Date: Tuesday May 31st
Time: 4:00pm
Temperature: 60-64
Location:Indoor Lap Pool/ Green River Reservoir
Today’s Distance 15,084 meters (13.5 Miles)
Channeling
One thing is for sure, when you’re Channelling ( this is what I use to refer to activities or tasks I am doing in preparation for the Channel, it may be swimming, researching or planning training swims/events, anything to do with preparing I call ” Channelling”), so when you are channelling you have to get creative, with life to juggle along with training often times you have to be creative as to how to squeeze it all into the day…. work, family time, day to day cores.
Today is one of those ” SQUEEZE IT IN DAYS”, to achieve what is on today’s docket, I am maneuvering my training swims in, first one early 6:15am, while much of the town is still sleeping or enjoying coffee and a leisurely read of the paper, the next swim is with our local Masters group, then work…emails, calls, meetings and those unexpected tasks that rear their ugly head during the day and at the end of it all a dash to the Open Water to get that final swim in, before heading home to the family at 7pm…..laundry, dinner, kids on homework, me working or posting an account of the latest adventure or burning the midnight oil with work , then pack up for the next day to do it all over again, bags packed, lunch made and off to bed to rest up for tomorrow…. PHEW!
That brings us to today, Tuesday, it will take 3 time slots to fit in today’s goals, they are:
- Endurance Training 15,000 plus meters
- Feeding in under 25 seconds
- Cold Water time, 1 hour or more
First Workout of the day: 6:15am in the indoor lap pool…4000 meters, one hour
10 x 400’s on the 6:15 interval
Then out of the Pool to teach a Kranking class
Second Workout of the Day: Swimming with our Masters Group….4000 meters, 1 Hour 25 minutes.
6 x 50’s Drill
21 x 100’s Every 7th pick up the pace
8 x 200’s Pull with Paddles on the 3:00 Interval
Third Workout of the Day: Open Water Green River Reservoir, 1 Hour 45 minutes
Green River Reservoir~ 19 Miles of Shoreline
OK I admit it I am mentally drained when I pry myself out of work and arrive at the Reservoir late this afternoon, I meet Paula and Deb and we get situated with the boat, sun lotion on, we are off, we have had a good dose of thunderstorms over the last few days and I want to be sure we wrap up this last swim of the day before another one strikes, I checked the radar before I left Stowe and we look clear until 6:30pm.
This afternoon our destination is Picnic Island, a big long open straight of water where I can really stretch out, Paula is paddling she steers me past the point and into the cold water springs, that’s right, you read correctly, there are cold water springs splattered all over the reservoir, how can I describe them to you? BRRRRRRRR! The good thing about them is that they make me speed up, I like to zip through them as fast as I can.
Naked Guy Rock
I have swum the island loop many times before and today I am enjoying taking it all in, the familiar line of the hills, the shape of the trees and the various inlets along the way, then there is the ” naked guy rock”, when I see it I know we are close to picnic island. Last year Cara and I were out training, she was paddling and I was swimming, I usually head straight down the middle of the lake but on this particular outing Cara decided to hug the shore, checking out all the wildlife, well she got more then she bargained for when she paddled alongside ” naked guy rock”, sprawled ontop of the rock was a guy not wearing a stitch of clothing, legs sprawled apart, his manhood on display for all to see, I with foggy goggles am only aware of a blurr on the rock,” hmmmm what an unfortunate looking beaver”, I think as I breathe to the side and resume swimming…..since them we have called it ” Naked Guy Rock” and I giggle every time I swim by it.
Down to the Island, Paula counts my strokes at 20 minutes, 68 strokes, at 25 minutes she give me the” pick up the pace sign”, I swim harder for 3 minutes, 74 strokes per minute, then 2 minutes easy and it is my 30 minute signal to feed, down the hatch!
Around the Island and back to the point, feed number 2 and home towards the canoe launch, how long? 1 Hour and 16 minutes, but not yet time to get out…..
Company in the Water
Picard ready to set sail
Paula lands the kayak then switches with Deb, Paula returns with her suit and we get to take a lap of Blueberry Island swimming together, WHAT FUN!
An added bonus Picard rides in the Boat with Deb and I get to feed on a banana during the lap of Blueberry Island, what a treat, it tastes sweet!
Total Swim Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
Next Open Water Swim= Friday, will the conditions be kind or will I be battling the wind and waves?
I’ll keep you posted.