December 30th
Location: The indoor Lap Pool

The final week of 2010, this year has taken me on a wild ride, from pool training, to swim meets, into lakes, reservoirs and the ocean, racing in the USMS 10km nationals in Indiana in water that was in the 80s like swimming in a hot tub to my last ocean swim in November when the water was 47.5 degrees. I have swum with loons, beavers, fish, slimy things that I dare not speculate what they were, amongst surfers, fishermen, people in canoes and kayaks who stared at me like I was the creature from the blue lagoon, there have been frogs, tadpoles, butterflies, seagulls, all of natures best enjoying the water with me, I have swum in water that was crystal clear and in water that was so murky I could not see my own hand under my face. I have swum in the pouring rain, in hail where the hail has pelted my shoulders and back like little rocks being hurled at me from the skies, there have been amazing sunrises, I have started swimming in the dark and the sun has come up, a bright red ski as it rises from behind the silhouette of the hills and there have been times when dark stormy clouds have swirled in and I have anxiously picked up the pace with the thought of possible thunderstorms.
 It has been a great year, one that is only 23 miles away from coming to a close, what is left to punch out before the end of the year:
 Christmas Day December 25th 5000 meters
 Boxing Day December 26th 2000 meters plus Yoga class
 Monday December 27th 6000 meters and weights today
Tuesday December 28th 8300 meters
Wednesday December 7050 meters
Check, all complete, only the following to go, it is Thursday December 30th…If I swim 7,911 meters today I have done it and finished a day early, I lay out some liquid fuel and my swim gear on the pool deck and get started.

Fortunately I have lots of people to swim with today, thanks to Paula, Cara, Luke, Jessica and Jenn the workout moves quickly and is fun.
The workout goes like this
Jessica and Luke swim 200’s with me for:
15 x 200’s on the 3:15 in the deep end, I tread water with my hands in the air between 200’s
4 x 250’s Pull
500 EZ
Luke and Jessica get out and Jenn joins me for:
4 x 50’s Fly
2 x 200’s Pull
4 x 50’s Back
2 x 200’s Pull
4 x 50’s Brst
2 x 200’s Pull
4 x 50’s Free
2 x 200’s Pull
Jenn gets out and Cara gets in:
4 x 250’s Pull
100 meters to go, I have been dreaming about this last 100 meters, swimming it easy and slow, with Cara in the lane to my right and Paula in the lane to my left, I could just float like lettuce and enjoy…..I CAN’T!
The final push is going to be an all out effort, I figure I have just under 1000 miles under my belt to tire myself out, lets go for it on this last 100 with a sprint. Cara swims it with me, as she leaves the wall she shouts ” I get a 15 second head start, try and catch me”, now you know me I love a bit of a race……I am instantly in attack mode, 15 seconds takes forever while I wait and them I am off, chasing her like a hound chases a fox in a hunt, minus the barking of course, 25 meters trailing, 50 meters gaining, 75 meters in my sights and success I power into the wall Cara arriving some time after laughing at my silliness, I am so predictable and she played me like a violin to get a fast 100 meter sprint out of me to finish the swim, a 1:14, very good!
 1000 miles done with one day to spare, for grins another swim on December 31st.
 My total distance for 2010 ends up being 1003.32 miles or 1,614, 683 meters.
 Next up….a 2011 training game plan and more English Channel research.

December 24th, 2010
Location: Stowe Vermont
Conditions: Snow covered hills & frozen ponds
Inside……82 degrees TOASTY!

5:15 I am up and getting ready to head down to the pool to set up for the 100 x 100 meters on the 1:40 interval, there are 13 other swimmers swimming with me today and I want to be sure everything is in place for a fun and smooth event. I have a fuzzy soft fish that could double as a Christmas decoration for each swimmer, a white board listing all the instructions for the swim and the lane assignments, an extra pace clock to put right in front of the lane for those of us who do better seeing things up close, a chair, table and clip board for our counter and referee, that is Deb today, she is kindly going to spend the 2.7 hours counting how many 100s we have swum and ringing a big authentic cow bell ( not on a real cow of course) every ten one hundreds so we know where we are at.
 We have 4 solo swimmers swimming all one hundred 100s and 3 teams who are sharing the workload.
 If anyone bails out early they are required to write ” I quit, I quit, I quit ” on the large board in front of the lanes.
 6:30am the cow bell rings loud and we are off. I of course have a plan it goes like this:
# 1-40 1:30-1:35 for each 100 meters
# 41-60 1:30 for each 100 meters
# 61-90 1:25 for each 100 meters
# 91-99 1:20 for each 100 meters
# 100 1:15
 I have also planned my feeds, a straight swim for the first hour, then 250 mls of a mixture of water and Maxim, a carbo powder, in the mix is a cap full of ribena, a black current concentrate that adds flavor. I will gulp down these feed after repeat # 40, 60 and 80.
My plan is to get faster as the swim progresses and then sprint hard for the last 100.
 We set off, I am excited to swim and I have an inkling that my first 100 might be a little faster than my cunning plan, it is, I swim in on a 1:25 and say ” one”, then another on the 1:25 “two”, two down ninety eight to go!
 I knew after number one I was not going to swim any 1:35 or 1:30’s, “might as well hold the 1:25’s”and I did, it came down to patience, if I stay relaxed I can power through the first 80 on a 1:25, then I can get down to the business of getting faster. My kids and I made up a song when they were little, I am talking 2 and 4 years old, they were at the “I want it now stage”, what I wanted to pass on to them  the idea that if you get all your needs met NOW, you tend to not appreciate the need being met, it becomes a cheap thrill, a quick fix, you quickly move on to the next ” I need it now’, the wants get bigger and more frequent and the satisfaction dwindles each time a ” want” is satisfied. So in comes the song we would sing, it goes like this….” because you gotta WAIT, WAIT , WAIT” … that is the extend of the lyrics, they are 10 and 12 now and still remember the song.
 So I had to ” WAIT, WAIT , WAIT”, well I did, I waited until repeat number 75 then it was game on, between #75-89 my hundreds descended from 1:23 to a 1:20, EXCELLENT GAME ON!
# 90 was a 1:20, then I began swimming them harder, 1;18’s down to 1:17’s, the pinnacle of the 2.7 hours was on the horizon, number 100 was my sprint to France, my beat the tide final 100, I am close, I can feel it in every bone in my body. Finally number 99 arrives, a 1:17, the cow bell rings and it is time for my all out sprint. What can I possibly pull off after 99 repeats of 100 meters. I blast off the wall and spin my arms as fast as I can, it is a frenzy, an all out effort, I punch the wall at the end of the 100, the cow bell is clanging loud, I look at the clock…a 1:14. I am pleased.
 That however was not the best part of the swim, the best part was my team mates swimming beside me, some swimming solo, some in a team, some had on fins, some swam with hand paddles, it was a team effort for sure and we all celebrated with the final cow bell clanging signalling that we had accomplished our mission.

 What’s next? 23 miles to swim before January 1st, 2011 if I want to achieve my 1000 miles in 2010 goal and a New Years Eve Day Challenge

Date: December 10-12th
Location: Boston University, MA, USA

So let’s back up to December 10th, 2010, day one of the New England Masters Short Course Championship Meet in Boston, USA. United States Masters Swimming is open to athletes 18 years and over and this meet is one of the largest masters meets in the country, good competiton. This year is no exception there are just under  600 swimmers racing.
 I am curious to see how my times are after one year of training that is geared towards preparation for my 2012 English Channel attempt, my training has shifted to higher mileage in the pool and more time in the Open Water taking me out of the warmth of the pool and it’s firm walls to blast off, along with this little to no time swimming non Freestyle strokes.
 At this very same meet in December  2009, I raced in a speed suit, it was cat woman suit tight, zipping up the back, full leg length but bare shoulders, it was so tight it took about 20 minutes to squeeze into and to make it easier I would slide a plastic bag over my foot and lower leg to help get the process of getting into the suit started, it was quite the mission getting suited up let alone racing.
 Since being introduced in 2008 speed suits have led to nearly 200 world records, studies have showen them to improve performance, a study of a group of competitve swimmers showed 25 Free, 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free and 800 Free distances raced were 2-4% faster in a full body suit, the suits tested were focused on reducing drag loses not adding buoyancy, the researchers measured performance, stroke rate and distance per stroke.
FINA the governing body of swimming issued regulations early in 2010 banning the suits, so I am not swimming in a speed suit this weekend, what will happen to my times? All indicators point to me swimming 2-4 % slower, hmmm let’s see if that is what happens to this little science experiement, first we have one more thing to consider, ” the Taper”,or lack of it in my case….usually before a championship meet I will decrease my mileage as the meet gets closer, I slash my training distance, only swimming fast short bursts at race pace speed with a slow ez swim before and after the race pace blast, I will do this a number of times during a training  session along with practicing starts off the blocks and turns, end result is your body is fine tuned for fast swimming and has had lots of rest and ez swimming in the days leading up to the meet, the body is stockpiling excess energy and feels strong and rested by meet day….. the body and mind are just itching to perform, edgy and sharp, the  peak performance window is wide open.
 BUT this year is different, I am not focusing on the meet, it is not my training goal, I am sticking to my distance training plan and still honkering down to meet this new  1000 miles in 2010 goal, instead of a taper I swim 47,500 meters the week before the meet.
What distance do I usually swim for a taper week? 7,500 meters….., that is about 40,000 meters over the regular taper distance:” she’ll be right mate, it’s only a wee bit off”, as we’d say in New Zealand, and that was my good old Kiwi philosophy going into the competiton ” no worries mate!”
 Yes this is clearly going to be a different approach,  my own little science experiment so to speak!

 The 800 meters is the first event, it is held on Friday evening, Paula, Deb and I set off from Stowe, Vermont at 11:30am, the drive to Boston can take anything from 3.5- 7 hours depending on the weather, fortunately for us the roads are dry, no snow storm today!
 We arrive in Boston in good time and check into the meet, the pool opens for warmups at 4:30pm the meet starts at 5pm. I am fairly confident that I am not in the fastest heat, there are 10 lanes and I am seeded 11th fastest out of 76 swimmers, the 10 swimmers seeded ahead of me are all faster, the age of each swimmer is listed alongside their seed time, 22, 25, 28, 26, the list goes on until I reach number 11, Charlotte Brynn 44.
 As swimmer 11, I will fall into heat number 3, there will be the fastest heat of women first, followed by a heat with the fastest men, then my heat, cool, I can relax and take my time warming up, hey maybe I’ll throw in a few extra meters to go towards my 1000 mile goal that I have challenged myself to reach before the end of the year. I swim a few 1000 meters and slide on out of the pool at 4:55pm, “better check out the heat sheets before I take a hot shower and change out of my warm up suit and into my race suit”, I think to myself, ” “then I will suck down a  snack and kick back and watch the first heat, I like to gulp down a whey protein and gatorade mix before I race.
 I get out of the pool and stroll over to the heat and lane assignments posted on the wall behind the starting blocks, to my horror I discover I am in the first and fastest heat of women swimmers, I am in lane 10 the “slow” lane,” aww mate”, I say as I look, not only am I going to be the slow poke in the fastest heat, but I race in 5 minutes and don’t even have my race suit on!. I hastily rinse off in the showers, pull on my suit, cap and googles in hand swiftly make my may to stand behind block number 10, I have had to accept the fact there will be no feed, I will race on an empty stomach, YUCK.
 My heart is pounding, I force myself to not look at all the other swimmers, there seed times are much faster than mine, I feel jumpy and unsettled, ” OK just swim your race I tell myself”. I look at Deb at the other end of the pool, she is my lap counter, I know I’ll be OK when Deb is there, she is calming.
 The whistle blows signalling me to step up on the block, take your mark, my hands grab the front of the block, beeeep, every muscle in my body responds and I explode off the block and into the water, tight streamline and then I am off for my strong first 75 meters, my heart is pounding and I am excited, I can’t wait to get this show on the road.
 First 75 down and I lower my stroke rate swimming fewer longer and stronger strokes, my Channel training has really helped me get a better feel for my stroke rate or tempo, it is like cadence if you are training on a bike. After 200 meters I notice that there are other swimmers who are behind me, what’s up with that, I am in the booby prize slow lane, I can’t fathom why there seem a good part of the field behind me WEIRD, I decide not to think about it and swim on feel and I do. I focus on staying long, relaxed and being as quick as I can in and out of the walls. At 650 meters I feel my intensity level start to creep up, it begins knocking on the door of my anaerobic energy system, this is when my working muscles recruit fuel from stores in the body, there is not a very big store, it does not last for long and the byproducts of this energy conversion make the body feel tired and uncomfortable, end result perfomance drops, you got it…YOU SLOW DOWN. Agghh time to adjust I pull it back slightly to stick in  my aerobic zone, at 100 meters I make my move to increase my stroke rate, I do and barely hold on spinning my arms fast as I swim into the touch pad to finish.
 My previous personal best time for 800 Free in the speed suit = 10:24.14
This year = 10:20.77
Where did I finish in the heat ? 5th
Where did I finish in my age group? 1st

The ” she’ll be right mate” attitude worked, I am happy.
 Saturday and Sunday I swam another 10 events, my times were all slower than 2009 by about 1 %, I felt great during the whole meet and spent as much time as I could warming up and swimming down to clock some extra milleage. All told I swam 4,800 meters each day nudging me closer to me 1000 miles goal.
 Next up preparation for the Holiday Swim in Stowe Vermont: 100 repeats of 100 meters, each 100 meters has to be swum in 100 seconds or less, that is 1:40 to swim and rest and I can’t wait.
 Do I have some goal times for this swim YOU BET!
What are they? I’ll keep you posted

Sunday December 19th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Workout: 4,500 meters

 Wahoo, it’s Sunday, my usual rest day of the week, but not this Sunday, I have scheduled a 4,500 meter swim to keep me on track to hit 1000 miles before the end of the year and the clock is ticking.
 I am excited about today’s swim, I am feeling better than I did yesterday and I know today’s dip is going to be short, if all goes well I will be finished up in 1.5 hours or less.
  I am not planning on swimming fast today, in fact I decided to not focus on the clock and kick back after grinding it out through yesterday’s tough swim, ” why not take it easy on yourself today”, I say to myself when I wake up, the conversation goes on ” sterling idea, don’t mind if I do”. As soon as I made this decision I felt relaxed, essentially a goof off swim, what fun.
 I head down to the pool, the memory of my ” Solo” swim fresh in my mind from yesterday. I am relived to see Paula, my swim buddy and crew member already in the pool, excellent, someone to swim with, all the lanes around Paula are occupied with swimmers working away on their own fitness goals and Paula is close to finishing up her swim and getting out, RATS!
 I know today I need company in the pool in the worst way, I spy Peg in the lane next to Paula. Peg has great energy, she is as bright as a button and when you are around Peg you can’t help but smile,
Unbeknown  to her she is the one who can get me to perform my best today, how?…. just by sharing a lane with me, Peg has been doing a great job of working on her lap swimming over the last few months, I have noticed her getting stronger in the water, however I don’t think swimming with me is top on her ” things I want to do in 2010 list…swim with Charlotte”.  I stroll up to her lane ” mind if we split the lane?”, Peg’s eyes become as wide as saucers, she answers by saying” I may not be the best one to share the lane with you” , “you’ll be great and I promise not to hit you” I blurted out, then jump in and pushed off before she has a chance to voice any further doubts.
 Peg swims great, sure we swam at a different pace but we were both working in the same pond, I did my workout and she did hers, I kept my promise and didn’t hit her and spent as much time under the water as possible, especially when we passed each other near the walls.I had fun.
 I started with my 10 x 200 meters set, I felt relaxed and pleased to have a familiar face in the lane, even if we had never swum together before I spent plenty of time with Peg on land.
 I know I had made a deal to not look at the clock today but after the 2nd 200 I decided to look at the clock after all, I was amazed to see my times were the best I had hit in weeks, it turned out to be a great swim, all thanks to me relaxing and having Peg, my magic lane mate for the day. Before I knew it 4,500 meters was done and I was out of the water.
The lessons from today’s swim….

1. One day at a time, never assume something is going to be rough( or a cake walk) just because it was yesterday
2. Relax, it makes everything easier
3. Motivation can be right there in front of you…..seek it out.

Today’s Swim
10 x 200s on the 3:00 Interval
#1-4   2:50 seconds
# 5      2:45 seconds
# 6-9  2:40 seconds
# 10    2:35 seconds

6 x 250s ( kick/ Pull / Swim)

4 x 250’s Paddles

50 Goof Off!

Total Distance 4,500 meters

 Next up off home to eat lunch and then up to Trapp Family Lodge for an afternoon Nordic ski, it was the first cross country ski of the winter, it is funny that I could be swimming in water this morning and then essentially skiing on another state of water this afternoon, this time in the form of snow cover….weird!
 I felt clumsy on skis compared to swimming but it was great to get out in the woods and feel some sun light on my face.



Trapp Family Lodge Ski Trails Stowe, Vermont


So the clock is ticking, how far left to go to make 1000 miles before the end of the year?
43.27 Miles
That is 69,636 meters or 2,785.44 lengths of the indoor lap pool
 Next time you drive 43.27 miles think of swimming it instead of driving your car, we will conquer 1000 miles together!

Saturday December 18th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Scheduled Distance: 10,000 meters ( 10km )

 Today is one of those non glamorous days, no excitement just the reality of grinding it out. I woke up feeling sick, the day itself was beautiful, fresh snow, sparkling sunshine and excitement in the air, Stowe Mountain resort is reporting great conditions, Trapp Family Lodge has it’s Nordic center up and running for the winter season and there is a buzz in the air, people around town excited to snowboard, downhill ski, cross country ski all the good stuff. I am excited for them including my husband Jeff and the kids who are all off to bomb around the mountain for the day…..not me, I have a 3.5 hour date with the pool, my body feels heavy and tired, I have a self diagnosed sinus infection, the one where you feel like there is an alien being in your nose and forehead with a pulse that goes BOOM BOOM BOOM, I know that as soon as I go under water this pressure will be intense.
 English Channel goal in mind I set off to the pool, I am due to meet Gail at 8:00am, we start the swim with:
10 x 250’s ( 50 kick/ 100 Pull / 100 swim)
these went by super fast, I hadn’t swum with Gail for 2 weeks and it was good to catch up.
Followed by :
5 x 200’s on the 3:15
then Gail had to leave and I finished up:
5 x 200’s of Free on the 3:00 interval, each 200 took 2 minutes and 55 seconds, I was slow today.
Next up:
 8 x 250’s of Pull, this is when I swim with hand paddles and a pull buoy, followed by 500 Free easy.
OK that is 7000 meters down and I am feeling like a beached whale, every stroke hurts, my body aches and I still have 3000 meters to go, it seems impossible…I look around the pool and the lanes are empty, aggghhhh NO!
 Than I catch a glimpse of a black blurr, it is my buddy Margaret, she has slid into the pool in a full length speedo speed suit, she looks sharp and fast. She is practicing for the 100 x 100’s swum on the 100 seconds and looking to see if the speed suit is (a) comfortable, and (b) helps her swim her 100s faster.
 The speed suit is a tight full body suit, Speedo released the fastskin lazer in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics, it was said to be the fastest suit on the planet, made of light weight fabric, it offered compression to provide core stability and the lowest passive drag, combine that with a water repellent fabric and a lower surface friction than other fabrics and you have one fast swim. The full body suits and the swimmers in them broke numerous records giving the swimmer that extra edge, the rules have recently changed banning full length suits in competitive swimming, now suits must not cover the shoulders or go below the knees for female swimmers.
 Back to Margaret, I have 3000 meters to go and I am hoping Margaret will stick around and keep me company. I pull up to the wall and ask ” Margaret, what have you got left to swim?” , ” just a few hundred pull to swim down” , she replies, ” Excellent I blurt out, ” how about 5 x 200’s for you and 5 x 250’s for me?” OK, replies Margaret , ” I will sacrifice myself and keep you company”, I am thrilled, we set off and I instantly feel stronger, like I could take on anything, Margaret, took the thinking out of today’s swim and I am super grateful. Before we know it the 5 x 250 meters is done and I only have 1750 meters to go…I am over the  moon, I know I can pull my sorry a$#$ 1750 meters up and down this pool to complete today’s swim.
 Margaret gets out and suddenly I feel very alone, there is no one left in the Olympic sized 8 lane pool but me, I am down, this is the life of a ” SOLO ” swimmer I think.
 I shake it off and decide that I am good and tired, I have 8,500 meters under my belt, my arms feel like lead and this is a perfect time to practice swimming fast against the tide of France! I instruct myself to begin swimming faster….I do,  I have 6 x 250’s left to swim plus a final 200 meters any way I choose…NOT, I am going to swim the final 200 meters all out like I am swimming through the current to reach France.
 During each 250 meters I get a little faster, I feel like I am dragging myself through the water, nothing comes easy, my head is pounding, I am beat.
 The final test, 200 meters all out, all week my times have been off, sluggish and slow from coming off the New England Championship meet at Boston University, I skipped the post meet rest to get back onto the 1000 miles in 2010 goal and I am paying for it…achy body, slow in the water and lethargic, even my mood is down, normally I am excited to swim, today I have been dreading it, willing it to be over.
 So now it comes down to the final 200 meters, the English Channel could come down to this, tired, down and so close to the shore, if you push hard you make it if you slack up you fail………the bitter truth.
 I push off the wall for the final 200 meters, all week I have swum nothing faster than 2 minutes 40 seconds for a 200 meter all out swim, what will happen today?
 I push my achy body off the wall and will it to perform…it snaps into gear and explodes into it’s performance zone, what I have trained it to do time after time over the last 11.5 months, it all comes together.
 First 75 meters is hard with a high stroke rate, then at 75 meters I settle into long strong strokes, I feel fantastic, ” how is this possible, and where did this come from?” I think, before I know it I am powering into the wall and yanking my head up to see the clock….2 minutes, 35 seconds YES, I am psyched!
 50 EZ stretch and my 10, 000 meters is complete.
 Out of the pool, home to eat and off for a 2 hour nap, then I drag myself out of bed to make a 4pm Yoga class. Do I feel better after today’s training…NO, did I do it?….YES.
Distance swum  to date in 2010: 950.17 miles ( or 1,529,158 meters )
How much to go to reach my 1000 mile goal before the end of the year? 49.83 miles!

What am I doing tomorrow, Sunday December 19th? Swimming of course
How far? I’ll keep you posted and fill you in on how things went at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University last weekend.

December 4th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool
Water Temperature: 81.6 degrees
Air Temperature: 86 Degrees

  After wrapping up the final cold water training for 2010 my focus has shifted from time exposed in cold water to the amount of time in the water and the distance covered in that time. Specifically training long distances at a steady aerobic pace, I am practicing a pace I can continue for extended periods of time. The other thing I am practicing is being able to pick up my pace after a long set of my forever stroke, it is like changing gears in your car if you drive a stick shift, you are striving to not cough and splutter the engine or grind the gears, simply seamlessly slide into the next gear and accelerate.
 After every long set, I sprint all out and visualize beating the tide, blasting through the current and seeing the rocks under the water as land nears, French rocks, it always hurts, this final push.
 Today’s swim is no exception, the distance on my training schedule is 10,000, I am fortunate to have company for the entire swim, Gail swims with me 8:00-9:30am, Luke from 9:30-10:00am and then at 10:15am we have a special masters practice session, some of our masters group is swimming a special holiday set December 24th, it consists of one hundred repeats of 100 meters all swum on the 100 second interval. That means each one hundred meter swim and rest must be completed in 1 minute and forty seconds. Distance 6.2 miles or 10km.
 Today we are having a dress rehearsal of 40 x 100’s on the 100 seconds, perfect for me to work on my endurance, a steady pace with a final blast to the shore for the last 100. The entire set I am practicing patience, waiting for my cue to slam my foot down on the gas pedal and beat the tide when  one hundred # 40, arrives, until then I have to wait.
 Repeats 1-20 each 100 takes 1:30
              21-30 each 100 takes 1:28
              31- 35 each 100 takes 1:27
              36-38 each 100 takes 1:25
              39 is a 1:23
              40 time to beat the current, the time a 1:15
Why do I put myself through this discomfort multiple times during a training swim?
This account of fighting the current from a successful EC swimmer who made the crossing this summer reminds me why:
…..than the Captain said ” You are going backwards mate, you need to SWIM HARD!”
and apparently so I did. I didn’t feel like I did- I was still just swimming as hard as I could. At my next feed my crew said ” you are doing well, you are breaking the current!” What I didn’t know was I was all but standing dead still. Apparently the headway I was now making was 150 feet in 10 minutes!

Gulp….keep the beat the tide sets coming!

Distance Today 10,550 meters: 550 Meters Over…..what gives?
 December 2nd I finally finished loading in the last of my fall training swims into my swim log, the grand total for the year to date is……drum roll 1, 435, 328 meters ( 891.87 miles).
My goal for the year was 850 miles and I have blown by that without noticing, I look at the numbers, hmmm……next milestone 1000 miles, could I do that? I ponder the thought, I would have to swim
174,016 meters ( 108.13 miles)before the New Year rings in, the equivalent of 4.5 English Channel crossings in the next 29 days and 3 of those days will be chewed up racing at the New England Short Course Meters Championships at Boston University December 10-12th, hmmm….., again I ponder.
 Well, the water won’t be cold I justify to myself, then I read a quote from my hand written list in my English Channel Training journal that I write training notes and advice tidbits in, the quotes are on my” Quit being a skirt and do it” page.

 ” The Difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the determination” – Tommy Lasorda

 That was all it took and I plugged in a newly revised goal, 1000 miles by the end of the year, just couldn’t help myself. Once entered the log told me ” You’ll need to pickup the pace to achieve your goal this year” and I have. I have a new short term goal and sense of purpose to keep me sparked up.
 I immediately calculated my required distances for each day through until December 31st, I am cutting it fine and am scheduled to swim an 8000 meter swim New Years Eve, if all goes well that will bring me to my goal of 1000 miles before the New Year rings in. I am also stockpiling meters, adding 250-500 meters onto each daily swim, to help me be prepared for the unexpected set back.
 So if I make it here is how far I will have covered in 2010:

• New York  to Kansas City, Missouri ( well almost that is 1098 miles)
• Sydney, Australia to Christchurch New Zealand ( not all the way but I would have broken the back of it that is 1,337 miles)
• The length of New Zealand ( and more that is 730 miles)
• Finally 42 English Channel Crossings ( this is my favourite comparison)

How far will I get this week, I will keep you posted!

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

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

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

Tim, Stand Up Paddle Board support second beach Rhode Island

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

Here’s the Jellies I swam with…..



…compared to the English Channel Jelly



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

Second Beach, Newport RI

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

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

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

Wednesday October 27th, 2010
Location: Indoor Lap Pool

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

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

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

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