Marathon Swim Project

 My favorite movie of all time is You've Got Mail.  I saw it at least 5 times in the theater.  Obviously if I had spent more time studying and less time at the movies I probably would have graduated with higher marks.  And the movie doesn't have anything to do with anything, other than when I sat down to write I was reminded of Kathleen Kelly's monologue... because it's exactly what I'm going to do... right now....

I like to start my notes to you as if we're already in the middle of a conversation.  I pretend that we're oldest and dearest friends as opposed to what we actually are...

It's been a minute.  

Not quite as long as I thought... but long enough.  I've been writing all along.  But in an actual journal.  With paper and a pen.  And much more private thoughts and musings.  I love to write.  Even when it's in digital format, it's still just me putting thoughts on paper.  A diary more or less.  

Last time we spoke I was in the middle of my trail running season last fall.  I was trying to reconcile my  desire to WANT to be a trail runner with the fact that I wasn't enjoying any of it.  I had a miserable 50k.  I dropped out of my 100k.  And as a last ditch effort I signed up for (and finished) a 50 miler-- just not in a fast enough time to enter the 100 miler that I desperately didn't want to do anymore anyway but I said I wanted to so I had to try, right?  If ever there was a case for self-sabotage.  

I think I just lost steam after SCAR and TransRockies Run (TRR).  I think I just wasn't excited about the goal.  I realize now I never even wrote about TRR.  I think I came off of that week and was just in a different place in my life.  Happy.  For the first time in a long time I could look at where I was at and what I was doing and know that it was exactly the life that I wanted.  I was content.  And contentment breeds complacency.  

Or does it?

What if contentment is not a bad thing?  What if the thing I had been looking for finally landed in my lap?  Should I not run with it?  Every damn day for 2 years:  Inhale joy and contentment.  There it is.  Contentment.  I had been seeking it out.  Expanding it with my focus.  Of course it's going to show up in my life!

So I took a step back, backed off the trail running, quit my job, moved to the beach.

Yeah.  I did that.  I swear in a very calculated manner, and not in the midst of a mid-life crisis which I know is exactly what you're thinking.  Trust me, I have had that thought too, but I just needed a change.  Arizona was never meant to be my final resting place and it was time to go.  

So what now?  

Well... ironically, I went back to the trails- only this time as a thru-hiker, not a runner.  I spent the first week of July hiking the 171.4 mile Tahoe Rim Trail.  I feel this deserves an entire post dedicated to it, so I'll just leave you with the link to a podcast I did with YogiTriathlete until I have time to put those thoughts onto paper.  Er, or screen, rather.    

And being in the mountains surrounding the gorgeous blue waters of Lake Tahoe reignited my desire to do some more marathon swimming.  I had reached out to the Pacific Open Water Swim Company in January to express my interest in swimming across Lake Tahoe (they coordinate all official swims of the lake).  Dates for 2020 didn't work out because the only week they had left was the same week I was in Washington Island for the bff's big bike race.  I am focusing my energy on securing a date for 2021 and in my research I came across something that resonated.  

The California Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming.

1.  Lake Tahoe 21.3 miles

2.  Santa Barbara Channel, Anacapa to Mainland, 12.4 miles

3.  Catalina Channel, 20 miles

The minute I read about this challenge I knew I wanted in.  I felt excited about a training goal for the first time in a long time.  It made me want to jump into cold water and go for a swim.  All of these swims follow the basic guidelines for channel swimming.  No wetsuit.  No touching the support boat.  No drafting.  No artificial aids of any kind (cheater panties, pull buoys, etc).  It's just me and the water from start to finish.  

One cool thing about marathon swimming is that, similar to ultra running, I can have a support swimmer.  Generally after the first 3 hours or so, I can have a friend hop in and swim next to me for an hour at a time.  They are required to take breaks between support legs.  I remember how cool it was to swim side-by-side with Melody for about 9 miles out of our 17 mile day at SCAR last year.  I love idea of having a support swimmer-- someone who can swim close enough to my pace to stay warm, loves swimming, and doesn't mind spending 12 hours on a boat.  

There are a few logistics involved in arranging a marathon swim.  Hiring a boat.  Hiring a kayaker (for Santa Barbara and Catalina).  Applying for approval from the various swim associations.  Medical clearance.  Paying the fees to the boat captain, and the ratification fees to document the swims.  Not to mention training to swim in cold water at night.  With my experience at SCAR I feel confident that I can train to handle the distance.  And living on the ocean gives me the opportunity to train in open water.  

So that's what's happening here.  I'm hoping to document my training and planning as things develop.  I am hoping to do at least 2 swims next year-- but I'm dependent on the availability of a boat captain that can successfully guide a channel swim.  Either way, there will be a lot of open water swimming going on!  

 

SCAR: The top 10 things you need to know about long distance swimming

You know how there's always that one friend who pops out a kid and then is like, Oh wow I never knew this was going to be so hard.  (raising said child)  As if there are NO books published on parenting, and you have ZERO friends with kids willing to tell you the truth.  (Trust me, I don't have kids BECAUSE I know the truth... so it's out there, you just have to find it.)

Well, right now I kinda feel that way about swimming.  I mean, I feel like someone should have warned me.  Not that it would have stopped me from signing up for a long distance swim.  (The truth certainly doesn't stop anyone from having kids.)  But I would have known what was coming.  I could have taken some breathing classes and learned how to swaddle before I was thrown into the deep end.

So I'm going to be that friend.  I'm gonna tell you all the things you knew but didn't really know about preparing to swim 17 miles in the middle of a 41 mile swim.

1.  Despite the fact that you have chlorine emanating through your pores, you will reach a point where you physically can't wash your hair.  Your arms will be limp noodles by your sides.  You will be lucky to open the bottle of body wash and drizzle it down your lower half.  I recommend short hair.  And hats.

2.  You are going to eat as though you haven't seen food in a month.  All. day. long.  I can literally eat an entire 4 course meal and be hungry again an hour later.  And no, I'm not eating Chinese food.  I'm eating EVERYTHING.

3.   You will adapt.  AFTER you stress the body.  And this will happen in cycles over and over and over again.  You will hit faster splits than you've ever seen in your life, and then the next day fail a workout that you should be able to do with your eyes closed.  And just like you got used to swimming 10k a week for Ironman training, you will get used to swimming 40k a week.

4.  You're going to chafe.  From swimming.  *pause to let that sink in*  I recommend vaseline.  Under the arms.  On the inner thighs if you have a pull set longer than 3k.  Hopefully you can claim that it's because your lats have doubled in size.  If not, maybe you just need a better suit.  I recommend Jolyn.

5.  Swimmer's ear is not just for kids!  When you spend 2-4 hours a day in the pool, you are going to be water logged!  Your ears do not like this.  Get some alcohol.  Pour it in your ears when you get out of the pool.  You're welcome.

6.  Remember those 5 hour long Sunday bike rides?  Now you're doing a casual 5 hour Sunday swim set.  (Don't forget the sunscreen!)

7.  You remember Amanda Beard's autobiography?  In the Water They Can't See You Cry?  It's true.  They can't.  #tintedgoggles  I don't know how many swims I finished and told my training partner, I cried through that whole last set.  Obviously, everyone's reaction to stress is different.  Me?  I'm a crier.  And not just for sadness.  If I'm angry and I'm yelling, that's a good thing.  If I'm angry and I start crying, you better run cause someone is gonna die.  When I'm exhausted, I bawl.  It's fine.  I don't need you to do anything differently.  Just don't freak out, OK?

8.  Sleep and food fix almost everything.  Don't feel guilty about taking what you need. 

9.  You will get through the distance... IF you do the work!  Do the work.  PLEASE.  Don't skip swims.  Don't skip strength.  Don't skip any of it.  Just do the work.

10.  Having someone to do the work with you... priceless.  My friend Melody and I have been swimming together for a long time.  We figured it out a few years ago, but by now it's been maybe 7 or 8 years?  We've been talking about SCAR for about 5 years, and because I wasn't going to be racing this year, we decided to go for it.  Of the 750,000 or so yards that I swam in training, less than 50,000 were swum solo.  For the remainder, I had Melody by my side.  This made it so much more fun and enjoyable.  I can't imagine having done SCAR without her!  (And since it was her idea I probably wouldn't have!). 

Always Anotha Thing: Finding Aloha in the Next Big Thing

#findingkona was never about Ironman.  The true meaning behind it has more to do with the idea of stepping outside your comfort zone.  Of taking risks.  Believing in yourself.  Believing that you are worthy of huge goals.  Big, scary goals.  Ones that force you to risk failure in order to achieve them.  It's about deciding that a dream is worth 100% focus and dedication, no matter how long it takes. 

At the time when I gave my dream a name, my goal was to qualify and compete at Ironman World Championships, thus Finding Kona was born.  Once I qualified everyone asked me if I would change my handle, and my response was NO.  No, because there will always be another dream.  Another goal.  Another challenge.  I have a few on my mind right now, but after those... there will be more!  I just don't know what they are yet.  And that's the beauty of dreams.  I don't ever want to stop dreaming.  As the #bff said so eloquently after Ultraman, (insert Boston accent here:)  There's always anotha thing.

After I qualified for Kona, I added the hashtag #findingaloha to my repertoire.  To me, this represented the idea that I was fulfilling this dream with passion and joy.  Finding aloha, or love, in everything I do.  And just like #findingkona, it's not limited to my race in Hawaii in 2016.  It is my goal every day when I get out of bed.  To chase my dreams with passion.  To be joyful in the pursuit, even when my body is being beaten down in training, and I'm failing workouts.  Remembering that I GET to do this brings everything back into the correct perspective.

I sat down with YogiTriathlete at Indian Wells 70.3 to talk about Ultraman.  You can listen to that podcast here.   But if you missed the podcast extra on Patreon...

The next big thing is called the SCAR Swim Challenge and it looks like this:
Day 1:  Saguaro Lake, 9.5 mile (15.2 km) swim
Day 2:  Canyon Lake, 9 mile (14.4 km) swim
Day 3:  Apache Lake, 17 mile (27.3 km) swim
Day 4:  Roosevelt Lake, 6.2 mile (10 km) swim

In case you got distracted by the individual swim distances, it's a 4 day, 4 lake, 41 mile swim that takes place in April near where I live.  My swim training partner and I have had our eye on it for a few years, but with my other goals it was never the right time to take on this challenge.  After I was invited to Ultraman Worlds, and qualified to race Ironman Worlds again last fall, we discussed it and decided it was time to throw our hats in the ring.  There will never be another time as perfect as Spring 2019 for this adventure.

The swim is conducted on English Channel rules, meaning no wetsuit and actually "no bathing suit past the crotch" so no Sim shorts (aka: cheater panties), no speed suit, no competition suit.  Just me, my swim suit, and a swim cap.  And a fuck ton of calories.

Each swimmer has a kayaker.  I've hired my #bff's husband's bff.  :)  Say that fast 3 times.  I met Kevin when H was getting ready for H2H.  He was her crew captain extraordinaire, and when I was talking about SCAR and wanting an experienced kayaker H suggested Kevin.  He's already been in the lake practicing so I know I'm in good hands.  Apparently in the past some of the kayakers couldn't make the distance on day 3 because the wind tends to kick up in the afternoon forcing you to swim/ paddle against a current.  Just a little added bonus.

There are cutoff times each day, but we've been ramping up training pretty quickly and I have no doubt I will be 100% prepared to cover the distance come April.  Speaking of training-- I was meant to be a swimmer.  There is nothing I look forward to more than double swim days!  We've been working on strength-- lots of band work, lots of IM.  I've never swum so much butterfly in my life.  I hit a wall about a week ago and felt like I couldn't lift my arms out of the water.  I *know* that in a couple of weeks my body will adapt and I will feel more normal again, but holy hell, I've never felt my shoulders ache like this in my life.

2 months ago, the thought of swimming 17 miles terrified me.  I honestly wasn't 100% sure I could cover the distance (after already swimming 18 miles on the first 2 days).  1 month ago, we worried about the water temps.  Would we freeze trying to swim 41 miles in April without a wetsuit?  Today I am confident that we will cover the distance, warmed by the desert sunshine.  That we will be part of the black cap ceremony (honoring those swimmers who complete the entire day 3 swim within the allotted time).  That we will be #findingaloha every minute of those 41 miles because this is an adventure unlike any we've ever taken on before and we are worthy of this dream.