Testing the Waters : San Francisco Bay

Location: Aquatic Park, San Francisco Bay
Date: Thursday March 17th, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Air Temperature: 55.4 Degree
Water Temperature: 53.8

 This evening I am signed up for a group swim with Water World, led by Pedro, the instructions direct me to meet at Aquatic Park at 6:00pm, where there is a 10 minute stretch and jog along the beach, then into the water at 6:30pm. I make my way down to Aquatic Park, I am wrapped up in my down vest, white hat, fleece leggings and ice breaker merino socks made in New Zealand. (I borrowed those from my sister Robbin after checking out the SanFrancisco Bay water temperature.)



Aquatic Park with Alcatraz in the background


  The air is cool and the water looks even cooler, this is my first time to Aquatic Park, I arrive early to scope out the meeting place for tomorrow morning's Golden Gate swim with Swim Art. I am also excited to check out the legendary swim clubs at Aquatic Park, there are two located right on the beach and I have been fortunate to chat with Veronika, a new friend back in Stowe, she used to live in San Francisco and swam with the Dolphin Swim Club, she now lives in Vermont and has shared stories of swimming  in San Francisco Bay, I can't wait to see the area for myself and to hear more of Veronika's stories when I return. I take a few pictures to bring home to show her, I wonder if things have changed much since she swam here.




The Dolphin Swim Club



 It is soon  6:00pm and I head over to the meeting spot to keep an eye out for Pedro and any other swimmers in the group..... tick, tick, tick......time goes by and no one appears, "oh well I 'll give it until 6:10pm and see if someone shows".....tick, tick, tick.....6:10pm, still no one, not a Pedro in sight, the sun begins to lower in the sky and things are feeling decidedly chillier, " OK maybe I'll wait until 6:30pm, that is when the directions say they actually jump in, if they are not here by then I guess it's not meant to be tonight".
 I settle in on the steps by the beach and watch the world go by. There are 3 teenage kids throwing a frisbee waist deep in the water in their clothes, " now that's gotta be chilly" I think to myself, there are couples walking along the beach, cyclists riding along the bike path and people like me sitting and taking it all in, looking out to sea.
  I stare at Alcatraz, I am fascinated by the island and the buildings on it, I think of those that thought of trying to escape, was it pending doom the thought of sneaking into the fridgid waters of San Francisco Bay and facing head on into the swell, the waves , the CURRENT, the cold, did those that attempted the crossing make it, were they all presumed perished, did they really perish?
 As I am pondering I notice some swimmers swimming in Aquatic Park, they are coming out from the swim clubs one by one, sometimes in small groups of 2 or 3 swimmers, they are swimming alongside the shore, there are buoys marking an out and back course, I look in awe...." there are others like ME!"
It is now 6:35pm, I acknowledge to myself that Pedro is not showing up tonight, it is getting dark, windy and cold, it would be much easier to give myself permission to leave but I can't, I want to swim and decide to go look a little closer at the Dolphin Swim club.

 The swim club is open to members, guests are also welcome Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays from 10:00am-6:00pm for a $6.50 fee, I quietly ring the bell, by the bell a sign says something like this, "don't keep ringing, we may take some time to get to the door but we'll get there". I wait and timidly ring the bell again, a few minutes later I hear footsteps and a very friendly women opens the door...." that is the most feeble ring I have ever heard!" she says, I explain that I am visiting from out of town and was hoping to catch a swim, however I understand that it is after 6pm and guest hours are closed, the women smiles and looks over her shoulder to an equally friendly fellow, " I think we can make an exception don't you think?", he smiles and nods and she says " I've got a few minutes, I 'll give you a tour", and she did, up the old wooden stairs, I could feel the history ozzing out from the walls, they were ladened with old photographs of swimmers and boats and at the top of the stairs a fantastic old photo of Aquatic Park, she leads me further up the stairs to a locker room that seems to be spilling over with swim suits, caps, goggles and towels all hanging from lockers and pegs, it is drenched in personality and I LOVE IT! Next she leads me to the HOT showers and wait for it............ the SAUNA, ahhh! Finally she shows me to the door that leads to the beach, " the course is marked, it is a 1/4 mile down and 1/4 back, one lap is half a mile, have a good swim"
I say thanks so much......and she is gone.


Aquatic Park; Photograph at the top of the stairs in the Dolphin Swim Club




 By now it is dusk and fast on the way is the dark of the night, there are no more swimmers on the course, just me heading out for my first experience in the waters of San Francisco Bay. I walk into the water, my thighs burn, I dive in and stroke out fast, my arms burn, " aw mate this is brutal " , I stroke out to the first buoy, I am not warming up at all, " how am I going to swing swimming Golden Gate tomorrow if I am feeling like this in Aquatic Park", "OK, I can do this, just one lap, that's half a mile. then you can get out, just there and back, it will be over before you know it, there and back, there and back" I repeat it in my head, I am having trouble seeing the last buoy, it is dark, the water looks black, I make it and turn around for the homeward stretch and THEN....wouldn't you know it I began to feel better, stronger, more relaxed and Yes warmer, I actually think I can do 2 laps and swim a mile, in fact I KNOW I CAN swim another lap. That had been my goal this evening, 30 minutes in Aquatic Park and I know I can do it.  Before I know it I am walking out of the water and into the Dolphin Swim Club, into the friendly locker room and into the HOT SHOWER, what a treat, no struggling getting clothes on in the cold, I am straight in to the shower. Finally I pry myself out of the shower and into the SAUNA, ahhhhhhhh this is amazing, my body sucks in the heat, there are two other women who are also warming up, it was fun to talk to them and hear about the Dolphin Swim Club.
 After a long stretch I decide " enough decadance" it is time to get dressed and search out something to refuel with and prepare for tomorrow's swim, 7:00am back at Aquatic Park, that is less than 12 hours away and I am beside myself with excitement....or is it nervous excitement, regardless time to get some rest.
 What will the conditions be like tomorrow? I'll keep you posted!

Aquatic Park: getting dark

Solo Swim at Sea- Goleta Beach

Date: Tuesday March 15th, 2011
Time:12:15pm
Air Temperature: 65 degrees F
Water Temperature: 53.1 degrees F
Weather: Sunny and windy
Waves: 3.9 ft

 Today's scheduled swim is a 6000 yard Pool swim, that doesn't pan out, we get a call saying that the Pool Heater is broken and the pool is closed.
  Last night I checked out the San Francisco Bay area and water temperature, the temperature is currently 52-53 degrees, I read that the currents are very strong and there is alot of sea life including sea lions, porpoises and as the stories tell sharks.
 San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive estuary through which water drains from approximately 40% of California, where water flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers from the Sierra Nevada Mountains enters the Pacific Ocean. The water way entrance to the San Francisco Bay Area ( often simply " the Bay Area") from the Pacific Ocean is called Golden Gate. Across the strait spans the Golden Gate Bridge.
 I get the strong sense that another few ocean swims before my Friday Golden Gate swim would be very helpful. With that in mind Robbin and I hit the road again for Santa Barbara, there is no organised "Ocean Ducks "swim today, I plan to swim at Goleta Beach Solo.
 We arrive at the beach, there is no group swim scheduled but as we are getting out of the car Pedro a swimmer who swam yesterday pulls up beside us, he rolls down his window and says Hi, " I have a meeting today so no swim for me, the waves are big and the strong wind has made the water cooler today and the current is stronger"  Then he rolls up his window and is gone!
 The good news is the air temperature is warmer today, I change in the bathrooms and Robbin slops baby oil on my back and shoulders, " How much?" she asks...." Pour it on " I reply, "I want all the help I can get."
 She walks me down to the water and we hug " See you in a few" I say, " I'll wave when I am turning around"


The Pier Goleta Beach


I make my way down to the waters edge and walk into the surf, it doesn't take long for a wave to nudge me into diving in, the surf is noticeably larger than the last few days.
 I am off, fast stroking arms, NO West Coast Tim to swim alongside, NO training crew kayak beside me, NO East Coast Tim on a paddle board navigating me, BUT I have my sister watching me from the beach, it makes me feel secure, we have talked about what to do if she sees me in distress or I disappear...
" should I come in", " Absolutely not" I say, "stay on the shore, stay safe and call for help"....she does not look comforted by this, but I need her word she won't try to come in after me, I get it.
 I swim out, I want to make sure I am not picked up and crashed into the shore by the heavy surf, the waves are random, they are not consistently breaking at the same spot. Today my goggles fog and somehow I have managed to get sand stuck to the outside of them, I ignore it and focus on relaxing and what feels good, long strong strokes down to the far end of the beach. I know I am getting close to the turn around.
 The far end is a vacant space, no car parking spots, no friendly grassy area to sit, no kids playing, no people enjoying walking on the beach, just a desolate rocky area, secluded and remote.
 Close to the turn around there is Kelp, I remember that from yesterday, that and the warm water are a sign it is nearly time to turn around, I sight and see the shadow on the cliff, that is West Coast Tim's turn around point, I pop my head up and wave...is that my sister, I am not sure, I wave again and then put my head back down and stroke towards the pier. I hit some kelp, it jolts me when I knock into it, seaweed tangles around my legs and I kick a little harder to break free from it, anytime I feel something I am trying not to react, " stay relaxed" I tell myself...." Long Strokes, Long Strong Strokes, just you and the ocean, no one else is here" , as I am telling myself this I see something below me, large, grey and oval, or is it a circular, it seems to be floating below me, I am mesmerized by it, I keep swimming just as I have trained my primitive brain to do, no alarms, no knee jerk reactions to what I am seeing below...and then it is gone, what was it?, a sting ray? I am not sure but it was mystical with an Erie beauty to it.
 'Home James", I continue on towards the Pier, I am off and very happy to be swimming towards the land mark at the other end of the beach, the Pier is great to sight it is long and large and easy to see from the water, I am excited to wrap up this training swim, I have  a double order of Sushi waiting for me on the beach that we bought before the swim and I am HUNGARY.
 It seemed to be such a quick trip down to the far end of the beach, the return trip seems to be taking longer!
 I am half way back, I recognise the sculpture on the beach, it is spinning in the wind, not long to go now, I put my head down and pull hard with my arms, 50 strong strokes, I breath to my left towards the beach and there is the same sculpture! I am in exactly the same place, I haven't moved an inch!
" The current must be strong", I say to myself, " Time to step it up" , I do and also notice I am being pulled out towards the open sea, I redirect and drive straight into the shore.
 I get closer to the shore and begin to get excited " Body Surfing Wahoo!!!", I get to body surf into the shore, I love body surfing. I can't wait. But not these babies, they are too big & intense for that, the first wave picks me up, I stroke fast riding the wave with my body ready to surf into shore..... I AM WRONG, the wave crashes me into the sand , then drags me back out ready for the next wave to take a turn at the " Swimmer Smack Down"!
 The next wave wins again, I am thrashed into the sand like a rag doll and once more getting dragged out, "RIGHT THAT'S IT" I say to myself, "No more glamorous ocean exit, no surf play today, THIS IS WAR, wave # 3 is not going to win, I am taking the next round."
 Wave # 3 picks me up, I stroke hard...but I am ready for it, as it crashes me down to the sand I firmly plant my feet on the landing, the wave pulls against my body, trying to pull me back out to seas but I drive my thighs forwards and pull with my arms towards the beach...I MAKE IT!
  I walk up out of the water up the beach, I am completely covered in sand in and outside of my suit. I air punch with my fist and walk towards Robbin and the outdoor shower. I rinse off and change in the bathrooms, then jump in the mini, it is toasty warm  from the sun, Robbin and I sit in the mini for a bit.
 " What do you think the temperature was?" , Robbin asks, " 52.9" I reply, she looks up the current temp on her blackberry, " Nope 53.1 " she says. EXCELLENT, I am most pleased, no slurred speech and minimal body shaking, although Robbin tells me I asked her the temperature of the water 5 times while I was warming up!
 We grab our Sushi and lay on the beach, the sand was deliciously warm, it was like lying on an electric blanket and soon I was toasty warm and feeling quite content.
 What's up next...San Francisco Bay, I am beside myself with excitement! How will things go...I'll keep you posted!

Post swim: Toasting it up on the Beach

Goleta Beach

Date: Monday March 14th
Time 12:00pm
Air Temperature 60 degrees
Water Temperature 55 Degrees

We are up early Monday morning, first on the list is a run and some strength training with my sister Robbin, a second breakfast and then we hit the trail for Santa Barbara, I am thrilled to be swimming again today, we arrive at Goleta beach and begin checking out our new surroundings, there is a wonderful grassy area adjacent to the beach, public rest rooms, some cool scupltures and even an outdoor shower to wash off the sand post swim, FANTASTIC, this is quite the setup.
 We meet Tim near the showers and get ready to swim, he gives me the run down of this new turf, " it gets warmer down the other end of the beach, we swim to the shaded part of the cliff, there near the trees" , I see where he is pointing out, but still plan to stick to him like a crutch to be sure I am heading to the right land mark, " we turn around there and we swim  back, the current picks up on the way back"

Me and Tim ready to swim

 We head into the water, there is a big long Pier to our left, " that is going to be a great landmark from the way home" I think to myself. This time I am ready to dash right into the water as Tim does and I am thrilled to find that the water feels even better than it did yesterday, we quickly stroke down to the far end of the beach, past the grassy verge, pass the sculptures spinning in the wind and past the beach front where kids are hanging out playing, the area we swim too is in fact quite deserted and it feels like that in the water too.
 We turn around and stroke back towards the pier, just as Tim sad it would the water gets warmer down the far end and the current gets stronger on the way back to the Pier, I find myself having to stroke harder the more we turn towards shore, before I know it I am striding out of the water and onto the beach, today my teeth are not chattering, 1 Mile, a little under 30 minutes, I feel great.


After the 1 Mile swim

 I rinse off in the outdoor shower and nip into the public restrooms to change out of my suit, minimal shivering which I am happy about. Tim and I chat with Dean another Santa Barbara swimmer who also swam today, Tim asks me if I am swimming on Wednesday, " regretfully no" I answer, " I am heading to San Francisco for a conference", " have you ever swum Alcatraz?" he asks, " no, but I have a Golden Gate Bridge swim set up at 7:00am on Friday morning"
 Both Tim and Deans eyes get wide, "THIS WEEK" they exclaimed, " well yes" I replied. " It is very tough and cold out by the bridge, much tougher than Alcatraz" Tim states, "49 degrees" says Dean. " They look at me like I was a lamb going to the slaughter and didn't know about it, and I guess they were right, I booked the swim only 9 days ago, it is an " Expedition swim" simply listed as Golden Gate, it is led by Leslie Thomas of Swim Art, the timing was perfect for my conference, I jumped at it with very little research. I make a mental note to go online tonight and study the San Francisco Bay a little more closely, check out the water temperature for sure!
 We say our farewells, Tim and Dean give me a warm farewell and a "will she survive San Francisco Bay "look! I promise to come and swim with them again if I am out West.
What's up next.....Pool training swim tomorrow.


Tim( left), Me and Dean( right) Goleta Beach



Santa Barbara: Swimming with the Ocean Ducks

Sunday March 13th, 2011
Location: Butterfly Beach, Santa Barbara, California
Time: 9:00am
Air Temperature: 54 Degrees
Water Temperature: 54 Degrees

I am excited to have the chance to check in on the status of my cold water acclimatization, I have not had the chance to dunk in the cold water since November 2010, since then I have been wrapped up all snug and cozy in the warmth of my local 82 degree lap pool, cozy would be an understatement, apart from the 70 degree lake swim in Florida in February I have been a constant warm water swimmer for the last few months.
 Now I am out and about and fortunate to be staying just an hour away from Santa Barbara for 4 days, I flew in Friday night, was up the next morning for a pool workout, the swim went great and I was pleased to feel snappy despite the cross country travel the day before.
 Saturday is here and I am heading to Santa Barbara with my sister and her husband to catch an ocean swim with the " Ocean Ducks". I found them thanks to Big Ned who suggested I look at the Santa Barbara Channel Association website, (good on ya Big Ned, yet again you have steered me in the right direction), there is a local group of swimmers who meet at 9am on Sunday mornings at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara.
  We set off good and early just in case we have trouble finding the spot, we find the beach OK, but once there are not quite sure where the group meets. My sister and her eagle eyes spot an " Ocean Ducks " banner and we excitedly park and head to the beach to investigate.



Ocean Ducks Kayak Support Supplies

  There are just one or twp people there, I introduce myself and explain that I am visiting from the east coast and would like to swim with the "Ocean Ducks", Angelo who organises the group welcomes me and pointed out the landmarks that swimmers swim to and from, it is half a mile down and half a mile back, 1 lap and you have covered 1 mile. I keep glancing around puzzled not to see other swimmers getting ready to take to the water..." What time does the group start swimming?", " Oh we don't swim in a group" he replied,  but sometimes swimmers of similar speed swim together, what is your mile time?" I tell him and he suggests I swim with Tim, he explains that Tim is a strong open water swimmer and one of the fastest in the group, I gulp!

 Tim arrives and as promised Angelo introduces me," Hi, I am Tim, the best open water swimmer Kansas has produced", " Hi, I am Charlotte and I am visiting from the East Coast, thank you for letting me tag along today". There, introductions done and we head towards the water, Tim points out where we are headed and tells me he is planning to swim 2 laps to make 2 miles. I am planning to stick to Tim like glue!!
 We head into the surf, that old familiar cold water feel is there, Tim is definitely not a dawdler getting into the water like I am, there is no waist deep pause, no over head stretch of the arms, it is bombs away, he dives under the next incoming wave and is gone. I dive in after him, all the familiar sensations come rushing back as I submerge, I spin my arms fast powering through the water an effort to warm up as fast as I can, I ease off to pace with Tim and do a scan of my body, " Hey I feel pretty good, I can feel my hands and feet, not bad" I do feel the familiar burning of the cold on my triceps and thighs but apart from that I feel good and am excited to be swimming in the ocean.
 We swim parallel to the beach, Tim  is great to swim with, he has a strong relaxed stroke and knows the beach like the back of his hand.
 There is lots of seaweed and kelp in the water, the kelp is firm and not forgiving when you swim into it, the first time I hit it I flinch, it abruptly stops me in my tracks, after a few times swimming in and amongst it I get accustomed to it, the seaweed tangles around my legs as I swam by, on the second lap something swam up under me and brushes my thigh, I don't look down, look up or stop, I just keep swimming.
 We are soon down to the end of the beach, turned around and swam back, as we reached the far end the water gets cooler, we stop to turn around, Tim tells me that we were on a shelf and it drops off deep just beyond where we were, that is why the water is colder here, he points just beyond where we are treading water, " the big fish hang out there", I look away and focus on our next lap, we swam down and back one more time, our swim time 54 minutes, the temperature 54 degrees.



Exiting the water with West Coast Tim

  We walk out of the water, my teeth are chattering, I make it up to the beach, the ocean ducks have a wonderful spread of hot coffee and snacks. I desperately want to hang out on the beach and chat, I try to look cool and relaxed while I wrap my towel, but I'm not in control of my body any more, it has started to shut down and the familiar shaking has already started, thanks to a concerned look from my sister I scoop up my clothes and am off to the mini to get dressed and have hot tea( Yes she has a mini too!)  Into the mini and I sat trying to hurriedly warm up, I slosh down some tea and after a bit return to the beach to visit with the other swimmers, I am curious to find out more about the Ocean Ducks.
 I join them  layered in a turtleneck, fleece, down vest and hat, they were dressed in light sweat shirts, what a sight I must look.



Visiting on the beach after the swim

  I learnt that Tim has swum here for many years and it shows, he swims well, also that last week a women had seals swimming along under her, that was most likely what was dolphining along below me. Finally I learnt that a few Ocean Duck swimmers were meeting tomorrow at noon at Goleta Beach to swim, " I'm in" I said, " I'll see you tomorrow."
 Then we were off for Sushi for lunch and a walk along the pier in Santa Barbara, it was a beautiful day and there was a local artists market along the beach, what a terrific place. What's up next....Goleta beach 12:00pm tomorrow!

Lucky's Lake swim

Saturday February 24th, 2011
Location: Lake Cane, located South West of Orange County Florida
Time 7:45am
Air Temp 56 degrees F
Water Temperature 70 degrees F



The Dock

 I have been in Florida 1 day, arriving lateThursday night, Saturday I am scheduled to swim, I have researched a local pool only 2.5 miles away, they have a Masters group that trains 10:00am - 12:00pm each Saturday and my plan is to catch a swim with them. I looked up the directions, pool hours and Masters practice online and am all set for a swim tomorrow and I am excited to meet and swim with some Florida swimmers. I call the pool to double check plans for tomorrows swim, a super polite guy answers the phone, I ask about tomorrow's swim and he apologetically explains that the pool is closed for the day for a swim meet tomorrow, RATS!
 Time for the back up plan, and that is travelling to Lake Cane for Lucky's lake swim, I don't know much about it except the location and the time of the swims, I set my alarm for 6:00am and pack my swim bag ready for the morning.
 I wake before my alarm, I always do, I am excited to learn more about Lucky, his Lake swim and the swimmers who swim there. I say goodbye to my husband Jeff, " if you don't feel safe don't do it" he says, there is a short silence and he gives me a knowing look, " call me when you are out of the water"...
 I creep out of the condominium so as not to wake the rest of the family, then I am in the car navigating how to get to Lake Cane, "this maybe tougher than the swim ", I think to myself.

ABOUT LAKE CANE
 Lake Cane is an 85 acres spring fed lake with a depth of approximately 18ft, the water temperature ranges from 60 degrees F to 90 degrees F. Alligators have been seen in the lake at time and some swimmers do swim with knives but there has never been an Alligator attack.
 The swim is done at a persons own risk. There are no lifeguards or rescue boats. Participants are expected to be accomplished swimmers, others are told not to swim. Swimmers are encouraged to swim with a flotation aid such as a pull buoy or wetsuit.
( This is a description I read about Lake Cane and Lucky's Lake swim after my swim...I was curious to find out more after the dip, pleased I didn't read before I swam!)

AQUATICA
 The directions lead me to a residential street, " follow the directions the house has large iron gates with AQUATICA on the top, drive in and park, if there is no room park on the grass or one the street"
 I pull up in front of a large 2 story house, the gates are as described,  AQUATICA  is on top of the large ion gates. I scan the layout, it is 7:35am, I don't see anyone around, then a car pulls up opposite me, a guy jumps out, grabs a wetsuit from his car, walks through the gates, down past the house towards a lake, I get out of the car and follow.
 Adjacent to the house is a small card table with a pen and pile of liability release forms, I fill one out, leave it on the table and continue down to a dock by the lake. As I walk past the house I notice a 3 lane lap pool at the back of the house enclosed by a screened in area and equipped with a basketball hoop and volleyball net for water fun.

 When I approached the lake I noticed 2 guys beginning to put wetsuits on, I asked them how many people come and swim, one replied " I haven't been in a while with the water being so cold", I other chimed in " there were only 6 swimmers last Saturday because it's cold, in the summer there can be 200-300 swimmers".
 " Wow, that's alot " I reply as I edge closer to the water, I have been indoor for 4 months in 82 degree water and I am about to find out what my body remembers about cold water swimming and what it does not! I gingerly put me feet in the water, it feels delightful, I guess about 70 degrees, I decide not dawdle with my feet in their just in case something is lurking!
 The guys see me pull my feet out " See" " Cold". I keep quiet.
 One by one more people come to the waters edge, they are incredibly friendly, some are in wetsuits, some have on booties, me, women of all ages begin to appear, at least 15 swimmers are now gathered all with one thing in common, swimming with Lucky in the lake today!. One guy strides onto the dock and puts a scoop into a big whiskey barrel, the scoop comes out of the barrel loaded with some sort of pellets, he tosses it into the water and the next thing I know their are a frenzy of fish jumping and thrashing around trying to get to the food first, " Florida Pirhanna" he says with a smile.
 I check my watch 7:45am, what happens next I wonder and which one is Lucky? Just then the chatter quieted down and Lucky appeared, he welcomed everyone and asked if there were any first time swimmers, I and one other fellow sheepishly raised our hands, Lucky said " Welcome and be sure to sign off on the liability waiver before you swim, just in case...." there was a roar of laughter and then he said" be sure to come in and sign your name on the wall after you swim" and then it was on with the other announcements.
 One swimmer was celebrating his 80th Birthday and was to receive an award for crossing the lake 100 times, he was awarded a special cap, we all cheered, it was really great to see the spirit and comradery of this wonderful swim group led by Lucky. I have since read that Lucky started a 1 kilometer swim at his home in 1989. In 1995 it became a daily swim except for Sundays. In 1999 swimmers began signing Lucky's wall of fame on the back of Lucky's house, Lucky would write a sporting accomplishment under someones name if one existed, some include Olympic swimmers, National record holders and scores of iron man distance finishers. In fact there seemed to be alot of Iron man athletes present today, most people were wearing wetsuits......not Lucky of course!
 I wonder when the swim will start, by now me and 5-6 other swimmers have edged waist deep into the water, Lucky strides into the water goggles down and is off, everyone else follow....so do I!
 The water feels amazing, silky warm, the sun is rising and I can see the sunrise each time I roll to breath, I feel like I am on a tropical Island...I am not, the water is in reality quite murky, here is the inside of my suit after the swim, it was white when I entered the water.

Not white now! Post swim suit before rinsing!

 I drink in the wonderful feeling of stretching out, long strokes, no walls and that outdoor feel I am thrilled! Before I know it we are at the other end of the lake, Lucky and 2 other fellows are there before me, I turn and swim back to the dock and decide I just have to swim some more, I swim 2 more laps, each lap is 1 kilometer. After 3km out of the water.


After the swim

  Then it's T shirt on over my wet suit and up to thank everyone for their hospitality. I popped my head in to the screened in pool and say thanks, " Have you signed the wall" was the reply, " Well no" I said, before I know it I have a marker in hand and am scoping out a spot on the ceiling to proudly plant my name.

 I found  a spot.....

Lucky and his group of swimmers couldn't have been more hospitable, this swim was a gem, I was so warmly welcomed and sent away with my very own I survived bumper sticker and patch, if you are ever down this neck of the woods I dip is definitely in order, thanks Lucky!



Lucky Meisenheimer and Me after the swim

I later read that Lucky has made over 15,000 Lake crossings, I am curious to calculate how many crossings I would have made in 2010 had I been swimming in Lucky's lake, drum roll..... da da  da daaaaaa the total is 1,617 crossings. What Fun!!!

 Next up back to Stowe and more laps indoors AND a new adventure on the horizon, West Coast Swimming, surely California will be warm.....or will it, coming up next swimming in Santa Barbara with the ocean ducks, will I be chillin? I'll keep you posted!

2010 comes to a close..What's next Snow and Aligators!

I went to sleep on New Years Eve 2010 thinking when I wake up in the morning my English Channel attempt will be NEXT YEAR.... wow that sounds so close.
 I have been training for one year, I am 1003 miles closer than I was at the start of 2010. With 2010 coming to a close it was time for me to size up what was on the cards for 2011.

Not burning out
Keeping Healthy
Continuing Cold Water Acclimatization
More feeding experimentation
Setting a monthly Training schedule
Annual Plan: Training Distances and events
Booking Accommodation and Travel to Dover in 2012

Phew, I finally have my 2011 plan laid out, as with all plans it may be modified as the year progresses, I learnt a hard lesson last year during my " freak out swim" on how important it is to check in with yourself and evaluate how things are going, to check that the short term goals are challenging enough to keep you engaged but not so big as to be overwhelming and " freak you out of contention".
 So here is my training plan for January, February and March, it involves a lot of pool swimming, 40,000 meters a week to be exact, it includes strength training 2 days, 2 short 15 minute sessions of Core exercises, 3 sessions of Yoga for flexibility and inner calm and finally some Nordic skiing. I started XC skiing last year, it is not only a great workout but very soothing to get out in the woods, I go 2 afternoons a week at 3:30pm and ski until just after dark at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

 I ski with my friend Margaret, we usually have some pretty good discussions while we climb up the Vermont Hills on our Nordic skis and one particular day late in December after our climb up to the Trapp family lodge Cabin we paused during the downhill for a chat about technical racing suits. I had just finished researching the statistics on how much faster the now banned race suits are and why they are faster, I had blogged about it and was filling Margaret in on what I had discovered.
 Well the day was pristine and we were enjoying an extended break to chat while the snow silently and gracefully fell on us, during our chat we heard a third voice join in the conversation, a male voice with an English accent, he offered his input on the banned swim suit controversy, we had a spirited discussion, during the conversation my blog came up and  he asked the address, I told him and he asked " what does EC Kiwi stand for?" I replied " I am training for an attempt on the English Channel in 2012 and this is a blog about my training adventures and all the great people I meet".
 He looked beside himself with excitement as he said " You know there is a girl in Stowe who is training for the English Channel you should get in touch with her"  "No way!" I replied truly excited at the thought that there was someone else out there like me who I could share some of those long pool swims with, those chilly cold water dips and share experiences of what works and what doesn't! How could I have missed that,I wonder.
" I didn't know that", I told him and he replied, " She is going to be swimming the butterfly" , "WOW" I replied, this girl is a legend in my book. He continued on " I am surprised you haven't bumped into her, she trains at the local pool, you should stop by there and ask them, they are sure to know about her, I read all about her in the local paper a few months ago"
 "Oh I will check it out ", I quietly replied, my heart sank as I realized that he may just be talking about me, I work at the local pool and sadly have not seen anyone quite like the girl he is describing.
 Neither Margaret or I say a word to him or to each other, we politely say our goodbyes and push off downhill to ski back to the lodge, Margaret is skiing in front and our new friend continues on up the trails, after a few minutes I shout forward to Margaret, " Well looks like I may be swimming the butterfly in the Channel , I better cut back on all that Freestyle I'm swimming!" We both roar with laughter.
 Margaret has seen Butterfly guy a few times over the season while she has been skiing, we did enjoy chatting with him, he was super friendly and just like us enjoying being out in the woods, taking in the scenery and sharing experiences with others, it was fun!


USMS ONE HOUR SWIM 2011: Event # 1:


First event up was early in January, that is the United States Masters One Hour Swim, it is a National Event that involves swimming the most distance you can cover in one hour, a timer and verifier list your 50 split times and verify your swim, this has to be completed in the month of January, I was planning to swim this late in January but on Friday January 7th, 2011, Paula my swim buddy and training crew member asked me if I wanted to swim the one hour swim with her the next day at 7:00am, " Brilliant " I blurted out before considering that I had already swum 32,000 meters this week and the swim was the next day, " oh well, no resting up for this one, I'll be good and tired" I thought to myself.
 I bounced up the next morning and galloped down to the pool, I have 32,000 meters under my belt this week and I am excited to go under the stop watch and see what I can pump out today.
 Paula and I wish each other good luck and we are off, lap after lap we thundered up and down the pool, I was cooking like a lobster in the 82 degree water, before you know it Deb who was our counter and verifer gave us the sign that our hour was up and we stopped. The distance covered was 4716 yards, last year I swam 4,686 I am pleased and it is enough distance to sang me 5th place in the National event in my age group, I am thrilled with myself and feel elated after the swim until the grim reality sinks in that I still have another 4000 meters to swim to wrap up my training goal for the week, WOW this is going to be grim, I push off the wall and feel heavy and slow for the next 1000 meters and then a funny thing happens, I relax, my mind lets go and I swim on instinct, my pace picks up and the next 3000 meters is some good quality 100's the last one is a beat the tide sprint and I feel good, a long but bennifical 2.5 hour outing in the pool both mentally and physically.

WANT TO SWIM?...
 So what comes next, you read the training plan.....40, 000 meters each week indoors, no outdoor adventures to jazz me up just the hard slog of up, down, up, down, fast, slow, fast, slow.....the next few months feel like I am a fish rickashading off the end of a fish tank, swimming to the other end and back again and again and again, I swim with our Masters group and I swim alone, sometimes I feel starved for company in the pool and look to swim with others as much as I can, I have a great support of swimmers, often swim buddies will join me for part of my workout, I may rotate through 2-3 swimmers during my 8-10,000 meter sessions. Sometimes my swim buds are set up in advance to swim with me, other times  I will spy someone getting in the pool and pounce..... " Hey want to swim a set?", I am like a dolphin ready to play. As I am swimming I can see everything in and out of the water, I watch who is getting in and out and can sense by the look on their face and their body language if they are up for company or if they have that look on their face that says" oh crap there she is, I just want a cruise today maybe she won't see me", to them I look more like a menacing shark than a playfull Dolphin.....I understand sometimes a relaxing stretch out is delicious and swimming with me doesn't often pan out that way.

Long Pool Swims fuelled by Carbo Drink and Water

 January whizzed by, February I started to slow down in the water, long slow workouts and when I tried to hit my beat the tide pace from just a month before I stumbled, it felt like I was swimming so hard, yet I was swimming slower. I have read that is is not unusual to experience periods of this, I continue to train, ignore the extreme tiredness and busy myself with logging my training, planning my workouts and putting some new short term goals on the horizon to give me something to be jazzed up about.
 First up, a family trip to Florida February 24th, 4 days in Orlando, surely they have lakes there, right! They do, there is one just outside the door of the complex we are staying in, perfect I call up them up and ask about swimming in the lake, a hands down NO is the answer I get over the phone, hmmm.
 I reserach a pool to swim in and discover an organised Lake Swim: " Lucky's Lake swim", only 25-30 minutes from where I am staying, I pack my bags for Florida excited about the prospect of swimming outdoors after 4 months penned up inside. According to my wise sources Gators may be an issue in the lakes in Florida, hmmmm hadn't considered that one, I read on the English Channel chatgroup that I am a member of and see some questions posetd about swimming in waters where Aligators hang. One question asked went something like this," Does anyone have any tips on swimming in a river with Aligators", the answer summed it up:
" I asked a guy and he said " don't do it", he had one leg!"

 Will I swim in an indoor pool or venture outdoors while I am in Florida? I'll keep you posted ( maybe this photo will give you a clue)



Lucky's Swim Lake