Sub 50 Degree Dip & Jelly Fish

Sunday November 15th, 2010
Air Temperature 47 Degrees
Water Temperature 47.5

I can't believe it is here, the last cold water acclimatization swim of 2010, when I scheduled dates for cold water swims this fall it was uncharted territory, back in September I would look at the list of dates, there always seemed to be so many more to check off, "how am I going to endure all these?" I would think to myself, one swim at a time and the list got shorter and shorter, now here we are only " one " remaining and you know the last is going to be the coldest.
 Since September 4th ( Labor Weekend ) I have trained outdoors 26 times, there have been 15 swims in water under 65 degrees Fahrenheit, a grand total of 19 Hours in water 64 degrees or colder and now all I have to squeak out is a mere 30 minutes to wrap the fall training up, no worries right? Wrong.
I woke up this morning  to find the water temperature reading 47.5 degrees on the Newport harbor buoy.....GULP!
 The good news is that I have been adding insulation through the fall months, I am proudly sporting an extra 4 pounds of fat and 2 pounds of muscle.Gaining weight for most people is a no brainer, many find it way too easy, if someone notices you have gained body weight they are not likely to come up and give you a slap on the back " well done old chap, how did you manage to do it, you look like you've fattened up a bit!"
  I am thrilled with myself for adding a few pounds, it has been no easy task, you have to consume more fuel( calories) than your body needs daily. During the summer months I was consuming a whopping 5500 calories/day just to maintain weight, in the fall I knew I had to step that food intake up, taking in extra calories that my body didn't need so it could stash them away in the fat cells in my body, safe and sound ready to use at a later date, this fat storage will help keep me warm.
  Next up, building more muscle to help with insulation and keep my core strong to improve my stroke and reduce the risk of injury.
Through the fall my strength program has consisted of the following exercises 2-3 times per week.
Squats 3 x 10 reps 225lbs
Plyometric Jumps on the Leg press 3 x 10 reps 130lbs
Leg extension 3 x 10 reps 125lbs
Leg Curl 3 x 10 reps 80 lbs
Hip Adduction 3 x 10 reps 125 pounds
Hip Adduction 3 x 10 reps 105 pounds
Walking Lunge 3 x 20 with 5kg Medicine Ball
Low Row 3 x 10 72lbs
Pull Ups 3 x 6
Dumbbell Front Raise 2 x 15 5lb dumbbells
Rear Delt 3 x 10 35lbs
Biceps Curls Kneeling on Resistance Ball 8lb Dumbbells
Triceps Dips 3 x 10
Hip Thrusters on incline bench 3 x 10
Bosu Ball Side Crunches
Resistance Ball knees in and out



 So all the eating has added fat, the strength training has added muscle, now it is back to the swim at hand, 47.5 degree water for 30 minutes! Me and my new fat and muscle are scheduled to meet Tim at second beach at 8:30am for the final dip of 2010, the day is outstanding, the sun is out and it makes everything brighter and seem warmer. Once again Tim and I ponder the swim over hot drinks while looking out at the ocean, the water is colder than I have ever swum in before so we talk about a plan....how to tell if I am getting hypothermic, keeping me swimming close to shore and what hand signals to show me when it is time to turn around turn.
 I am distracted with mixed feelings about this swim, it is so beautiful looking out over the beach and into the ocean, I want to drink in the scene and clutch onto it, it is my last trip to the beach and I am sad that this is my last outdoor ocean swim, early in September I was willing them to be over and now the time is here I am sad they are nearly done, I know that once my toes enter the water it will be the start of the end, my last pre swim ritual, I feel down.
 I start to strip down, Tim gets suited up, he and his board are ready to go, the beach is quiet only one or two bystanders, my toes hit the sand and my mood instantly lifts...I am excited to take on this swim in 47.5 degree water, "what on earth will this feel like", I think to myself?
 On the beach a surprise, a clear Jelly Fish, how fitting after all these weeks a wee jelly fish should choose to make an appearance on the day of my last swim, I am pleased.

Tim, Stand Up Paddle Board support second beach Rhode Island

 Tim is off into the water, up on his board and paddling out to sea, I begin to wade in ......WHOAAH  cold would be an understatement, this is something else, like a million pins pricking my legs, ohhh this is not good, a million thoughts start racing through my head, I don't really need to swim today, maybe I'll just shout out to Tim and tell him I want to go in, meanwhile I am still wading out, deeper and deeper I edge, first the water swallows my hips, then my belly ( hang in there extra fat!), up over my belly button, next my rib cage and then....awww crap a breaking wave completely soaks me, no getting around it now, I dive under to prevent getting nailed by the next breaking wave, the cold water seems to compress every part of my body, it is like having a ton of bricks tumbled upon me. I begin to swim hard, I knock out my first few hundred strokes hard and fast and nothing, not an inkling of warmth, " regroup" I say to myself, " alright, I will swim out to Tim and tell him I am bailing out today, I will tell him that today I am giving up". I continue the discussion in my head "well that doesn't sound like a good plan, here's what is going to happen, swim out to Tim, keep your head down and take it one stroke at a time, the shore is right there if you need to bounce out" . A sound plan and one I stuck too, I swam out to Tim, he began navigating like an old pro and before I knew it we were blasting down parallel to the beach. The thing that troubled me was I hadn't warmed up yet, my arms and legs ached from the cold, they felt like they were burning and I was focusing only on how much they hurt, " I have to change my head space" I thought, I did, " what feels warm? my core, in fact my heart is toasty and pumping strong", I thought of that and pulled hard with each stroke, I was willing Tim to give me the turn around signal, it seemed to take forever but it came, we turned around and at that point I knew I was going to make it. On the return to the beach the sun was on my back, I kept up the high stroke rate and could smell success, my arms stopped aching and warmed up, what fun! Once I could feel my arms I noticed I was feeling some little clear jellies bumping into me, they did not sting and I was excited to have finally bumped into some jellies when I was swimming, even if they were small, it's the thought that counts I kept telling myself.
 The return trip down the beach seemed to go so fast, I stole a peak to see where we were, we were already back at the end of the beach and it was time to swim in, as we neared the beach I felt the water warm up, the surf started to pick me up and roll me into the shore, I didn't want it to get out, I was feeling GOOD!
 We surfed into the shore and started walking out of the water, well that is not entirely accurate I was so excited that I was skipping along the sand thrilled with myself because I not only felt great but could talk, walk and function, finally Tim suggested it might be a good idea to go up to the car and get some warm clothes on, he was right, I scurried up to the car and got loaded up with clothes ready for the shaking that I knew would follow. It did but not for long, this the coldest swim was my fastest recover. Before long I was off to the outdoor shower and then packing up to head back to Vermont.
 The last swim, the training paid off, I was feeling more comfortable in the colder water. Back to Vermont, I arrived to snow and the prospect of training indoors until the spring. What's up next, planning 2011's big outdoor swims, a recap of the 2010 big swims and the New England Short Course Masters swim championships in Boston December 10-12, what will go down....I'll keep you posted.

Here's the Jellies I swam with.....



...compared to the English Channel Jelly



Swimming with the " Suits"

Sunday  November 7th, 2010
Water Temperature 50 degrees
Air Temperature 40 degrees
Wind Chill 33
Location: Second Beach, Newport Rhode Island

Second Beach, Newport RI

 Today is the second to last ocean swim of 2010, on the menu a mere 30 minutes in the water, I am due to meet Tim at 8am at second beach, the plan to drink a hot tea and speculate for a bit before preparing for the swim, by prepare I mean Tim layering up in a 5mm full wetsuit full with hood and booties and unload his SUP( Stand Up Paddle Board), for me it means controlling my elevated heart rate due to the pending date with the frigid water, put in my ear plugs, on with my cap and goggles and off with the layers of clothes that are currently keeping me toasty warm. We also need to talk about safety, what the plan of action is if I start getting disorientated and drifting away from the board, also if I mumble and stumble my words, another sign to watch out for uncontrollable shaking of my hands. We talk about how long the trip is and a turn around signal, all the time we are discussing the details I am taking in the view at hand, the waves are tumbling in, a spray of foam cascading off the top of each wave as it breaks, the skies are dark, it seems such a contrast, the grim look of the sky and the sparkling beauty of the crashing waves, it is very soothing.
 The tea is gone much too quickly, that means it is time to move on, Tim starts getting ready, I choose to stay put just a little longer, Tim had kindly turned on the seat heater and unknowingly I had been sucking in the heat while we pondered the swim, " I just broke my rule of no seat heater until after the swim" I tell Tim, he apologizes, and I quietly leave the seat heater on figuring I can stock up a little rump heat to help get me started on my swim, " what's the harm in that?" I justify to myself quite happily.
 Before I know it I am stripped down to my black TYR suit, I have a generous layer of baby oil on my body, so much I feel like if you grabbed me by the arm I would slip out of your hand like a wet fish.
 Tim is into the water already and wastes no time heading out past the breaker waves, I dawdle behind him stretching my arms overhead before I dive in, I don't really need the stretch this just buys me a few more seconds before I surrender to the water. Then I am off, today I don't need to do the few hundred crazy fast strokes to get comfortable, right off the bat I am feeling calm, controlled and not uncomfortable. We travel down the beach parallel to the shore, I am swimming right beside the board, I worry for a bit that I am drifting left and Tim is following me and that I am swimming us right into the shore, I am not Tim holds a good course adjacent to the beach. The wind is cold, I can feel it on my cap chiiling my head down, just as I am noticing my head beginning to feel cold there is miraculously a break in the clouds and the sun streams through, it warms my back and instantly brightens the water, it gives me a boost and I feel strong in the water, before I know it we are turning around, then it is back to the beach where the car is parked, the wind picks up on the way back and the waves begin to jostle me around, I take in a few good mouth fulls of water as I swim but not enough to  frazzle me, soon the cliffs are upon us and it is time to turn to shore, swimming in is FUN, I love this, with not looking up I am unaware of when a wave is breaking, rather than sight I go on feel, I feel the wave building behind me, I drive my head down and stroke hard to catch the wave for a ride in, good times. What a good swim, I know that once I get out of the water I will not be able to communicate, I swim over to Tim, " good job, we did great", then I walk out of the water, it takes the cold wind only a mere few seconds to render me useless, I scoop up my towel and clothes, shuffle up to the car and start the battle of getting dressed, it seems to take forever, my hands and feet were great while I was swimming now they are like blocks of ice, into the car, engine on , heated seats on high, now I sit and wait.....wow when am I going to feel the heat of the seats, the warm air blowing from the heater, today it seems to take forever and hurts inside while I wait, it makes me want to throw up, but I don't, I know it will pass soon.
 Finally I am feeling recovered enough to drive, back to the house, into the hot showers, ahhh pure bliss.
 Next a snack then off to an 11:00am Yoga class in Newport, it felt great and warmed my body right up, afterwards lunch and into the car for the journey back to Vermont.
 Whats next, a good dose of pool swimming this week and then back to Rhode Island for the last out door swim of 2010, how much will the temperature have dropped by next weekend? I'll keep you posted

Chillin in Potters Cove, Rhode Island

Saturday November 6th, 2010
Air Temperature: 46 degrees
Water Temperature: 51.6 degrees
 Location: Potters Cove, Rhode Island

Today I am meeting Ray, Joe and Rich for a 9 o'clock swim at Potters Cove , Potters Cove is tucked away under the Jamestown Bridge, it is scattered with empty boat moorings, and seaside houses that look like they are either closed up for the summer season or simply have the hatches battened down in preparation for the pending winter, the docks are empty and there is an eerie silence, no boats on the water, nobody playing outdoors, there is a cold wind blowing and the skies look ominous, grey and threatening.
  I arrive a few minutes before 9:00am, there are two cars pulled up in front of the Cove already, it is Joe and Rich, I have not swum with them before, we quickly introduce ourselves and begin getting ready as we wait for Ray to arrive, for Joe and Rich that means pulling on wetsuits, for me it is putting in my ear plugs, cap and goggles on, and then deciding which of my 3 layers of clothing not to take off yet.
 Ray arrives, we talk about the temperature of the water and where we are going to swim to, landmarks are discussed, " we are going to head for those white buoys", says Ray, " sight the flag pole", chimes in Rich, I of course can see none of the landmarks, I struggle to see details that are a distance away and use glasses for driving, a few times I have used contact lenses when I have swum Open Water but today isn't one of them, " is there a bigger landmark you can point out....like a house?" I ask, Rich quickly points out a big brown house with a green roof, great I am set.
 We walk down the waters edge, " we are going to stick to the shore and swim shallow today", says Ray
 " hug the shore", he says again, Joe and Rich are already in the water, Ray and I are yet to take the plunge " this is the hard part, we will feel much better in about 10 minutes" says Ray as he dives in to begin the swim, I follow suit and we are off. It has been 11 days since my last cold water dip, I am about to find out what my body remembers about how to function in the cold water.....or if it forgets completely, it feels like Russian Roulette as I slide into the water and wait for my brain to report back to me on how things are sizing up today.
 Into the water and my arms are thrashing as I stroke like a maniac to get some warmth into my body, head down and swimming hard, not once do I sight or orientate myself to the shore or the others, not only was I swimming hard, but also in completely the wrong direction, after a few hundred strokes I sight and see Ray, Rich and Joe looking over, they are hugging the shore, I am heading straight out across the cove.....not in the game plan, I sheepishly put my head down and swim towards them in a more controlled manner, I am embarrassed.
 From here on out I follow the shore, I can see the bottom as we weave in and out of the shoreline, I see shells, stones, rocks, sand, I bump into things..... and swim on, I also keep Ray's bubbles in my sights.
 We swim to the white buoys, "how are you feeling?" Ray asks, great I reply, we seem to be in a warm pockets of water and I am enjoying the few degree increase in temperature, yes 54 degrees can feel dreamy when you have just swum through 51.6 degrees I think to myself.
Before we started swimming Ray and I talked about checking on each other, he asked if my jaw locks up making it hard to talk, " yes it can do" I tell him, I also tell him that when it is this cold I have to keep moving.
 Actually today turned out to be pretty good, no jaw freeze, I was able to stop and talk a number of times and tread as we counted heads to account for everyone, it is really cool the way these guys are so in tune to looking out for one another, good safety.
 Before we know it we have reached the Pier on the far side of the cove and it is time to turn around and high tail it back to the cars, we do and are there in no time at all. Now comes the hard part, navigating getting dressed. We all understand that on shore the priority is to get warm, no chit chat or dilly dallying around....car on, wet suit off, fleecy leggings on, sweater, possum hat, down jacket and then into those heated seats in the mini. I look over and Ray is also in his car all bundled up, after a while he gets out of his car and taps on the mini window, "let's talk", he jumps in, he is wearing what looks like a full on snow mobile suit that zips all the way down the legs and arms, I have snowmobile suit envy. I look down at his legs, they are shaking uncontrollably, I instantly feel bad for him, this poor guy, I think, that must feel miserable, then I look down and see that my legs are the same, shaking at the speed of a hummingbird's wings,  "how hard  it must have been for my crew to have been watching  me go through these defrostings for the last 8 weeks" I think to myself
 So Ray and I chat, a defrost chat goes a little like this:" nice car",chatters Ray " "mmmm", I mumble, " this and the getting in is the hardest part", chatters Ray ", " mmmm" getting out is tough" I mumble through a clenched shut jaw. Next thing Ray is out of the car,  that is all the conversation we managed  however I found it extremely comforting to share this post swim ritual, you know you are going to have to go through it, no one can do it for you, however much you want the help, you are the one recovering, we had a kind of unspoken communication and in a weird way it was comforting having Ray there going through the stages of rising the core temperature back up with me, a defrost buddy.
 Before long I was back in Middletown where I am staying, into the outdoor shower and a good serving of lunch. The day never really warmed up past 42 degrees but the sun did come out and I made the most of it with a 45 minute run along the cliff walk trail in Newport, I got to gaze at the angry surf as I ran and take in the amazing Newport Mansions. Our swim time today was 45 minutes, longest yet in this temperature, I am pleased.
 Next up another ocean dip, this time at second beach, Tim is supporting me on his Stand Up Paddle Board tomorrow, my plan to hug close to his board and swim 30 minutes, the surf is heavy today, so we will need to re evaluate conditions in the morning to pick the best beach to swim and SUP
 Will we get jostled around, I'll keep you posted.

Underwater Adventures in the Lap Pool

Wednesday October 27th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool

Today I am up at 5:15am and into the pool for an early morning swim, a recovery swim is on the books after the 10km ( 6.2 mile ) swim yesterday, this morning I swim 3300 meters then am off to teach a jump rope class at 8:00am, later in the day I am due to meet Peter to check out his in water digital coaching tool, I know it has a touch pad and under water screen to view swim times, I am expecting Peter to lug in a big pile of equipment, he doesn't his system is neatly rolled up like a Yoga mat except smaller and much more compact, it  fits easily into his duffel bag. Peter and I chat for a while about his timing system, within no time at all I learn how it records data and how I can view it both in the water and send it to my laptop, remember my problem of losing count of my laps in the lap pond during my 20 x 200's, number 5, number 5, was that number 5......not a problem today with this in the pool, I feel confident that I will not swim repeat number 5 three times, " excellent" lets give this baby a try.
 Peter and I head out to the pool, the touch pad mounts easily onto the wall and is secured  either side of the lane line with clips and the in water display screen is simple to set on the bottom of the pool.
 I set off for a few hundred meters to warm up, as I do the display screen gives me my 50 split time each time I hit the wall, it is fun to have something new to look at on the bottom, I love having stuff to look at when I swim and this is even more fun because it talks to me...." hey slacker pick it up" I imagine it saying when my swim time slows to 41 seconds for my last 50. After a few hundred I stop and adjust the display screen, I move it further away from the wall and off to the side of the lane so I can see my time before I begin to execute my turn,  when we set up we put the screen right at the base of the wall and I found myself picking up my head to look for the screen causing me to de-accelerate into the wall, a perfect formula for a slow turn, a quick reposition of the screen away from the base of the wall and problem solved, I easily see my time before the wall without lifting my head.
 " Want to swim one of the preloaded demo workouts so you can try the interval count down feature?", YES I reply, any thought of recovery are out the window, this sounds fun, Peter talks me through how to pull up a workout on the touch screen, couple of touches of the screen and I have myself 10 x 100's on the 1:45 interval, " the interval may not work as I set the intervals for yards and this pool is meters" , no problem, I reply, "much more leisurely than my regular 1:30 interval, I am looking forward to an easy stretch, hmmm maybe I 'll swim one or 2 fast for grins" , I think to myself.
 When I am ready to start I push the " game on " button, no turning back now, the display screen starts the countdown in big bold numbers....5 , 4, 3, 2 , 1, GO, an electronic beep sounds and I am off, first one hundred complete, my time 1:20.04, I enjoy the rest and before I know it I see the numbers counting down again, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO, I am off for the 2nd 100, I notice my first 50 split is faster than in my first 100, my time 1:20 flat. The clock is relentless keeping me on task, 5, 4 , 3, 2, 1 GO, off again and my body opens up, it wants to swim, my time for # 3 1:17.60, " I wonder if Peter wants to chat ", I think for a fleeting moment, the thought is quickly replaced by 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO, adrenaline starts to run and my body wants to play with this new enforcer in the pool, " OK clock lets see what cha got"...bam a 1:16.60, take that clock" , it did and quietly gave me a little time to savour the moment and then volleyed me back another command " bet you can't beat that one 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1, GO Beeeeep " the starter sounds and I am off for number 5, well I think I am only swimming number 5 once today so I am going to give it heaps, my time 1:15.60, 5 x 100's are complete, a good time to pull up and talk to Peter, but I can't there are 10 x 100's listed on the commanding display screen and that is what I am doing.
 I am off again, I decide to take the next 5 x 100's and descend them again, # 6 is a 1:22.30, # 7 is a 1;20.80, # 8 is a 1:19.50, # 9 a 1:18.10, and then it is time for the final 100, the last in a set like this is the sprint to France, the spin the arms fast and pull hard until you see the rocks on the bottom, French rocks, not much time to think now, my new little digital playmate is not waiting for me 5 , 4, 3 , 2 , 1 GO and I am off 100 meters to go it all comes down to this, I know I have to take my first 50 out hard and fast, my 50 meter split time needs to be faster than it was during repeat # 5 if I am to beat the 1:15.60 recorded from that swim, the first 50 meters my arms are spinning fast, as I approach the display I read 37.5, repeat # 5 read 37.8 at this time I am ahead, now I have to finish strong if I am going to beat 1:15.60, last 10 meters head down don't breath, pull hard and fast, punch the wall beat that time, bonjour 1:15.30.

 That was a kick, with a tap of the screen I am able to look at my times, thanks to my new little friend under the water I got a good old fashion ass kicking, and with the starter beeper there was no chance of cheating by rolling off the wall early, good stuff.

Me, Peter and the in water display screen and touch pad

  Next up back to Rhode Island for some cold water ocean swimming, water temperatures are reading 56-58 degrees this week, what will Saturday bring.....I'll keep you posted.