Wooo Hoooo!!!!! Swim time coming up.

Nothing definite but a ton more certain than before.  We either push off at 11am tomorrow or midnight (later tomorrow).  Either way, I'm going to be swimming!

OK, now that I have the news and a rough estimate for my start, I have a few options for following my trip across the English Channel.

Option 1:  You follow along via the blog, Facebook, twitter, and/or Instagram.  Yes, I went hog wild with social media so that each and everyone interested can follow with ease.  Kathy has my phone and will take pictures and post updates routinely.

Option 2:  Check out the track.rs website and see updates live on the map and see stats.  Thanks to Evan Morrison for the fantastic service.

Option 3:  Follow my SPOT locator map and see where I am on the Google map that the service uses to plot my progress.

Option 4:  Check out the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CS&PF) webpage for tracking SUVA (my pilot boat).  Here is a quick link but you need to select the my pilot boat at the top and then select "Latest Track" below the picture of the boat.

All four will work just fine.  More options means that there are no chances that you will miss my swim tracking.  I have my own SPOT and SUVA has AIS (don't ask).  

I'm psyched...and tired.  More later.  Time for bed.  Remember, 11am local time is 6am EDT and 3am PDT - just for your reference.  On the bright side, if I start my swim at midnight tomorrow (25 hours from now), my American friends can follow along for most of the adventure.  Thanks for following; have a great night.

Coming down to the wire - 2 days left to squeeze in a swim

Title says it all.  I am down to two more mornings (and one afternoon) and tomorrow morning doesn't look promising.  Just got off the phone with my pilot boat captain - Neil Streeter - and he gave me the go-ahead to enjoy a pint tonight.  The morning does not look good.  I trust him completely.  We just ran out of luck so far.  Monday was a dream day and the days following turned sour for us.  Oh well.  I have two more chances - tomorrow afternoon and Friday morning.  Fingers crossed that something works out.  I remain hopeful even if the odds are shifting out of my favor.  On the bright side, I get to see my friends Sam and Alex in just two days.  That reunion will be special.  

The swimming in Dover harbor was simply amazing today - just as it had been the previous days.  Reflecting on my time in Dover and the training proceeding my trip, I have a few things I learned.  First, I am fit and ready to swim on three months training post climbing in Nepal.  I think any more time preparing might have lead me to burn out.  Also, gaining the extra weight helped a ton because I can tolerate the cold(er) water without any ill effects.  Second, marathon swimmers are an awesome group.  I cannot believe there are so many nice people who do one sport.  If we all took a few tips from the folks here in Dover, my LOST friends in Oakville, Ontario Canada, and the countless English Channel swimmers I met along the way, the world would be a nicer place with less hate and more love.  I cannot express in words how grateful I am for all the support and kindness shown to me and my family over the past 5 months.  Thank you all.  

Here are a few pictures from today just so you can see the harbor with a bit of a breeze filling in.  Looks rather calm, eh?  Well, the winds were really building and I doubt it would be much fun out in the channel.  I snapped these photos late this afternoon well past my early (11am) swim in the harbor.  During my swim this morning, I felt the chop that is commonly referred to as the washing machine.  It was a blast!  I can't wait to bob about in the channel for the real swim.  OK, without further delay, here are some pictures....

A great view from the swimmer's beach in Dover harbor.

There I am...smiling while waiting my turn.

Today's choppy conditions gave me a good taste of what might be in store for me while crossing the channel.  Hopefully I get that chance this year.  If not, I am already thinking about what lies ahead for me.  Perhaps Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS) followed by Catalina Island Marathon swim and another shot at the English Channel.  Hey, now that is an idea!  A triple crown in one year.  Kat would prefer I not return to Everest this year just to give us all a break.  I agree with her; I need a break and so does she.  We were just talking about this idea during dinner tonight.  She seemed somewhat psyched about this challenge.  So, what do you think?  I know my friends in San Diego would lend a hand for Catalina Island.  Swimming around Manhattan might be a little creepy.  

OK, more thoughts on that challenge soon.  Time for bed and then another morning dip in the harbor.  Fingers crossed I get a chance to swim the channel this year.  Expect another update shortly.

Thanks for following along.

Been about 6 days here in Dover and here is where we stand....(or swim)

Greetings,

I am laying down in our awesome room nestled deep in the heart of the Churchill Guest House.  It is breezy today and I feel completely comfortable after my morning dip in Dover harbor followed by another outstanding meal at Il Rustico.   Each day - save for one - I swam in the harbor for at least an hour and then enjoyed a leisurely day of naps and meals.  We are ready as a crew to tackle this swim but the wind and waves seem to have different plans.  As we wait, I wanted to give you a brief update.  Below are some pictures from the past few days.  As you can see, we are enjoying ourselves.

A view up Castle Street - the street that amazingly enough heads up to the castle.  Go figure.

One of our early meals at Il Rustico.  I believe we ate there every day so far.  If you find a winner, stick with it.

Dover Harbor - the place where all the channel swimmers come to get accustomed to the water (wind, waves, and temperature).

Hey, I know that guy.  I am relaxing today because I thought I might swim the next day.  No use tiring myself out.  Kat swam for the family.

There she is...Kat swimming in one of those seal costumes.  

...and she was playing the part of seal very well.  Here, Sean is lending a hand and helping Kat and her new friend out of the water.  Actually, he just offered them their shoes so they wouldn't have to walk upon the tough rocks with cold feet.

I have no idea if I will get off for my swim.  The beauty is that I remain optimistic and relatively care-free.  It has been an outstanding event so far even though I remain uncertain.  The people here are wonderful.  I met the King of the Channel (aka Kevin Murphy - the Honorable Secretary of the English Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation) along with many swimmers - both old and young (well, relatively young and certainly young at heart).  Also, my family and I have become fast friends with the proprietors of our B&B (Alastair, Betty and Alex Dimech); they are gracious hosts and tell outstanding stories - some that will crack you up for years to come.  If you have any interest or ever watched Fawlty Towers, then you must come and spend time chatting with them.  They are wonderful people who love to laugh and have stories that will remind you of Basil Fawlty - all good stories.

At any rate, I am just biding my time.  I hope to be able to swim before I head off to Sam and Alex's wedding.  The swims in Dover harbor have been magical but they don't satisfy my yearning to swim to France.  If the swim doesn't materialize, I will return to Dover in the near future to give it a real go.  Yes, these setbacks can be expensive and irritating but if Mother Nature forces my hand to abort, then I must and return I shall....soon.  Everest will be 3 times (I hope no more) - fingers crossed the channel does not take that many tries.

Stay tuned for more updates shortly.  Tomorrow is another day but the weather looks foul.  Perhaps I get out on Thursday.  Don't know yet.  I think I'll take a nap.   Thanks for following along.

A great 10K swim - one where I learned a ton

I just returned from a fantastic weekend in Long Island, NY.  Last Friday (July 10th), I pushed off from Fairfax, VA toward Long Island after a quick swim with my friends at the Old Keene Mill pool.  I felt really sluggish and tired in the warm pool water and wondered if this weekend would be any different.  The week's practices were getting harder and harder - perhaps because I am really starting to tire out from the repeated 32km weeks of training.  Regardless, I headed off with great hopes that this swim would teach me something about my feeding.

Friday day and night were fun and relatively uneventful.  The drive up to Long Island went by quickly because for some odd reason, everyone decided to stay off the road.  I never saw I-95 (our highway up the east coast of the US) so empty.  No complaints here, just happy that I could get up to NY in about 4 and a 1/2 hours.  I stopped by my aunt's house, picked her up and headed to my other aunt's house with her.  We had a great time for a few hours but then the drive and early wake-up started to weigh heavily on my eyes; it was time for bed.  Off to bed at 9pm and I slept like a log until 6:30am on Saturday - race day.

Race Day

I drove from Port Washington, NY (where my aunts live) to the south shore ports for the Fire Island ferries.  The race organizer setup a special 9:30am ferry for us swimmers.  

Waiting for the ferry - trying to avoid the sun as best I could

The pre-race setup was extremely well organized.  The ferry ride took us to Atlantique - a small beach area within easy reach (25 min ferry ride) of the Bay Shore Ferry Terminal.  

The first level on the ferry where I stayed out of the sun.

Once the ferry got us to our destination, we walked to the Atlantic Ocean side of the island - roughly a 300m walk along a nice paved pathway.  

The path between the ferry terminal and the beach.  It was a nice walk.

The race organizers had tents setup and quickly handed out the timing devices and marked those who were not marked prior to hopping on the ferry.  All of this took minutes instead of the often laborious hour-long registration that most events put us through.  I was quite impressed.  

Pre-race Preparation

I managed to jump in the water and warm-up for about 10 minutes prior to the mandatory pre-race meeting.  The meeting was quick and informative.  We learned that the course would head west from the start and parallel the shoreline for 2.5 km where we would turn around and head back.  The 10 km swimmers would swim 2 loops around the 5 km course leaving all buoys to the left.  I felt confident that the swim would go well because the conditions were simply perfect.  There was no wind at the start and the swell was negligible.  According to surfline.com, the waves were .5 to 1 foot; I think they exaggerated.  If they were 2 inches, I would be shocked.  So I felt great and was ready to swim.

Feed testing...whoops!

One slight problem with my preparation was that I packed food in bottles to be handed to me at the 2.5 km places.  Unfortunately, the paddlers would not be able to provide feeds in specific locations so I needed to either carry my own food (not practical) or abandon the feed tests.  I chose the latter.  Most if not all the 10 km swimmers had the same restrictions so I had to think quickly about how to tailor my swim to the restricted food intake.  The race director said there would be plenty of water provided on the course but no food unless we had our own.  I was down for a new test.  My new feed test was how well would I do for about 3 hours with only water.  A new test!  Turn lemons into lemonade.

Let the race begin

I started the race kicking only slightly to keep my feet up and not drag too much behind.  My rationale was to conserve energy for the first half and then see how I would perform for the second half after the conservative first-half.  I began the swim at a deliberate pace that put me well-behind the leaders who seemed to start out at about my 100m pace.  My focus remained solid and steadfast on a slow, deliberate pace.  The conditions allowed me to easily breathe throughout the first 2.5 km leg and I felt extremely relaxed.  

When I turned around and headed east, the waves kicked up a bit and the tide turned against us.  I felt the going a bit more difficult on the return and noted that for my second loop.  When I swam back, I started thinking about the salt water sloshing around in my stomach and wondered if it would make me sick.  So far, so good.  I felt very relaxed but as I neared the 5 km turn-around, I started to feel a little bothered by the choppy conditions.  Bothered might be an over-statement.  My feet felt like bricks because I stopped kicking to preserve as much energy as possible for the second half.  When I reached the turn-around mark, I noticed the first 5 km swimmer come up alongside me and pass me like I was sitting still.  That feeling is not one I like but it was good for me to realize that I only gave up 10 minutes to the fastest 5 km swimmer even without kicking.  I was refreshed and ready to start kicking.

Second loop comeback

The second loop started with an expectation that I would drink a little water to relieve a little cramping in my feet.  Salt water tends to make me dehyrdated rather quickly but this time around it seemed to take much longer than usual.  My mouth wasn't affected like it usually is with the salt water swishing about as I grabbed each breath.  I swigged about 10 ounces of fresh water and started my leg with my usual kick and immediately felt the difference in my body position.  Before, I felt sluggish and low in the water where now I felt like I was on top of the water and surging with each stroke.  I felt great!

Slowly but steadily I raced up to the swimmers in front and I started to pass them.  There were only 10 km swimmers now ahead of me and a few lingering 5 km swimmers but they would be done before I reached the finish.  I passed one swimmer after another and started feeling better and better with each stroke.  To keep my mind busy, I focused on my stroke and all the tips my friend Stu and my coach Cheryl reminded me of during swim practices.  I felt faster and stronger as I went along.  The beach flew by and in no time, I rounded the 2.5 km mark to head back to the finish.  

The first return trip I felt extremely sluggish and slow going against the tide and slight chop; this second return trip was entirely different.  I was on course, rarely wavering from a straight line track toward the finish.  Each time I looked up, I saw another cap ahead and then the cap was behind me.  I gained more energy by passing them and continued to kick hard and really focus on my stroke.  Beating people was not my aim; I just wanted to test how I would feel after 7.5-9km without eating.  At this point, I had an answer - I felt great.  I kept surging ahead with each stroke and felt so confident I could catch the last remaining swimmer in my sights but then the final buoys came up to us and the first-place swimmer turned just ahead of me and finished right in front.  

What a race!  I felt great and felt confident that a proper feeding schedule would enable me to hold a strong pace for much longer than 10km.  It was a wonderful lesson and one I shall not forget soon.  Pacing withing my energy level limits is important.  

A great trophy with a cool towel backdrop.

Post-race thoughts

I really enjoyed myself at the race and met some fantastic people.  If you are a swimmer, please consider attending next year's Fire Island Open Water swim.  I hope to get some of the LOST swimmers down and my GMU teammates up to fill up the 10 km race.  Expect a big showing next year guys.  Thanks to the Open Water Swimming Long Island group for putting on a fantastic race on a beautiful beach.  Rest assured I will be back again to enjoy the water and company of my new friends.  Thanks to the OWS group and the volunteers for creating a wonderful event.  See you next year.

My next post focuses on my feeding routine.  Oh, and I will have a full post following that one on my cold water immersion machine.  Stay tuned.

Last second thoughts before my 6-hour cold water qualifying swim

Greetings,

I sit here in my kitchen, thinking about what to write before we head off for Oakville, Ontario.  Funny enough, I am at a loss for words.  The past few weeks went very well for training.  I feel great.  My only concern was that the water might not be cold enough (61 degrees F or colder) to count as my qualifying swim.  Those concerns are gone.  Now, I hope that I don't get swept away by the cold winds that appear to be coming to the area.  Yes, the water will be cold enough and the conditions will be an excellent simulation for some of the worst conditions the EC has to offer - short of jellyfish, saltwater, and hurricanes.  Here is the forecast for this weekend:  cold (low to mid 60's air and upper 50's in the water), wet (85% chance of rain on Saturday), and windy (10 mph in the morning building to 25 mph by the time I finish).  Not bad.  I am really excited.  We push off early tomorrow morning so I need to get to bed.  The weather may press me into service on Friday night instead of waiting for Saturday.  Now that would be exciting!  The folks at LOST have been nothing short of amazing.  More on them later with pictures.

Wish us luck!

Successful first leg on my way to Aconcagua

Kathy dropped me off at Dulles airport early this morning. We had a nice time chatting en route to the airport. I then had a very nice, relaxing, and uneventful flight to Miami. Now, I get to sit for 10 hours waiting for my next leg to Santiago, Chile.