Day 4/ Swim 1: Garryvoe

4 hours sleep and my alarm chimes, it is 4:10am, time to pull the suit on and pour some hot tea and porridge down my throat, I scurry around gathering my gear, we have a 90 minute drive to today’s swim.

 Today we are getting a ride with Craig, I am grateful for the relaxing journey, the countryside is beautiful, I am all geared up for a lake swim this morning and excited as the temperature is said to be a few degrees warmer than the sea, I sit happily in the back suit with thoughts of a swim where I am in my comfort zone, what a treat.

 It turns about to be a short lived treat, after the mentally challenging, bitterly cold swims of yesterday I have been focused on this next swim and misread the schedule, it is not a warm lake this morning at all, we are on our way North to the ocean, and north means cold….gulp.

 We arrive at Garryvoe, the water is calm, it looks like a glass counter-top, the skies are gray and  heavy with cloud, I open the car door, a blast of cold air hits my face. We gather to hear instructions for the swim, it is an out and back course towards the Island, “decide your maximum time in the water, swim out for half the time, then turn for home”, Ned instructs.

We all fall back to our cars and prepare, ” it was 14 degree water, just last week”, says Carol enthusiastically, I am happy to hear Carol’s report. That’s me on the left and Carol on the right….

We walk down the beach, it is shallow and we have to wade quite a distance before it is deep enough to swim, we are partnered up with the same swimmers from the river yesterday, Ned turns back and shouts ” What’s your plan”, “1.5 hours”, I reply, ” OK, we turn back at 45 minutes, with that we wade deeper, the water stings my thighs as the water level rise up my legs, ” this is cold”, someone announces, ” time to face fear”, I think and dive in. That’s me at the back of the pack…..

 The water is brisk, I pull through the water with long relaxed strokes, I feel powerful and determined, ” time to put fear aside”, I declare in my mind, and with that I pull harder, sighting every now and then on the island in front of us, it is a stunning landmark with a red blinking light on the top, it looks mystical surrounded by the low lying blanket of cloud. 

We swim closer and closer to the Island, my belly feels warm, my teeth aches,  I know the water temperature is cooler today, still I feel confident and no longer fearful.

 Time to turn, 45 minutes complete, the houses look like tiny specks on the beach, still I can see them, ” If I can see it I can swim it and there is no choice today, it is the only was to shore in my mind”, I check my watch, ” 51 degrees Fahrenheit, I throw my head down into the water and swim hard. We swim and swim, I sight and land does not appear to be closer, ” If you can see it you can swim it”, I keep repeating over and over in my head, I notice my power still to drain, my swim speed is slowing gradually, ” stroke faster” I command my brain, and I do. Robbin waits on shore with our abandoned flip flops…..

 ” Must see how far”, my mind keeps commanding and I start to stop and look, it doesn’t help core temperature which continues to plummet, I can no longer feel my feet, my jaw is clamped shut and my fingers have clawed up like eagle claws, it is harder to pull, ” CHARLOTTE”, Ned sharply shouts, ” SWIM”, I snap back into swim mode, my stroke turnover is high, I push on, ” I landing on this beach as strong as I can”, I think, bit by bit the beach gets closer, then I see Robbin, my sister, I recognise the brown jacket,  I smile a clenched jaw smile, still a few hundred meters to go but I an sure I can see the tiger blanket, a rush of happiness runs through my chilled veins and I stroke in, it gets shallow fast, I look down and see Ned jogging along the sandy bottom to my right, on my left Alan surfaces in full verse of a Neil Diamond song, I look at them both and smile my best possible Hypothermic smile, I am pleased.

 Next up a shuffle to the car, clothes and wrapped in that Tiger Blanket, Robbin gives me hot chocolate which I proceed to spill all over Ned’s blanket ( sorry Ned, better than pee, right!), then it is off home…..

  Into the shower and breakfast, prepared by Robbin of course, I am feeling fully recovered and ready for the next challenge and I won’t have to wait long, it is in just a few hours, a river swim, did you see me wince when I wrote that, Yip back to the river, Blackwater River this time and you know I want to conquor a river.

 Will I conquor the Blackwater River swim? I’ll keep you posted

How long did I swim? 1.5 Hours in 51 degrees Fahrenheit

Closing Thought:

  The best way to monitor progress today is to compare yourself to yesterday

Day 3: Swim # 2 The Dam Swim

 Off we head to the River Lee in Cork, it is an hour drive, the plan to start swimming from the dam and time our departure with water being released down the river sweeping us down to our exit point.

 We gather for instructions, ” One bin here for the 4km, put your feed in, this bin here is for the 8km if you want a drink then, there are dangerous rocks and a fallen bridge close to the surface, you will get out of the water at 4km, walk around the weir, down the rocks and back into the river, at the 8km you get out again, you need to be very careful getting back in, this is the most dangerous part of the swim, there will be emergency blankets at the 4km and 8km stops if anyone needs to get out”

 With that we go about getting  ready for the car pool 8km to the dam…..

 Down to the waters edge we go, I am feeling pleased, rumor has it the water is 14-15 degrees Celcius ( 57.2-59 F ), I have myself mentally prepared for a balmy float down the river, we buddy up, I am swimming with Colm and Ned, we line up by the waters edge, I am the one in the black suit, all hunched over looking cold….

We wade a little deeper, my heart rate begins to rise as I feel the water, it does not feel balmy, the water does not feel balmy to me at all…..

Soon we are off, a mass of swimmers all being pushed down the river, the rocks zoom by underneath my belly, it is fun swimming and feels fast, Ned, Colm and I group together and we swim on weaving in and out of swimmers, stopping for a smile here and there with other swimmers along the way, when the water is too shallow to stroke we kick our feet only, I am feeling cold already and we are not even at the 4km, I nervously scan the banks wondering where I could get if needed, I know I have no choice but to swim on to the 4km stop, I put cold thoughts out of my head but they keep flooding back in, ” mind you are not cold”, I command, my mind replies ‘ hey lady did you notice that your feet feel like lead blocks and they are slamming against the rocks, you are cold, you are cold, YOU ARE COLD”. I swim on,” must swim harder, must swim harder”, my stroke feels long and powerful, a good sign that I am not slowing down, ” swim on” I say to myself.

 I am not feeling relaxed, relived, I see the 4km feeding station, Ned arrives first, I follow, ” I just can’t bail at 4km, I just can’t” I say to myself, I emerge out of the water, the cool air temperature hits me like a punch in the gut, I see Robbin, thank goodness wonderful Robbin is there, she passes me my feed and I tip it back, we take a few minutes on shore, my body starts to shake, yet I find myself walking towards the rocks to enter the water again, Robbin looks concerned I feel scared…

I follow Colm to the river once more, my ice block feet stumble over the rocks…..

 Then we are in the river ” Made my decision, hurts but you have to live with it for the next 4km, 45 minutes, I look at my watch, the water is 13 degrees, (55.4F), ” I have to swim this fast”, I have already decided that 8km is it for me today, I feel small and unworthy, yet I swim….”

 We pick up the pace, I feel a sense of urgency with each stroke, this is it, stay focused for 4km, I smash into rocks on the knees and feet, my feet hurt, now too my ankles and lower legs, my head is throbbing, my mind is dictating the outcome of this swim, I am aware of it but can’t seem to rope it in, the normal tricks of you feel great are shunted away by ” I AM COLD”. Last resort, my 10 greens bottles hanging on the wall song, I sing it slow over and over, 30 minutes down, “I know I can make another 15 minutes, keep singing”, I say to myself and I do.

 Corner after corner the river continues to wind, finally we arrive at the 8km, I stumble out of the water, Robbin is there with my feed, ” I don’t want it”, I mumble, game over for me, Robbin wraps me up in the tiger blanket, I have no shoes or clothes, she puts her arm around me and with the help of Brynn and we shuffle along what seems like a very long stony path, I wince with each step, into the car and I hide under the blanket, I feel deflated, down and disappointed.

 Pete drives us back to the finsh location with a few other swimmers who have exited, I change out of my suit and sit in the car, after a while I get out and listen to the cheers as the swimmers  arrive at the finish of the river swim, I look down at my corpse like feet, I am cross that I did not finish the swim.

 Into the car we all go for the ride home, then into the shower and food. I reflect on the day, a stumble and fall, back to the tiger blanket, I spend the next hour or so working through the diasppointment, after a bit I write a few notes in my journel…

” Move on, put today’s swim to bed, 2 early exit swims, use it wisely, fuel the fire….Get your head in the right place and by the way, 1.5 hours at 55 F is not a failure, today you had 8km of success.”

There done, and with that I let go and begin to look forward to tomorrow mornings swim.

What will tomorrow bring? I’ll keep you posted

Closing thought:

                            It’s not the falling down, it is how quickly you get back up

Day 3:Swim 1 Sandy Cove Island Water Temperature 51.8 degrees Farenheight ( 11 C )

 A 6:00am start, after 4 hours sleep it is time to rise, pull on the suit, fill the thermos and head to Sandycove, we arrive to low tide….super low tide, so low that the island is no longer an island to make a lap a bit of a hike across the beach is required.

 At our morning meeting to go over swim instructions Ned goes over the plan, ” we split into two groups, one group led by Craig to swim anticlockwise out and back in a horse shoe shape until the tide comes in, for those of you that want to zig zag through the seaweed that is stringy like dead woman hair and some that is like 12 foot house plants lying down, then  manovering around rasor sharp rocks to lap around the island follow me”  The group is a bit quiet, we all slink away to our cars to prepare….

 I prepare and down my maxim carbo drink, it is a bitter morning, no sun yet, I head down to the slipway to group up…

That’s me walking out over the sand, I’m third in line…..

 We break into 2 groups and wade into the water, Ned dives in, I follow right on his toes, Ned knows his way through this underwater minefield of sharp rocks, behind me others follow the same course, the weeds are thick and stringy, they wrap around my arms and legs, I shake them free, I see the rocks very close below, if my hand drops too deep it scrapes, I keep my elbows high when I pull, Ned swims slowly and carefully, I follow. We all make it through the trouble zone to the open sea around the back of the island, before long we make it to the far corner another area to navigate, round we all go lap one comes to an abrupt halt when we run out of water. Up me and my fellow swimmers get, we wade through the ankle deep water, some walk on the beach, I start to chill…..

Onto Lap 2, I notice my mind focusing on the cold feel on the back of my neck, then the claw shape of my hands, almost in sync my speed drops, I am swimming slow, my mind has supported my failing body, hypothermia is paying a visit, my swim is drawing to a close, I don’t fight it ” I am done, this is my last lap”, Ned is swimming great, he pulls up to the beach walk, I look at it and swim towards the slipway, he stops to check in, ” My last lap”, I say, ” Alain, you or me to take her in?”, Ned asks, ” Me”, replies Alain, we swim a small lap to the second buoy and back to round out the hour and head out of the water.

 I change quickly, I  LOVED winding around the rocks and sea weed, it was fun like an obstacle course, still I am a bit disappointed with myself for getting out after 2  and a bit laps. I soon perk up as I pull on this cozy suit called ” Joey” lent to me by Chris in the picture above, it is amazingly warm and I am thrilled with myself wearing it and proceed to prance around the parking lot drinking hot chocolate and chatting.

 Robbin and I head off to the house to shower and nap, as I close my eyes thoughts swirl around my head of today’s short swim, ” I’ll do better tonight”….then I fall asleep.

What’s up next: 1 Hour Drive to the River Lee in Cork

Will I swim longer than this mornings crab walk swim ? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought:

The mind is a powerful thing, a quiet mind helps, an overactive mind can hinder

Day 2/ Swim 2: Lough Ine

 Back into the car, a 1.5 hour drive and we arrive at the finish point of our upcoming swim, a brief meeting then we all jam into a handful of cars and head off to our starting location, Robbin drives us over, we arrive at a lovely sandy beach equipment with facilities and a lifeguard station, very nice. We arrive just in time to hear Ned approach the lifeguard, ” just want to let you know that last time we came to this beach we lost 60 swimmers, you are about to lose 50″, Ned says with a grin like a Cheshire cat, the lifeguard looks a little stunned, here is his station….

 We all go about getting ready for the swim, along with visiting fellow swimmers, I am excited to finally meet a swimmer whose first name is Brynn, he has an August 8th – 16th tide also this year, this is us  ready to swim……

 We break into 3 groups, the slower swimmers leave 7 minutes ahead, then group 2, finally 2 minutes laater group one, I am in group one with 7 other swimmers, here we are ready to enter the water……

I  am excited to swim this point to point swim, the rain drys up and the sun starts to shine, we are off, I wade out with my elbows lifted up high out of the water, what a skirt! My Irish swim buddy Colm, ploughs in splashing us all like it is a hot summers day….in Florida perhaps, not in Ireland.

 Now to the task at hand, swimming out of the bay into the open ocean, along the coast then cutting into Lough Ine and riding the river rapids back to the finish location, sound exciting? It is .

 Out the bay we go, I pull alongside Colm, he swims with long efficient strokes, every now and then  he rolls onto his back for 5-10 strokes of backstroke checking in on the rest of the group. The water feels great, a few hundred meters out I start to see the odd Jelly below, the water temperature plummets and the jellyfish numbers flourish, we swim on.

 There are hundreds of Jellyfish, they vary in size from that of a grapefruit to a small melon, they are white, some have a purple ring around them, they bounce off my feet, my arms, my head, I enter my arm, drop my hand and forearm to catch the water, I catch a Jellyfish, this way and that they bounce off me, I feel like I am in a Jellyfish Pin Ball game, I laugh as 2 bounce off my nose, ” I am a Jellyfish pinball wizard just for a moment”, I think with a smirk, ” how  mesmerizing  they are, elegantly flowing up and down, this way and that” I think in wonderment. Finally  we make it out of the bay and in to the wide ocean, the swell picks up, each swell lifts us and the Jellies up and tosses us to the side, I feel like I am Jelly surfing, I am having fun.

 We pull up to regroup, sight the turn off and swim towards it, only we don’t swim towards it, Colm, Barbara and I head further out to sea, after a bit we stop and see how far out we are, a shout from the kayaker to come closer and we swim in towards the inlet. It is a strange swim in that there are tremendously cold patches and then warmer spots.

Into the river mouth we go, the scenery is stunning, rugged rock cliffs to my right, a beautiful ridge of trees to my left, I am ready for the river rapids and dig a bit deeper as the river narrows, then all I can see is the aquatic plants and rocks whizzing by beneath me, I feel like I am flying, Colm is right beside me, we hit the rapids and drop into the lake like pond on the other side. ” 500 meters to shore sprint”, says Colm, I am grateful for the prompt and off we sprint, my heart pumps, my breathing gets heavier, my stroke rate builds, I lift my head, still a ways to go, down goes the head and I push on, Colm, edges forwards, I push harder, finally I can see the bottom getting shallow, I look over to see 4 Fly strokes, Colm is ripping out some Butterfly for the last stretch, what a character, I stick with my Freestyle and we both pull up, fist pump, DONE!

 Next up dry off, cozy clothes on and wait for this one from my brilliant sister Robbin….Hot Chocolate with Jelly Babies in the bottom of the cup YUM, well worth 4km in 51-53 degree water. We drop some other swimmers back to their cars and start the journey home, with a pit stop that I have been looking forward to, Fish’n Chips from a roadside stand, YUM. They only taste good to me in Ireland, so this is my first Chips since July 2011. Here is me warming up….. I know, I look a little pale after the swim……

 So did I get a sting? Yip, on the back of the Neck

What’s up next? In bed by 1:00am, alarm set for 5:00am to get ready for a 6:00am Sandy Cove Island swim

Will Sandycove remind me who is boss? I’ll keep you posted

 Closing Thought:

 You have to be in the fight to finish

Day 2/ Swim 1 Sandycove Island

It’s a foggy start this morning, there is a misty wet dense feel in the air, the layer makes the visibility poor, it looks like a Sandycove Halloween scene, minus the candy, all the same I am excited to pounce back in the water this morning, we receive our morning briefing ” it’s foggy, hard to see out there, careful not to miss the island and swim out to see or turn in too soon and hot the island, it will hurt you will be cut to shreds”, announces Ned, following that is a grim account of a swimmer last year shredded to tatters by rocks and then finished off by an elbow from Finbarr…..he has a big elbow, I make a mental note, do not swim close to Finbarr today!

We all scatter off to our cars to get ready….clothes off, grease on, ear plugs in, cap on and goggles down, I am ready to swim and make my way down the slipway hastily, once there I wade out and swim hard and fast to pull along side Ned, he is a terrific pace to swim with , I pull up alongside his hip, he stops and laughs, “I recognise that right arm”, he says and with that we resume swimming around the island, I am happy to be in the water and in such good company, I swam with Ned a lot last year, he is a strong and shrewd swimmer and navigates the island like a pro, I follow his lead.

Lap 1 down, onto Lap 2, things feels great, no cold feet, no aching head, no cramping hands, lap 2 down, we check in with other swimmers, all good, I check the water temperature on my watch 52.6 degrees Fahrenheit ( 11 C ).

Off we zoom, around the back of the island where the water is coldest, I can’t wait to hit the second corner where the water warms up to a balmy 53.8F,” we are getting closer to that lovely warm water”, I think, ” I just know it”. Then it happened, Ned starts to pull away, I pick up my stroke rate, “RATS”, I think to myself, I work harder to raise my heart rate with a higher stroke rate, it helps a bit but, I feel warm in my core, my brain is working, but my hands are starting to claw up, less power in my pull, I am showing the early signs of Hypothermia, ” Bugger” I mutter.

 We pull up at the corner, Ned knows, he has seen my slow up and crash before a number of times, ” this is your last lap”, he shouts, ” OK”, I reply, ” do you want to go straight in or into the inlet”, Ned asks, ” Inlet please”, I blurt out, and off we go to the inlet, it is essentially the long way home, it adds another 10-15 minutes to today’s swim, we all pick up the pace, I swim with all I’ve got in past the Big Red House, we hit the slipway, this mornings swim is over for me, all the same I am pleased, further and longer than yesterday and I didn’t crash as fast as last year, an improvement indeed.

 Robbin, my sister is there ready to help, Ned reaches a hand as I step up on the slipway, ” Blanket or towel?”, Robbins asks, ready to help, I grin and Ned answers,” She doesn’t need either”! Well I tell you I feel SO HAPPY to stride up that slipway not wrapped up ( granted it is a bit of a wobbly stride but all the same I feel proud )

 Of course I have to mention, that is my small achievement of the day 1 Hour 40 minutes, there are still swimmers out there, swimming 4 and 5 laps in 2 hours, I feel humbled and happy, what a wonderful combination.

 Next up: Food, Yoga, Nap, Food again then up for a 1.5 Hour drive to Loughe Ine, last year there were lots of Jellies.

What will this year bring, a few Jellies or hundreds of Jellies?  I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought: 

 Little steps make the Leap

Day 1 : Ned Denison’s training camp

 Here I go again, last year I was hauled out of the water during swim # 1, by hauled I mean my body and mind had checked out, chilled like a Popsicle, after the swim I was helped out of the water by Ned and my sister Robbin and wrapped in what is now my favourite blanket, it has a big lion on it and for some reason it is very comforting and warming, I suspect last year I liked it so much because I could sheepishly bury myself in it after each swim, I felt VERY small last year and I don’t mean my  body size. After each swim last year I was self quarantined to the warmth of the car, Robbin my ever helpful and loyal sister would tug socks on my corpse like feet and I would clutch a cup of hot chocolate spilling it all over the car with my shaking hands as I raised the cup to take a sip. I would look in wonderment at these amazing swimmers who would swim in 50 degree water, chat away and post swim be in good enough shape to laugh and chat around the cars while they drank hot chocolate, teas and coffee.

  I watched and watched for days longing to hop out of the car for a chat, the swimmers were mostly local and so kind, they would come by the car window, I would crack it down a bit, ” How’s the Hypothermia coming along today?”, one might say, I thought I would reply by I guess it was a slurred chatter of teeth.

 So there is the background, last years camp, especially the first swim was tremendously challenging for me, if you want to read a blow by blow of the ugliness check on Ireland Distance Week on the right hand corner of this page, for now let’s see how swim # 1 goes this year?

 We Arrive early to the swim……

We arrive early, parking the car I see the massive growth of the group, 40-50 swimmers all gathered around for instructions, we park and instantly see some warm and familiar faces from last year, hugs and greetings all round and some introductions to new faces, after a few reunion visits I notice a trend ” You look well”, next hug ” you look well”, finally a big hi to Craig, a fellow down under, ” you’ve got bigger”, he says, ” why thank you so much for the compliment, I am 10 pounds up”, I exclaim, ” can’t usually say that to a girl if they have gained weight, but it is different with us”, Craig says with a grin, usually it is ” You Look Well”, he adds, well I giggle myself silly, every time I hear you look well now.

Distance Week buddies

That's me with the straight arm recovery swimming....

That's Colm, me, Carol and Alan post swim

Sandycove Island

It is hard to believe that I am back in Ireland again, just under 12 months have passed, yet the memories of last year’s ” Ned Denison’s Distance Week” are still very fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday,  yip 16 swims and 16 bouts of Hypothermia, it is something that is kind of ingrained. All the same  I am looking forward to getting in the water tomorrow morning in Sandycove and swimming around the Island, it is stunning scenery and I know each stroke will make me stronger and tougher, I am excited to get out there.

 What else am I looking forward too, hot chocolate and Jelly Babies after each swim….

What will the water temperature be tommorrow morning?  I’ll keep you posted

Training miles continue to build up, and lucky for me I often have company in the water, even in the cold water, at 47 degrees I have had company, at 82 degrees Fahrenheit I have had company, in Vermont I had such a tremendous support, fellow swimmers who have embraced distance sets, even the sets that some might consider ugly, have been  swum with  a smile, 3-4 hours of swimming often with nasty little descending efforts at the end of each set.

 Then there are the wonderful swimmers, I have swum with in Hawaii, Rhode Island, California and of course throughout New England itself, all fun hard working individuals, whether it be Iron Men and women, world record holders or swimmers new to the water who have only been swimming a short time they have been equally terrific.

 And then there was an extra special day, that was the day my daughter Heidi perked up a bit of interest to come for a dip in the Open Water, long story short she submitted an entry for the Greater Kingdom Lake swim 1 mile event this July, from there we planned for her to come and snag a few swims with me in the lake to start preparation and introduce her to the open water, here’s how it went down…….

 “ Mum, can I go out with you to swim this weekend, PLEASE”, asks Heidi with her very best puppy dog eyes, they are big and blue and melt your heart, “ No, not yet Heidi, the water is still 50 degrees, we will wait a bit longer”, I reply with my most sympathetic voice, “ But I can’t wait Mum, I can’t”, she replies pleadingly, “ I understand Heidi, I am super excited you want to swim , you’ll have to be patient”.

 One week later the sun has been shining and the water has inched it’s way up to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, I haul myself in the door from my training swim, swim gear in hand, “ How was the water?, What temperature was it Mum, WHAT WAS IT?”, asks Heidi as she dances excitedly around the living room, “ well Heidi it is up to 55 degrees”, I reply, “ 55 Mum, that is warm come on let me go”, she replies, “ OK Heidi, 60 degrees water temperature and you’re in.

  Wouldn’t you know it just a week later the Turtle Thermometer read 60 degrees, I did’t say a word to Heidi that night, instead I got up super early before she was awake and lay out her suit, cap, goggles and some ear plugs on her bed, then I sat, she slowly opens her eyes, I lean over and whisper “ How about an open water swim today?” YES, YES, YES, she squeals, then she sees her swim gear laid out and leaps out of bed, she is excited, I feel excited too.

 Out we head to the lake, we chat on the shore, “ today is about feeling the lake, it will feel different than the pool and that is OK, notice what you feel and see, or don’t see, there are no black lines on the bottom, stick right by my hip, we’ll take a few strokes and then stop and check in, biggest thing is to relax” Then we talk about the surface on the bottom, what to watch out for…

In we go, Heidi strokes hard and fast, after 100 meters Heidi pulls up, “ it is hard to breathe”, Heidi quietly and calmly announces, “ that is just your body and brain getting used to the Open water, imagine you are in a snugly blanket all cozy, it will feel relaxing”, I reply, and with that we are off, Heidi takes long, relaxed strokes, we swim out of the canoe launch inlet , past the big rock and stop, “ Heidi, you are amazing, the big rock was the goal today and you did it”, “ please can we go further, I don’t want to stop”, she replies and with that we swim on for another  5 minutes. I pull up, “Heidi see that Island”, Yes she replies, “ that is Blueberry Island, 2km, that is our goal this summer”, Heidi pauses and looks at the island with a very long stare, then we turned for shore and swam in, 20 minutes done.

 I LOVE Open Water Mum, I LOVE it, and of course you know what came next “ when can we go again?”

 Next weekend comes around fast and Heidi and I find ourselves once again out at the Lake, this time there is no turning back, Heidi and I swam to Blueberry Island and back, as we approach shore Heidi grins a very big grin, “ you did it Heidi, Blueberry Island conquered, I am so proud of you”, Heidi looks up with a very big smile, you said that was the maximum goal Mum, so that was the one I wanted, we did it”, “ Yes  Heidi, YOU DID IT.

 So off we went up to the car for a post swim hot chocolate, we giggle and laugh enjoying talking about the swim, sharing the Open Water together, “ so how excited are you Heidi?” I ask, Heidi replies, “ I am thrilled, true to form Mum you don’t disappoint.

So Heidi qualified for the July 7^th, 2012 1 mile youth swim and I had the pleasure of joining her for her Open water adventure. What fun!

Next up more company in the water…IRISH COMPANY.  If you haven’t read of last years distance week training camp in Cork County, Ireland then have a read, after that we can both say together “ Charlotte are you really going back to do that again?” The answer is YES, getting on the plane as you read .

Will it be brutal, tough and miserably cold? All signs point to yes

How Brutal? I’ll keep you posted

What’s been on the schedule the last 6 weeks? Cold Water Training Vermont Style

Yip, that means  snow, frosts, rain, oh and did I forget to mention it is not unusual for Mother Nature to toss  a 80 degree Fahrenheit day at you for grins, and of course there are those special spring time extra considerations like, if you lay your suit outside before your early morning Open Water swim it will freeze……….not fun to pull that suit on.

 The last 6 weeks  has been a mixture of distance training in the pool and fast frantic open water swims in the lake

Why fast and frantic?47 degree Fahrenheit water that is why.

Once I get myself in I swim hard to generate warmth in my mid section, once I get out it is a mad dash to shore to get out of my wet suit and pull on warm cozy clothes, followed of course by my regular bout of Hypothermia, the aching, the shaking and the shivering and the slow painful return of feeling to the feet and sometimes the hands, and the reward Hot Chocolate, Jelly Babies and hanging  with my swim buds on the shore reflecting on the swim…..always memorable.

Time for a swim meet are you kidding me?

My schedule over the winter and spring months has included…….

40,000 meters of swimming each week

2 sessions of strength training

Teaching 3 fitness classes

2 classes of Yoga

……….. AND then along came a swim meet just 2 weeks ago , I was skeptical of pool racing  after all the distance swimming over the winter, however I mailed in an entry and decided that the ” Beat the Tide” sprint sets I have included in my workouts would help me punch out  some fast  freestyle and it would be fun to enjoy the meet with my teammates

The first challenge is tugging on my speed suit, the extra 8 pounds of fat and 2 pounds of muscle I have gained over the winter are very welcome in the Open Water but squeezing it into my race suit is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Regardless I get the suit on and roll up for my first event the 500 Yard Freestyle, it is a mixed event and I am in the final and fastest heat, up on the blocks I step, ” what will this feel like?”, I wonder to myself on top of the blocks, at that point I set my intention…..”FAST, this will be fast”, I say to myself, the starter blows his whistle, ” Take your marks, BEEP”, I am off.

 I explode of the block, no thinking required, instinct takes over, all cylinders are firing, the first wall is there, then the next and the next, I feel myself pulling away from the rest of the swimmers, I push with the top possible effort I can muster without blowing up, I am verging on feeling tingling in my hands and feet but manage to keep my intensity  under control, and then I hear the bell, ” last lap bell, WAHOO”, I think to myself, I punch out my last 50 and smack the wall, BAM! I hold on to the wall heaving, air sucking in deep, then rushing out, my body is reeling from the effort, I glance at the clock, 5 minutes, 48 seconds, 1st overall and a meet record, I am pleased, my body remembered fast and snapped me back in to the ” thrill of the race mode”, what fun. 

 Next up,  the 200 Free,  2 minutes and 14 seconds, snagged me a second place finish and my final swim the day the 1000 Free, a wonderful smooth swim, my strokes felt long and controlled, my time 11 minutes, 53 seconds, fast enough for first overall but not fast enough for the meet record, some swimmer swam 11 minutes and 44 seconds last year keeping a new record from my grasp. Who was it….that Charlotte Brynn!

 Back Out Doors

And now the schedule is about to change, June is here and I am no longer swimming in the pool at all, it is Out Doors only and I couln’t be more excited, just over 2 months until my English Channel Tide window of August 8th-16th and I sense that many more adventures are just around the corner. 

Will my next adventure include another swimmer? A hint YOU BET

 Who? I’ll keep you posted

Closing Thought: Real love of a hard battle

 Day 9 : Kona, Hawaii

 Distance: 10,000 meters

 Location: Keauhou Bay- Kailua Bay

 Today I am excited, I am closing in on my short term goal of swimming 90,000 meters in 9 days while I’m here on the Big Island, just 10k to go and the plan is to knock that out this morning before I fly back to the mainland later today and lucky for me I have boat support for today’s point to point swim, what a treat!

 I met Kate Shannon earlier in my stay, she swims with a local masters group and today she is kindly coming out to paddle her outrigger canoe alongside me while I swim from Keauhou Bay to Kilua Bay in Kona.

 Kate and I meet down in Kona, we drop Karlyn’s car at what will be the finish of our swim and drive up to Kleauhou Bay, Kate and I chatter along the way, she has lots of interesting stories of her paddling, I feel fortunate to have her with me today, not only is the company great but she has a good knowledge of the area and the ocean, she is a dive instructor and knows water.

 We soon arrive at the beach and go about unloading her outrigger canoe, ” here is where the shark bite marks are”, she says as she sets the canoe on the beach, ” Wow”, I reply as I check it out, ” don’t worry though it got the bite before I bought it”, she adds, I laugh, ” reassuring to know it is not a recent encounter” I tell Kate.

 Next up we talk about the swim, ” I follow you, if I am swimming off course, you keep on course, I will adjust to follow you, if I am not adjusting, slap the paddle at me and I’ll shift”, OK replies Kate,  then we talk about feeding, ” at 25 minutes an arm circle like this to speed me up, then at 28 minutes a slow down signal and finally at 30 minutes give me a hands down signal to feed” .

 We also set up a stroke count where Kate counts how many strokes I take per minute, Kate has everything down in no time and we walk out into the shallow water to launch, wouldn’t you know it a green sea turtle is cruising by to wish us bon voyage….

"Say Hi to the Whales for me" Turtle wishes us farewell

She’s a pearl of a day, slightly overcast skies and a light wind, I begin stroking out of the Bay, as I look at Kate I can instantly see how at ease she is in the boat, “this girl is a paddler”,I think,  I feel grateful to have her by my side. Out of the Bay we go, it feels great to swim alongside the boat and I am enjoying studying the outrigger canoe, it is big and yellow and commands the water. We head out alongside the shoreline and after a bit Kate takes me away from the shallow waters of the shore to the deep. I deep water feels cozy.

 30 minutes is soon up and it’s time to down my feed, down the hatch and off we go again, then in a flash another 30 minutes is gone,time to down my feed again, this time I dawdle a bit, eager to chat to Kate, ” you’re doing great Kate”, I shout,  I am having fun, I swim on.

  Suddenly I feel stabbing pains on my arms, it feels like I am swimming through a snow storm of mini knives, except it is not miniature knives, it is what looks like hundreds of  tiny little Jelly Fish, hardly visable, to me they look like snow flakes ” horror snowflakes”, each sting hurts and after the intial stabbing sting a lingering pain in the arm. ”  NOT COOL,  just keep swimming and be patient the pain will subside over time and you are sure to be just minutes from getting out of this jelly fish war zone”, I reassure myself,   I wait for the relief of moving out of this menacing pool of miniature jellies, I wait and I wait, time ticks by but no relief comes. I swim on regardless.

 Then comes the big hit,  ” Bugger Me”, I mutter underwater,” that was right down my bikini top”, I lurch my hand down my top in an effort to free myself of the offending  jelly fish the goal is to pull up my top, and free  the Jelly without stopping swimming.I twist and contort for a stroke or two then force my head down and swim on ” suck it up” I command myself, and that’s what I do for the next 30 minutes. “Jellies”, I say to Kate at the next feed, ” I thought you saw a big fish”, she replies, and we swim on.

Here is the Jelly Zapper I applied, my favourite treatment: Vineger from the Fish'n Chip stand in Ireland

 Fortunately the Jelly Fish seem to have been left behind me, the stings are very manageable, now just a dull ache, the next 30 minutes seems quite uneventfull, Kate gives me my feed signal, as I grab my feed cup, Kate excitedly says, ” An Eagle Ray flew out of the water and flipped on his back, right by you, I’ve NEVER seen that before, and there were 2 whales out there, I could see their tails, did you see?” I love hearing all Kate’s marine life reports, ” would you rather be closer to shore?” Kate asks, “No let’s stay deep” I reply and swim on.

 Time ticks on and I find myself starting to speculate on where I am and how far I have to go, ” dangerous stuff, just swim” I tell myself and with that I put my head down and pull hard, the wind has picked up, the sea is not as calm as it was when we started, I am starting to have to earn it. Kate and I battle on towards Kona, the last 30 minutes seems to take  an eternity, the water pulls me this way and that,  I feel like Kailua Bay isn’t too keen for me to land in her Bay, she is creating a problematic current and I am having to swim against it to reach the beach. Finally I am close, I know I am close because I lift my head for a peak and find the bay wall right in front of me, Yip I am swimming into it, ” over here” shouts Kate, as she points to the sandy beach, I follow her lead and there it is, that golden sand in my hands, we made it YES!

 What an adventure, Jelly Fish, an Eagle Ray, Whales, a top rate “Captain Kate”  to crew for me, and my 90km goal achieved, I am pleased. Kate and I say our goodbyes and I head off to shower and pack, then onto American Airlines, next stop Mainland USA

Where is my next Open Water Swim? California

What is the reported Water Temperature? 52 Degrees

How many Jelly Fish Stings did I find post swim? 23