More Sea Monsters

The comics are definitely home to a lot of lake and sea creatures lately!

Overboard by Chip Dunham, 1/27/2012

Yay, sea monsters! And swimmers got a mention this time, too!

Lake Monters Make the Funny Pages

The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside, 1/26/2012

Loved today's The Other Coast comic referencing lake monsters. In light of last fall's In Search of Memphre and my upcoming story in H2Open magazine about lake monsters, it's a topic now close to my heart. Funny stuff indeed. Long live Memphre, Champ, Ogopogo, Nessie and the rest. We need monsters, and they fill the bill nicely.

Pebbles Down My Pants

I found this video recently kicking around Facebook and the Interwebs, and it's dead on. It's all about putting pebbles down my pants, a major goal for every Channel swimmer I've ever met.

Karen Throsby, another Channel swimmer who is conducting research on motivations and swimmers, also sent out a call for images of our mementos, either in pebble or tattoo form, that she's posting on a neat website here. Mark took a couple photos of my growing pile of stones from various swims, and they came out quite arty. I pick up one stone at the start and another at the finish to mark both where I have been and where I ended up.

In the Catalina Channel, I ended up swimming with that small, white start stone down my suit for the first 45 minutes until I stopped for a feed because I was so wound up and terrified that I didn't want to stop and hand it off to Mark in the kayak.

In the Memphre swim, I failed to pick up the start stone at the beginning, and that's probably a good thing, given how rough it was. I realized this halfway to Magog, so selected the big brown rock from the bottom sometime mid-morning during the swim. My crew thought I was having a problem because I suddenly disappeared and dived down about 7 or 8 feet to retrieve the stone from the bottom.

The huge beige stone from Le Petit Blanc Nez was the biggest I could find at my feet in the dark after arriving on Wissant Beach. I couldn't see much, and this one was the biggest reflector of light in the small halo from the flashlight my pilot had pointed on me, so away it came with me. It's heavy, and that seems fitting for the stone from the end of my English Channel swim.

To keep all these various rocks and pebbles straight, Mark uses a paint pen to mark the swim, the date, the time, and whatever else he can fit on them. They're all lovely in their uniqueness and their significance. A weighty pile of mementos, most of which have been down my suit for a spell.

Clumsy Clumsy

I'm not the most coordinated person, and sometimes that kind of clumsiness makes problems for me. Case in point, after doing the 100X100 with Cambridge Masters on New Year's Eve, I ended up with an unintended souvenir that is just now resolving itself.

That's the inside of my right thigh a couple days after the 100X100. I slipped while climbing out of the pool, and my leg shot over the lane line and I came crashing down on it. It's a wonder I didn't break the lane line, and at first I didn't think anything was hurt but my pride. (The 10-year-olds at diving practice, giggling at my scramble, were the only witnesses that I could see at the time, but they were clearly enjoying watching the chubby lady trying to extract herself from the high-sided pool.) But then over the course of the next 2 days or so, the bruise worsened until it looked like this lovely bit of hamburger. Yucky. But it's mostly gone now, though still a bit tender. Moral of the story is, when trying to climb out of Blodgett Pool at Harvard, which has a slippery metal coping, after a 10,000 yard swim, it's probably best to head for the ladder and get out like a civilized person.

In other news, the Nahant Knuckleheads saw out 2011 with the now-traditional New Year's Eve plunge and luncheon at the Tide Restaurant. It was a chilly day, though not nearly as chilly as it had been a couple weeks before. The following morning, Greg and Rich and I plunged at the TLC compound in Holliston. We had to chip away an inch of ice before we could get into the water, which was a gasp-inducing 32 or 33 degrees. Thankfully, they have a hot tub.

2012 has come roaring in and I've been busy with lots of writing in addition to the normal hullabaloo. I may have some announcements soon regarding the summer schedule for 2012 and 2013, but waiting for confirmation on a few things. Whee!

I'm also thrilled to announce that I will be guiding a SwimVacation trip to the British Virgin Islands March 18-24. We still have some places available on the trip, so if you're interested in coming, let me know. We're offering a 10% "Friends of SwimVacation Guides" discount for swimmers recruited by the guides. The trip promises to be a fantastic retreat from the frozen North East right when we need it most. Think 85 degree, crystal clear waters and as much swimming as you can handle. Sounds like heaven to me.

Happy January!

Jellies in Research

Ray's up for a WOWSA award!

Vote for Ray! His amazing performance during our 50/50 Swim Challenge in July is up for the international award. Cast your vote online. Details are below, courtesy of Openwaterswimming.com

WOWSA Performance of the Year Nominee Ray Gandy (USA) – Two Days in the Bay

Ray Gandy took a shot at swimming 50 miles in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, USA along with his swimming partner Elaine Howley.

In a charity swim for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the duo had the best intentions, but Mother Nature decided to crash the celebration of endurance excellence early in the attempt.

Smooth conditions turned to rough, day turned into night, comfortable turned to cold.

Typical for marathon swimmers who expect the unexpected. With an aim of 50 miles, Ray made it to the 45.5-mile mark before his crew pulled him due to safety considerations. So close to his goal 28 hours after he started, Ray accepted the situation disappointed but undaunted. With the goal to raise money for others, his effort was a success. For his unselfish efforts, his understanding of the need to put safety first, and his continued positive approach in the unprecedented 45.5-mile challenge, Ray Gandy’s Two Days in the Bay is a worthy nominee for the 2011 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.

For more information on Ray Gandy, visit here



VOTE HERE

WOWSA aims to promote open water swimming as a global sport for those of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. It hosts the World Open Water Swimming Awards to recognize the open water swimming's heroes and heroines.

MIT Masters

So I finally took the plunge and joined up with MIT Masters. I've been kicking the idea around for a while, since I learned that West Side was shutting down this past spring. Coach Bill was wonderfully supportive this past summer in the lead up to the 50/50 swim, and I decided that the commute in the mornings would be better coming out from MIT than from many of the other pool options in the area. Besides, the Zesiger center where they swim is incredible- I've been doing very long weekend swims there for the past four years because it is such a nice facility and we can get day passes. So it just made sense to become a member and get on board. This morning was my first morning workout with the team and it was great! Everyone was so friendly and we did a mid-intensity mid-distance workout. I am feeling all those months of open water on me, though, as I am not feeling quick or smooth in the water, but a few weeks of consistent work in the pool, and it will come back.  (I hope!) In the meanwhile, I think I will try to take advantage of the access to the cardio machines upstairs and try to shrink this ole Beer Baby just a touch...