle me from side to side, I love it, I feel like I am still playing but now working, it feels good. We round the corner and head into the sheltered bay of 1st beach, the water calms down, the waves behind us pushing us towards the beach, I feel strong and fast, my body has snapped into its performance zone, automatic pilot, I am no longer giving it instructions with my mind, it is doing what it has been trained to do. We reach 1st beach in  45 minutes and after a brief chat turn around for the return journey, swimming the back to the barn is what I adore, we are off. We have more wind on the return trip and are swimming head on into the waves, I have to earn it on the way home, every stroke I need to dig deep, the power is there, no tiring I feel like I have lots of gas left in the tank, all the distance training I have done over the summer has paid off today, it feels good to have more under the pedal if I need it. We round the point, the cliff walls are on our left lined with birds sitting side by side, watching us closely, to me they look like vultures waiting for us to falter, I glance over at them thinking, not on my watch birds, not today!
 Before I know it I am body surfing the waves into the shore, I land on the beach, a 3.4 mile outing in 1 hour, 35 minutes, I am pleased with the performance today, I  reach for my hat, cozy  blue hoodie and cream velvet sweat pants that I stashed on a nearby rock, I wrap up and help Jacki with the board, then it is back to the steaming hot outdoor shower, pack up and back to Vermont. As we drive closer to Vermont I watch the temperature reading in my car drop, by the time we reach Stowe it is 55 degrees, I wonder what the water temperature at the Green River Reservoir and in my  new lap pond is? We will know by Wednesday my next OW dip, on the schedule 3.1 miles!

Rhode Island Sink or Swim?

Today's mission: Cold Water Acclimatization
Goal: 2 Hours Ocean Swim

Yesterday was a recovery day with a 2400 meter swim with our local Masters team, later in the day the car was packed, I scooped my kids up from school and we were on our way to Rhode Island to tackle the weekend's  EC training goal of getting in some cold water ocean swimming. The focus today not distance but time enduring the cold water.
 We battle through the Boston Tunnel traffic, 5 hours after our departure from the Green Mountains we arrive at our friends beach house in Rhode Island, just a few minutes drive to the beach and a killer outdoor hot shower to warm up after a training swim, perfect!
  We have come down to visit each year for the last 8 years, normally earlier in the summer to catch some beach time and hang with our friends, new focus still hanging with our friends but with the added spice of some English Channel training.
  Tomorrow' s swim buddy is Tim who I met during an early morning ocean swim last August at 2nd beach in Middletown , RI, at that time he had his sights set on the Lake Placid Iron man 2010 which he achieved this year.
 We plan to meet at 2nd beach at 8:00am, he is racing a Half Iron man on Sunday, the plan of attack for the training swim Saturday is a down and back course, a 2.4 mile lap, he will swim the first lap and on the second paddle next to me on his stand up paddle board or SUP as they are called ( I am told surfers refer to SUP guys as sweepers because it looks like they are sweeping with their paddle ) Tim's board is 10 foot long, tomorrow  he can paddle along side me for lap 2 allowing him to take it easy in preparation for his Sunday race.

 Friday night I turn in at 10:30pm with thoughts of what tomorrow's ocean adventure might bring? Jelly Fish, Swells, waves, Cold, will I freak out in the ocean or feel comfortable? I haven't swum in the ocean since last August, I remind myself that I grew up by the ocean and spent plenty of time in the sea as a kid.
  I grew up in New Zealand just a few miles from the beach, the light house used to sweep light into my bedroom window at night, calling me to the ocean. I loved spending time in the ocean playing, diving like a dolphin, swimming out to rocks and prying off mussels, bringing them back to the shore where we had a knife and vinegar stashed to split open the mussels, dip them in vinegar and eat them raw, they were big plump New Zealand Green Shell Mussels and delicious!
 New Zealand Green Shell Mussels are very tender and sweet in flavor, the mussel meats can be of several colors, a cream to light flesh representing a male and an orange to apricot color representing a female, there is no taste difference between the male and female mussels.

 Saturday 6:00am, the sun begins to rise, the day of the ocean swim is here, clear blue skies and a fresh 60 degrees, I pull on my suit, dose on a thick layer of factor 85 sun lotion, shorts, T Shirt , cup of tea, banana on toast and I am off.
 I arrive at the beach early with my friends and start the ritual, cap, goggles, down plenty of water and then down to the shoreline with my Thermometer for a temperature check......67 degrees, I put it in again, it drops to 66 degrees, I put it in a third time, has it dropped again? I decide it's better not to know, yank it from the water and head up the beach to meet Tim.
 He arrives, suits up in a wetsuit and we head to the ocean, water on my ankles, then knees, waist, we are still talking, I want to hear about his latest race in Lake Placid but I have to say " Mate I have to get swimming  to get warm". He is off like a rocket, it's a perfect pace for me we head straight out and then turn left and swim down the length of the beach parallel to the shore. The water is cold, I do a body scan, I can feel my hands, my feet, my head is cold and also my arms as they recovery over the water with each stroke. I have my conservative " I am checking it out stroke" working, unsure of how this is going to pan out, we agreed two laps, 2.4 miles each, as I head down on lap number one I am cold, another body scan, right foot from the ankle down has no feeling, darn this is not a good sign so soon I think, I tell myself to find my  rhythm , we break at the turnaround of lap one, it is a beautiful setting, glistening water, sunshine and white rock walls lining the beach of all shapes and sizes.
 Heading back my mind is still focused on the cold, we are nearly there, I have to pick it up, stroke harder to get the blood shunting around my body, I picture my muscles demanding more oxygen and my heart having to crank that oxygen rich blood out to my working muscles. I drop back from Tim, then spin my arms fast sprinting to pick him back up, I do this a number of times, I can feel my right foot again!
.
 Aghh waiting this could get ugly, I am worried about getting colder while I wait in the water, I decide to swim some short sprints, 50 meters out, 50 meters back, I do it again and again. Tim arrives back navigating his SUP like a pro and something amazing happened, I warmed up!
 We set off for another lap, I felt relaxed back into my 70-72 stroke per minute pace it was great. Then I started thinking how disappointing it would be not to encounter a Jelly Fish today. My friends tell me it is unlikely I will see one because they are hang out when the water is warmer. Then I feel a sting on my hand, small and fleeting, by the end of the swim it has vanished, was it a Jelly Fish? I guess I'll never know!
 2 Hours 26 minutes was the total water time with a total distance 4.8 miles plus some sprints between laps, I am pleased.
 I farewell Tim, refuel then relax on the beach, some Yoga on the beach that afternoon followed by a 66 degree 100m swim for good measure to get a double cold exposure today, two dips in one day, I'll take it!
 Did I really think I would bail out after 1 lap today, not a chance, I stated the goal to myself, once it was in my head, I had to do it!

Chillin

Water Temperature in the English Channel  is between 59 F & 64.5 F, end of June and early July it is 59-60 degrees Fahrenheit , the temperature rises slowly to 64-65 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of August. The body is reported to acclimatize after repeated exposure to cold temperature, this can take an extended period of repeated exposure, I am told 1- 1.5 years.
 Hypothermia is a serious consideration, the  normal body temperature is 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit, hypothermia develops when the body temperature falls below about about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The symptoms and signs of hypothermia are bouts of shivering, disorientation, irrational behaviour, blueness of the lips, inability to concentrate or coordinate speech, inability to respond to simple requests or questions.
 Training to acclimatize: it is recommended to begin in the fall and adapt to the  water by swimming in water where the temperature is gradually dropping, for example start in the mid 70s during the summer months, continue exposure as the water temperature drops in temperature to 70, 69, 68 degrees and so on.
 Mine was the down under approach of  "bring it on now" , deciding to take on the goal of the EC in January 2010 and booking my pilot in April 2010, by May I was chomping at the bit!
 May 17th 2010 the sun was out, ice melted off the lake the mosquitoes were out..... I was going in! First attempt, the water was 52 degrees, I had decided that if the water temperature read under 55 degrees I would patiently wait until another day....I didn't wait, I threw on a wetsuit and went in anyway. The water took my breath away, it felt like my chest was collapsing, when the water hit my face it was like I had hit a brick wall, my teeth ached, my hands clawed up, no feeling in my feet, I managed 42 minutes and crawled out of the water vowing that to be my last time in a wet suit.
 One week later I was back, this time the water was 62 degrees, I swam 1 hour and 15  minutes, this time I shed the wetsuit for a 2 piece workout tankini, exposing as much of my midsection to the cold as possible, I did not shake in the water and could talk,  a good sign. In June things heated up I swam 4 Hours 19 minutes( 9 miles) in 68 degree water, then things got toasty as the summer temperatures kicked in.
 Back to today, September 9th: the air temperature is 55 degrees, water temperature is  67 degrees and I have a new swimming spot, a pond, it is long and narrow, 100 yards long, I swim 12 x 200s ( down and back in the pond =  200 yards) on the 3:00 minute interval and tread water for 15 seconds between each 200.  I am filled with excitement as I check out my new surroundings, I feel a bit like a relocated " Free Willy", dashing around the perimeter looking for new and exciting things under the water to entertain me as I swim, a few big boulders here, a pebble beach there, also things on the shore  to focus my attention on  and use to sight. I sight one end by an inflatable raft and throw in a phantom wall right before it to change direction ( that means a flip turn without a wall), at the other end I sight using an upside down bright orange canoe. The lap pond as I like to call it is a tremendous addition to my training, a generous offer for me to utilise, it is only a few minutes drive from home, I can spend time acclimatizing to the cold without the hour round trip to the lake and the comfort of knowing I can get to the shore in seconds if need be. My goal today was to check out my new surroundings and swim 10 x 200 yards in 68 degrees or below, CHECK!
The goal for the next 4 weeks is continuing acclimatization to cold water , in the Reservoir, the ocean and the lap pond,  we will have to wait and see how my body adapts and how kind mother nature is with regard to weather and air temperature!

More on training soon, until then here are some key points from the  English Channel Swimming & Piloting Association about attempting to swim the English Channel, they put it like this:
 The comments below are " general ones " not aimed at any one specific, but" if the hat fits wear it"
1. English Channel Swimming is both an EXTREME and an ENDURANCE sport that is not for the faint hearted. Death or injury is a serious possibility that needs lots of consideration.
2. It should be at the peak of your open water swim experiences not your first open water swim
3.If you want to treat it like a walk in the park rethink and choose another pond to get wet in not one of the busiest seaways in the world full of cold water and unpredictable weather conditions.
4. Don't book a pilot unless you are sure you want to make the attempt and are capable and prepared to work hard.

Goggle Adventures to see or not to see!

Training time for the English Channel attempt 2012, I am 8 months in, training began at the start of 2010, I have learnt so much in 8 months, some through reading about other swimmers' attempts and some from good old Kiwi & American ingenuity, you try it if it works you take it on as your own, if it doesn't work you toss it aside, this I am finding all takes time, it is not a " try it for 5 minutes deal " then ditch it, I may have to wait hours of swimming before I am in the right situation to give it a go. Here is an example:
 When you are swimming in the Open Water your goggles fog up, the water is cold, your body is hot, the end result moisture, condensation and you can't see, I am a sponge for information, how can I trouble shoot this? I read input from other experienced swimmers, the ones who have made the commitment to the English Channel long before me, what do they say...they must know! I read one account, this swimmer  swears by washing your goggles out with soap and water before you swim and NEVER rinse your goggles out with lake or sea water. Another account says put drops of saline in your goggles so when you roll to breath the saline clears any fogging in your goggles when you swish from side to side. I am scheduled for an Open Water swim the next day, I am going to try a new approach! In a last minute impulsive decision I decide why not try both at once? I swing by the pharmacy on my way to my scheduled 4 mile Open Water outing, boy lots of saline to choose from which one? I pick one and head out to the lake with my goggles that have been freshly washed out with soap & water, I have a confident smile on my face! When I arrive at the lake I am already in my suit, I stride down to the edge of the water confident and excited at the prospect of a clear view throughout my swim, this will be the best I tell myself, I put the drops in my goggles careful not to spill the saline, I even throw in a few extra drops for good measure!
 It is a stunning spring day, June 4th, the air temperature is 68 degrees, the water temperature is 67-69 degrees, warmer at the lake edge, colder in the main lake, I set off thrilled with myself with the anticipation of the success of this new discovery, I power out the strokes to get warmed up, I find that swimming strong and fast for the first few 100 meters helps the blood rush to my midsection, a flood of warmth to my body, the first few strokes are chilling, I always visualize I am diving into a warm blanket in the water, tricking my mind into thinking it is warm, surrounding me as I submerge. I am off and running after half a mile I notice an annoying irritation in my left eye, what is going on? I question myself over and over, this is annoying. Don't stop I command, keep swimming. I talk myself into the logic that this is an experimental swim, the goal a non fog attempt, it is OK to stop! I let myself stop for 15 seconds.... I dump out the saline, note to myself, saline in my goggles does not work for me! I swim on thrilled that I am one step closer to figuring this Channel crossing attempt out, baby steps!!!
 That left eye still doesn't feel great throughout the swim but I with deal it and swim my scheduled 4 miles, it is a solo swim with no feeding or support, it gets windy on the return trip home, I have to earn it today fighting through the waves.
 Success I return to the beach I started from, I stagger out of the water, my legs are a little wobbly but I am in good shape and good spirits. Next thing I know I am in the car, the heated seat is cranking and I am on my way home.
 I reach home, breeze in through the door say hi to my family in passing as I head straight to the bathroom for a hot shower, yes!
 Post shower I am putting on cozy sweatpants and fleece and catch a glance in the mirror, my left eye is huge! In fact to me it looks the size of a golf ball, with a bag under my eye that is even bigger. That whole swim my face was swelling right up in protest to my experimentation.... all in the name of fog free goggles!
 Where am I at now? That patience thing again, I  do not use Saline drops, as I mentioned it may work for some swimmers but not for me, I do wash my goggles out with soap and water, it helps. I have found that what ever I try my goggles fog right up for the first 30 minutes, I just leave them alone and wait patiently now knowing that after 30 minutes they clear right up, the trick is not getting flustered about it, I know what is happening and just wait, lesson learned!

 Today's training was 4000m in the pool and 3.1 miles open water, windy, wavy and cold air temperature when we got out the air was 59 degrees and  the water temperature was 67-69 degrees. I had a buddy to swim with today, Cara swam with me, she was fast in a wetsuit, like a porpoise expertly navigating each wave and swell like a pro, I watched her when I breathed to the side, it looked amazing how she attacked and danced in the water, I thought how strong and fast she looked and I wondered if I looked like that, it was fun!

Labor Day Open Water Training Swim

The Day after the 13.1 mile swim was a rest day, post swim I felt banged up, nothing really ached just dead tired like my body was recovering from a high fever.....wiped! I convinced myself that a 30 minute session of Yoga and Foam rolling would help my recovery, it did by Sunday I felt great, my body lapped up the day of recovery and I concentrated on refueling!
 I am often quizzed on what I eat, how much food, how many calories I take in each day, well if you are curious lets take a look at Sunday,  the day after the 6 hour swim, I did not add up the calories, most days I don't running on feel, food intake dependent on what my fuel needs are  with regard to training, when I have done a tally up the total is between 4500- 5500 calories/day.

Breakfast
Hot Tea ( Love English Breakfast), Banana on toast, apple, cereal with blueberries and milk
Snack
Kashi Peanut Butter Bar
Apple
Lunch
Ham, Hummus and Lettuce Sandwich on 8 grain bread
Kashi Tasty Little Crackers ( lots of them I love these!)
Lara Bar
Special K Protein Meal Bar
Large wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese and nectarine on top

Afternoon snack
Chocolate Milk
Peppermint chocolate
Large Wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds on top
Apple
Baby Carrots
Pretzels

Pre Dinner Snack
Smoked salmon on crackers
Glass of red wine

Dinner
12 oz Grilled Salmon, Salad of Lettuce, Tomato, Pumpkin Seeds, Hummus, Dressing and Sauteed Mushrooms

Dessert
I have 3 of these.....
Ice Cream, Ginger Chocolate and 8-10 Ginger snap cookies, I love these with hot tea.
.......by the time morning comes I am hungry!

Monday I am back to training, after Sunday's rest day it is time to get back on the horse, off to the Green River Reservoir again this time for a 4 mile swim, I meet Paula a fellow swimmer and training crew team member , she is swimming with me today, I am so excited to have someone to play with in the water, also with us is Deb she is in charge of navigation today and is leading the swim in a kayak. Paula swims in a wetsuit and fins, a perfect pace beside me, we stretch out and soon fall into a good rhythm. An out and back loop, easy on the way down with the wind at our backs helping us down the lake, on the way back we have to earn it swimming into the wind.
 We are well led with Deb at the helm, no duck on the Kayak for me to look at today but in its place a life sized cat with huge emerald green eyes,  not real of course, but at first I wasn't sure, Deb is great with animals, it is quite feasible that this was a real cat that she had trained, in fact I would not be surprised if it could pass me food at my feed stops, Deb can do anything!
 Swim achieved and onto my complete favourite post swim ritual, during the 25-30 minute drive home I toast myself in the heated seats of my mini club man wagon, these seats are on fire! Love it, combined with the heat on high I begin to defrost.

Tuesday, today I have a 6000m swim on the books, tough swimming but completed, the last 2 sets the hardest, 10 x 200's SCM on the 3:00 interval and 8 x 250's of pull. All done, entered my distance log figuring out that last week was my biggest mileage week that I have completed during this last 8 months of training, 48,180m, 30 miles of swimming!

 Open Water tomorrow then this weekend off to the coast in search of cold ocean water, jelly fish and swells, I'll keep you posted !

Green River Reservoir Labor Weekend Dip

Welcome to my Blog! Training Crew this for you to hear about the 6 hour Green River Swim yesterday, you know the rest of the story up to this point, to those of you that don't I will fill you in on my adventures to date in preparing for my 2012 English Channel attempt in upcoming blog posts!
 Saturday September 4th we were scheduled for our first 6 hour OW swim, location the Green River Reservoir in Vermont, it is described as a " wilderness-like setting" managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, it became a Vermont state park in 1999, 5110 acres of land which surrounds the green river reservoir.
 Wake up time 6:00am, pickup training crew, today that is Cara, boat is on the car, gear is packed we are ready. We planned to six at six,( 6 hours at 6:00am), the reality was we both agreed me leaving home at 6:00am was a good way to still hit the 6 at 6 and more time for a cup of tea, my morning ritual before I swim, hot tea and milk and multi grain toast with banana mashed on top.
 On the 25 minute drive to pick up Cara I also wolfed down a Peanut Butter sandwich and a bottle of water.
 We had not shortage of supplies, the boat was so loaded down we thought it may indeed not float...it did!
2 sets og goggles, 2 caps, 2 containers of Maxim( liquid fuel ) 1000mls in each container, I take 250mls per feed, 2 Peanut butter sandwiches cut into bite sized cubes, hot tea, Ricolas, water, cozy sweatpants, hat, mittens and a fleece jacket, a lifeguard belt and a giant over sized yellow plastic duck...it makes me smile when I swim!
 We are off, serene, still, peaceful, so quiet yet alive with nature, Cara was kayaking on my right, confident and strong, comforting to me as we embarked on the journey, the challenge = 6 hours in the water. We have so much stuff, it looked like we were going camping for the weekend not a 6 hour outing!
 Cara was navigating the Reservoir, her plan to travel around the perimeter of the lake, all the inlets, ponds and islands she plotted the course I followed her lead, a boat and a swimmer we were off!
  I can see, smell and taste the reservoir as we weave in and out of the inlets, the name reservoir makes it sound small, clear and so controlled yet it's not, it is 653 acres of water with 19 miles of shoreline, conditions can change from glass like water to strong winds in a heartbeat making the water choppy, today we start in glassy water but the forecast is for wind as Hurricane Earl moves up the East coast.
 First 30 minutes, I am pacing myself, taking it easy, that means to me I am in uncharted territory both physically and mentally, it is not can I swim for 6 hours? it is Yes I Can but what will it feel like, will I crash, hurt, get down, racing through my mind are thoughts of these questions that have the answers yet to be discovered, but they will be if I settle down and am patient, stroke by stroke, 30 minutes, by 30 minutes, small steps to reach the 6 hour mark.
 I swim in 30 minute segments, at 15 minutes I get a stroke count from my trainer, at 20 minutes I get a hand signal to build speed, at 25 minutes a sign to step it up, my pickup for 5 minutes, then feeding and some welcome crew contact.
 # 1 30 minutes, messy, stroke count 63-67, 30 minute # 2 excited to get a feed and contact from Cara. At 2 hours Cara reads me well and sees my stroke, short and choppy, she tells me to stay long and relax, things start to click and I relax for the first time. The scenery was stunning, Cara told me I swam with 2 beavers, one slapping it's tail at me, many loons, loon nests and beaver dams, the trees are starting to turn the shades of fall and there were many fish today, fun to watch!
 At one point I was swimming in 10 ft depth and suddenly swam over a huge boulder only a few inches of water covering it, then it dropped away like a grand canyon under water, other times it became shallow as I skirted around islands my fingers tickling the bottom kicking up a cloud of sediment and reminding me to keep my elbows high and not drop my arm while I,m swimming,
 3 Hours an exciting benchmark, on the menu 4 cubes of PB sandwich, bite size, I swallow them in one gulp, and drink water from a camel back clipped onto the kayak. The wind kicks up it becomes blustery, the water rough, we solider on in the choppy, windy conditions, it brings  alive, I like it rough and stormy and it finally snaps me out of conservative mode, stroke rate 68-70 strokes/minute and at my pick ups 72-76 strokes/minute Pickups and builds keep me warm but I do find them taxing. 4 Hours I am excited, I look forward to food and contact with Cara, contact is huge, body language, facial expressions, motivating words, or just saying something to make me laugh, it all keeps me going and looking forward to the next 30 minute feed.
 4.5 Hours, next stop is 5 hours and that will mark our longest EC training swim to date, can't wait! Swimming through bubbles, where does that string of bubbles come from? Fish, beaver, loon, I  have to remember to find out when I am not swimming! How long have the things that I can see been down there? Can I swim over that fallen tree, I have to remember to lean forward, press my chest down to raise my hips so my legs don't drag and hit a branch.....reality stroke technique drills right here, it makes me smile when I swim!
 5 Hours Wahoo, two 30 minutes steps to go and we have achieved the goal for today. Things that ache....my shoulders are burning but don't hurt, lower back and hips tight, hands want to claw up but I fist and unfist here and there is ease the feeling. New favourite thing, couple of frog kicks as I start swimming after feeds, seems to loosen things up for a bit.
5.5 Hours English Breakfast Hot Tea and milk, the best!
6 Hours A ginger snap, wow that was insanely good, I didn't pack it but bummed it off Cara, not only did she expertly navigate the kayak and read my needs, she also manned the Kayak for over 6 hours straight solo, amazing!
 Wahoo! We did it and make our way back to the canoe launch our entry and exit point, 6 Hours and 17 minutes, we complete the swim, our course 13.11 miles, the air temperature was 64 degrees when we started and 70 degrees when we finished, the water temperature 70-72 degrees.
 Not sure of the exact temperature of the water, a new invention of keeping the thermometer 2ft under the water involving a weight, the thermometer did not fly and we lost it in the first 30 minutes, I will be on the lookout for it next time I am swimming!