Yay, it's Friday. Been a crazy week. Had a couple of really nice days in the lake this week. This morning we saw a little bit of sun out there and we conquered the big buoys from the race last weekend. The water was a balmy 68 degrees, up a few degrees from earlier this week. Off to Hamonassett State Park in Connecticuit tomorrow to swim with Liz & Co and hopefully get in my 6-hour qualifier-- my last hurdle to get over before heading over for the Channel. KT has set up a Facebook Fan page for me (I feel like a rock star!) and we'll get planning our fundraising for the final push here this coming week. Lots doing. Off to get my hair cut.
http://www.ct.gov/dEP/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325210
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Another video
YouTube is loaded with interesting videos taken during other swimmers' English Channel journeys. This one of Edward Williams' 2006 crossing was inspiring. I haven't met Edward yet, but I hope to someday. There are some incredible people in the Channel swimming world and it's a wonderful community to be a part of.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Countdown begins
One month and one day until we leave for the channel. Yikes! Lots to do before then. But things are going well and I'm feeling ready for the challenge. Here's a video I found on YouTube of one swimmer's trip. I don't know this swimmer, but this is a great video and an awesome swim!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
West Side Saturdays
Here are some before and after photos from last weekend's West Side distance workout. I think I need to get one of those snazzy blue suits to really fit in with the group!
After about 12,300 yards. That's me in the middle flanked by Lynn Thornton on the left and Ellen Stanley on the right, both in training for the Middlebury meet next weekend (might be some records falling in the distance events because of these two ladies) and the 10 mile Kingdom Swim in Lake Memphremagog in Vermont at the end of July. Whew! Nate McBride was the photog and dispenser of torture.
For more info on the Kingdom Swim (which I sadly won't be able to take part in because we're leaving for the UK that day) go here:
http://www.kingdomswim.org/
Before... and...
After about 12,300 yards. That's me in the middle flanked by Lynn Thornton on the left and Ellen Stanley on the right, both in training for the Middlebury meet next weekend (might be some records falling in the distance events because of these two ladies) and the 10 mile Kingdom Swim in Lake Memphremagog in Vermont at the end of July. Whew! Nate McBride was the photog and dispenser of torture.
For more info on the Kingdom Swim (which I sadly won't be able to take part in because we're leaving for the UK that day) go here:
http://www.kingdomswim.org/
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Some photos from MIMS 2009
Somewhere in the Hudson
The Hudson was warmer than the other two rivers, but it was very choppy and windy in the last several miles of the race. Here, the kayaks are getting bumped around a lot and I feel like I'm swimming through a brick wall with that heavy head wind.
Mark, me, and Khrista the day after the swim. Some of the greatest crew members ever!
My tongue wasn't as swollen as it was after Catalina, since the salinity was much lower here than in the Pacific. My face, however, was a bit puffy (don't know if it was from the sunburn or being waterlogged) and here you can see the cap tan line beginning to come out already. By the evening, I looked a right mess with a bright red face and this very white line along my forehead. Terrible goggle tan as well. It's all peeling now.
Under the Brooklyn Bridge in the East River. This was the first bridge we swam under. It was neato!
Monday, June 8, 2009
One Manhattan Island Now Conquered!
Hey everyone!
Well, we had some technical difficulties with the email update list, so I apologize that you didn't all have live updates during the race. We were able to update my Facebook and Twitter feeds, but the email was one step too much for us this time. We'll fix that for the Channel in August for sure.
The race was incredible. And I should admit, a good bit harder than I had anticipated (what kind of illness is it where you begin to believe that 28.5 miles will be fairly easy?!) But in the end, it really wasn't all that bad. My official time was 8 hours, 39 minutes and 50 seconds (8:39:50) and I finished 17th overall, 8th female. Whoo hoo!
The times this year were a good bit slower than last year's field owing to the heavy rain they had on Friday in the NYC and Northern NJ region. Apparently the rain affected the tides and the race director referred to it as "freaky" tidal and current situations that slowed us down. This coupled with an already forecasted slower tide meant that we all spent a little longer in the water than we might have liked to.
My crew tells me that there was a point somewhere in the Harlem River where I was getting a little too close to the cutoff time for their comfort (I was within 30-40 minutes of it) and they were concerned that I might get pulled from the race for not reaching one of the checkpoints by the cutoff time because the current was beginning to shift and I would likely have to start swimming against it rather than with it. Thankfully, that did not happen to me, though 11 other swimmers were yanked at the Triborough Bridge check point for not meeting the cutoff time. I hope to have more info about what happened there sometime soon. For now, though, I'm really glad that I wasn't pulled from the race and had a chance to finish what I'd started.
The water was chilly at the start-- probably about 62 or 63 degrees. It stayed cold until we rounded Spuyten Duyvil and hit the Hudson which was about 67 or 68 degrees. But the cold water was replaced by an unrelenting head wind that caused 4 foot swells. It was like Lake George all over again and swimming into a brick wall. Very frustrating, especially towards the end when it really got rough and the day seemed to just keep getting longer.
But we perservered, and I had an amazing pair of kayakers who were steady as rocks and did a great job guiding me. Mark and Khrista in the boat did a fantastic job feeding me and taking care of all my needs. The boat pilot and his crew also did a great job keeping us on course. It was an amazing experience and really worth all the effort. Thanks to everyone who sent positive vibes and well-wishes before, during, and after the swim-- I was thinking about you all as I was slogging through that cold, sometimes dirty water.
I'm feeling pretty good today, all things considered. The main problem is the sunburn. It was sunny out there and I collected a lot of rays despite two thick layers of sunblock and a slathering of zinc oxide before the start. Once the burn cools, I'll be right back out there getting ready for the next challenge, the completion of the "Triple Crown" (Catalina, Manhattan and and the English Channel). We head to Dover, England to wait for my turn to take on the Channel at the end of July.
Thanks again everyone for the support!
More soon!
Well, we had some technical difficulties with the email update list, so I apologize that you didn't all have live updates during the race. We were able to update my Facebook and Twitter feeds, but the email was one step too much for us this time. We'll fix that for the Channel in August for sure.
The race was incredible. And I should admit, a good bit harder than I had anticipated (what kind of illness is it where you begin to believe that 28.5 miles will be fairly easy?!) But in the end, it really wasn't all that bad. My official time was 8 hours, 39 minutes and 50 seconds (8:39:50) and I finished 17th overall, 8th female. Whoo hoo!
The times this year were a good bit slower than last year's field owing to the heavy rain they had on Friday in the NYC and Northern NJ region. Apparently the rain affected the tides and the race director referred to it as "freaky" tidal and current situations that slowed us down. This coupled with an already forecasted slower tide meant that we all spent a little longer in the water than we might have liked to.
My crew tells me that there was a point somewhere in the Harlem River where I was getting a little too close to the cutoff time for their comfort (I was within 30-40 minutes of it) and they were concerned that I might get pulled from the race for not reaching one of the checkpoints by the cutoff time because the current was beginning to shift and I would likely have to start swimming against it rather than with it. Thankfully, that did not happen to me, though 11 other swimmers were yanked at the Triborough Bridge check point for not meeting the cutoff time. I hope to have more info about what happened there sometime soon. For now, though, I'm really glad that I wasn't pulled from the race and had a chance to finish what I'd started.
The water was chilly at the start-- probably about 62 or 63 degrees. It stayed cold until we rounded Spuyten Duyvil and hit the Hudson which was about 67 or 68 degrees. But the cold water was replaced by an unrelenting head wind that caused 4 foot swells. It was like Lake George all over again and swimming into a brick wall. Very frustrating, especially towards the end when it really got rough and the day seemed to just keep getting longer.
But we perservered, and I had an amazing pair of kayakers who were steady as rocks and did a great job guiding me. Mark and Khrista in the boat did a fantastic job feeding me and taking care of all my needs. The boat pilot and his crew also did a great job keeping us on course. It was an amazing experience and really worth all the effort. Thanks to everyone who sent positive vibes and well-wishes before, during, and after the swim-- I was thinking about you all as I was slogging through that cold, sometimes dirty water.
I'm feeling pretty good today, all things considered. The main problem is the sunburn. It was sunny out there and I collected a lot of rays despite two thick layers of sunblock and a slathering of zinc oxide before the start. Once the burn cools, I'll be right back out there getting ready for the next challenge, the completion of the "Triple Crown" (Catalina, Manhattan and and the English Channel). We head to Dover, England to wait for my turn to take on the Channel at the end of July.
Thanks again everyone for the support!
More soon!
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