Thursday, June 30, 2016

Six days before I head off to San Diego....

Greetings,

Last time I posted was a while ago and I promised to be better at keeping everyone abreast of my adventures.  Since that time, I was pretty busy swimming, working, traveling, eating, writing, analyzing, meeting, and all other sorts of gerunds not worth mentioning.  I am back to blogging - revitalized and interested in logging this next adventure.  Here is what is in store for you (and me) in the next few weeks.

The Double Channel Swim begins!

Catalina Channel - July 11th-12th
English Channel - July 18th-25th

So, what are you gonna read about in the next few posts?

Swim Preparation:  Most of the preparation is done for now.  I am as fit as I will ever be for swimming.  After 12 consistent and focused weeks in the pool, lake, and ocean, I am ready to swim to eternity.  Next, however, I must pack and get my gear (swim suit, cap, goggles, Desitin, feed stuffs, etc.) packed for two trips.  Sounds relatively easy compared to climbing but I assure you there are some details to this process that often escape me.

Travel Coordination:  I leave for San Diego on July 6th (1 day after I turn 50 years old).  While there, I plan to hang out with my friends, eat great fish and shrimp tacos, relax, and swim a bit in the Pacific.  Coordinating that trip will be a slight challenge because my first marathon swim starts in Long Beach, CA - not in San Diego.  I chose to go to San Diego because I love swimming in La Jolla cove and I love my friends.  These friends are the type who will do all sorts of crazy things with me and then enjoy a few beers afterwards.  Coordinating with them is easy.  Trying to match my San Diego time with my swim start time that begins after a 2 hour drive in Southern CA traffic might be the crux.  Next, I swim on July 11th (11pm start time) and swim into the next day (July 12th) and finish sometime before noon (I hope).  After I finish swimming, I need to eat, drink, sleep, and drive down to San Diego for my flight back to Virginia.  I have a flight to London on July 15th so I only have one full day in Virginia to sort out my gear, swim a bit to recover, sleep, eat, catch-up with friends, do laundry, and repack.  The Catalina Channel swim will provide me with ample opportunity to refine my packing skills - the second round of packing for the English Channel will be much easier than either packing episode before.  OK, so at this point, my only concern is getting to London.  Once I get there, we take an easy bus ride down to Dover and stay with our new friends at the Churchill House.

Swim Organization:  As I laid in bed today after sleeping for 13 hours (more on that later), I started thinking (another gerund that I busied myself with over the past few months) about organizing my feed schedule.  Yes, I get fed while swimming.  I also need to organize what I plan to eat ahead of the swim and talk to my crew about when and how to feed me.  Things will go smoothly during that process but the more organized and flexible I am, the less the process will affect my swim.  

Frequent Updates:  I plan to start my SPOT device for both the Catalina and English Channel swims.  Expect to see links for both in my next few posts.  Also, expect a ton of pictures.  My crew and I will take a ton.  Expect to see dolphins, whales, seagulls, flying fish, dragons, and elephants (?) in the flurry of updates.  You will also learn why I didn't post much in the previous few months.  Stay tuned....

OK, that is all for now.  Time to walk the dogs with my Kat.