Saturday October 2nd
US Masters Swim Meet
Location: White River Junction, Vermont

Race day, I have been racing this summer, just not in a pool, I have competed in  a 4.74 mile, 8 mile and 10 mile event along with two 10km( 6.2 mile) races.
 Today is a different kettle of fish, I am racing in a 25 meter pool with starting blocks to push off, lane lines to follow and walls to turn on.
 I have read other Channel swimmers training accounts and more than once have read a reference to a swimmer experiencing a decrease in speeds in the pool, ie noticing a 100 Free pace in the pool not as quick as it had been before Channel training began, it would not come as a complete surprise to me as I have been training different energy systems, I have been training for my ” forever stroke” one I can hold for many hours not an all out for 1-5 minute race, I am about to find out how my body performs after months of distance training with less attention to short sprints and non freestyle strokes.
 First up the 200 Freestyle, I am in the last heat which is the fastest heat, it is a mixed heat with both men and women, waiting behind the block I jump up and down five to six times to get my body on alert, it works I am ready to explode off the block, first 75 meters I plan to take it out fast, high stroke turn over, then for the next 75 meters lower the stroke rate slightly, get as long as I can to slide through the water with the least amount of resistance and have more grip with my hand on the water allowing me to pull my body past my hand more with each stroke, a longer but stronger stroke. The first 100 I am aware of the other swimmers blowing by me, I am tempted to go with them but stick to my plan, those that manage their heart rate the best will have the best finish I tell myself, I know I can only hold my sprint for 75 meters after that my body will shut down from the byproducts of the lactate acid production, I know I have to back off and let the aerobic energy production source kick in, I do and am able to swim in control, the last 50 is here and it is time to let the cat out of the bag and give it all I have left, it works and I pull away from the swimmers I had been trailing to take first in the heat.
 I am hanging on the side of the pool sucking wind big time, wow I haven’t done that in a while and my body knows it. My time 2:27.72, last October I swam a 2:26.12, I am pleased.
 Next up the 400 Individual medley, hmmm not alot of non freestyle strokes in my training over the last 5 months apart from some lazy ” I’ve finished my workout backstroke “, swum at a turtle’s pace ( and that may be insulting the turtle!). I am back up on the blocks 10 minutes after my 200 Free ready to go, my heart is still racing from the last effort. The 400 Individual Medley is a 100 meters of each stroke, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle in that order, there are certain ways a swimmer must execute turns for each stroke.
 I am off again, 100 fly complete then on to the backstroke, I instantly slip into my turtle backstroke and on my first turn roll onto my stomach to turn, I am too far away from the wall and execute an illegal backstroke turn, it gives me a wake up call, wow that was close I better step it up, I pick up my pace and return to the snappy turns I should be doing….too late the judge disqualifies me, it was a good call he was right, it is my first DQ ever, the day of firsts begins!
 Next up the 100 Breaststroke, followed by the 100 Free and 400 Freestyle, I place first in each, my times are comparable to last year, in the 400 Free I swim a 5:05.91, last year I went 5:05.36.
 After the meet wraps up Paula one of my support crew members and masters team mate and I dive in for an extended cool down, we plan to swim 6 x 250 meters, it feels delicious, I instantly stretch out and fall into my ” forever pace” and it welcomes me back, like putting on a broken in pair of comfy woolen slippers. Mid way through we are stopped by lifeguards who are moving the lane lines, ” we are switching back to yards’ they say, this pool can be set up length wise in meters and width wise in yards, we continue on and decide that 8 x 250’s would be much better to give us an even 2000 swim down, the day of firsts continues that is the first time I have completed a swim set that was half in meters and half in yards!
 Afterwards it was a game of pig in the kids pool shooting water basketball hoops and a ride around the lazy river, the grand finale a ride down the water slide.
  Next up a cold water training swim tomorrow ( Sunday) at the Green River Reservoir, if I have any muscle soreness post meet this will be like wrapping in a giant ice pack…..perfect.
 How cold will it get tonight, I ‘ll keep you posted.

Thursday September 30th Peak Foliage
Dark Skies, heavy rain and a water temperature of 62 degrees greeted me this morning, there has been a flood watch in effect due to the heavy rain over night, by the time I arrive at the lap pond the rain was bucketing down, ” raining cats & dogs today” I was always told as a kid in New Zealand, in my mind I imagined cat and dog shaped rain drops pelleting from the sky. Today I have a 2000 yard swim planned, a quick dip, if counting goes as it should I should be back in my car warming on those heated seats in less than 30 minutes. The water feels warmer than the air today, I am more comfortable below the surface than above, it is murky from all the rain and filled with leaves, some I swim through like a barge pushing through ice and some I see a few feet below me suspended in the water, hanging like they are in limbo between their summer life on the trees and where they go next, a somber feeling swimming over them, summer is gone.
 The swim goes well, I am most pleased about swimming straight today and feeling relaxed, before I know it I am back at the car pulling on layers of clothes. After the lap pond it is back to the 82 degree indoor pool for a workout with the Masters swim group, it is hard to get back in the water, the idea of skipping the second swim for a hot shower is so tempting but I have found the hot shower to be a superficial heating tool and a short term fix, after it I am still cold inside, when I get in the pool and swim my muscles contract demanding oxygen, my heart pumps blood back out to the extremities no longer ignoring them as it had been in the cold water where the priority is taking care of my vital organs. The tactic works yet again, after only 500 meters of chasing down my lane mates I am actually starting to feel too warm, it works a charm, I start feeling warm from the inside out.
 Practice wraps up and we all laugh as we discover leaves, pine needles and sap stuck to some strands of hair that has slipped out from under my swim cap, a fun memento from my early morning foliage dip.
 Next up a light swim tomorrow in preparation for a Masters swim meet on Saturday morning, it is a half day meet, I am swimming the 100, 200 and 400 Freestyle and also the 100 Breaststroke and 400 Individual Medley, I have not raced in a meet in 5 months and am curious to see how I go after  a summer of training geared towards preparing for an attempt on the English Channel, 100 meters of swimming vrs the shortest distance across the Channel which is from Shakespeare Beach, Dover, England to Cap Gris Nez, France, a cool 21 land miles which is 18.2 nautical miles, there are 2,000 yards or 1852 meters to a nautical mile. Pilots do start from other places depending on the tide, the weather conditions, and the swimmers ability.
 I have now been gearing my training towards preparing for the  English Channel for 10 months, how will my pool speed compare to the same time last year, we’ll find out Saturday….I’ll keep you posted.

                         Today’s course…….leaves and pine needles, look bleak?  

Wednesday September 29th
Air Temperature 64
Water Temperature 62-63 F
Location: Green River Reservior, VT

Overcast skies with breaks in the clouds to let the sun make a brief apperarance and trees sporting stunning red leaves were our backdrop today, “do you think this is peak folliage?” I ask Cara on the way to the reservior, it is beautiful out today, a strong breeze is blowing and it is warmer than in recent days, 70 degrees when we left Stowe, true to form it drops 6 degrees by the time we get to the boat launch, it is always 6-7 degrees colder at the reservoir, I have come to expect it. We load the kayak up with paddle, life jacket, rescue tube, thermos of tea and my feed bottle, a light load today as we are planning only a 1.5 hour swim.
 Time to drop in the trusty turtle thermometer to get a temperature check, “oh wise one tell me if I will have popsicle toes today” I think to myself as I drop the little guy in for his swim, 60 seconds later he is ready to spill the beans, I pick him up and study the readings, 63 degrees shoreline, the temperature drops as I get into the middle of the lake I am expecting to swim in 61-63 degrees today.
 Cara surveys the conditions, “calm in the inlet, midlake we will have rougher water”, wise Cara she calls it that is how our swim plays out.

Cara paddles out and waits patiently for me to put in my earplus, swim cap on and goggles, then I inch slowly into the water, ” think warm blanket, think warm blanket” I repeat to myself in my head, I take the plunge and once again my skin is pounded by the cold, it is like I am being thumped by a thousand fists all over my body…” warm blanket, warm blanket, I am wrapped in a warm blanket” I command my brain to listen, a few hundred meters of fast strokes and I settle down. Today  like the 10km race on Sunday I instantly fall into my forever stroke, my “performance zone”, I feel good, even comfortable, my only issue is water swishing around in my goggles( right eye only) and some weird cramp feeling in my right heel, it is the 3rd time I have felt the heel cramp swimming and it is weird, like a stabbing pain in my heel that renders my right leg unwilling to kick.
 The good news is my core is warm and my stroke feels strong and relaxed, time to address my issues, I make a mental decision to ignore the foot cramp and the goggles, besides I can’t stop for another 25 minutes or so so may as well get over it now. I focus on how good my arms feel and notice how my back is not cold, done….I forget about my issues, they are out of sight out of mind.
 Cara asked if I would like to swim to Picnic Island today, we have been avoiding it for the last few weeks as it is a little over a 3 mile round trip and a long trip back to the boat launch if I have the need to stop swimming for any reason. I jump at the chance ” yes I love picnic island” and I do it is my favourite swim in the reservior, I know every tree line on the way down and back, I know where it gets shallow and deep, where the water chops up and where the cold water springs make the water temperature drop, I know it like the back of my hand and I am beside myself with excitement to take one last trip to picnic island this year and check out the fall colors while I go.
 The first 30 minutes is fast, we are nearly to the Island in just 30 minutes, it usually takes me 40 minutes, an increase in my swim speed often happens to me after racing and today is no exception. I practice gulping my feed, the reservior drinks more than I do and I am off again, around the island, we are on the return leg of the picnic island loop and swimming into the wind, this makes the water choppy and erratic, every stroke I am pulling hard, I am curious to know where I am, I lift my head higher than usual to breath to get a look at the tree line, darn too far out to see, I try again to get my bearings and resign to the fact that I am not going to leaf peep today, sigh.
 We stop for feed # 2, one hour, ” we are going around bluberry Island” Cara announces, I feed and I resume swimming, ” sneaky little toad adding in extra distance” I think to myself, I wasn’t planning on that, well played Cara” I think to myself as I continue to swim while working on changing the messages I had been sending to my brain about being on the way back to the boat launch, new message brain,” it is not time to go in we have another island to go around,  round that and then it is time to cruise in”, I am feeling relaxed, knowing I have swum faster than in past swims and feeling good in the water, I can feel my feet, hands and have not had to drink hot tea at my feeds today.
I get impatient ” Where is that second island?” I  take a peak, we round the island, it is shallow, I take it wider than usual to avoid scrapping the bottom, in my mind we have made it and I cruise and do not paying attention to Cara, I drift left, she tries to get my attention but I continue to drfit left, she slaps her paddle, it gets my attention immedialtely and I get back on task, my stroke count lowers and I decide to once more look up a few times to see where I am, Cara is not pleased with me and gives me a build speed sign to get back me back on task, it works and I pick up the stroke count the remainder of the way to the shore.
 It was a good swim, I worked harder than I had before while swimming the pinic Island loop, our home stretch pace from Blueberry Island to the boat launch was slower but it was good, thanks to Cara’s attentativeness that I was able to refocus and pick up the pace to swim into the shore.
Todays swim 1 Hour 26 minutes 61-63 degrees = best effort in cold water to date….Good stuff.

 Lessons learned today:
I need a new hand signal for when my stroke gets slow and I begin to drift, when I see it I will know my support team are telling me to….. ” tidy up mate, tidy up”

To follow is a tip from many who have made the English Channel crossing:
Don’t look back at Dover ( England)….or it will never disappear, don’t look forwards to France….it will never appear ……Gulp, no more peaking.


Cara at the boat launch



Sunday September 26th: Flat River Reservoir Warwick Rhode Island
Air Temperature 59 degrees
Water Temperature 68-70

On the road by 7:00am, destination Warwick RI, armed with a map quest printout of directions and  my Blackberry Navigator GPS we still managed to get slightly of course, correct road and exit just a minor detail of going south instead of north, amazing how one simple word  can have such a snowball effect, ours was an extra 40 minutes travel time and missing the race check in time. I focused on not stressing about it, ” stay relaxed, it will be fine, I am ready to go”, I say quietly to myself ,  I call the event director and let him know we are in the area, he is super cool about us being detained, “no problem, you have plenty of time” he says, we arrive at 8:35, the event is due to start at 9:00am, we unload our supplies into the Kayak, one hot thermos filled to the brim with hot tea, a plastic bag containing a warm hat, pants, gloves and wind breaker to be used if I have to get out early, chap stick for dry, cracked lips, throat lozenges in case of a dry mouth and finally my feed bottles, I have 2 new feed containers that I am excited to test today, they have a wide mouth and are a flip top bottle, no more straw feeds which take longer to drink from, I am excited to pull off a faster feed stop, my goal for this swim is to get my feeding down, I plan to take in 250mls of liquid fuel in 20-30 seconds. My last feeds have been 1-2 minutes and time adds up, the costs can be great. Feeding needs a great deal of thought, for example 3 minute feeds every hour for the first 2 hours then 3 minute feeds every 30 minutes will add over an hour to a twelve hour swim, the English Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation recommends feed time to be less than one minute, Ned my mentor told me to go 20-30 seconds and to “gulp that feed down”, I am on it, today is going to be a chug fest.
 Kayak support is ready to go, Jeff my husband is my kayak support today, we have our plan of attack down, a stroke count every 15 minutes, at 20 minutes a sign for me to build my speed, at 25 minutes a hand signal to pickup the pace for 5 minutes until my feed stop. We are off, Jeff navigates to get right by my side quickly, I instantly leap into my regular quick first few hundred meters and size up the scene, water is feeling balmy, wow how can 68 degrees feel this good, I feel like I am swimming with that pink poofy dressing gown on and the possum hat, I am feeling toasty and it gives me strength and power, I am immediately relaxed, gliding through the water in a fish like fashion. I try to focus in on what thoughts are buzzing around in my head but there is nothing I am already in the ever elusive “performance zone” the “here and now “that so many athletes struggle to stumble into, today for me it is as easy as diving in, my body is on automatic pilot, driving forwards one stroke after the other instinctively and it feels great, I sit back and enjoy the ride. My only thought now is to relax and enjoy the moment, I estimate the race to take 2 hours and 45 minutes, maybe 3 hours depending the conditions, I want to savour every minute I think to myself, “this will be over before I know it and I don’t want to miss a beat”, I am right it goes fast.
 The course is 2 laps, each lap is 5km ( 3.1 miles) we head up the reservoir, at the turn around we encounter wind and choppy water, it slows me down and I have to pull hard, around the turnaround buoy and it is into the current, Ray the event director mentioned there would be a current in the middle of the reservoir, he was right and I loved it, I imagined battling the currents in the English Channel, this is great training I thought as I swam.
 My first feed felt lightening fast, it was not Jeff said it was my slowest, subsequent feeds he tells me were around 30 seconds, I was happy as my feeds were much quicker than previous swims and I didn’t throw up! When my mentor was giving me advice on food choices for feeding he said ” pick something that you don’t mind the taste of when you throw it up”, not an issue today as all my feed stayed down, phew!
 Lap one complete, I command myself not to ” rubber neck” today, no looking at other swimmers, this is about a training swim for you, I can’t help myself  I notice another swimmer about 25 meters ahead of me at the turn around, hmmm….. I love a good race, I pick up my pace, I am gaining, slowly but steadily. I have increased my strength training over the last 6 weeks to build some muscle, I have read from another English Channel swimmer that muscle adds insulation. I can feel that increase in muscle add power to my stroke as I add power to each pull. We reach the turnaround of the final lap just over 1.5 miles to go and I feel great, still in the ‘ zone” I stroke past the swimmer who I have been chasing but it is 30 minutes and time for my feed, I stop, drink a quick 20 second ” chug”, as I begin to swim I say to Jeff ” this is my last feed’, he looks pleased and we are off, we quickly catch up to the swimmer in front of me, she has a good pace and I am pleased she is there to push me to swim stronger, I can’t see her but see her Kayaker and mine, it seems like the kayakers are racing not the swimmers, her Kayaker is in front, them mine moves forward, they jockey about and finally I drive in harder and we pull away a mile to go. I hold my 74 strokes per minute not daring to let up, if you go by someone you better be prepared to hold it. Jeff gives me my 25 minute pickup signal I do the math in my head, always the control queen I figure out I am at 2 hours 25 minutes, I must be within 15-20 minutes of the finish, I wa right, 2 Hours, 39 minutes and 23 seconds I am on the shore, my personal best 10km time , I am pleased. Kate arrives in with a time of 2 hours 40 minutes and 15 seconds a great swim, we high five, I enjoyed swimming with her today, a great swimmer and competitor.
 I am unsure if there was another swimmer who finished before me, I am not concerned as my focus today was fast feeding, as it turned out I got to race too, I love to race, it was fun!
 Merino sweater on, fuzzy sweatpants, hot tea and a chat to Ray who organised the race. Turns out he is booked to swim the English Channel in 2012 the same dates as I am, we  later discover that I am booked with the same pilot as him, he is the 2 way ( double crossing) that I am booked after, I am excited to meet someone that is also training for the  English Channel and will be in Dover, England the same time as me, a good day for sure. Ray and I chat he crossed the EC in 2009 and shares some useful tips with me. Then it is awards and off home, it turns out I came in 1st place, that was of course not the highlight, meeting another EC swimmer and gulping down the feeds was top class today. Next up back to Vermont, the cold water training continues as the temperatures continue to drop and the leaves fall from the trees, brrrrr….. Green River Reservoir coming up Wednesday September 28th, wrap up it’s going to be a cold one!
 I ‘ll keep you posted.

Saturday September 25th the day of the Triathlon
 Location: Sachuest Beach ( second beach), Newport RI
 Air Temperature 68 degrees, Water temperature 65 degrees.

 After arriving from Vermont late last night we are up early for the 6:00am check in for the race, I am scheduled to swim the 750 meter swim leg of the Triathlon, followed by a 12 mile bike and 5km run completed by my teammates Claire and Jacki.
 Our plan this morning is to pick up our race packs early, then go back to Jacki’s house ( just a few minutes drive from the beach ) and fuel up with hot tea, banana on toast and a protein drink.
 When we arrive at the beach to check in at 6:00am it is still dark, a gusty warm wind blowing and the waves loudly crashing in the background. We struggle to see as we sign up for our one day US Triathlon Membership,” be sure to sign both places on the form ” says the guy collecting the forms, due to the darkness I can’t read what the form says but know it must have something to do with liability
  ” participation may result in bodily harm or death”
 We pick up our race bags ( check), scope out the transition area ( check ), get our race numbers( check), walk down the beach to view the swim course ( problem) , the waves are crashing angrily into the shore and the swim course is not marked.
 I ask a volunteer if she knows where the swim start is, ” they may have to cancel the swim” she says. Shortly after the loud speaker blasts information about start times and swimmer waves. OK we think we are good. We head back to the house refuel and return to the beach at 7:15am, the team swimmers are due to go off at 7:45am, perfect timing I think.
 As we pull into the parking lot we see Ray a pro who is racing today, ” swim is cancelled, it is a day for the land sharks” he announced through the car window. Those who are not strong swimmers are saved, the surf is rough and they would be at a disadvantage if they had to navigate today’s conditions in the water, the Triathlon is a different ball game today and one more favoured to those strong on the bike and run.
 For me I am out….No Swim Portion No Race,  RATS I wanted to play, Jacki and I regroup within minutes, we both knew what we each had to do, Jacki had to go race with our team mate Claire and me, the solo swimmer had to go get my cold water training swim in.
I have already decided I was going to swim regardless of the swim being cancelled due to the rip tide, 3 foot waves and water that was choppy from the wind.  A quick calculation, no one to swim or paddle with me = problem, I drive back to the house to ask my husband Jeff if he will be my eyes and walk along the beach while I swim, he agrees, ” how do I help you if you get in trouble ?” he asks, “make call for a rescue” I replied.
 We park at the end of second beach, two piece Tankini, cap and goggles I am ready to go, I walk into the water sizing up the situation, breaking waves rolling in, I am going to have to get out to swim beyond those crashing waves, I move further out diving under the waves as I go, the water is 65 degrees and feels great, I am quickly out past the breakers and amongst the surfers, ” Hey the water’s warm today” says a friendly surfer sitting up tall on his board waiting for his next wave, ” sure is” I reply, I notice the thick full length wetsuit, he must be cooking in that thing I think to myself. I am feeling surprisingly good in the 65 degree water today, the 58 degree 2000 yard swim in the lap pond that I had on Thursday is making the ocean feel like a warm pool.
 I swim parallel to the beach, I am being jostled about like a cork, bobbing up and down as I swim, I am swimming a few hundred meters offshore to avoid the bigger crashing waves, yet I am still encountering white caps, some crash on me, others I have to abort my breath to the side to avoid inhaling a mouthful of salt water, a fake breath, I put my head down for a few more stroke cycles without getting air then try again. I lift me head occasionaly to sight Jeff, the waves are too big, I can’t see him and can barely make out the beach, ” I wonder if he can see me ” I think, I make it down to the end of the beach and turnaround, I begin the return swim, I feel strong and comfortable in the water today. On the way back the waves are more frequent and I notice how much I am drifting left away from the shore, I have to pull harder to stay in sight of the shore, I am making good ground and am super excited to run into a number of ” clear jellies”, not the stinging jelly fish but never the less still slimy feeling like jello, good training for me to navigate. The waves get bigger, some of them are picking me up and tipping me on my side and back.
 Today’s wind is an on shore wind, making the waves closer together only 6 seconds apart and the water choppy, there is also a rip tide, a current pull under the surface water that sweeps across the beach and out. Today it is pulling me away from the beach and I have to dig deep and pull hard with each stroke to stay in sight of the shore, I am drifting out and change tactics now sighting every few strokes to stay better on course, it works and I am a few hundred meters out from my exit point. The swim in is hard, I have to fight the current, I weave in and out of the surfers and body surf a few waves in. One hour and ten minutes, 2. 4 miles and the swim is complete, I am pleased.
 Jeff said I looked strong on the way down and slowed down on the way back, fighting the current I told him, ” could you see me I asked?’, ‘ I would see you, then a wave would break and I would lose you, then see your arms spinning as you stroked through the water”.

 I dried off, wrapped up and then off to see how the Triathlon team feared in the bike and the run, then it was relaxing on the beach followed by lunch, yoga, packing up for tomorrow’s 10km swim and two big steaks for dinner. The temperature is due to drop overnight, how will the water be tomorrow in the Flat River Reservoir where the 10km swim is being held? I’ll keep you posted.

Second Beach Training Swim

Tuesday September 21st, on the Open Water menu today: 3 miles Open Water Acclimatization

I had already decided that I was doing more than 3 miles when I woke up this morning, I was going to swim longer than I did on Saturday and I was going to like it. Since Saturday I have had a number of emails from my mentor Ned he is based in Ireland and has crossed the English Channel and has had 6 Hypothermic experiences, each with it’s own lesson, one ending him up in hospital after completing a solo crossing of Santa Barbara Channel in 59 degree Fahrenheit water which he described  as strong hypothermia ( the photo taken in the hospital shows Ned smiling)
 I am now armed with some helpful information regarding Open Water swimming and hypothermia, and a nifty graph that shows the probability of death from hypothermia at certain temperatures and different length of times. I read the graph and scope out today’s swim, hmmm….64 degrees for 2 hours, the graph shows death from hypothermia as being highly improbable, cool,  I can relax when I swim today it is improbable that I am going to die, I feel comforted in reading this, I believe it, now I am going to work on convincing my primitive brain, the survival brain that overrides all cognitive thought and screams you are going to freeze your ass off and die, get out now, alert , alert , alert!
 The scientific stuff ( from Ned )
Mild Hypothermia: Core Temperature falls below 37C TO 30-35
Shivering & Blue skin, slower stroke rate, heading away from the boat and can’t go 30 minutes without stopping, UMBLES, this means mumbles , stumbles and grumbles, brain goes funny, if you are asked your name it might takes you 10 seconds to reply.

Severe Hypothermia
Core Temperature falls below 30C
No shivering, No feeling Cold
MEGA MUMBLES, STUMBLES, GRUMBLES
Skin temperature like a corpse, only a rectal thermometer works
Next Step Cardiac Arrest

Feeling better yet? Funnily enough as I drive to the Reservoir I am feeling better, hungry for taking this swim on,” grabbing the bull by the horns ” and checking this new knowledge and mental space out.
 I am meeting Paula and Deb who are my support today, Deb is kayaking and Paula is swimming, both Paula and I have swum already today in Masters practice, we had a good set of 200s SCM on the 3:00 interval, a good pace for me toady, starting at 2minutes 50 sec for the first 200 meters and descending to a fast 2:38, I am pleased feeling long and relaxed in the water. I dream of feeling the same comfort I feel in the pool today when I am swimming in 64 degree water.
 We meet at the canoe launch, load the boat, discover we are short a paddle, a quick mini ride to Dusty’s to swipe a paddle from her garage and we are ready to go, the water temperature is 64 degrees.
 A new trick today, a tip from my mentor, baby oil on the shoulders and arms helps reduce the chill from the cold north wind. I am equipped with a massive bottle of baby oil, Paula lathers me up, it smells great, a blast from the past, memories of putting this stuff on as a teenager and sneaking up onto the roof of the boarding house where I went to school in New Zealand to ” crack a tan”, a lot has changed, these days it is factor 85, no sun lotion today except on my face, cloudy and 53 degrees, very little chance on sunlight let alone warmth from the sun.
 We are off, I dive in and get going with my usual fast few 100 strokes, then I relax, turn down the volume in my brain and just swim. It felt a million times better than my “Saturday freak out swim”. I wasn’t frightened, I focused on my breath imagining I was practicing Yoga and each breath was creating heat and energy in my body, it worked a charm, I was able to enjoy looking at the red leaves on the trees and Picard, Deb’s ” Russell Sprout” 4 month old puppy, last time he slept the whole swim being showered by waves and drips from the paddles, today he is alert, I see him sitting up sporting his “Picard “bright orange life jacket, when we stop to feed he licks my finger and gives it a little bite, checking to see if I am alert.
 The first 30 minutes a strong pace, 70 strokes/ minute, I build to a 72, we round a corner into the waves, I “love the waves” they warm me, before I know it we are at another feed, I thought it was a feed, I misread one of Deb’s signals and like a dog looking for scraps from the dinner table I was over at the boat ready to be fed, I took the feed 10 minutes early without knowing until after, no big deal we were off again. Deb piloted well today, we worked together better than our last outing, she navigated me smoothly  around islands and inlets, through waves and flat water, we were a good team today.
 Paula swam strong and headed to shore after 50 minutes, she felt good and was swimming great but felt if she dropped behind I would get cold waiting for her at my feeds, she was right, an unselfish move and the right one, I was grateful for here intuition. It was harder for Paula than me today, although she has a wetsuit and fins I had Deb by my side, Paula did not and had to sight forwards to see Deb, a tough way to swim , I have had to follow a kayak before, it is hard both physically to have to yank your head up to sight and mentally it sucks, you feel like whatever you do can’t keep up.

 Third feed, I drink my feed, Deb says we are heading in and I listen and follow, I know we have swum longer than 3 miles, i can tell by the feeds we have had, my stroke slows on the swim back to the canoe launch, 64 strokes/ minute Deb tells me afterwards, no less I felt good on the way in, my gut feels warm, I can feel both my hands, the baby oil helped my arms and shoulders today and my feet have feeling. There are times during the swim I remember thinking I feel warm, times I felt cold too, but more importantly today I felt confident, that I wasn’t going to die and how am I going to get out of here, instead I leaned down into the water, last time I swam pulling out! One hour 48 minutes we reach dry land and I am pleased, 3 minutes longer than Saturday.
 I exit the launch possum hat on, Deb’s towel wrapped around me ( I forgot my towel today, what a womble!) , then a jog, it felt like a jog to the mini, suit off, fuzzy warm winter leggings on along with Burton zip up under layer and the Merino sweater on top, Possum lid and furry slippers, agghhh pure bliss.
 Into the car, engine on, heated seats blasting and ” hot tea”…rats I’m out, note to self, two thermos next trip!
  Tonight I had a 40 minute phone conference with my mentor, lots of helpful stuff, short and sweet what I left the meeting with was  HEAD DOWN SHUT UP SWIM, FEED & REPEAT.

Next up Rhode Island this weekend, my friend Jacki needs a swimmer for a Triathlon relay team on Saturday, it is a half mile swim course, I of course said ” yes, love to help out” it will be fun to play in the water with other swimmers, I am sure I will be one of the few not sporting a wetsuit, the appeal of wearing a wetsuit if it is allowed is for warmth,the water will be 66 degrees so it will provide insulation, it also gives you a considerable speed advantage, giving you buoyancy and lift. Am I wearing a wetsuit….NO I promised myself back in May after that 52 degree swim that was the last time I would wear a wetsuit, it is not condusive to my EC Crossing goal, will I wish i had the extra speed advantage YES! Just have to push it out the old fashion way, English Channel rules apply to everything I swim for the next 23 months!
 Also coming up this weekend a 10km Open Water event called the Champions Challenge at Flat River Reservoir in Rhode Island, temperature low to mid 60s, NO Wetsuits, I am excited others like me to swim with, How will it go? I am sure it will be an adventure and I will meet some cool people in my travels, I’ll keep you posted!



Newport Rhode Island 2nd Beach Location of Triathlon Swim , photo by Jacki Schriber Lane



Saturday, September 18th, I awoke to a still, foggy morning, I walk outside to get the  paper from the mailbox, the air temperature is in the high 30’s, hope it warms up fast I think, I am scheduled to leave home at 9am, drive 20 minutes to pick up Cara and then off the the Reservoir. It is damp and cold, I shiver loading my supplies into the suburban. The scheduled swim today was 6 hours, things have cooled down faster than I anticipated this fall, when I set this goal, it was a late add in, added into the goal list a mere few weeks ago, an “ignorance add ” I now call it on reflection.
 I talk to Cara Friday the day before the swim,” I don’t know that this swim fits in with our current priority of cold water training I say”, she agrees, unsure what is appropriate we both agree we will shorten the swim to 4 hours. I am not relaxed, the morning of the swim I am anxious and unsettled, a strange new feeling comes over me that morning, it is a lack of confidence, new and unusual for me.
We arrive at the lake, I forget a key component of our supplies, the feed bucket that we store all my feeding supplies in on the kayak, ” that’s it ” Cara says, ” this is the last time you are in charge of packing up the supplies”, she is right, I am scattered, like a rookie who has never prepared for an Open Water swim before. We make do,we drop off the boat at the canoe launch, the reservoir is busy today, for the first time this summer we have to drive up to the upper parking lot to park the suburban, this is going to be a long walk back to the car after the swim I  note.
 I have  a new post swim plan today to solve the problem of having difficulty getting my clothes back on post swim when I am shaking as my body tries to warm up, the plan involves a large, poofy over sized dressing gown that I am going to cover up with to walk down to the shore and wrap up in after my swim, I look like I am mentally ill and may have just escaped from the  psychiatric ward of a mental health hospital.
I am wearing a ridiculously expensive but incredibly warm possum fur hat which was a gift from my brother, I always like to buy something ” New Zealand” to bring back to the US each time I visit down under, in 2003 it was a possum fur hat, how could I forget NZ wearing this furry lid during the cold Vermont winter? As I walk to the canoe launch  I am sporting the pink poofy dressing gown, winter shoes,  my ” proud to be Kiwi” black swim cap, ear plugs and goggles. The ear plugs mean I can’t hear myself speak and talk louder than usual, as we walk down to the shore I am talking to Cara super loud, no question about it I look and sound odd! Usually I find people friendly, they often want to strike up a conversation with me, ask a question or just share a story, today no one dares to make eye contact with me let alone start a conversation, I giggle this is  funny today I am officially a ” freak”!
 Cara doesn’t mind a bit, she is loyal, right there by my side, there is method to our madness, a reason for what we are doing and why we look the way we do, she is dressed in her Ithaca rugby jacket,  pants, winter hat and rubber boots,  I make a mental note to myself, I must not judge others by the way they look or act, I may not have the information and knowledge to know why  someone is behaving in a way that seems unusual to me, respect others and what they are setting out to achieve , I make a mental note, done.
 Cara sets off in the boat, today the turtle thermometer says 62 degrees, I gingerly edge into the water, my heart is thumping in my chest, it seems to take me hours to get in today, I dive under and am off, agghhhh this is uncool, I swim fast, my strokes are short and choppy, a few hundred meters goes by and I am still tight and tense, I try to relax but am frightened that if I slow down I will feel the cold more, I read this week of a channel swimmer who got very cold a few hours into his English Channel crossing, he saw a dark object moving under him in the water freaked out that it was a shark and started swimming fast, running on adrenaline, it warmed him up, snapped him out of his depression doldrums. Today this is my approach, I  swim fast, it does not work well, I burn through so much energy on this fast inefficient stroke and from my anxiety. I am freaking out about 4 hours in the water today, I have done 4 hours before but not in this cold, I do not know what to expect, it is cold and I feel like I am going to throw up. 30 minutes goes by and I stop for a feed, Cara notices my stroke, ” your strokes are short, you are high in the water, 72- 74 strokes per minute, take it easy and relax” , it is good advice, I try to relax and slow down, as soon as I stretch it out my head is consumed again by the threat of cold, the unknown, what will it feel like if my body shuts down, if my core gets too cold? How will I make it back to the boat launch? Am I  too far from the freaky pink bath robe?, I keep  asking myself the question over and over.
 The one hour feed arrives Maxim and hot tea, I take too long to feed wasting valuable time, the longer I am not moving the colder my body gets. I shout to Cara ” I think I have 30 minutes left in me” , I swim on, the reservoir has cold water springs in it, the water temperature dives in spots, it is painful to swim through, I long to get by the cold patches. When we started the swim the air temperature was 48 degrees and the sun was out, I kept thinking when it warms up Cara will take off her woollen hat, it will get better, it didn’t Cara’s hat stayed firmly pulled over her ears, the wind picked up, it was cold. The choppy water was good, it warmed me up when I swam into the waves and it felt good, today we were swimming a 40 minute loop so we could access the boat launch if we needed to exit at any time, it would only take us 20 minutes to get the the shore.  We went around Blueberry island, it was shallow and the water a little warmer, I scrapped the bottom and laughed, I smiled at Cara, it always make me laugh when I nearly beach myself. Then we were at the 1 hour 30 minute feed, Cara asked “one more lap or back to the boat launch? “that was all I needed, back to the launch I spat out and I was off, I felt like I was swimming fast, Cara tells me my strokes were slow and erratic, 62-64 strokes per minute. Was I losing it, losing function, absolutely not I had  checked out mentally, I was consumed with getting back to the canoe launch and out, it will feel so good pulling on the pink robe and  the possum fur hat I thought as I swam to the shore, it did not feel good, I was disappointed with the swim and cross that I got out prematurely, I knew I could have swum a few more strokes, another 5 minutes, another lap even. We packed up the kayak our supplies and were off home. I felt deflated and down the rest of the day, “how can I even consider taking on the English Channel if I couldn’t make today’s swim?”, I ask myself.
 When I got home my 10 year old daughter asked me what was wrong, I was not pleased with my swim today I told her, “why” she asked, I planned to swim 4 hours today and only swam 1 hour 45 minutes I said, ” was anyone else swimming today” she asked,  “no I said it was 62 degrees when we started too cold for people today”,” but you swam today, how long have you swum in that temperature before” she asked, ” one hour 15 minutes ” I replied, ” that’s great that’ makes today your best yet!” she said, she was right!
 I regrouped, licked my wounds and went back to the drawing board, what went wrong? I went over all my training swims and a past email from one of my mentors about setting goals every 3 months, reviewing training plans and making changes when necessary, how did I forget this one?,  I shake my head as I ask myself the question.
 I decide to turn adversity into advantage and go over the lessons learned from the less than pleasing training swim. The  lesson…..smaller steps and realistic goals, I went over all my Open Water swims this year and saw that I had only swum under 65 degrees 4 times before Saturday’s swim! I was not prepared or ready for a 6 hour swim in  62-64 degree water, I would have been better reviewing the plan and making a change to a more suitable and achievable  2 hr swim, I mentally checked out of the 4 hour goal before I got in the water, I wasn’t prepared and knew it.

Thursday September 16th ~ Today on the training menu  is a double swim, an early morning 4000 yard outing in the lap pond, followed by a short drive to a 2000m Pool workout.
 I awake at my usual 5:15am time to the sound of heavy rain and pull the covers firmly up around my neck for a few seconds before I launch out of bed to get my gear together for my early morning dip. I am an  “up and at em girl”, I hit the ground running.
 It got cold last night, colder than it has been since the early spring, the air temperature is 46 degrees as I drive to the lap pond, it is a calm morning, overcast skies and a definite chill in the air, as I drive across the field two young deer are grazing, they look up at the car then continue to graze, after a few more moments they decide the field is not big enough for my green mini wagon and the two of them, they dart across the field and leap into the air just feet in front of my windscreen, exciting today already even without the swim I think to myself as I pull up to park at the top of the hill, from here it is just a short 25 meter walk down to the pond.
 The pond is steaming, good sign I think that means the water is warmer than the 46 degree air temperature. I walk down to water and put my turtle thermometer in for a swim to let me know what I am dealing with today with regard to the cold. I scan the surroundings, the canoe that marks my turnaround at one end is still in place, the raft that marked my turnaround at the other end has drifted, rats I have to move that back so I can sight, I drag the raft back down to the shallow end of the lap pond, it takes a few minutes which is long enough for the turtle to give me a temp check and for my toes to start to turn white from the cold, time to get moving I think as I hurry to situate my post swim clothes on a rock near the pond ready for my exit after the swim is complete.
 The water is 61 degrees,  the air46 degrees, I think how much warmer the water will feel than the air today, I am wrong, the water feels like a thousand needles piercing my skin as I swim my first lap, why did I declare swimming twenty 200s today, I curse myself for doing so and quickly decide that taking 10-15 seconds rest between each 200 yard lap was out of the question, I will have to keep moving to have any chance of enduring this.
 I am concerned about swimming too fast, when I do I tend to pull left and I am not interested in swimming into the dock if I deviate off a direct route from the raft to the canoe and back, lap one, lap two, lap three, lap four, this is OK I think to myself, 20 may not be as bad as I first thought, lap five, lap five, lap five, did I already count lap five  I think to myself,  I’m not sure, another lap goes by as I am going back over the swim to figure out where I am at, OK  I decide straight to lap 6, if I miscounted it will be extra distance and extra good training I justify to myself and keep swimming.
 Lap nine, this is tough, I forgot to put my ear plugs in and my head is feeling the cold, lap 10 can I finish 20 laps? I talk myself into swimming just 2 more, number thirteen arrives and I am still swimming, soon it is number nineteen and my last lap is within my reach, I turn for the final lap, the sun has reached the far end of the pond saluting me, I lap it up feeling a glimmer of warmth on my back as I head for home sun on my shoulders, my final lap is complete, I look at my watch as I climb out, 58 minutes, 30 seconds, a good swim.
 I struggle to pull on the Merino jacket, pants and a hat, the 25 meter walk to my car seems like a hike up a mountain, I fire up the mini, heat on high, heated seats on high, then it is hot tea from my thermos and I am off to my pool swim. I am shaking uncontrollably as I park, I sit for another 10 minutes in the car. I can get back in the water, I can, I tell myself over and over,  the last thing I want to do is get wet again but I know the water is a balmy 81 degrees and it is Cara’s birthday swim workout, I promised  her I would swim,  I am late but I make it for the last half of the workout. I get in the water, it feels like a hot tub yet I am still frozen, 10 x 50’s Cara shouts followed by a 50 fly, swim fast, I am off instinct kicks in and I push hard, 10 minutes later with my heart rate up, we blow out the final 50 butterfly, I have finally warmed up, in fact I am over heating, I am too hot!
  Training swim complete, was it hard YES, today’s lesson learned?
” Very few things are impossible to achieve if we put our minds to it, there is nothing more powerful than a mind made up” quote from English Channel Swimmer 2010
 Tomorrow’s task : Green River reservoir Cold water Acclimatization
 Training Crew Member  sporting a Kayak and lots of supplies = Cara
Calling for 32 degrees tonight, chilly water predicted tomorrow, but isn’t that what we want!
 I’ll keep you posted

  The Lap Pond, a view of the shallow end and dock.

Wednesday September 15th, where is that Indian summer? Today it is rainy, the sky is black and it is 53 degrees, it looks more like Halloween than one of the last days of summer, last night brought heavy rain and thunderstorms with a low of 40 degrees, the water is sure to be cold, every time I say this at home my son replies ” Mum isn’t that what you want”, no one says it like a kid and he is right! I am reminded of the saying ” watch what you wish for, you might just get it!” I know it is going to take more than a wishbone to get me ready to attempt the English Channel, it is going to take  backbone and today is no exception.
 2pm is our scheduled rendezvous at the Green River reservoir, I arrive and walk down to the  canoe launch with all my swim gear in a large soft grey cooler, wearing cotton sweat pants, flip flops, a T- Shirt and my hoodie, inside my bag are mittens, my hat, a towel, goggles, cap and other bits & bobs like sunscreen, body glide and chap stick to name a few. I am getting chilly already, I begin regretting not making the adjustments to the cold day and bring a blanket and some heavier clothing for after the swim, ” she’ll be right ” I say to myself a good old Kiwi saying, I’ll tough it out!
 Paul, Cara and Deb all members of my EC my training crew are with me today, I couldn’t feel luckier or more supported, both Paula and Cara are willing to swim in wet suits with me in the 64 degree water, I am wearing my Tankini and Deb is bundled up and in her Kayak, the emerald eyes cat statue is strapped to the front of her boat and there is a new team member with us today, Deb’s new dog Paquite, a puggle I think, he is equipped with a puggle sized life jacket, he is small and jolly looking with eyes that melt your heart, how can I say no to this little guy if I have a thought of bailing out from today’s swim, I have to go!
 We all meet on the shore, I show them the new course on the map, it is a 3 lap course,  out to Blueberry Island and back 3 times for a total of 3.3 miles. The plan is to stop after each lap for ” a spot of tea” as we say in New Zealand, Deb has the thermos and is ready to go, she is also going to count my strokes at the 15 minute mark and give me a build speed signal at 20 minutes and a pickup sprint at 25 minutes, oh and did I mention she was going to paddle with Paquite on her lap while she does all this  while I am swimming, I have told you before Deb can do anything and she did a fine job piloting me today!
 We are off, I have a new “add” to my equipment bag today, ear plugs, I have been meaning to get some for weeks but kept forgetting, they keep the water out of your ears help reduce heat loss from your head, they really made a difference and everything was less noisy, the water is really loud when you are swimming,
 the down side is when we stopped at the end if each lap today I could hear little to no words from my training crew, Cara was talking to both Deb and Paula at our tea break, I felt like I was watching a silent movie and desperately wanted to know what the chatter was all about!
 Lap one was good, cold at first then I warmed up, the air temperature and wind were cold on my arms and shoulders, I keep driving my entire head under water to warm it up as the water was warmer than the air, going around the Island was shallow and I bottomed out a few times laughing to myself and grinning at Deb as my belly rubbed along the bottom, I wonder if she could see my grin or if perhaps she thought that was a grimace frozen on my face? The return leg of the first lap we were fighting the wind, working hard through the waves, warmed me up. First lap complete and it was time for tea, WOW that was so hot it was like an iron fire poker driving down my throat and into my chest, I could feel that stuff going down, excellent! Almost too hot though, I can drink it faster if it is not as hot next time. Then we are off for lap 2, I always feel better after a feed, today was no exception, Deb and I are in a great rhythm, she counts my strokes 69 for the first lap, now 72 for the second, things are looking good, my hands are not cramping and I can feel them, both feet are still with me and there is no sign of the achy frozen jaw I felt in the spring.
 Lap 2 done, more tea and we are off for the final lap, I am excited and swimming harder, when I pick up the pace I tend to pull left, and today I not only pulled left but didn’t follow Deb as well as I could have, instead of making changes I began peaking, where am I at? Am I going to hit the shore? I note to myself to do better, I put my head down and concentrate on turning over one arm at a time, focused now, it works 74 strokes per minute and we round the final turn and are headed to the canoe launch, I am happy and can’t wait to visit with the team.
 Out of the water and to my gear bag, I have to get this suit off and wrap up, it all takes too long and I am quickly shaking uncontrollably, I can’t talk, my T Shirt and sweatpants are wet and my cozy woolen hoodie suddenly doesn’t feel very warm! I am off up the steps to the suburban, it is only a few minutes walk, today it feels like hours to get there, Cara helps me in, engine on, heat blasting, I want so badly to go hang with my crew, share the stories of the day’s adventure and hear theirs but I am rendered useless as my body shakes trying to raise it’s core temperature, I feel so bad as this is the first time I have not helped pack up the gear but I know it is the right thing to do today waiting in the car so I stay put, Cara said ” wait there” very firmly and I did.
 Then an amazing thing happens, Paula opens the door of the suburban and drops in a big paper bag stuffed full of the warmest sweaters I have ever laid my hands on. ” Dusty said I have to give these to you NOW”, says Paula, I dive into the bag, first thing a see is the woolliest, coziest slippers ever, then Cara helps me pull on a Turtle neck , all the other sweaters I wrap around my legs, hat, slippers and mittens on, I am in heaven. Cara kicks me out of the drivers side and says “you are not driving lady”, I gladly move over and snuggle into my clothes. I warm up in 12 minutes! I new record time of stopping shaking.
 I say goodbye to Paula and Deb then Cara and I are off to her house a 15 minute drive, I refuse to get out of the car, climb into the drivers seat and drive home, hot shower, hot cup of tea and I sit down and regroup.
 I look at the label on the sweater, 85% merino wool, wow, I look at the label on my own warm, cozy sweater 15% wool. It is not warm and cozy! Dusty saved me today and taught me a valuable lesson I learnt as a kid and had since forgotten, wool is the real deal!
 My mother used to make me wear a woollen singlet in the winter in New Zealand, I hated it, it was a dirty brown color for starters and was scratchy, I protested loudly every time I got dressed in the winter as a kid, with this scratchy singlet under my winter clothes, this is torture, how mean I used to think, well Mum was right, Dusty reminded me today and I realized what a caring thing Mum was doing to keep me warm on those cold South Canterbury winter days.
 New Zealand is the worlds 3rd largest producer and exporter of wool, in 2009 it produced 154,000 tons. New Zealand is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, an island, the first sheep were landed in New Zealand by Captain Cook in 1773, the sheep population has grown to 45 million, there are more than 13 sheep for each one of the 3,853,116 people who live in New Zealand. February 15th in NZ has been declared as national ” Lamb Day” to celebrate the history of sheep production!
 The Merino is a breed of sheep that is thought to have come from Spain or North Africa, it is found in the rugged South Island Hill country, despite the heavy fleece the Merino are fairly small and hardy which means they survive the cold, I think of myself, I am small ( only 18 pounds of body fat ) and hardy, I will think of the Merino when I swim next…. I AM suited to the cold, I AM suited to the cold!
 The Merino grow 7.7 – 11lbs of wool each year, it is fine, soft and is made into very fine fabrics for fashion wear, it is even made into billiard cloths.
 Today’s swim distance 3.3 miles, time…… I forgot to note the start time, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, today’s goal checked off, dare I say it ” I had fun today!” Next up an early morning swim in the lap pond tomorrow morning, the goal 20 x 200 yards on the 3 minute interval ( that’s 20 laps of the pond)
 What am I taking for after the training swim? A Merino sweater and woollen slippers of course!

Sunday morning the second day of training in Rhode Island, on the books today an 8:00am fitness class called ” Bounce” taught by my good friend and hostess for the weekend Jacki, she has just opened her own studio in Newport RI called PULSE, I am excited to check out her new training facility and catch a workout with her, she is a tremendous instructor who has the knack of making you work harder than you think you  want to or think you can! True to form Jacki leads both me and the rest of the class through a high energy cardio class complete with push ups, squats, lunges, plenty of plyometric jumps to sky rocket the heart rate and an abdominal workout that was a true crowd pleaser,  I am officially warmed up for my cold water training swim!
 Post class it is off to refuel, suit up and then down to 2nd beach for day two.
  Every English Channel swimmer has his or her own training program based on previous experience, conversations with other swimmers, coaching ideas and  mentors. I am no exception, I have been a member of an English Channel chat group for a number of months allowing me to  read other swimmers questions, the answers and to field my own questions, I also have 2 mentors both who have made successful English Channel crossings, one is  based in Ireland the other in Britain.
 One thing is for sure you need some distance training under your belt in preparation for an English Channel crossing attempt, my mileage has been accumulated both in the pool and open water this year, building up this summer to 40,000- 48,000 meters/ week. Now the fall is here and the focus priority moves to cold water time. My new training volume is 38,000 meters/ week , down from the 48,000 I swam a week ago, will that power and endurance accumulated over the summer pay off ? I am about to find out.
 Sunday, 10:00am refueling complete after a fun ” bounce ” class with Jacki, now back to training and back to the beach. Today I am sporting a one piece suit with thin criss cross straps in the back, I find that wide strapped suits chaff, the rubbing of the straps leaving my skin raw even after applying Trislide.  Trislide is an aerosol skin lubricant, on the can it says ” gives you freedom of movement to train and race harder ” , ” significantly reduces blistering, chafing & hot spots”. I have a nasty scar from ” experimenting ” with a one piece wide strapped race suit in August, a one hour, 40 minute swim and a line of raw flesh under my arm, (now a scar) to show for it, a grim reminder to suit select carefully for each and every swim whether a training swim or a race. I have also tried Body Glide, it looks like a stick of deodorant and works well too.
 Today’s weather overcast skies, wind and a high of 58-66 degrees, I am hoping for the 66 end of the temperature scale, it doesn’t come through for me, I am perched on the side of a rock on the beach looking out at today’s conditions  feeling rather snug in my cozy woolen zip up Hoodie, reluctant to shed it and my warm blue hat. Jacki is accompanying me today on a SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), she chooses that over her surf board as it is longer and more stable in today’s wind, we figure if we need to pull me out I will fit on the board with her! We also have a dry bag with a warm hat, towel and fleece jacket in case we need to pull me out mid swim, that way I’ll have something warm to pull on.
 The mission today swimming from 2nd beach to 1st beach and back, a round trip, 1.7 miles each way, I am excited I love going somewhere, this is a destination swim and I could not be happier. We are off, I dawdled into the water today, Jacki was already out past the breaker waves waiting for me, I edge in step by step the memory of yesterday’s cold water fresh in my mind, I sing a song in my head by a New Zealand band called Spit Enz , the name of the song  is ” I just spent 6 months in a leaky boat “, now or never I dive in humming the tune in my head. Hey, today doesn’t feel as bad as yesterday, give it time I think, then the body scan, feeling in both hands and feet, good stuff! I spin my arms for the first few hundred meters, my working muscles demand oxygen, the heart thumps to deliver but there is a difference today, a pronounced warmth in my midsection, is my body wising up and taking care of the vital organs, shunting blood there? Not sure if it is a yes or if the one piece suit is that much warmer than my trusty 2 piece tankini that I have been swimming in all these months! Regardless I am most please and ” swim on”.
 New surroundings to check out, Jacki is on riding the SUP on my right, dressed in a wetsuit and carrying the dry bag on her back, on the beach I asked her if she had spent much time on a SUP before? She replied in a relaxed manner “no I have tried it once or twice in the last few weeks”, yet she was solid on the board, I was impressed, when the wind picked up and the waves grew bigger as we rounded the point to 1st beach she very calmly knelt on the board and continued paddling, it got rougher yet and she lay down on her tummy and paddled the SUP like a surf board, it was a cool feeling powering through the waves and looking to my right and seeing Jacki laying on the SUP fighting the waves alongside me, I felt like we were a team, we were.
 I did not fill Jackie in on the detailed 30 minute training plan regiment and hand signals that my training crew and I have developed over the last few months, I did tell her what to look out for with regards to signs of Hypothermia, it went like this:

• If my lips are blue that is a warning sign of hypothermia,  if I can’t talk another warning sign
• If you ask me where I live and I say Mars not Vermont we  have a problem, if I am not making sense that is a sign of hypothermia, time to pull the Kiwi from the water, even if I don’t want to get out, be firm!

 We set off, I am swimming like a tourist checking everything out, my new surroundings, houses that line the cliff and the added thrill of someone new to watch while I am swimming.  Three times on the way to first beach I stop and ask questions, I feel starved for contact, Where are we?  I ask .Who lives in that house? I quiz Jackie again, What are those rocks called? Are we half way? I am inquisitive today,  a brat in the water, it takes me 30 minutes to settle down. We make it to the rocky point where the wind and waves are heavier, time to buckle down and behave, the swell knocks me about, the waves jostle me from side to side, I love it, I feel like I am still playing but now working, it feels good. We round the corner and head into the sheltered bay of 1st beach, the water calms down, the waves behind us pushing us towards the beach, I feel strong and fast, my body has snapped into its performance zone, automatic pilot, I am no longer giving it instructions with my mind, it is doing what it has been trained to do. We reach 1st beach in  45 minutes and after a brief chat turn around for the return journey, swimming the back to the barn is what I adore, we are off. We have more wind on the return trip and are swimming head on into the waves, I have to earn it on the way home, every stroke I need to dig deep, the power is there, no tiring I feel like I have lots of gas left in the tank, all the distance training I have done over the summer has paid off today, it feels good to have more under the pedal if I need it. We round the point, the cliff walls are on our left lined with birds sitting side by side, watching us closely, to me they look like vultures waiting for us to falter, I glance over at them thinking, not on my watch birds, not today!
 Before I know it I am body surfing the waves into the shore, I land on the beach, a 3.4 mile outing in 1 hour, 35 minutes, I am pleased with the performance today, I  reach for my hat, cozy  blue hoodie and cream velvet sweat pants that I stashed on a nearby rock, I wrap up and help Jacki with the board, then it is back to the steaming hot outdoor shower, pack up and back to Vermont. As we drive closer to Vermont I watch the temperature reading in my car drop, by the time we reach Stowe it is 55 degrees, I wonder what the water temperature at the Green River Reservoir and in my  new lap pond is? We will know by Wednesday my next OW dip, on the schedule 3.1 miles!