THE DAY AFTER THE 25KM SWIM, WHAT WILL THIS FEEL LIKE???

Low on fuel…… I am pleasantly tired, I arrive home from Indian on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm and go about getting situated, unpacking and preparing myself for the week ahead, work, family and the Colonies Zone Championship Meet that I am racing in on Friday.

 Monday morning 5:15am, time to arise and down to the pool for our masters workout group practice. I am creaky to say the least, the best way I can describe it is there is nothing there when I pull, I swim easy recovery sets, even when I try to pick up the pace it is a feeble response, my usual comfortable 200 meter repeats on a 2:50 are now taking me 3:05, my 2:35 beat the tide pace has “left the building”. My other deal is a nasty pain in my right wrist, I ponder what it is, the wrist is swollen and hurts to pick up the lightest of objects and kills to twist the top off my water bottle, “hmmmm weird, only one hurts in my right arm”, the light bulb goes off and I come to the conclusion that I have a ” FEEDING SORENESS’, yip an “EATING INJURY”, can you believe it?  I have been training and training to swim, fast feeds,  to tread while I am feeding, to pee while I am swimming, to speed up, to slow down BUT I have not practiced ripping my feed bottles off 14 times with force at ” Race Pace”, I smile, isn’t it funny the things you discover.

 RECOVERY

I go about icing my wrist and even though it is hard moving not only my wrist but my entire body I do it…… I know gentle movement will enhance my recovery, increasing the blood flow to my beat up muscles and ultimately helping them repair stronger than  they were before, all while improving the range of motion of my joints……if I rest completely I will stiffen right up and with a meet coming up on Friday, tight stiff muscles and limited range of motion is not something I have time to contend with and certainly won’t lead me to my best performance.

Here is how the week goes…

Sunday Afternoon: Yoga 30 minutes ( it is painful, I am creaky, but better afterwards)

Monday Morning: Swim EZ 2500 meters, Teach Fitness Class one hour, light lift, one hour Yoga ( tonight’s Yoga class makes a big difference, my back bend releases the tension in my right wrist, thank you Cynthia my teacher!)

Tuesday Morning: Teach 30 minute Fitness Class, Masters Swim Practice 3000 meters, Open Water Swim 5000 meters, Yoga 20 minutes ( Back in the Open Water I feel strong again, magical loons help me restore!)

Wednesday Morning: Masters Swim Practice 3000 meters, Teach One Hour Jump Rope Class, Lift 20 minutes

Thursday Rest

Friday THE MEET

  Sunday & Monday I am still feeling banged up, by the time I get back into the Open Water late Tuesday afternoon I am BACK, excellent! I also have a massage on Wednesday with Kate Graves, she does body work and energy work with me once a month, I have purposely booked a session with her this week so she can help me restore, she does and is pleased with the range of motion of my shoulders, she works on my tendon, it is feeling better.

 TIME TO RACE!

 Friday rolls around and me and my team mates are off to the meet, we leave at 9:30am, me Cynthia, Cara and Cara’s 3 week old baby Aurora are tucked into the Mini and we are off for the 90 minute ride to Middlebury College, it boasts an impeccably kept 50 meter pool, I am excited to swim today….” How weird going from a 25km Race to a 1500 meter race, 7 Hours last weekend down to 20 minutes and change today”

 We check in and warm up, at 12:00pm the meet starts, I am in the final heat, I will swim around 3:30pm. Cynthia, Margaret and I enjoy an extended session of Yoga while we wait.

 Paula swims, Margaret swims, heat 9 it is my turn, I step up behind the block, I am yawning, ahhh sleepy, the starter soon jolts me out of my relaxation trance and I am off the block, the laps go by FAST, I have gone from 1 hour 23 laps in the 25km Nationals to a 1 minute 16 second first lap today in the 1500 meter finals, Wow that wall comes up again fast, I find myself slipping into my big long Open Water Stroke! Pick it up, Pick it up, my brain is barking at my physical body, I have no idea  to predict my time, I am planning to swim as fast as I can today, the final lap, I sprint into the touch pad, PUNCH….I am done! 1st place in the 45-49 year as age group in a time of 20 minutes and 26 seconds, nice, and a New England Record, breaking the previous record of 20:32.82 set in 2005.

 I warm down, then on to the 800 meters, I am alert and into race mode the first 100 meters I take out at a 1:14, then it is the fastest steady pace I can hold, I feel like I am a fish in a fish bowl, so constrained compared to the vast open water, up and down, up and down in my own little confined lane, no fish, no loons, no stones to look at on the bottom, I think of my team mates in the stands, I think of the steady temperature, no wind and waves, I have everything in my favour and the time to kick it in with all I can is now, ” temporary discomfort”!

 The last 100 is here and I open up all that is left, I see swimmers beside me, I swim by and punch the wall, lane 5 , 10:38, 1st place, I barely hear the announcer, ” Charlotte Brynn, sets her second New England Record tonight, breaking the old record of 10:43 set in 2004, I look up in the stands my team mates are cheering, jumping up and down and pumping their fists in the air, what fun!

 Time to cool down, shower and head home, I arrive home at 9:15pm, Jeff has a steak waiting, I eat and roll into bed, nite nite time.

 Next up an Open Water Training Swim Sunday and then off to Ireland on Thursday for Ned Denison’s 9 day training week in the Irish sea, lakes and rivers, said to be colder and rougher than the English Channel itself, I have my work cut out for me in the upcoming weeks!

 More about Ireland? I ‘ll keep you posted

 

Race Day is Here…

 Last night we took a tour of the course and attended the race meeting, then it was out to slide down a big steak and off to get some shut eye before the big race.

Wake up time is 5:00am, suit on and I am mixing up my swim feeds, I have only enough Maxim for 10 feeds, I had ordered more on Monday, 2 day shipping….it arrived yesterday( Friday ), I got a call from Ron, who received the shipment, ” hey your feed has arrived”, ” have you got enough for the race?”, ” I only have enough feed for 8 hours, so I’ll just have to swim fast and finish in under 8 hours”, was my reply.

 I also have my new brew ” Potato Bomb”, Jeff mixed up sweet potato, banana and orange juice with a wisk in the ice bucket at 5am this morning, way to be innovative! I take a sip for taste, it works.

 Next, it is lathering on  factor 70 sun lotion and out to the car with all our gear, we exit the hotel lobby only to discover that it is teaming with rain, yip bucketing it down…we soilder on. On arrival to the race we are advised that due to the thunder and lightening we will be starting at 9:00am instead of the scheduled 7:00am, there is a chance we may not start at all. I am feeling good….” well if we don’t get to swim atleast we had a great day yesterday and look at all the history we learnt”, even so deep down I really really want a crack at this swim, this will be my longest Open Water swim yet, the water is a warm 70’s , a comfortable temperature for me to navigate this first 15.5 mile swim.

 We wait, soon 8:00am is upon us and the race directors make the call, the race will go on but instead of a 10 hour time limit the course will now close after 8 hours, swimmers who want to swim 25km can do it as long as they swim in under 8 hours, for those swimmers who want to swim 20km they can and will still be considered for placings in the National Championship Event but they will be placed after the 25km swimmers. I am determined that I am finishing the 25km course, that was my goal to swim the distance and I am going to do it today.

 All the swimmers burst into a flurry of action to ready themselves and their kayak support person, Jeff is paddling for me, he is planning to paddle by me for the majority of the race, only taking a break for the bathroom if need be. We load all our supplies, I take another hit of sunlotion and Jeff applies Lanolin around my swim suit straps, it is still raining as we are loading the boat, finally Jeff is in the water paddling away from the start, ready to pick me up after the start of the race.

 Me and all the other swimmers line up in numerical order, we are numbered 1 through 66 according to our seed time, both men and women together, number 1 is the fastest, number 66 the slowest of the pack….I am number 39, a sure fire underdog, bring it on!

 The day still looks grim but there is not a breath of wind the water is like glass, we single file into the water and line up across the start line, we wait til everyone is in the water, ” it’s cold”, ” this is freezing”, I hear from either side of me, these swimmers are from Florida, the water is warmer where they have been swimming, I am LOVING IT, it feels balmy compared to my New England Spring Swimming. The whistle blows, one minute until the start, then the bull horn blows WE ARE OFF!

 It is a frenzy of arms spinning and legs kicking, bodies all over, the water is turbulent and thick with bubbles, my stroke rate is fast, I want to swim hard to find a space so I can allow Jeff to nestle in beside me in the kayak, I am relying on him for not only feeding support but also pace control and navigation. After half a mile we connect, it is comforting to have him by my side, I feel safe and not alone, we are a team.

Our plan is to swim in 30 minutes segments, at 20 minutes Jeff counts my stroke and gives me a hand signal so I know how many strokes per minute I am taking, if it is low I pick up the pace, at 25 minutes he gives me the ” pickup the pace signal” this is for 3 minutes, these are hard but good, they help pick up my cruise pace, then at 30 minutes I get the signal to feed, with that Jeff throws the feed bottle at me, my job is to gulp down the feed in under 25 seconds, 20 if possible, then I toss it back and swim. I really really really look forward to my feeds!

 The first feed goes great, there is so much I want to say to Jeff, ” thank you for being here”, ” I couldn’t do this without your support”, ” how crazy was that start”, ” how are you feeling”, ” I can’t believe you are going to paddle for 8 hours!”, ” I can’t see a thing out of my goggles”…….but all I have time for is Gulp, Gulp Gulp Gulp BURP, then a toss of the feed bottle, head down and I am swimming again. Oh dear I think how rude, poor Jeff, then I remind myself….this is what I have been training for fast feeds.

 Feed number 2 comes and goes, we are swimming in Morse Lake and the course is a 5km lap that we are swimming 5 times, I ponder the thought, other times I have swum and when I swim in the Channel I will have no idea where I am and how long I have been swimming, today I feel grateful in knowing that I am aware of how many laps I have swum and what lap number I am on, I grasp onto that luxury.

  I decided today that I wanted to swim my hard, ” if my shoulders aren’t burning I am not pushing  hard enough”, that is what I said before I left Vermont, I vocalised it now time to deliver, I pull hard, I am aware of my shoulders talking to me ” what the heck are you playing at, what happened to an easy Open Water stretch?”. I am aware of new aches in my arms that I have not felt in training swims, then my focus shifts, right after my second feed I notice my right eye is stinging ” what is that? Sun lotion in the eye, is it the soap I was my goggles out with?” whatever it is it is burning and I am aware of more water leaking into the right goggle! ” OK, gotta stop and sort this out, I have a spare pair of goggles in the kayak, I’ll ask Jeff to get them for me”, meanwhile all feeling of discomfort has disappeared from my achy arms, all I notice is the right eye…..” well as bad as the right eye feels, the good news is it has made me forget all about the aches in my arms, excellent”!

 I decide that there is no way I am stopping before my next feed, otherwise my mind will think it has the green light to manipulate me to stop for all sorts of ” super important reasons”, nope I am swimming on and I DO. 30 minutes go by, Jeff throws me the bottle, I lift it up to chug down my feed, at the same time I flick the right side of my goggles and empty out the water, and swim on. Miraculously it feels much better, crisis averted, I am pleased I kept calm and didn’t ” knee jerk react” into wasting valauable time and grabbing a fresh set of goggles.

 Lap One is done, at the end of the lap there is a big pace clock, I am very naughty and rubber neck on the way by the pace clock to try and get my 5km split, I miss it but do manage to lift my head more than I should in an attempt to see my time, let go control Charlotte, let it go, I do and swim on.

 Before I know it we have completed lap 2, 10 km, I now change my focus, lap 3, how darn exciting, after I finish lap 3 then it is lap 4 and I LOVE lap 4 because after lap 4 is lap 5 my final lap, I can’t wait until Lap 4. We swim on some more, sometimes my wrists have shooting pains, after 30 minutes the pain disappears and my elbow aches, then it shifts to my lower back, that aches and everything else feels great, I work on focusing on what feels good……my stomach feels top rate, all the feeds are sliding down fast and giving me great energy, after I feed I feel a surge of new strength, I imagine I am filling up with premium gas and putting my foot down on the gas pedal, it feels good.

 Lap 3 is complete, the sun has come out and I am THRILLED to be starting lap 4, I love Lap 4, I love Lap 4, I attack, only 2 laps to go, I know I can do 2 laps, I have already swum 2 laps today, I know I can do it again, all thoughts turn to ” we’ve got this”, at our next feed I Gulp and shout to Jeff ” We’re doing it”, and again we are off. Now the wind has picked up the water is choppy and I have to fight harder, I feel very grateful as I swim, most of my training swims this spring have been on windy days, white caps to swim through, this feels very familiar to me today I LOVE the waves!

 I am reflecting now…… every breath I take I turn and see Jeff guiding me, he is there for me and I feel grateful to have him with me, not only today but as my partner, I think of Deb, Paula, Cara and Robbin, who have all paddled beside me in training swims and during races, often in challenging conditions, they are all here with me on these 5 laps, there are so many others following my progress and offering encouragement and support through both the successes and the struggles I do not feel alone, it gives me strength and I drive forwards with all Iv’e got.

 Lap 4 is done, I have no idea how many hours I’ve been swimming, I decided to let go of control early in the race and just swim stroke by stroke, 30 minute period by 30 minute period, I do know that at the end of lap 4 it is a feed and with one lap to go  I am going to finish on the hour, I am not sure if it is 7 hours or 8 hours but I am determined it will be on an hour, I push on hard. Jeff and I begin to pass swimmers, one after the other, I don’t know it at the time but Jeff later tells me we are passing numbers much lower than my seed, number 11, some numbers in the 20s and a number under 10, as we go by some of the kayakers shout, ” where did she come from?”, ” she is swimming strong”, one women stops and shouts to her Kayaker ” what’s her number, what’s her number,who is she?”. I am oblivious to all of this, I just want to finish, finish strong and finish on the hour whether it be 8 hours or 7 hours….GO KIWI GO…and I do!

 We are close, no more feeds says Jeff, I listen, put my head down and go, all I can muster, Pull, Breath, Pull, Pull, Pull breath. The finish is near, Jeff gives me the” go girl go”  look, I spin my arms frantically, I look up for the finish, I pull, I look up for the finish I pull, then I look up again….” is it over,”  Was that the finish?”, I’m not sure so I keep swimming, then I see Jeff relax in the boat, I pull up, he is grinning, ” 7 Hours and 1 second”, ” NO WAY” I blurt out, “NO WAY, NO WAY”, I am beside myself with excitement. I lift up my goggles, my right eye is throbbing, I look down at my hands they are swollen, they look like white baseball mitts, Jeff’s eye is sunburned on the right lid, we look a right state and I couldn’t be happier…..” I bet I look HOT”, we roar with laughter, in reality I look like I am about to win the best Halloween costume contest, SCAREY!

 We peel Jeff out of the boat, except for a quick bathroom break he stayed by my side for 7 hours, I adore him! He is happy to stand up, it is 4pm, we have been swimming since 9:00am. We go about packing up our gear and hang about for the awards. I went into the swim seeded 39th and finished 15th overall out of all the men and women, I place 2nd in my age group, the women finishing ahead of me swam the course in 6 Hours and 55 minutes, I am most pleased.

 We head back to the hotel, despite the thick layer of factor 70 sun lotion I have some suit marks on my back from the sun but little to no chaffing.

 We creak out of the car to eat dinner at a restaurant close by, another 12 oz steak is down the hatch and then it is off to bed and early to catch a flight back to Vermont tomorrow.

 Next up, the unknownof what my body will feel like over the next few days, how quickly I will recover ( you know I’ve got something else in store round the corner, right!) YES, it is the Eastern States  Zones Championship Masters Swim meet on Friday at Middlebury College, Vermont and I am swimming in a pool!!! I am entered in the 1500 meters and 800 meters, how will that go, I’ll keep you posted.

 Friday June 17th, 2011

Noblesville, Indiana

 On the schedule today…

Yoga

Pack up Race Supplies

Walking Tour of Noblesville, Indiana 1pm

Race Check In 4pm

Boat Tour of the Course

Race Meeting 6pm

Prepare Feeds

Eat 12 oz Tenderlion Steak

Sleep!

LET’S GET STARTED

  I begin the day with Breakfast followed by Yoga, there is a strip of grass between the hotel and the highway, just enough for me to work through 28 minutes of Yoga, it feels great, my breath calms me and the earth feels great under my feet. Then it is ” pack up the gear time ” for the race.

 I lay out 10 containers ready to fill with feed tonight along with all the supplies:

Lanolin to rub on the prevent chaffing from my suit, 2 pair of goggles, factor 70 sun lotion,  2 caps, lip balm, feed bag to hold all my bottles, bungee cord to tie it all on the kayak, ductape to mark the kayak with our race number, plastic bag for Jeff’s phone in case it rains, food for Jeff, then an array of clothes to put on after the swim.

 Check, race gear all laid out, now it is sundress on and off to lunch in Noblesville, we eat at a  lovely cafe, fill our tummies with food and roll out to door to seek out the visitors center, we find it but arrive at 1:15pm,the tour started at 1:00pm, ” oh well, let’s go in and ask, if it has already left perhaps we can catch up”, I say to Jeff.

 As we walk in the door a  young man jumps up, we head to the reception desk and ask the girl manning the desk about the tour, ” I know we are terribly late, we read of the walking tour and would love to take it, if it is possible, if not we understand”, she smiled and looked to the young man, he bounded over to us ” I am so glad you are here, I will take you, I will take you”, he had a beaming smile plastered on his face and spoke very quickly, he was excited and I was excited by his enthusiasm!

THE WALKING TOUR

Zachary our walking tour guide

 

 Zachary is our guide, he is a local teenager, we begin the tour, he pulls out a wad of papers and begins to read in a monotone fashion from the first page…

” Noblesville has a rich history dating back to 1818 when the land that is now Hamilton County was purchased from the Indians. William Connor, the only white man living in the area at the time and his wife a  Delaware Indian, established the first trading post in central Indiana in 1802 and lived in the area’s first log cabin.

 William Connor and Josiah Polk submitted a plat of Noblesville in 1823, at the same time the town as a country seat. Noblesville was named either for James Noble, a state senator, or according to legend, for Lavinia Noble of Indianapolis, to whom Josiah was engaged. The Peru and Indianapolis railroad was completed through the town in 1851, the same year Noblesville was incorporated.”

 Source: Historic Noblesville, Walking Tour Guide, produced by the Noblesville Preservation Alliance in cooperation with the Hamilton County Convention & Visitors Bureau

 Zach, was still reading word for word, I was very interested in the historical fact however was beginning to wonder if we were going to leave the comfort of the cool air conditioned visitors center?  Zach read on…..

” The cities largest growth boom came in 1888 with the discovery of Noblesville’s first gas well, many Victorian homes as well as the vast majority of the Downtown Commercial District were built during this time of prosperity”

 With that we stepped outside the visitors center and into the stunning Indiana day, it is a warm 84 degrees with a easy breeze, delightful. I look across the road to the familiar sheriffs residence and jail that we toured last year and next to it a magnificent courthouse which stands tall and proud, the centre of the town, surrounded by brilliant green grass and wonderful trees.

 Zach gives us the facts of the jail and some of the notorious prisoners that it held, we don’t spent long outside the jail, he is itching to moves us towards the Courthouse building, I can tell he is enamoured by the courthouse, he no longer reads from his guide instructions, he knows about the Courthouse, and begins chatting away about it’s history….

 THE COUTHOUSE- Second Empire ( 1877-79)

 

The Courthouse is the focal point of downtown Noblesville, the clock tower contains the original clock and is still functional. The Courthouse took 2 years to build, it was completed in 1879, the final cost of the courthouse was approximately $150,000, the contract bid was awarded to the lowest bidder, Aaron G Campfield, $99,950, in line with the stating that the building should cost less than $100,000……opps!

 At the start 40 workmen a day were employed, growing to 70-80 workers per day, an example of their labor costs…stone cutters were paid $2.50 per day, bricklayers earned $3.00 per day, a large part of the stone cutting force was apparently Irish.

 Zach excitedly told us about the town gatherings held on the green outside the courthouse, one historical on being an address by Theodore Roosevelt September 23rd, 1902 for which 6000 people attending, with only 4000 residents in Noblesville ” every man and his dog” attended including many from afar, Zach gave us a grand image ” EVERYONE came to hear Roosevelt, over 6000 people and there was a buggy jam in the streets, buggies everywhere”, I laughed it was fun ti imagine the cars gone from the streets, dirt replacing pavement and horses and buggies jammed everywhere.

 Then we moved on, Zach returned to his notes and read, walk on, stop, turn left, we followed smiling.

 MASONIC LODGE

Masonic Lodge Victorian Commercial Vernacular 1870

 

Next stop a this building built in 1870, it was purchased by Masonic Lodge No.57 in 1884 and was home to the lodge until 1915, the stepped gable was added after it’s purchase by the Masons, and has said to be the influence of Noblesvilles’ sizable German population.

HISTORIC BUILDING AFTER HISTORIC BUILDING….                          

TOUR TIME ENDS 

 We saw many other wonderful historical buildings, I was grateful to have the time to look and to have Zach to guide us, ” It is so great to learn about these buildings the architecture and history” I said to Zach, ” Yes, sometimes you have to stop and smell the corn, as we say in Indiana”, he replied, Jeff and I laughed.

 During our tour as we were walking to yet another building Zach said…” would you mind giving me feedback at the end of my tour?”, he leaned in slightly and spoke a little quieter….” Technically this is my first tour, I mean I have been out twice with before but not with real tourists” , ” Yes of course”,  I replied. 

 We arrived back at the visitors center, i asked Zack if I could take his photo and thanked him for his enjoyable and enlightening tour, he beamed, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jeff reaching in his pocket, in his hand was a $10 bill, he went to shake Zach’s hand and slid in the $10, Zach was thrilled, his eyes seemed like they were popping right out of his head, ” Thank you…..he stammered, you know I am up at the train station tomorrow, I can show you around and even get you out back”

 We thanked Zach and said our farewells and then it was off across the road the visit once more the Sheriffs Residence and Jail, Oh and find out the name of the na nan na na naaa ring tone guy we talked to last year, alot to do before I race, will we fit it all in? YES

THE SHERRIFS RESIDENCE & JAIL

 In we go, the same friendly wee lady meets us as last year and she is just as welcoming, she begins telling us about all the notorious prisoners, ” are there any prisoners that stand out to you?” I asked, ” well yes ” she replied, ” let me tell you about them”….

” back in the 50’s there was a car laod of teenagers, there were 2 in the front and 10 in the back! The local sherrif pulled them over and they gave him some lip, he got them out of the car, hands on their heads and marched them all down main street and straight into the jail, where they stayed until a parent came collected them…AND one of them was my husband! Not at the time of course, I didn’t know him then!”

 We all giggled,  ” you know we came last year, there was a fellow here who had been in the jail, said he visits every year”, ” really ” she replid, ” what does he look like”, I described him, ” aaahh, that is Johnny, comes back every year, do you want to see his cell, he wrote on the wall, there are lots still left written on the walls in the cells, it is not open to the public, it is used for storage, do you want to go see the cells?” ” Why yes, lets”, I replid and with that we were off, up stairs and through a narrow look door into a very grim looking area, ” got really cold here in the winters” she said as we followed her to the cells.

 It was so confined, what would these young guys think about to pass the time, to not focus on the cold if it was winter or the heat if it was summer, when their next meal was, how long they might be in jail and thoughts of what sequence of events and/or who had landed them in this jail. Was it life changing or a further downward spiral, did they take responsibility or point fingers at others?

 I thought of how this experience impacted ring tone guy, in whatever way it drew him to come and reflect and/or remember every year by visiting this jail, that takes strength of character to be able to look down the road ahead and remember the path already travelled.

 So look at the time already! Time for the pre race check in, keep you posted on the race details!

Taper Week for Open Water USMS Nationals

For the first time in 6 months I am lightening the training volume and intensity this week, 33,550 meters to be exact, about 10,000 meters less than in previous weeks, the reason I am resting up for an Open Water race, the USMS National 25km Open Water Race, it is coming up this Saturday, I was only accepted into the race 2 weeks ago due to another swimmer pulling out so it is “Indiana here we come!”

 Monday June 13th, 2011 consists of 2500 meters easy, teaching a fitness class and taking Yoga

Tuesday June 14th, 2011 consists of teaching a fitness class, swimming 3050 meters easy with some short sprints and a light strength training session

Wednesday 15th, 2011 consists of 3000 meters easy in the pool, with a few sprints and an open water swim to ‘ Little Italy” of 4923 meters, it is a good outing with Deb, we swim our fastest ever down to Italy’s boot and get to see a mother loon with 2 babies on her back, very cool. We checked each other out while I tread water near her, she was nice.

Thursday June 16th, 2011, rest day, my husband Jeff and I fly to Indiana, we arrive at midnight.

Friday June 17th,2011 our task list is pack up the gear and food for the race, tour the race course and attend the race meeting. That leaves us a few hours to check out Noblesville Indiana….here is our story.

Jail Time

 In 2010 I raced in the USMS 10km National Championships, it was also held in Noblesville, Indiana, I was pleased with the swim and completed the 10 km course in 2 hours and 39 minutes, placing 3rd in the 40-44 year age category. After the race we had 2 hours to kill before driving to the airport to fly back to Vermont, I had spied an old building with amazing architecture and we decided to go check it out,  it turned out to be a museum, it was not only a work of art but also had some incredible history.

 We learnt that the building was built in 1876 as the Sheriff’s Residence & Jail and was a working jail until 1977, the building was strongly influenced by the French Renaissance, W.R Parsons being the architect. Inside the jail was a dear little lady who had been their since the 1990’s she offered tidbits of information and pointed us in the direction of the self tour. Each room had historical clothing, furniture and sheriff uniforms on display, it also had newspaper articles about some of the famous prisoners that the jail at one time held.

 Jeff and I looked in each room of the Sherrifs Residence and read, there was much history and I could not fathom that the sherrif lived with his wife and children in the house, prisoners in toe in the same building.

 As we looked around we were joined by 3 others, one in particular seemed to know an awful lot about the building, as we moved towards the jail cells he seemed engrossed at the smallest of details, he had long black hair, extensive tattoos and a ring tone on his phone that went ” Nan Na Nan Na Nan Na Nahhhhhhh, when the phone rang, heavy metal phone call right there.

 Well we looked on and so did he and his friends, we went into the jail cells that were very grim indeed, then upstairs to the womens cells, in each cell were many messages scrawled into the wall by prisoners from years gone by, some were angry, some threatening and some the work of what seemed to be lost souls, calenders of endless days crossed off on the walls.

 We learnt that some of the famous prisoners included Charles Manson and Klu Kulx Klan leader, D.C Stephensen. After we had taken the self tour we thanked the dear wee lady who greeted us, she was busy chatting with the Na Na Na Naaaaa phone ring guy, they seemed to be familiar, I heard one of them say ” see you next year ” as he left the building a few steps behind us.

 We walked out to the front gate and stood pondering what to do with our final 45 minutes in Noblesville, phone ring guy was standing right behind us, I turned, Jeff gave me that  knowing look, the….. do you have to talk to strangers look, as he gave me the look I said to phone ring guy ” you seem to know an awful lot about the jail” , he looked up as he was approaching his Harley with a surprised look on his face, it was a ” are you talking to me look?”. I smiled, as I do.

 He answered,”  yes I do,I was young and dumb at the time, I come back and visit every year”

 ” Wow”, I replied, ” that’s amazing you were in jail here, when were you in?”, ” 1977″, he replied, I was astounded, what a remarkable experience, I thought, so I said, ” Wow, you were lucky to get in, it closed in 1977!”

 Jeff was shrinking into the sidewalk, Na Na Na Naaaa Ring tone guy looks stunned not only that I was talking  but also that I managed to express how lucky he was to be jailed. What can I say New Zealand country girl comes to America.

 Well Jeff quickly shuffled me off, I turned and shouted goodbye to ring tone guy and his friends and we were off to eat ice cream, or was it hide in the ice cream shop? Either way the ice cream was YUMMY and we did laugh about the conversation after the fact.

 So are we going to return to the jail in 2011, you bet, I also saw that there is a historical building tour of downtown Noblesville, the old buildings are amazing, we are going to hit the tour and then revisit the jail again, I never did ask the phone ring guy his name, will I find that out this year? I think so, I’ll keep you posted.

 

Location: Green River Reservoir

Swim Time: 9:00am

 Today it is ” chucking it down” with rain and on the books for me and my crew is a 4 hour swim, last night I emailed Deb and Paula, with concerns of the forecast:

 ” rain, heavy at times, wind of 13-14 mph with possible thunder storms”

 I have concerns about the threat of storms and let Paula and Deb know last night that anything over 2 Hours and 8 minutes would the goal today, that would make it our longest OW swim this spring.

 None the less I pack up enough feed for 4 hours and write out a feeding schedule for 4 hours, secretly I am planning my 4 hours anyway, weather permitting.

New Feed: The Potato Smoothie

The 'Potato Bomb"

 

 Despite the grim forecast I am VERY excited about today’s outing, it is my first try of a new feed, made by my husband Jeff, he knows food, being a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont he is a wonderful chef, with many years of restaurant experience ranging from dishwasher when he was a kid, to chef owner of his own restaurant, from baker in his own Bakery, to baking now for a local school, he prepares yummy nutritious food and with me consuming in excess of 6000 calories per day his top patron is ME! Delicious.

 So back to the brew, Jeff is blending up sweet potatoes, bananas and orange juice and today I get to try it, only catch is my first few feeds are my carbohydrate and water brew called Maxim,( it is one of the preferred fuels for EC Swimmers), so I have to be out there a minimum of 3 hours to down my new brew, I am calling it the “Potato Bomb”.

 Into the Outdoors into the Rain!

 Time to swim, I meet Deb and Paula at the shore, we load up the boat with multiple feed bottles, I proudly show them my suit for today’s swim, it is a suit I have had for some time and only just noticed that it has “Little Italy” as the print, how funny, especially as we are swimming down to Italy’s boot twice today!

 

On to the swim, air temperature is 55 degrees, water measured 70 degrees at the canoe launch, once we got out onto the main lake things cooled, but still very comfortable. We begin swimming our first loop which is to picnic Island and down and around this tiny little Island with just a few sparse little trees, I call it ” One Tree Island”, then we head down the main arm of the lake towards little Italy, first 2 feeds are Maxim, the 3rd feed goes down at 1.5 Hours, I start swimming and it then comes back up, I lose half of it and manage to swallow the other half back down.

 Next comes 2 hours, I am excited to try the ” POTATO BOMB” it is thick and sweet, I swallow 300mls and resume swimming, it tastes good and I feel a surge of energy, I am pleased. While all this is going it continues to pour with rain, it is raining so hard I can hear it on my cap, it is like when you are sitting in your car in an absolute down pour and the sound of the rain on the roof is deafening, as I turn to breath I can see Paula paddling, she is battling through the waves in the kayak, she is wrapped up in rain gear, her hood is up and I can see that she is drenched, yet she still turns and smiles towards me, she knows it helps me, a smile goes a long way, I feel grateful she is here supporting me.

 Paula and I head down to the boot of Italy and then back to the canoe launch, Paula docks the kayak and gets out to let Deb take over, along with Picard, while this is happening I am swimming back and forth across the canoe launch to stay warm, before I know it Deb is with me and we are off, back to Italy, back to the heel. The conditions stay tough, the water is rough and the rain heavy, we stop at 3 hours for another Potato Bomb and then back to the canoe launch, at 3.5 hours we are only 10 minutes away, final feed, real food this time 1/2 a banana YUM YUMS! I ask Deb if we can take a lap of Blueberry Island for a little extra time, we are off and who do we find but Paula!. She has a bright green cap on and full wetsuit, it was good to see her, we swam around the island and back in together.

 How Long: 3 Hours 52 minutes

I am VERY Pleased, a good team effort today.

 After that into the mini and warm up, home to a hot shower, eggs on toast( that is my comfort food!) and into bed, the plan was to knock out the weekly house clean first……”maybe later”, I think as I snuggle under the covers, mmmmmm I feel like I am in a cloud, dreamy, nite nite!

What’s next, a lighter week, then off to Indiana for some Open Water Swimming!

Day: Thursday June 9th, 2011

Location: Green River Reservoir

Water Temp: unknowen    

Air Temperature: 76 degrees, Swim Time: 2 Hours 8 minutes

Thursday is here, I arrive to meet Deb at the canoe launch, as we are getting the Kayak loaded with supplies, I yawn, in fact I can’t stop yawning, ” Wake me up when we have swum will ya Deb, I’m sleepy”, she laughs, gets in the boat and looks back, ” come on”.

 I slither slowly into the water, I feel like I have an overdose of relaxation, even the cool water doesn’t snap me awake, the choppy water soon does, it is an overcast day with a menacing wind, a tail wind helping us on the way down to Picnic Island and a head wind hindering us on the way back. The good news is that I wake up, I am in ” game on mode” and having fun riding the swell of the water as the waves roll, again today I am looking down, ” I wonder if those bubble makers are down there again today?” They are there and they are  loons, the loons are diving under me, they wait until I am about 10 feet away then dive and swim directly under me then pop up behind me, Deb is watching it all go down ” Charlotte they are playing with you”. What fun, I am curious and want to learn more about these birds, here is what I discover…

In 1987, the common Loon was placed on the Vermont state endangered species list. In 2005, the species recovered enough to be delisted, the Green River Reservoir is the home of many loon chicks. ( Source: Green River Reservoir State Park)

 I am still curious about how this bird dives and swims so well underwater….

 The loon is a powerful swimmer, it’s wings steer and it’s feet act like a divers fins, the loon can swim underwater up to 5 minutes, they are like miniature submarines.

 Unlike most birds their bones are solid, not filled with air, to sink and dive the loon empties it’s lungs, retaining just enough air to sustain itself. To many the loons call is it’s most distinctive feature, one call is similar to the sound of a howling wolf, the other a trilling laugh.

 Source: Animal Speak by Ted Andrews page 162-163

I read on…

 Many myths and stories symbolize a move to a new state of consciousness by describing trips across seas. The loon awakens the imagination, and it reminds us that we are never given a hope, wish or dreamwithout also being given the opportunities to make them a reality. And the only thing that can shatter that possibility is compromise. The loon can lead you back to your greatest dreams and imaginings 

Source: Animal Speak by Ted Andrews page 164

 Lead on Loons, lead on….what is up next Pool Swim session, Friday then Saturday Open Water, the goal 4 hours, will the weather help or hinder? I’ll keep you posted.

 I am feeling great, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I am ready to take on the new week of training full steam ahead, stroke by stroke, day by day, week by week and month by month I am moving closer to my goal of Swimming the English Channel. If you had dropped me into this week’s training 18 months ago I would have internally combusted, you got it I would have ” Blown Up”, physically and mentally.

 Often people ask me about my training, ” so you are following a training plan, right?”, “where do you get that from?”……I smile, well it is not quite as easy as goggling ” train for my first triathlon”, yes I am following a plan, it goes like this

 Figure out what you need to do to get as prepared as possible to swim in the English Channel, Study the variables……

Practice the variables……

• Cold Water
• Tides, Currents, waves and wind
• Salt Water
• Feeding
• Swimming & Throwing Up
• Mental Dark Periods
• Physical Endurance
• Speed and the ability to change gears to fight the tide
• Chaffing of the skin
• Sun Burn
• Night Swimming
• Fatigue
• Functioning under stress, extreme tiredness
• Peeing while swimming
• Following the Pilot
• Obeying your crew

 These are the ones that first comes to mind, there are more, once the list was made I started setting short term goals, all that building towards the main thing, the main big goal…. SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

  For me I read accounts from other swimmers to get started, accounts of what they experienced, and I am fortunate to have Ned Denison mentoring me, I set my schedule to experience and practice the variables, not all at once, one step at a time. I built my physical training plan to work towards those short term goals, my strength training and flexibility plan is structuredto help achieve my goal of keeping healthy, particularly keeping my shoulders pain free and balanced, in swimming the chest muscles tend to get tight and the muscles in the upper back weak, this can lead to shoulder impingement and pain when swimming ( and when not).

 I have a training log I keep in an excel and my favourite, a good old fashioned journal where I document each days training task, all written in mechanical pencil!

 So let’s peak at the log for:

 Monday June 6th, 2011…

6 x 50’s Drill

2 repeats of ( 5 x 200’s Pull with paddles and 4 x 150’s Free)

5 x 100’s Pull

Lift & 20 minutes of Yoga

Tuesday June 7th, 2011…

Session 1: Pool Swim 4000 meters

Session 2: Open Water 7245

Location:Green River Reservoir, Water Temp 62-66

Route: Picnic Island to Little Italy

 It is a stellar day, sunshine and 78 degrees, wow that sun feels nice warming my back as I swim. Paula is my paddler today, the water is like glass, I can’t help but gawk at all that is around me as I swim, I see Paula in the kayak with the backdrop of the green mountains and their reflection, I have my first feed, 30 minutes down, we round picnic island and start heading towards Little Italy, I know it will take atleast 40 minutes to get to the Italy’s boot and I will have another feed in between now and then. I like the boot, it is narrow and I get a good view of the shoreline, in the middle of the lake where I am now I see water, Paula, ” Flat Stanley” and my feed bottles, if you could drool while swimming I would be drooling now as I gaze at my feed. Paula counts my strokes at 20 minutes, then gives me the sign to speed up for three minutes, 70 strokes per minute, then 72 strokes per minute then back to 70 strokes per minute, then I have an easy stretch for 2 minutes and it is feeding time….Glug, Glug, Glug…Burb, feeding time is over in 20 seconds, I toss the bottle towards Paula and resume swimming. Hmmmm that was entertaining now what, my stroke is rythmic, it feels like my body is on automatic pilot swimming, in fact it feels like I am lying on the couch at home! ( except that I am swimming that is), “OK what to do while I am patiently waiting for my next feed”, I look down, hmmm what should I do, what should I do with myself to avoid getting bored”, I let out a string of bubbles giggling, ” what a funny thought, I am like a kid on a Sunday, what should I do I’m bored”! I know I ‘ll look down and notice what is down there today, I do, ” I see lots of bubbles, I see a tiny fish, he was so small he look embarrassed”, then I see something to have fun with, millions of white  specks in the black water, they are racing towards me, making me feel like I am a space traveller going a gazillion miles per hour, I dart here and there, it is exciting, after a while I feel the water get warmer, I see rocks on the bottom, it is shallow, I am passing Blueberry Island, my favourite, all thoughts of space travel vanish, I look at Paula and think ” Is it time for my feed yet?”, I wonder if she can see my eyes through my tinted goggles, they look like those of a puppy or cute kitten begging for treats, she stops and feeds me, ” OK, note to self, must remember that puppy dog eye look at seems to have worked”! It didn’t it was my 1 hour feed, Paula was feeding me as scheduled, oh to dream!

 Swim time: 2 Hours 5 Minutes

Next Up Pool Swimming Wednesday, back to the Open Water Thursday, and just what was making those bubbles under me while I was swimming today?…. you and me both will find out on Thursday!

Date: Wednesday June 1st

 After yesterdays 15,000 meters and change, today is a recovery day in that it is a light swim on the docket for me, how decadent!

10 x 200’s Super EZ on the 3:15 interval

 Our Masters swim practice at 6am is cancelled due to a lightening storm so I swim at lunch time instead of with the Masters group, I also have my strength training to complete, I enjoy a 3 miles run first then knock out my lifting routine, by now it is 7:25am, Cynthia, Margaret and Barbara and I ground with 25 minutes of Yoga, then it is on to the next task, teaching a 60 minute Jump Rope class, the day races by at work and at 6:15 pm I am pulling the mini into the driveway home for the evening, in my mind I have already laid out the list of tasks to be achieved before the evening is over….WRONG NOT TONIGHT!

” Why am I feeling soooo tired tonight, could it possibly be the 15,000 meter swim yesterday?”, I make a decision to rest for a few ticks under the covers of my bed before I unpack my bag, repack and get ready for tomorrow.

 I send a message from my brain to my muscles to move my sorry a#$$ out of bed, it replies ” not bloody likely”, suddenly I am freezing cold and my legs and back are aching, stabbing pains in both my hips, my back and front of the thighs, I groan” awwwwwwwwwww”, it doesn’t help.

 Then I am hot , cold, hot cold, burning up, soon it is 9:30pm and I haven’t moved, my son Soeren comes to my rescue, he listens to my whimpering and offers me kindness and compassion….a cold wet towel with ice wrapped inside it on my forehead, he prescribes Excedrin and brings an iced water and an iced Gatorade all with a straw, then props me up and drops the excedrin in my mouth, then a sip of water to help them go down….” you must drink Mum, keep up your fluids”, ” it will get better, you are fit and strong, your body is fighting it now, you have to relax, no stress”

 I obediently listen, he sits with me for over an hour, it helps, the aches are less intense, at 11:00pm he goes to bed, leaving his door open ” call if you need me Mum, I am hear for you”, what a caring fellow, I feel fortunate to him with me.

Morning has broken, the fever has not…

 The night passes, sleep comes around 2am, at 3am I receive a work call, back to sleep until 6am, I perform the body scan like I do when swimming in the cold, what feels good, the list is not as long as I would have hoped, ” how can it be such an effort just to lie here”.

 The kids head off to school at 7am, ” don’t go to work today Mum, just don’t, you need to rest”, I don’t reply. As soon as they are out the door I go about the task of pulling myself together, bag packed, some sort of feed tossed in my lunch bag and down to the morning workout, yes that’s right 8000 meters is going to be covered at 6:30am.

 I stand on the pool deck, slide into the pool and creak my way up and down 320 lengths of the pool in a little under 2.5 hours, it is ugly, for the first 4000 I am planning my exit should I need to throw up in a hurry, ” OK, here is the plan, don’t open your mouth until you get the window up and lean your head out, absolutely no chucking up in the pool”. Luckily  it doesn’t come to a window dash and the swim is complete.

 Then into work for the rest of the day, self elected quarantine in my office, no visitors for their own safety, then home by 6pm.

Recovery is Sweet…

 By 8pm I am feeling much better, my head is clearer and there is a glimmer of appetite, I get a good nights sleep then it is back out to the lake to train…

Friday June 4th

Pool Workout 2750

5 x 50’s Drill

400 Aerobic Cruise

21 x 100’s on the 1:40

Open Water 5000 meters

Air Temperature 61 Degrees, Water Temperature 62-66 degrees

Strong wind and white caps to little Italy and back

Saturday June 4th

Ready to launch...Destination Picnic Island then next stop Little Italy

 

The Final swim of the week, the course is a morning swim out to Picnic Island, then up to Little Italy and return to the canoe launch, Deb is paddling and we snappily achieve out goal in 2 Hours and 5 minutes, we knock out 3 feeds, each under 25 seconds, the first part of the swim I am noticing my focus on feeling cold, ” have to pick up the pace and snap out of this”, I think to myself, I give myself a good swift mental kick in the a#ss and things improve noticeably, it turns out to be a darn good swim.

Total Distance for the Week: 45, 315 meters ( 28.14 miles)

Next Up REST DAY Mmmmmmm, then it is back in the saddle come Monday, how far, how fast, I’ll keep you posted.