Rain, Rain come out to play…. 

Vermont is turning on ideal conditions for my final full week of training prior to my departure to England, the overnight temperatures have dropped into the lower 50’s, it has been stormy, oh and the rain has come down with a vengeance, shear pelting it down. Do I cancel my training? Of course not, it is 3:30am up and at em. I am due to leave at 4:15am to meet Paula and Deb at the lake, time to bust out the head lamps ready to start our 3 hour excursion, we will start in the dark and swim into the sunrise, well in today’s case the cloudy, rainy rise, no sun today, Paula gets supplies ready for the kayak….

 

 Out into the unknown……..

 Deb launches the kayak, Paula slides into the water, I reluctantly peel off my cozy sweatshirt and sweat pants and slide under the water, I stroke  towards the kayak which is lit up with a blue light stick wrapped around ” Cat Stanley”, and a headlamp on Deb, if you are just joining us on the English Channel adventure let me give you a little background, ” Cat Stanley”, is a life sized cat that sits on the front of Deb’s kayak, he wears what looks like a collar, however it is actually a GPS Tracker to track distance, ” Cat Stanley”, has had many intrigued lookers while we have been out swimming over the last few years of training, he has clocked hundreds upon hundreds of miles and remains quiet, composed and humble, never a complainer he doesn’t say much, he has fallen in the water a few times( luckily we have learned he can float), one day he had a bright blue wig plopped on his head mid swim, highly entertaining for me…I roared with laughter. Here is ” Cat Stanley” on one of our previous swims, it is bright and sunny, not like today…..

 

 

 

 This morning it is dark, black dark, I am swimming on feel, I can’t see where the dark color of the water finishes and the dark of the night starts, to me it all blends into one, the rain is pouring, the air cool, it is over an hour before I can make out Deb in the kayak, when the skies lighten enough for me to see her I notice she is drenched, the heavy rain is bouncing in, under and off her black jacket, pants and cap, to add insult to injury every stroke I take I splash her even more, she doesn’t miss a beat, giving me my pick up signal when it is time to increase my speed, reaching over my feed bottle when it is time for me to eat and entertaining me by tossing various forms of plant life on my back, or displaying one of my favourite rubber ducks to make me laugh, it all lightens my mood tremendously, I feel fortunate to have Deb by my side.

 The second hour comes and goes, slippery little peaches get inhaled at my 2 hour feed and my energy surges, time to bring it home strong for the last hour, I step up the pace, Paula stays right on my left swimming strong beside me, it doesn’t seem possible, but somehow the rain gets even heavier, it feels like an aqua massage on my back, the rain drops feel like the size of gumballs, hundreds being launched at my back from the sky above, I glance over at Deb, she remains composed and paddles on….

  One More Lap Around Blueberry……..

 Then I here those magical words, ” just one more lap around Blueberry”, I’ve heard it many times before, a mere 30 minutes or so to get around Blueberry Island, ” I love going around Blueberry Island, I know I can do that, I know I can”, it is the common theme in my mind when I hear, ” just one more lap around Blueberry”.

 So off we go for our final lap, the rain pelting down, Deb takes off her glove and dives her hand under water, the water is warmer than the air today, ” she must have cold hands, how miserable, wish I could wrap her in my cozy water blanket to warm her up”, I think.

Swim Hard France is close…..

 We turn for home, I am ready for my final sprint to shore, my stroke rate builds, my under pull gets stronger too, I dig deep for the final push and I breathe harder as we move closer to shore, “time to open her up”, I think, I do and before I know it the shallow waters appear beneath me, we are done. I am very pleased,  a rainy night swim with a good clip, very satisfying indeed.

I paddle over to Deb for my end of swim Jelly Babies, ” Great stuff today, thanks so much for being out here, Oh and Deb, it’s still raining, looks like I am going to get wet getting out”, I say with a giggle, ” Yes, you are”, says Deb with an impish grin, and with that we go about packing up and heading home.

Will there be more Vermont Rain this week? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

  “Within each of us is a hidden store of determination”

–Roger Dawson

 

11 Days and Counting Down…..

11 Days, that’s what it has come down to, a mere 11 days until I board the big iron bird that will fly me to England and there is still much to do, including high mileage in the water, strength training, flexibility and my regular body work sessions to help keep my body and mind finely tuned, work and family responsibilities.

 It has been a good week of swimming, my body quickly recharged itself after last weekends 16 mile Vermont to New York return swim, and today I am up at 4:30am ready to hit it again, today a 5 hour swim, the night air has been cool the last few days, back to burying myself under the comforter at night, I rise before the prompt of my alarm and peer out the window to see dew on the lawn, the car and a misty fog sprawling over the low lying hills….

 Down the stairs to mix my 9 feeds, toss some slippery little peaches in a  container and grab a handful of Jelly Babies.

 Robbin is up too, she is simmering porridge on the stove and gathering her gear, she is the first shift in the kayak this morning. Into the car we go, what a gift of a morning, ” time to take in the moment”, I think as I watch the sun come up from behind the mountains, the sun looks like it is saying ” time to play, come on Charlotte, I’ll lead the way, let’s hit the lake”. So me and the sun have a great start to the day, we soon get situated at the waters edge, Robbin in the kayak, me and Paula swimming, the water is mirror flat, the morning fog is so thick I can barely make out the shape of the long gray kayak, no Robbin in my view.

Feeding Time

 We swim and swim, today the first 30 minutes is a long time in coming to a close but it does and it is time to feed, Robbin hands me my cup, down with the drink, ” you can’t see a thing, can you?”, she declares, ” Nope, you can poke your tongue out at me and I won’t know it”, I reply, things remain this way for the while, by one hour the sun has won the battle with the fog and it streams down on the lake, it feels like the sun is creating paintings, there are reflections in the water that look like a brightly colored watercolor painting, beautiful.

 The pace remains steady, hour by hour, feeds come and go, Robbin taps out at 2.5 hours and Cynthia takes command of the kayak, paddle in hand, more feeds come and go,  I look forward to downing my slippery little peaches at both my 2 hour and 4 hour feeds, I like to make quite a production out of it by tipping back the cup, sliding them all in my mouth at once,peaches stick out of both sides of my mouth, then comes the arrrggg mmmmm arrrrgggg sounds to show my crew how much I am enjoying the little devils, when I down a feed of peaches I feel like a seal.

Nail the Finish

 

 The homestretch is here, my 4.5 hour feed is complete, I am on my way back to the shore, in my mind I am pulling hard towards the shores of France, this is what a have been working towards today a good quality finish with long strokes, each one with a strong  underwater pull, I set the intention, ” pick it up by 15 %, swim in control, now pull harder, hold the feel, bring it home now, build your speed,  nail the finish”, I run the commands through my mind, to me the shores are the French shores and I am driving it in to the finish, the bottom gets clearer, shallower, shallower, BAM, shore, done. I am pleased.

Homeward Bound

 What a great swim, we load the kayak on the car, say our goodbyes and I head home, shower, inhale lunch and nap.

 I feel quite sprightly post swim today, but after my nap “Channel Fatigue” sets in, I plop myself down at the desk and finalize plans for next week’s training schedule. I take a moment to reflect on last night,  a night out in celebration of my father in law’s Birthday, a happy occasion and one I was excited to share, yet there was I propped up in a chair to prevent myself slumping forward and dozing off, after dinner as usual these days I thanked everyone for their company and went home early, leaving my family to continue celebrating. Today I read a timely comment from a Channel Swimmer

 ” Channel Swimmers make significant sacrifcies to swim just as importantly do their familes, the biggest sacrifice is time and things for other people”

    – Donal Buckley

 Well written Donal, a moment to thank my family and friends for their sacrifices along this journey.

 What’s Up Next? 3 Hour Swim tomorrow

How will it go? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

      “Behind every able man there are always other able men”

– Chinese Proverb

 

 

 

 Nothing like an adventure and today is shaping up to be just that, I wake before the alarm at 3:00am, suit on, sun lotion applied, now time to get together the final bits and bobs before our 4:00am departure, I go about scooping up my gear, Jeff downs his coffee and my sister Robbin rustles up some delicious scrambled eggs, followed by porridge.

 Cynthia, Deb and Paula arrive, we pile into 2 cars and are on the road, there is little traffic and before we know it we are at the Charlotte Marina, as we go by the flag pole I notice the flags, they are all dancing in the wind, hmmmm, I contemplate the implications, perhaps a little wave action today. For now the Marina is calm, Jeff loads the boat…….

 

  We stack our bags up front and off to one side, all aboard, Jeff drives, Cynthia casts off, it is 6:15am when we leave the marina, the sun is rising in the sky, it is a glorious day, ” this has been one of the most amazing things I have been fortunate to experience on this journey to the Channel, the magical sunrises and sunsets during swims”, I think quietly to myself, we motor out into the Lake….

 The GPS

 This trip we have my friend Tricia’s GPS, she has kindly printed a map of the Lake with Waypoints marked and lent us her handheld GPS to help navigate, as we pull out from Charlotte Marina all the islands and peninsula’s seem to blend into one land mass, ” this way” we all decide, the boat picks up speed and motors out into the Open Lake, ” funny the arrow on the GPS is pointing in the opposite direction”, Cynthia and I say in a quizzing way, ” must be off a bit”, we comment, reassuring each other that we are not sure that we are going in the right direction but there is no way the GPS is correct, how could it be right?

  We drive and we drive, ” that’s 4 miles already”, says Jeff, you guessed it we are off in the wrong direction, we turn the boat around and retrace our steps, now let’s all repeat after me, ” The GPS is never wrong”, yep, you guessed it, we made a minor detor, but on the up side,  it is beautiful, sheltered from the wind and calm, we all laugh and enjoy the scenery…

 

 We finally make our way to Burlington, including our detour we have covered 17 miles in the boat already, one of the two gas tanks is close to empty, ” fuel up?”, I ask Jeff, he agrees, I pull out my phone and trusty goggle takes us to a fuel dock, well near it anyway, Cynthia eyeballs us to the actual pumps, thanks Cynthia. We tie up the boat and see the hand painted sign on the wall hours 8:00am – 8:00pm, I glance at my phone, 7:15am, ” Oh dear”.

 

 The Best Plans are flexible…..

 

 We discuss the options and all decide better to wait here 45 minutes than to run out of gas during the last leg of our swim, ” we have plenty to do, reapply sun lotion, go over feeding plans, the Spot Tracker tracking system and grease up”, I say.

  We plop ourselves on the dock, I take the time to reread the instructions of the new GPS Spot Tracker, I activated it yesterday, it is set up to send out a location every 10 minutes to a shared web page that viewers can follow to see our progress during the swim. By 8:00am all the final details are double checked, fuel tanks are topped off and we are on route to Oakledge Park our starting location, we arrive to see much of the beach closed due to Blue Green Algae, ” there is a section open”, I announce merrily, Blue Green Alge can’t be in that 10 feet, right”?, I laugh.

Paula and I jump off the boat, Paula jumps first, I follow…..

 The water feels great, it is shallow we half swim, half wade into shore, time to clear the water, I stand on the beach and watch as Paula swims out and gets her fins and hand paddles on, she raises on arm to give me the sign that she is ready to go, I enter the water, the stop watch starts we are off…

 Rough Waters

 As soon as we make our way out of the bay I feel to wind gusting, the waves hit my back and jostle us around, the New Zealand flag on the back of the boat dances in the wind, I work to find a rhythm and time my breathe to avoid a throat full of water, Paula swims strongly beside me, she doesn’t miss a beat in the waves.

 Our first feed arrives, Deb feeds Paula, Cynthia feeds me, Maxim a-la-fishing pole, I snag the feed up and am swept away from the boat by the waves, the line lets out, feed down, I drop the cup and swim away, Cynthia reels in the feed cup with the pole like she has just caught a big fish, a  “Maxim Fish”, we swim on, one feed goes by after another, by my 4th feed I notice something, ” hey my Maxim tastes weird”, I keep my mouth shut, drink it, then swim on.

  The next feed is a fruit punch flavored Maxim, I tentatively swallow, ” sweet, this tasted great”, I suck it down in 20 seconds and swim on, then I notice something else, ” why are we still seeing Vermont”, I ask myself angrily, I glare at the crew, ” Why is there land on my left?”, I crossly think again, my mood shifts, I am ticked off, ” what are they doing, New York is across the lake not down it”, each stroke I take slaps the water angrily, ” Hey, Lady, you are swimming, your job is to follow, not question, besides they have a better view than you, a map and a GPS, SHUT UP AND SWIM”, you got it I give myself a good swift kick in the pants, ” you know this stuff, now behave and swim”, I do, I pull my socks up and get down to business, the pace picks up and I no longer look for Vermont, or New York, I just swim, things feel great, the waves are good training, the only thing is that the feeds are tasting worse, I down them anyway, I know I must take in every drop.

“Where did you swim from?”

 On we swim, I notice big sailboats alongside the boat, every now and then Cynthia, Deb and Jeff point and wave there arms at a boat to alert it that there are swimmers in the water, suddenly I see shoreline to my left, the boat pulls up and Paula and I swim in to shore alone, I sight and see a beach, ” sweet, no cliff to climb up”, as it gets shallow I notice zebra mussels on the rocks, ” wonder if they’re sharp”, I ask myself as I let my hand brush over them, ” Yip, sharp”, I decide to go on the “float in on the belly technique” and take the possible shredding of my suit rather than my feet, now it is too shallow to belly float, I crawl on hands and feet, I clear the water and  shoot my hands up,  New York, New York.

I notice someone else on the beach……..

 “OH MY GAWD, WHERE DID YOU SWIM FROM”, bellows a friendly lady from New York, I have in ear plugs but can still hear her strong accent, “Burlington”, I reply, she turns to here party sitting 25 yards away, ” OH MY GAWD, SHE SWAM FROM BURLINGTON”, she shouts excitedly, ” WHERE IN BURLINGTON?”, she shouts again, ” Oak ledge Park”, I reply, she turns back to her friends, ” OH MY GAWD, SHE STARTED AT OAKLEDGE PARK”, she scurries over the her friends and reappears with a bottle of water, ” WOULD YOU LIKE SOME WATER?”, she shouts, ” no thanks, I have to swim back now”, she turns back to her friends, and louder than ever ” OOOOHHH MY GAAAAWD, SHE’S SWIMMING BACK“, I smile, here I am amidst of a 2 way crossing, the stop watch is running and it is time to get back in the water, this energetic, friendly lady doesn’t know me from Adam and is ready to pull me up a deck chair and throw another Hamburger on the grill and what’s more I am catching a little chat, “be would be rude not to”, I decide, I turn to her, ” time to go”, I say as I begin navigating the slippery rocks, ” SHE’S GOING BACK IN”, she shouts to her friends, ” WHAT ARE YOU TRAINING FOR?”, the friendly New Yorker is not ready to let the visit end quite yet, I turn my head and shout, ” THE ENGLISH CHANNELL NEXT  MONTH”, “OOOHHHH MYYYYY GAWWWD, OH MY GAWD… SHE’S  TRAINING FOR THE ENGLISH CHANNEL”, she shreeks to her friends, ” ARE YOU SWIMMING THE CHANNEL TOO?”, she shouts to Paula, before I slide under the water I hear her reply, ” No I’m just the friend”, I swim away, Paula swims back to the boat, 4 hours, 51 minutes, Vermont to New York, for Paula, outstanding, she boards and peels off her wet suit.

I break my code of silence….

 So, remember my goal of keeping my mouth shut and ” just swim”?. Well it has been going well, the odd word here and there at a feed, like ” 2 advil next feed please”, or ” great day for a picnic”, but now I am about to break it, I look at Paula, ” hey she is not JUST a friend, she’s MY friend and I am going to make sure she knows it”, I hatch a plan, feed time arrives, I down my feed and shout ” Hey Paula, your’re not just THE friend, your’e MY friend”, head down and I swim off, as I turn to breathe I see a wide mouthed grin from Paula, we swim together alot, hours side by side, we never say a word, yet we share so much, today it went into words, if just for a moment.

Vermont, ” The Green Mountain State”

 I feel great, my body feels peppy and I am excited to be on the return leg of the swim, my feeds have been getting more and more disgusting, I watch Cynthia and Deb mix them in horror, knowing soon it is time to swallow that putrid stuff, ” must be that it is heating up in that plastic container, I can’t tell you how vile it tastes and smells, still the memory of hyponatremia after the 25.2 fresh water swim is clear in my mind I know despite the foulness of it I need the fuel and nutrients to keep my body strong and system in balance, I dread it anyway but know I will obediently take in every drop.

What’s on the menu?

 Fortunately I’ve packed some treats and fruit punch flavored Maxim, they are all yummy, ” nothing to do but look forward to the peaches, pears, Jellybabies and fruit punch Maxim”, I declare, I do and savor them when they arrive by fishing pole.

Hours go by…..

 

 I have lost track of time, my world is now 30 minutes at a time, from one feed to the next, I study the crew, they make me smile by pulling out my favourite rubber duck and twirling the sun umbrella, then I see Paula getting back into a suit, ” she is coming back in the water, fun”, I think, in she comes and we swim on towards Burlington, I know we are getting close, just a few more ghastly feeds to stomach, ” how about I just fake the next feed, tip it out, I am nearly there, come on it will be fine”, I debate the idea in my head, ” NO ALL FEEDS FINISHED”, there I said it, oh dear now I really have to take it down, I watch the girls pouring the hell juice in my cup, : Oh No”, I shudder at the thought, Jeff stands with his arms crossed watching me, I drink it and swim off, ” that’s it, NO MORE FEEDS, I AM FANGING IT”, I declare, the plan to nail the finish before the next 30 minute feed it due. I swim hard, Paula stays right with me, stroke after stroke, “oh no”,  I see the feed cup come out and the ghastly Maxim is being poured into it, “not yet, not yet”, I sprint harder and then it happens, I see golden sand, ” the shores of France”, I  visualize it in my mind, I sight and see bathers on the beach, on I swim, then stand and jog in, along with Paula. On the beach there are not just bathers, my son, Soeren and daughter, Heidi are there with their Grandparents, what a welcome, I go to hug Heidi, ” Yuck, what’s that white stuff”, she asks, ” Grease”, I reply, we do our best to hug without smearing grease all over her, an ” air hug”, then goodbyes and Paula and I head back to the boat, what an adventure.

Motoring Homeward Bound

Paula and I get situated on the boat and Jeff motors us back to the Marina, we pull in to the dock at 6:45pm, unload the boat, reload the car and all drive home, we share tales of the day tired and happy, it has been a good outing and one that will be remembered, I learnt some more valuable lessons to help me in the Channel, got the chance to practice feeding off a boat again and had some valuable mental training, not to mention a 8 Hour, 31 minute and 19 second training swim, I am pleased, BIG thanks to my boat crew, Jeff, Deborah and Cynthia, to Paula keeping my company for many hours in the water and notching up her third Lake Champlain crossing and my sister Robbin for getting up at 3:00am and fueling me with eggs and porridge, a team effort for sure.

What’s up next? Sleep, Yoga and Body Work work with Kate Graves and 60km of swimming this coming week.

3 Weeks of Heavy Training remaining, How will it progress? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

 Concentration is the ability to think absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary

                                                                       –        Ray Knight

 

 

 July 14th, 2012: Lake Champlain Vermont to New York Return…

 That’s the goal tomorrow, 16 miles of swimming with a Boston Whaler support boat, on the boat my crew who will be supporting me in practicing:

– Various Feeding methods from fishing pole to feed cup on a string

– Fast feeds every 30 minutes

– No asking questions, you got it ” Shut up and swim” on the menu for me

– Beat the tide pace when requested

– Not ” seal like behaviour” in the water from me

 Weather forecast looks great, we have a 3:15am wake-up call then off to pick up the boat and motor to Oakledge Park our start location, from there we swim to Willsboro Point New York and back.

The Maxim is mixed, the bags are packed…

 

 The boat is fuelled up, now just some sleep for me and porridge and eggs in the wee hours of the morning.

 

 If you want to come for the journey follow me with my spot tracker GPS updates, click on the following link to see location updates every 10 minutes…

  

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0z6qcnHlSSr6PhDggx72CiYYaRAKFYnTq

 Will I play with the Lampreys in Lake Champlain tomorrow or will they play with me?  I’ll keep you posted

 

Closing Thought:

” No one keeps his enthusiasm automatically. Enthusiasm must be nourished with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new vision.”

– Papyrus

 

 

I awake to overcast skies, Jeff and I pack up and pile into the mini for the 1 hour drive to Newport, we leave home late, on the drive to Newport I plan an arrival strategy, this will be tight, but the good news is all my feeds are packed, the bag with all my supplies is ready to set on the boat, we both are lathered in sun lotion, all we need to knock out on arrival is check in, unload the boat and for me to make my way to the start chute, no worries, right?

 We Arrive….

 Jeff pulls right down to the beach, we notice all the other kayakers are all ready situated, that’s us in the mini unloading, I snag my race number, then Jeff and I head up to park the car, on with the grease for me then down to the boat to launch Jeff, not a moment to spare, well maybe just enough time to duct tape my New Zealand Flag on the kayak, ” that will be fun to look at”, I think. I wave Jeff goodbye as he paddles away, I scurry off to the starting chute.

 

 

 It is confirmed I am one of the last swimmers to line up, all the other swimmers are ready with their caps on and goggles down as I make my way to join them at  the start line, on arrival I hear ” 3 minutes to start”, ” no worries Mate”, I giggle to myself, ” what a little monkey I am, next time leave ON TIME!”, I give myself a good talking too and then go about relaxing and focusing on the swim ahead, ” 10 miles, goal = long strong strokes, pull hard, fast feeds, no peaking like a seal and there is nothing you need to ask Jeff, keep your mouth shut and swim”, ” OK, race plan in place”, I relax, now I wait.

The 3 minutes goes by fast, ” Take your mark, BEEP”, the starting horn blasts, we are off, I am the one on the left, black suit and black cap, should be easy to see me, there is only 75 or so of us running into the lake…..

 

 Next it is out to the first buoy, around we go and then on a long straight where Jeff is waiting to slide up beside me in the kayak…

 

 Lake Memphremagog…..

 I have not swum in Lake Memphremagog since September 10th, 2011, it is firmly implanted in my brain, 15 hours, 30 minutes and not to forget the 30 seconds of a battle between me and ” the Lake” , from Newport Vermont to Magog, Canada….so who won? Well I made it to Magog and walked out of the Lake fair and square, however ” the Lake” put up one heck of a fight. But on to today’s swim, yes ” Lake”, I am back.

 So that is how the swim begins, me and ” the Lake” catching up, the water feels great, there are 75 other swimmers around me and Jeff paddling by my side, I am happy. The first hour blazes by, my speed feels perfect, fast but not so fast that I can’t hold an even pace. Jeff and I make good time weaving in and around other swimmers, ” I love the flag on the boat, only there is not enough wind for me to really see it”, I ponder the thought for the next 30 minutes while I wait for my next feed.

 One hour, thirty minutes comes and goes, a quick 20 second gulp of my 300 ml serving of carbo drink and I am off again, next feed, 2 hours ” ooooohh, 2 hour feed I can’t wait, at 2 hours I get slippery little peaches”, I savour the thought, my latest yum yums is tinned peaches, they slide down super fast and are soothing on my throat.

” The Lake” wants to play….

 

  As I am patiently waiting for my slippery little peaches to arrive at 2 hours I notice things begin to jostle about a bit, but the main thing I notice is that my New Zealand flag is dancing around in the wind, ” what fun, ” The Lake” wants to play”, I giggle underwater at the thought, ” it is like we are cat and dog teasing each other, we aren’t really supposed to get along, but we kind of do, in a rough each other up sort of way”, I think.

 

 

 So that’s what we spend the next few hours doing, the Lake tossing me about and me punching right back at the lake, every stroke I attack, I am thrilled with myself, what a good time and how lucky am I to have some wave action today, good for my training.

The Smurf song…..

 That’s how we bounce along hour after hour, me watching the New Zealand Flag dance in the wind and smiling at Jeff, Jeff navigating the waves and the course like a champ and finally me and the lake wrestling with each other, it feels like we have all fallen in to a good routine, my feeds are going great, fast down and no unexpected feed coming up, I am not talking to Jeff, he is not talking to me, we are in a good rhythm. Now for the goal I forgot to mention, yip, it’s the pee goal, important to pee regularly during the swim, you may well laugh but it’s not as easy as one might think, so my goal today is to pee  once every 30 minutes, sorry lake. So what of the smurf song? Well for some reason today when I hum the smurf song I pee, ” got to remember not to hum that when I am on land”.

The Final stretch…..

 In 2010 I swam the same course, glassy flat water and blazing sun, my time 4 hours, 42 minutes, today before I know it my 4 hour feed is here, I stuff my mouth with slippery little peaches and ask my only question of the 4 hours, ” left or right of the buoy?” I ask Jeff, I can see a buoy a few strokes in front of me, Jeff answers right and I am off, I can now see the bottom, ” must be close to Newport”, I say to myself, I continue to pull hard, I study Jeff’s face to see if there is any give away as to our proximately to the finish, nothing, Jeff is expressionless, so I resign  to the fact that it makes no difference where I am in the lake my only job is to swim and I do, I sing the smurf song and start dreaming of my next feed of maxim, “it must be near my 30 minute feed time because I am hungry”, I think, as I think the words Jeff points ahead, the final buoy and I am a mere  hundred or so meters from the finish, ” WOW, I can’t believe it’s over already”, I think and go about sprinting to shore, images of the shores of France crowd my mind as they always do at the end of a swim, in I sprint until it is too shallow to swim, then I right myself and run in, 4 hours, 32 minutes and 19 seconds, I am pleased.

Go team mates

 Some of my team mates are already on shore and some are still to land, everyone has terrific swims, I dash off to shower and change then it is time to watch my daughter Heidi’s 1 mile race. She lines up with the other youth swimmers, the lake is choppy, the starter horn sounds and the kids are off, what a treat watching these young swimmers dash off the beach and into the water…….

 

 29 minutes later Heidi lands back on the beach, along with her team mate, she is thrilled, I am beside myself with excitement, we all hug.

 Next up it is off for ice creams and back home, what was the conversation home? Well it was about our next open water swim of course, seems that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Heidi loves stretching it out in the Open Water too.

So what is my next big Swim?  Lake Champlain 2 way crossing Saturday July 14th, 16 miles plus

Will I swim from State to State, Vermont to New York and Back? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

” If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams”

– Les Brown

 

 

July is here, and that means next month my tide window arrives, August 8th-16th, 2012, 2.5 years of preparation, what seemed like an eternity of time to wait 2.5 years ago now seems like a blink of an eye, and I could not be more excited…..next month I am leave my hometown of Stowe, Vermont and head over to England to wait.

There has been much preparation of the last few years including:

– over 2,500 miles of swimming

– night swimming

– cold water swimming

– swimming when it’s sunny

– swimming when it’s snowing

– swimming with buddies

– swimming alone

– mega amounts of eating, an estimated 2,000,000 calories each year

– swimming in sea swells, waves, rivers, dams, lakes and ponds

– swimming with dolphins, sea lions, seals, sting rays, whales, lampreys, jellyfish and more fish than I can list

….and swimming in various Open Water events:

– USMS 10km Nationals 2010, Indiana

– Greater Kingdom Lake Swim 10 miler 2010, Newport, VT

– Rhode Island 10km 2010, Flat River Reservior, RI

– Golden Gate, San Francisco, 2011, California

– USMS 25km Nationals 2011, Indiana

– Lake Champlain 16 miler, 2 way crossing 2011, Vermont

– Boston Light Swim, 8 Miler 2011, Boston, MA

– Lake Willowby,  4.75 Miler 2011, Vermont

– In Search of Memphre, Lake Memphremagog 25.2 Miler 2011, Newport, VT

– Bantry, Cork County, Ireland 5km, 2012

Each event has taught me valuable lessons, often lessons learned the hard way, ” learn by doing lessons” the ones that pack a severe punch, the hardest lessons, the ones that deliver the heaviest blow are the ones you don’t forget, especially when in duress, I call that ” practiced instinct”

 So here we are July, the training is not over, there are 4 weeks remaining, the next 3 consist of mileage, quality mileage, this week that consists of

Monday – Recovery swim 1 hour

Tuesday- Good Effort, 3 Hours, 6 minutes

Wednesday- Put her in R for Racing- Top Pace 2 Hours, 38 minutes

Thursday- Massage/ Rest

Friday- Rest

Saturday…..Lake Memphremagog, 10 Miler, Newport, Vermont

 I am ready, the forecast looks great, Jeff, my husband is kayaking for me, we start at 8am, then a super exciting twist, at 2:15pm my daughter Heidi is racing her first Open Water Race a 1 miler, I am excited to watch her swim and my 5 other team mates racing tomorrow, I just know it is going to be a good day.

How will my race go tomorrow? I’ll keep you posted

 

Closing Thought: 

                                There is no easy way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are a new week and time for 59,000 meters, I glance at the forecast to get a feel for how to dress for the first of my 6 swims this week, ” Right then, time to bust out the Irish hat, the sweat pants and cozy sweatshirt, looks like a wet and wild week”, I think. ” How kind of Vermont to turn down the thermostat down for me, chilling the water, and looks like Mother Nature is going to deliver me some good waves later in the week with the common theme, 15 mph winds, EXCELLENT!

 

 Out comes the umbrella when I arrive to swim this morning ,  ” gotta wonder what you are thinking when you pack an umbrella to go swim right’, I joke with Paula, Deb and Robbin as I bounce the umbrella, along with my Aloha Rubber Duck into the kayak…..what can I say I am easily entertained while I swim, the duck makes me laugh.

 We make quick work of peeling off our layers of clothing and get into the water, out the canoe launch we speed, the rain is chucking it down, it is coming down in sheets, ” ohhhh, this is like a sort of rain massage on my back”, I laugh as I swim. Once in the water I am amazed at how cozy I feel, “it seems like the grim rainy day is all on the outside and I am tucked up in the cozy comfort of the water”, I think,  I feel like I am on the couch watching a movie and Deb is the lead role, she is wrapped up with a neck warmer, hat, gloves, rain proof jacket and pants, yet I know she is not dry, I am a notorious splasher when I swim, she is drenched.

On we go…. 

When we arrived Deb said, ” how long?”, I replied, 3 hours, she didn’t blink an eye, in the boat she went, swimmers in the water and off, ” no one else would be out here on a day like today, ( except the Irish of course)”, I think to myself, I am one lucky ducking.

 We knock off the swim hour by hour and before I know it it is time for the final stretch, amongst the pouring rain Deb still smiles and entertains me by showing me the Aloha Duck, I laugh, she squirts water at me, I try and spit water back at her when I turn to breathe, we smile at each other, laugh and head for home.

Next up it’s Jelly Babies and off home to eat, work, sleep and get ready for tomorrow’s swim, oh and then the day after that, and the one after that…that’s how the week goes, one wet day after another….and I LOVE IT!

Did we reach our weekly goal? Yes 59,000 meters

Am I tired? Yes

What’s Up Next Week?  43,500 meters and the Greater Kingdom Lake Swim 10 Mile Swim in Lake Memphremagog

……I haven’t been to the Lake since the 25.2 Mile ” In Search of Memphre Swim”

What will it be like returning to the Battlefield? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

  ” To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”

– Steve Prefontaine

 

Green Mountain Swimming

Back to the Green Mountains of Vermont, and green they are, the scenery is lush with green grass, the smell of hay and a steamy feel to the air. Once off the plane from Ireland me and my sister hit the 90 degree air with a wham, I am like a fish needing to be slid back into the water, top on the list is to slide me back into my favourite local Open Water Lake, the ” Green River Reservoir”, with 19 miles of shoreline and no motorized boats she is a real gem, me and Robbin both venture out on our return from Ireland, what a treat…

 After drinking in the view it is time to hit the water, time to get going, today a 10km swim, this week on the docket 50,000 meters.

 How? One stroke after another, Robbin and I get ready by the waters edge…

 

Point and Swim

 The plan is point and swim, head down and do what I am told, work on fast feeds and clock some major meters, lucky for me I have some swim buddies ready to keep me company in the water, that’s us in the distance….

 

 Out into the familiar waters I go, everything is delightful, the warm sun on my back, the smells of the lush tree covered banks and the sound of the loons singing, it feels like magic, as I swim I think ” enjoy right now, what a journey” and I do, on I swim.

 Before I know it the swim is over, it is time to dry off, load the boat on the car and prepare for the rest of the week, we get loaded up, driving home I ponder…” how amazing that just 6 weeks ago this water was bitingly cold, a bone chilling 47 degrees, now mother nature has heated this play ground right up and I am frolicking like a dolphin in Hawaii, yet it can change so quick…..and it most likely will”, I think to myself, ” 

50,000 meters complete 

 Turns out the weather does not change this week, under clear sunny skies some terrific swims:

Tuesday 8km

Wednesday 9km

Thursday 8.5 km

Friday Rest

Saturday 16km

Sunday 8.5km

Add strength training and Yoga and you have a good training week and one tired Kiwi…..

 What will mother nature deliver for next week’s schedule of 59km? I’ll keep you posted, but here’s a hint……good week for a duck

Closing thought:

  ” The successful man is the average man focused “

                                      – Author Unknown

 

Day 9 :Sandycove Island 6 Hour swim

 Here it is, the final swim in Ireland, swim number 17 and the Irish have turned on a stellar morning for the final day, clear skies, little to no wind and a brisk air temperature of 10 degrees.

 I awake early, the skies get light at 4:15am in Kinsale which still astounds me even after watching the sunrise for 11 mornings since my arrival, 11 mornings, 9 of them awakening  me to the grim thought of emerging into that 11-13 degree water for as long as my body will function, I shudder at the thought this morning of one final swim.

 I make Robbin a morning cup of tea, then on to mixing my feeds, Maxim and wild berry juice from the local Supervalue, next up porridge and toast, then into the car and down to Sandycove, the parking lot is alive with activity as swimmers prepare their supplies for the 6 hour swim, there is a boat ready to take the feeds to the island, I place my feeds in the B Bin for Brynn.

 

 Then we gather for our final morning meeting, ” Today is about us helping you, we will be on the island ready to give you your feeds, whatever you need we are here to help”, says Ned, with that we go about getting ready to go, that’s me and Carol, last year Carol was helping with the 6 hour swim, in fact she helped me a great deal, this year she has shed her wetsuit and is swimming too…..

 

 

 We wait for the final instructions and then watch as the boats take our feeds over to the island….

 

 

 The tide is on it’s way out and will be low tide in 2 hours, that means walking to get around the island, my plan is 2 laps then I will swim on the inside of the island, we enter the water….

 

 

 

 I am the one dawdling in the back, I like to ease into the water, we are off, we head out towards the first corner because of the outgoing tide the sea is heavy with thick seaweed and the rocks are exposed, ” take it slow to avoid slicing yourself”, I coach myself as I weave through the shallows, once through the narrow bit we are off, I swim alongside Carol and Jenn, I like swimming with them, the water feels colder than usual, I push a little harder, ” my last laps of Sandycove, be sure to notice how amazing this island is”, I think to myself and I do as I whizz by the jagged rocks, the grassy knoll of the island, the wild goats that live on the island and the dramatic surf that crashes onto the rocks, “amazing, what a gift to swim here”, I think.

 

 Round we go to complete lap one, for me a pit stop in for a feed, it is so shallow I have to stand up and walk in, Ned is there waiting with my feed, my skin chills against the cool morning air, then back in the water for lap 2, around I go, I feel great, how exciting, ” much better than last year’, I think, once more I head in to feed, I see Ned’s frame holding my feed cup, I stand and wade through the water, it takes a while, down with the feed and out I go swimming on the inside of the island, I swim down to the far corner, then turn around and come back for another feed, again and again, each time my jaw clenches a little tighter, my hands claw up a bit more and I feel my feet less and less, I am unsure how far I am swimming before I come back in for a feed, I am confused, I am not aware of any other swimmers, of nothing but my feed cup and the fact that I must not stop swimming between feeds, each time I get out of the water for a feed it hurts more to get back in, as I swim away from Ned I try to spin my arms as fast as I can, ” if my stroke rate drops he will pull me out, if my stroke rate drops he will pull me out”, I repeat it over and over in my mind, it is my mantra, ” Must Not Slow Down”

 I swim in yet again, Ned and Donal are there, ” where does your sister live”, he asks, I am pretty sure I say ” ahh California”, with that I swim away, thrilled that I have tricked clever old Ned himself into thinking I am as sharp as a tack, Off I swim, admittedly struggling a bit, down and back on the inside of the island only to the closest buoy this time, it is the smallest of distances, then back to feed, I stand up to be greeted by Ned holding his long arm pointing sternly to the shore, I am done, ” guess there is no fooling Ned, he knows me and hypothermia better than I do”, I accept defeat and swim in, I am pleased, this year the 6 hour swim went better than last and I did not stop swimming between feeds, excellent.  

 

 So what was the water temperature? 11 degrees celsius ( 51F)

 I head off to shower and change, then back to wish our fellow Distance week buddies farewell, many will be in Dover, including Colm who is in my tide window, we have the same pilot Neil Streeter in Suva, he is number 1 and I am number 2, I am thrilled to know he is the swimmer before me, we swim well together and if I’m lucky we will be able to taper train in Dover Harbor together…..

 

 

 

  Farewell Kinsale, Cork County, Ireland 

 So what is left, a farewell to Kinsale of course but also a reflection on the past week, so here it is:

 ” Hard lessons and tough conditions both mentally and physically, that will serve me well in the channel”

 I ponder some more, and read an extract from Heidi Grant Halvorsen

 

 Believing that the road to success will be rocky leads to a greater success because it forces you to take action. People that are confident that they will succeed and are equally confident that success won’t come easily, put in more effort, plan how they will deal with problems before they arise, and persist longer in the face of difficulty.

And here is the key….

 Realistic optimists believe they will succeed, but also believe they have to make success happen- through things like effort, careful planning, persistence and choosing the right strategy

 

 And for me coming to Ireland was miserable, tough,  painful,  incredibly satisfying, a good bit of fun and it was the right strategy to prepare for the English Channel…….I am pleased and grateful to Ned and all my fellow distance week swimmers, bye Kinsale….

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and What was my answer to Ned’s question… Where does your sister live?

Well let me give you a hint, later that day once I was warmed up Ned said ” by the way your sister does not live in Tasmania”

 

Day 9 – The Torture Swim

 Total Brain Body Confusion Swim 10am

 Today is about mental training and for me learning lessons the hard way, during the torture swim last year I got in the boat, I didn’t land on the beach and it burned in my brain, so much that it helped fuel my fire to keep swimming 15 Hours and 30 minutes down Lake Memphremagog last September, it helped me to keep swimming when my support kayak and the support boat were no longer by my side in the dark of that night early in the swim, I was alone, rather than panic I thought back to the 2011 torture swim, ” if your boat disappears SWIM”, Ned said….. and swim I did.

 Now here I am willingly showing up for another torture swim, do I know that the torturers are doing their best to sabotage my swim YES, do I take it seriously YES. I arrive early and survey the scene the day is overcast and gray…….

 

    Ned gives us instructions, the tortures enter their boats, me and my fellow swimmers walk the long walk out to the water, I feel like I am walking the plank on Captain Hook’s boat……

 Into the water we go, Ned has told us that he plans to split us up from any swimmers we have taken comfort swimming with during distance week, I look over at Colm, we have swum together a lot, ” best to swim out with another swimmer, Colm and I are sure to be split up”, I think , I spot Jenn, a strong and upbeat swimmer from California, and move towards her, we give each other a knowing look and stick together as we enter the water, we swim side by side out around the island, she is a great pace to swim with ” this is fun”, I think, ” much better than last year”.

 ” Swim over there”, someone shouts from the boat, we do, boats zoom by, the wake jostling us about,  ” turn around”, shouts a voice angrily from the boat, we do, this continues for sometime, then the boat is stopped, ” they want us”, says Jenn, I look up and see 3 or 4 swimmers treading by the boat waiting for a bottle of water, I wait my turn, every minute I wait I can feel my body temperature dropping, I drink the water and swim on, ” that way”, I see a raised arm, the other swimmers are sent the other way, I feel abandoned, suddenly it seems I am very alone.

 I swim on and on,” sighting too much”, I think,  I am confused about where I am swimming  and now am concerned that I can’t see any boats, my jaw is locking shut, my hands have adopted a claw shape, ” oh dear, I should be sprinting to warm up”,  I think, yet I don’t.

 Ned returns and yells at me to swim, “SWIM to the Red House”, I can do that”, I think, off I go,” he said swim to the red house, I love the red house”,  I am excited to have a destination, I swim, I sight to see the red house ” hey where did it go, it’s not there anymore, how did I get turned around”, I can’t figure out what is going on, I swim on, “I am pretty sure I am swimming consistent”, I think, but apparently not Ned pulls up in the boat, “YOU have stopped 5 times in the last 5 minutes, YOU are worrying me, GET IN THE BOAT”

 My heart sinks as I hear the words, I obediently move to the ladder at the back of the boat, my hands are so clawed they can’t hold the ladder, 2 sets of hands drag me in, I sit in the front seat, dejected. Ned pulls out all sorts of clothes, a cup of tea is thrust in my hand, I hunch over and shiver and shake, I am the first one pulled, I feel down, I am devastated.

 We follow the other swimmers in the boat and I listen, I watch the other swimmers, I am happy to see then doing well, I warm up a bit and have the chance to have a birds eye view from the boat of the ” what to’s” and “what not too do’s” as the torturers give a running commentary of the progress of the swimmers in the water, ” he keeps stopping, that is not going to do”, says one, ” he can’t swim in a straight line to save his life, if he swims away from the boat like that in the channel the pilot will pull him”, the comments keep coming and I learn from each one.

 Another swimmer is pulled, ” time to drop these two to  the shore”, Ned says, he radios Robbin, “get ready two swimmers coming in”…..

 

 Ned pulls the boat a few hundred meters off shore, ” this is as close as we can get, you’ll have to swim in, sorry a bit tough having to get back in so soon”, Ned says, I struggle with clumsey hands to get my cap, goggles and ear plugs situated, then slide into the water and swim in to Robbin and the Tiger Blanket, I am both pleased and sad to be back on shore.

 Robbin wraps me up and we wait for all the other swimmers to swim in, one by one swimmers make it back to the slipway, most swim in,  some ride in the boat, the torturers arrive on shore as well and we gather to talk about the swim. ” This could all happen to you in the Channel, your boat disappears, the crew drops your feed overboard, you get the wrong feed, you don’t understand what your crew is yelling at you, your job is to SWIM” says Ned. One by one we share our major obstacle, then the torturers share what they saw, ” I saw a lot of stopping and looking around……NEVER F&CKING STOP SWIMMING” says Gabor, it hits home hard.

 We gather up our things, I take a seat above the slipway, I sit alone away from the group, I feel down…..

 Ned sits his tall frame down beside me, ” You’ve got to keep swimming, you were doing the seal out there”, he says, with that Ned mimics a seal with his head out of the water rubber necking to see what is going on above the surface, I don’t laugh out loud, I am far too down for that, but I do find myself smiling inside and perhaps allowing a slight curl on the side of my mouth, ” with your build, you have to swim”, he says, ” I HATE GETTING IN THE BOAT”, I reply, ” I know you do”, he responds and with that gets up and is gone. I get up too say my goodbyes and head back to the house, the afternoon flies by and I find myself still feeling low by evening, ” I know I have to work through this” I say to myself, ” the idea is to learn by doing  you have to take this lesson, digest it and use it to serve you well in the Channel, I think, ” time to move on”, I declare and I do, I go over my take home lessons from the day, they are:

Follow Directions from the boat

Don’t stop between feeds

Don’t look Up

If you don’t see the boat just keep swimming

 Now on to tomorrow’s swim, and with that I start packing my stuff for the morning, as I am getting ready the phone rings, it is Jeff, my husband, ” Hey how are the swims going”, he says brightly, that was all it took I start to well up and sob, ” not good, I got in the boat early, I sucked”, I sob the answer to him, ” hey I’m sure you were not as bad as you think”, Jeff replies kindly, ” YEEESSSSS I WASSSSS”, I stammer out the words, Jeff continues to reassure me, finally he says, ” Heidi wants to talk to you”, my daughter Heidi’s bright cherry voice comes on the other end of the line ” Hi Mum, I LOVE YOU, how was your swim today?”, ” I had a bad swim today Heidi”, I reply, ” Mum, your worst swim day is amazing to all of us back home, no one here could even put their big toe in the water”, says Heidi, and with that I smile warmly, ” go figure, I am am uplifted by my incredible 12 year old daughter”, I think as I reply to her, ” thanks so much Heidi I LOVE YOU.

 With that the phone call was over, I survived the day and turn in to bed ready to give my final swim my all….

How will the last swim go? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

   Within each of us is a hidden store of determination

  – Roger Dawson