Today’s mission: Cold Water Acclimatization
Goal: 2 Hours Ocean Swim

Yesterday was a recovery day with a 2400 meter swim with our local Masters team, later in the day the car was packed, I scooped my kids up from school and we were on our way to Rhode Island to tackle the weekend’s  EC training goal of getting in some cold water ocean swimming. The focus today not distance but time enduring the cold water.
 We battle through the Boston Tunnel traffic, 5 hours after our departure from the Green Mountains we arrive at our friends beach house in Rhode Island, just a few minutes drive to the beach and a killer outdoor hot shower to warm up after a training swim, perfect!
  We have come down to visit each year for the last 8 years, normally earlier in the summer to catch some beach time and hang with our friends, new focus still hanging with our friends but with the added spice of some English Channel training.
  Tomorrow’ s swim buddy is Tim who I met during an early morning ocean swim last August at 2nd beach in Middletown , RI, at that time he had his sights set on the Lake Placid Iron man 2010 which he achieved this year.
 We plan to meet at 2nd beach at 8:00am, he is racing a Half Iron man on Sunday, the plan of attack for the training swim Saturday is a down and back course, a 2.4 mile lap, he will swim the first lap and on the second paddle next to me on his stand up paddle board or SUP as they are called ( I am told surfers refer to SUP guys as sweepers because it looks like they are sweeping with their paddle ) Tim’s board is 10 foot long, tomorrow  he can paddle along side me for lap 2 allowing him to take it easy in preparation for his Sunday race.

 Friday night I turn in at 10:30pm with thoughts of what tomorrow’s ocean adventure might bring? Jelly Fish, Swells, waves, Cold, will I freak out in the ocean or feel comfortable? I haven’t swum in the ocean since last August, I remind myself that I grew up by the ocean and spent plenty of time in the sea as a kid.
  I grew up in New Zealand just a few miles from the beach, the light house used to sweep light into my bedroom window at night, calling me to the ocean. I loved spending time in the ocean playing, diving like a dolphin, swimming out to rocks and prying off mussels, bringing them back to the shore where we had a knife and vinegar stashed to split open the mussels, dip them in vinegar and eat them raw, they were big plump New Zealand Green Shell Mussels and delicious!
 New Zealand Green Shell Mussels are very tender and sweet in flavor, the mussel meats can be of several colors, a cream to light flesh representing a male and an orange to apricot color representing a female, there is no taste difference between the male and female mussels.

 Saturday 6:00am, the sun begins to rise, the day of the ocean swim is here, clear blue skies and a fresh 60 degrees, I pull on my suit, dose on a thick layer of factor 85 sun lotion, shorts, T Shirt , cup of tea, banana on toast and I am off.
 I arrive at the beach early with my friends and start the ritual, cap, goggles, down plenty of water and then down to the shoreline with my Thermometer for a temperature check……67 degrees, I put it in again, it drops to 66 degrees, I put it in a third time, has it dropped again? I decide it’s better not to know, yank it from the water and head up the beach to meet Tim.
 He arrives, suits up in a wetsuit and we head to the ocean, water on my ankles, then knees, waist, we are still talking, I want to hear about his latest race in Lake Placid but I have to say ” Mate I have to get swimming  to get warm”. He is off like a rocket, it’s a perfect pace for me we head straight out and then turn left and swim down the length of the beach parallel to the shore. The water is cold, I do a body scan, I can feel my hands, my feet, my head is cold and also my arms as they recovery over the water with each stroke. I have my conservative ” I am checking it out stroke” working, unsure of how this is going to pan out, we agreed two laps, 2.4 miles each, as I head down on lap number one I am cold, another body scan, right foot from the ankle down has no feeling, darn this is not a good sign so soon I think, I tell myself to find my  rhythm , we break at the turnaround of lap one, it is a beautiful setting, glistening water, sunshine and white rock walls lining the beach of all shapes and sizes.
 Heading back my mind is still focused on the cold, we are nearly there, I have to pick it up, stroke harder to get the blood shunting around my body, I picture my muscles demanding more oxygen and my heart having to crank that oxygen rich blood out to my working muscles. I drop back from Tim, then spin my arms fast sprinting to pick him back up, I do this a number of times, I can feel my right foot again!
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 Aghh waiting this could get ugly, I am worried about getting colder while I wait in the water, I decide to swim some short sprints, 50 meters out, 50 meters back, I do it again and again. Tim arrives back navigating his SUP like a pro and something amazing happened, I warmed up!
 We set off for another lap, I felt relaxed back into my 70-72 stroke per minute pace it was great. Then I started thinking how disappointing it would be not to encounter a Jelly Fish today. My friends tell me it is unlikely I will see one because they are hang out when the water is warmer. Then I feel a sting on my hand, small and fleeting, by the end of the swim it has vanished, was it a Jelly Fish? I guess I’ll never know!
 2 Hours 26 minutes was the total water time with a total distance 4.8 miles plus some sprints between laps, I am pleased.
 I farewell Tim, refuel then relax on the beach, some Yoga on the beach that afternoon followed by a 66 degree 100m swim for good measure to get a double cold exposure today, two dips in one day, I’ll take it!
 Did I really think I would bail out after 1 lap today, not a chance, I stated the goal to myself, once it was in my head, I had to do it!

Water Temperature in the English Channel  is between 59 F & 64.5 F, end of June and early July it is 59-60 degrees Fahrenheit , the temperature rises slowly to 64-65 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of August. The body is reported to acclimatize after repeated exposure to cold temperature, this can take an extended period of repeated exposure, I am told 1- 1.5 years.
 Hypothermia is a serious consideration, the  normal body temperature is 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit, hypothermia develops when the body temperature falls below about about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The symptoms and signs of hypothermia are bouts of shivering, disorientation, irrational behaviour, blueness of the lips, inability to concentrate or coordinate speech, inability to respond to simple requests or questions.
 Training to acclimatize: it is recommended to begin in the fall and adapt to the  water by swimming in water where the temperature is gradually dropping, for example start in the mid 70s during the summer months, continue exposure as the water temperature drops in temperature to 70, 69, 68 degrees and so on.
 Mine was the down under approach of  “bring it on now” , deciding to take on the goal of the EC in January 2010 and booking my pilot in April 2010, by May I was chomping at the bit!
 May 17th 2010 the sun was out, ice melted off the lake the mosquitoes were out….. I was going in! First attempt, the water was 52 degrees, I had decided that if the water temperature read under 55 degrees I would patiently wait until another day….I didn’t wait, I threw on a wetsuit and went in anyway. The water took my breath away, it felt like my chest was collapsing, when the water hit my face it was like I had hit a brick wall, my teeth ached, my hands clawed up, no feeling in my feet, I managed 42 minutes and crawled out of the water vowing that to be my last time in a wet suit.
 One week later I was back, this time the water was 62 degrees, I swam 1 hour and 15  minutes, this time I shed the wetsuit for a 2 piece workout tankini, exposing as much of my midsection to the cold as possible, I did not shake in the water and could talk,  a good sign. In June things heated up I swam 4 Hours 19 minutes( 9 miles) in 68 degree water, then things got toasty as the summer temperatures kicked in.
 Back to today, September 9th: the air temperature is 55 degrees, water temperature is  67 degrees and I have a new swimming spot, a pond, it is long and narrow, 100 yards long, I swim 12 x 200s ( down and back in the pond =  200 yards) on the 3:00 minute interval and tread water for 15 seconds between each 200.  I am filled with excitement as I check out my new surroundings, I feel a bit like a relocated ” Free Willy”, dashing around the perimeter looking for new and exciting things under the water to entertain me as I swim, a few big boulders here, a pebble beach there, also things on the shore  to focus my attention on  and use to sight. I sight one end by an inflatable raft and throw in a phantom wall right before it to change direction ( that means a flip turn without a wall), at the other end I sight using an upside down bright orange canoe. The lap pond as I like to call it is a tremendous addition to my training, a generous offer for me to utilise, it is only a few minutes drive from home, I can spend time acclimatizing to the cold without the hour round trip to the lake and the comfort of knowing I can get to the shore in seconds if need be. My goal today was to check out my new surroundings and swim 10 x 200 yards in 68 degrees or below, CHECK!
The goal for the next 4 weeks is continuing acclimatization to cold water , in the Reservoir, the ocean and the lap pond,  we will have to wait and see how my body adapts and how kind mother nature is with regard to weather and air temperature!

More on training soon, until then here are some key points from the  English Channel Swimming & Piloting Association about attempting to swim the English Channel, they put it like this:
 The comments below are ” general ones ” not aimed at any one specific, but” if the hat fits wear it”
1. English Channel Swimming is both an EXTREME and an ENDURANCE sport that is not for the faint hearted. Death or injury is a serious possibility that needs lots of consideration.
2. It should be at the peak of your open water swim experiences not your first open water swim
3.If you want to treat it like a walk in the park rethink and choose another pond to get wet in not one of the busiest seaways in the world full of cold water and unpredictable weather conditions.
4. Don’t book a pilot unless you are sure you want to make the attempt and are capable and prepared to work hard.

Training time for the English Channel attempt 2012, I am 8 months in, training began at the start of 2010, I have learnt so much in 8 months, some through reading about other swimmers’ attempts and some from good old Kiwi & American ingenuity, you try it if it works you take it on as your own, if it doesn’t work you toss it aside, this I am finding all takes time, it is not a ” try it for 5 minutes deal ” then ditch it, I may have to wait hours of swimming before I am in the right situation to give it a go. Here is an example:
 When you are swimming in the Open Water your goggles fog up, the water is cold, your body is hot, the end result moisture, condensation and you can’t see, I am a sponge for information, how can I trouble shoot this? I read input from other experienced swimmers, the ones who have made the commitment to the English Channel long before me, what do they say…they must know! I read one account, this swimmer  swears by washing your goggles out with soap and water before you swim and NEVER rinse your goggles out with lake or sea water. Another account says put drops of saline in your goggles so when you roll to breath the saline clears any fogging in your goggles when you swish from side to side. I am scheduled for an Open Water swim the next day, I am going to try a new approach! In a last minute impulsive decision I decide why not try both at once? I swing by the pharmacy on my way to my scheduled 4 mile Open Water outing, boy lots of saline to choose from which one? I pick one and head out to the lake with my goggles that have been freshly washed out with soap & water, I have a confident smile on my face! When I arrive at the lake I am already in my suit, I stride down to the edge of the water confident and excited at the prospect of a clear view throughout my swim, this will be the best I tell myself, I put the drops in my goggles careful not to spill the saline, I even throw in a few extra drops for good measure!
 It is a stunning spring day, June 4th, the air temperature is 68 degrees, the water temperature is 67-69 degrees, warmer at the lake edge, colder in the main lake, I set off thrilled with myself with the anticipation of the success of this new discovery, I power out the strokes to get warmed up, I find that swimming strong and fast for the first few 100 meters helps the blood rush to my midsection, a flood of warmth to my body, the first few strokes are chilling, I always visualize I am diving into a warm blanket in the water, tricking my mind into thinking it is warm, surrounding me as I submerge. I am off and running after half a mile I notice an annoying irritation in my left eye, what is going on? I question myself over and over, this is annoying. Don’t stop I command, keep swimming. I talk myself into the logic that this is an experimental swim, the goal a non fog attempt, it is OK to stop! I let myself stop for 15 seconds…. I dump out the saline, note to myself, saline in my goggles does not work for me! I swim on thrilled that I am one step closer to figuring this Channel crossing attempt out, baby steps!!!
 That left eye still doesn’t feel great throughout the swim but I with deal it and swim my scheduled 4 miles, it is a solo swim with no feeding or support, it gets windy on the return trip home, I have to earn it today fighting through the waves.
 Success I return to the beach I started from, I stagger out of the water, my legs are a little wobbly but I am in good shape and good spirits. Next thing I know I am in the car, the heated seat is cranking and I am on my way home.
 I reach home, breeze in through the door say hi to my family in passing as I head straight to the bathroom for a hot shower, yes!
 Post shower I am putting on cozy sweatpants and fleece and catch a glance in the mirror, my left eye is huge! In fact to me it looks the size of a golf ball, with a bag under my eye that is even bigger. That whole swim my face was swelling right up in protest to my experimentation…. all in the name of fog free goggles!
 Where am I at now? That patience thing again, I  do not use Saline drops, as I mentioned it may work for some swimmers but not for me, I do wash my goggles out with soap and water, it helps. I have found that what ever I try my goggles fog right up for the first 30 minutes, I just leave them alone and wait patiently now knowing that after 30 minutes they clear right up, the trick is not getting flustered about it, I know what is happening and just wait, lesson learned!

 Today’s training was 4000m in the pool and 3.1 miles open water, windy, wavy and cold air temperature when we got out the air was 59 degrees and  the water temperature was 67-69 degrees. I had a buddy to swim with today, Cara swam with me, she was fast in a wetsuit, like a porpoise expertly navigating each wave and swell like a pro, I watched her when I breathed to the side, it looked amazing how she attacked and danced in the water, I thought how strong and fast she looked and I wondered if I looked like that, it was fun!

The Day after the 13.1 mile swim was a rest day, post swim I felt banged up, nothing really ached just dead tired like my body was recovering from a high fever…..wiped! I convinced myself that a 30 minute session of Yoga and Foam rolling would help my recovery, it did by Sunday I felt great, my body lapped up the day of recovery and I concentrated on refueling!
 I am often quizzed on what I eat, how much food, how many calories I take in each day, well if you are curious lets take a look at Sunday,  the day after the 6 hour swim, I did not add up the calories, most days I don’t running on feel, food intake dependent on what my fuel needs are  with regard to training, when I have done a tally up the total is between 4500- 5500 calories/day.

Breakfast
Hot Tea ( Love English Breakfast), Banana on toast, apple, cereal with blueberries and milk
Snack
Kashi Peanut Butter Bar
Apple
Lunch
Ham, Hummus and Lettuce Sandwich on 8 grain bread
Kashi Tasty Little Crackers ( lots of them I love these!)
Lara Bar
Special K Protein Meal Bar
Large wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese and nectarine on top

Afternoon snack
Chocolate Milk
Peppermint chocolate
Large Wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds on top
Apple
Baby Carrots
Pretzels

Pre Dinner Snack
Smoked salmon on crackers
Glass of red wine

Dinner
12 oz Grilled Salmon, Salad of Lettuce, Tomato, Pumpkin Seeds, Hummus, Dressing and Sauteed Mushrooms

Dessert
I have 3 of these…..
Ice Cream, Ginger Chocolate and 8-10 Ginger snap cookies, I love these with hot tea.
…….by the time morning comes I am hungry!

Monday I am back to training, after Sunday’s rest day it is time to get back on the horse, off to the Green River Reservoir again this time for a 4 mile swim, I meet Paula a fellow swimmer and training crew team member , she is swimming with me today, I am so excited to have someone to play with in the water, also with us is Deb she is in charge of navigation today and is leading the swim in a kayak. Paula swims in a wetsuit and fins, a perfect pace beside me, we stretch out and soon fall into a good rhythm. An out and back loop, easy on the way down with the wind at our backs helping us down the lake, on the way back we have to earn it swimming into the wind.
 We are well led with Deb at the helm, no duck on the Kayak for me to look at today but in its place a life sized cat with huge emerald green eyes,  not real of course, but at first I wasn’t sure, Deb is great with animals, it is quite feasible that this was a real cat that she had trained, in fact I would not be surprised if it could pass me food at my feed stops, Deb can do anything!
 Swim achieved and onto my complete favourite post swim ritual, during the 25-30 minute drive home I toast myself in the heated seats of my mini club man wagon, these seats are on fire! Love it, combined with the heat on high I begin to defrost.

Tuesday, today I have a 6000m swim on the books, tough swimming but completed, the last 2 sets the hardest, 10 x 200’s SCM on the 3:00 interval and 8 x 250’s of pull. All done, entered my distance log figuring out that last week was my biggest mileage week that I have completed during this last 8 months of training, 48,180m, 30 miles of swimming!

 Open Water tomorrow then this weekend off to the coast in search of cold ocean water, jelly fish and swells, I’ll keep you posted !

Welcome to my Blog! Training Crew this for you to hear about the 6 hour Green River Swim yesterday, you know the rest of the story up to this point, to those of you that don’t I will fill you in on my adventures to date in preparing for my 2012 English Channel attempt in upcoming blog posts!
 Saturday September 4th we were scheduled for our first 6 hour OW swim, location the Green River Reservoir in Vermont, it is described as a ” wilderness-like setting” managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, it became a Vermont state park in 1999, 5110 acres of land which surrounds the green river reservoir.
 Wake up time 6:00am, pickup training crew, today that is Cara, boat is on the car, gear is packed we are ready. We planned to six at six,( 6 hours at 6:00am), the reality was we both agreed me leaving home at 6:00am was a good way to still hit the 6 at 6 and more time for a cup of tea, my morning ritual before I swim, hot tea and milk and multi grain toast with banana mashed on top.
 On the 25 minute drive to pick up Cara I also wolfed down a Peanut Butter sandwich and a bottle of water.
 We had not shortage of supplies, the boat was so loaded down we thought it may indeed not float…it did!
2 sets og goggles, 2 caps, 2 containers of Maxim( liquid fuel ) 1000mls in each container, I take 250mls per feed, 2 Peanut butter sandwiches cut into bite sized cubes, hot tea, Ricolas, water, cozy sweatpants, hat, mittens and a fleece jacket, a lifeguard belt and a giant over sized yellow plastic duck…it makes me smile when I swim!
 We are off, serene, still, peaceful, so quiet yet alive with nature, Cara was kayaking on my right, confident and strong, comforting to me as we embarked on the journey, the challenge = 6 hours in the water. We have so much stuff, it looked like we were going camping for the weekend not a 6 hour outing!
 Cara was navigating the Reservoir, her plan to travel around the perimeter of the lake, all the inlets, ponds and islands she plotted the course I followed her lead, a boat and a swimmer we were off!
  I can see, smell and taste the reservoir as we weave in and out of the inlets, the name reservoir makes it sound small, clear and so controlled yet it’s not, it is 653 acres of water with 19 miles of shoreline, conditions can change from glass like water to strong winds in a heartbeat making the water choppy, today we start in glassy water but the forecast is for wind as Hurricane Earl moves up the East coast.
 First 30 minutes, I am pacing myself, taking it easy, that means to me I am in uncharted territory both physically and mentally, it is not can I swim for 6 hours? it is Yes I Can but what will it feel like, will I crash, hurt, get down, racing through my mind are thoughts of these questions that have the answers yet to be discovered, but they will be if I settle down and am patient, stroke by stroke, 30 minutes, by 30 minutes, small steps to reach the 6 hour mark.
 I swim in 30 minute segments, at 15 minutes I get a stroke count from my trainer, at 20 minutes I get a hand signal to build speed, at 25 minutes a sign to step it up, my pickup for 5 minutes, then feeding and some welcome crew contact.
 # 1 30 minutes, messy, stroke count 63-67, 30 minute # 2 excited to get a feed and contact from Cara. At 2 hours Cara reads me well and sees my stroke, short and choppy, she tells me to stay long and relax, things start to click and I relax for the first time. The scenery was stunning, Cara told me I swam with 2 beavers, one slapping it’s tail at me, many loons, loon nests and beaver dams, the trees are starting to turn the shades of fall and there were many fish today, fun to watch!
 At one point I was swimming in 10 ft depth and suddenly swam over a huge boulder only a few inches of water covering it, then it dropped away like a grand canyon under water, other times it became shallow as I skirted around islands my fingers tickling the bottom kicking up a cloud of sediment and reminding me to keep my elbows high and not drop my arm while I,m swimming,
 3 Hours an exciting benchmark, on the menu 4 cubes of PB sandwich, bite size, I swallow them in one gulp, and drink water from a camel back clipped onto the kayak. The wind kicks up it becomes blustery, the water rough, we solider on in the choppy, windy conditions, it brings  alive, I like it rough and stormy and it finally snaps me out of conservative mode, stroke rate 68-70 strokes/minute and at my pick ups 72-76 strokes/minute Pickups and builds keep me warm but I do find them taxing. 4 Hours I am excited, I look forward to food and contact with Cara, contact is huge, body language, facial expressions, motivating words, or just saying something to make me laugh, it all keeps me going and looking forward to the next 30 minute feed.
 4.5 Hours, next stop is 5 hours and that will mark our longest EC training swim to date, can’t wait! Swimming through bubbles, where does that string of bubbles come from? Fish, beaver, loon, I  have to remember to find out when I am not swimming! How long have the things that I can see been down there? Can I swim over that fallen tree, I have to remember to lean forward, press my chest down to raise my hips so my legs don’t drag and hit a branch…..reality stroke technique drills right here, it makes me smile when I swim!
 5 Hours Wahoo, two 30 minutes steps to go and we have achieved the goal for today. Things that ache….my shoulders are burning but don’t hurt, lower back and hips tight, hands want to claw up but I fist and unfist here and there is ease the feeling. New favourite thing, couple of frog kicks as I start swimming after feeds, seems to loosen things up for a bit.
5.5 Hours English Breakfast Hot Tea and milk, the best!
6 Hours A ginger snap, wow that was insanely good, I didn’t pack it but bummed it off Cara, not only did she expertly navigate the kayak and read my needs, she also manned the Kayak for over 6 hours straight solo, amazing!
 Wahoo! We did it and make our way back to the canoe launch our entry and exit point, 6 Hours and 17 minutes, we complete the swim, our course 13.11 miles, the air temperature was 64 degrees when we started and 70 degrees when we finished, the water temperature 70-72 degrees.
 Not sure of the exact temperature of the water, a new invention of keeping the thermometer 2ft under the water involving a weight, the thermometer did not fly and we lost it in the first 30 minutes, I will be on the lookout for it next time I am swimming!