As I stated earlier, the orthopedic surgeon diagnosed both of my shoulders with impingements and recommended cortico-steriod shots in both shoulders to help reduce the inflammation.  These shots would not increase strength, but only provide anti-inflammatory directly to my shoulders.  This reduction in inflammation would allow my physical therapy exercises to be more effective.   I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to get the shots for many reasons.   However, before I could really choose to get the shots or not, I needed approval from the Channel Swimming Association.  

Channel swimming is governed by the same drug rules as those for Olympic athletes, so I had some research to do on the World Drug Anti-Doping Agency (aka. WADA) website.  I found that gluco-steriod shots fell in the gray area of legality.  They were allowed as long as it was prescribed as part of treatment, didn’t take place under 21 days from the competition, and there was no other treatment option.  I mentally checked each of these off.  I still wanted to be sure though, so I contacted the CSA, Ltd.  They approved the treatment. 

After some more research, I decided to move forward.  I went to the clinic and received the shots.  This of course was after asking multitudes of questions, assurances, etc.  I’m sure they were very excited to get me out of there.  The shots themselves didn’t hurt.  I just felt some pressure in my shoulder as they were filling up the space with liquid.  Other than that, it was pretty uneventful until later in the day.  That was when the small amount of pain killers set in.  My arms felt like lead.  I was worried that this would be a permanent state, but it wore off by the next morning.

Since receiving the shots, I find that my shoulder joints move more smoothly during my therapy and swimming.  There are less rice krispies for me to work out.  I guess that means that the inflammation is going down.  I do have some bruising near and in the injection sites, but I was told that these too will subside just like the lead feeling in my arms.

Overall, I’m glad that I made the decision to get the shots.  Do I think I could have continued swimming without them, yes.  Would it have been a more difficult swim, perhaps.  I just know that this is what I needed to do to help my body heal.  If I hadn’t had the shots now, I would have had to have them upon my return from England. 

After yesterday’s frigid swim and giving myself mild hypothermia, I decided a change in venue was necessary for my 6 hour end of the Channel training.  I chose my home base of Hagg Lake.  I knew that it wouldn’t be cold enough by a long shot, but I also knew that I couldn’t physically handle another swim in 52 degree water.  (Note: Even after reviewing the tide charts, I couldn’t find an optimum time to have Nehalem Bay be in the high 50s for a majority of the swim). 

At Hagg Lake, my mom was a trooper.  She strapped on a life jacket and joined me throughout the lake for the entire 6 hour swim.  Now I won’t say that everything went smoothly.  I was definitely sore from the previous day’s swim.  In addition, I was irritable and since she was out in the water with me she caught the brunt of it.  Remember I stated that anyone with me becomes my TV, well if someone is there I actually expect to see them when I turn my head to breathe.  This requires the kayaker/walker/etc to stay right beside me and in my eye line when I turn my head.  This can be quite a challenge in a kayak, but I didn’t care. 

Its funny.  When I swim alone, I don’t expect to see anyone and I just get on with the swimming.  However, if someone decides that they are going to be there to keep me company, I expect them to be there for every breath.  I hate having to raise my head to look for them or look behind me.  My stroke goes all wonky and I can’t focus because I start to wonder “What the heck is going on?  Can’t they see I’m back here and trying to keep up”.  It also becomes painful for me on my neck and shoulders as I keep adjusting to see the crew with each breath. 

The other flaw in this swim was that I had run out of Carbo Pro, so my feedings didn’t contain the necessary energy for me to consistently swim.  My stroke rate was all over the place and my stroke was quite choppy (some of which I attribute to above mentioned issues).   But my parents hung in there through my bad mood and all.  In the end, we all made it through. 

Swimming Notes:

• Never ever run out of your energy fuel.  It is critical to swimming success.  Thank goodness Jane has a much better idea of what I need from a fuel perspective.  This has never been my strong suit.
• I will mentally go through some very tough times and yes the crew is going to catch a bit of the wrath.  I try to be good, but there are some real low points.
• I listen to Jane much more than I listen to my parents.  Perhaps this has to do with residual childhood rebellion.  For this reason, Jane has been given the job of being the Head Crew person.  She is responsible for communicating with me and keeping my parents in line
• I made it through!

This weekend called for me to complete a split Channel swim.  This means essentially swimming half of the Channel on Saturday and the remaining on Sunday.  My parents had come into town to get used to what it would be like to crew for me.

We set out for the Coast very early on Saturday morning.  My goal was to be in the water at Nehalem Bay by 7:30am.  This would allow me to get in 8 hours of swimming, drive back to Portland, get a good meal and go to bed before getting up on Sunday to do it all over again.

I woke up and ate most of my morning oatmeal and packed up the days feedings.  I made sure that I added 3x the recommended amount of Carbo Pro to my liquids as I knew I was going to need the energy.  Little did I know just how challenging this swim would be.

My parents had decided to walk along the beach while I did my normal lap of the 9,7, and 5 buoys.  The first hour went very well.  My stroke rate was at around 60 per minute.  The water temperature was a very warm 64.  The sun wasn’t shining yet, but it wasn’t raining either.  I thought I was in for a great day.  That was until hour 2.

Halfway through the 2nd hour the water temperature dropped 12 degrees.  For all you non-math people this means that my comfortable 64 had now become 52 and I wasn’t even halfway through the 2nd hour.  (Note: Those of you may remember that I aborted a swim after 3 hours due to violent shakes in 54 degree water a few weeks earlier).  I was sort of at a loss of what to do at this point.  Then in my head I heard Sybil say “You cannot ever let yourself think about quitting.”  That did it, I would go until my parents called the swim due to safety.  This was of course after I gave a quick hypothermia lesson to my dad that went something like this:

“Ok Dad, the water temperature is really cold.  Here is a lesson.  Watch my skin color.  Red is good.  Gray is not so good.  Blue gray is not good at all.” 

I know a great lesson and I was in the water telling this to him.  What a trooper that he carried on.  I think I left out a bunch of other signs and symptoms, which I’m sure I will get lots of comments on.  Oh well.

All I can say is thank goodness I had planned on warm tea as my liquid feeding, but unfortunately I didn’t plan on enough hot liquid.  At every feeding, I met my parents at the water’s edge.  They would hand me some warm liquid and shot bloks.  I quickly ate and got back in as the air temp was warmer than the water and if I stayed out too long I would really start to shake when getting back in (Yes, I’m aware that this is one of those signs.). 

So with my booty shaking more than Shakira (or Charro or which ever dancer who can really shake their booty), I continued to swim.  My hands, legs, and even face started to feel tight as my muscles continued to shake to create warmth.  I even resorted to kicking my legs in the hopes that this would help.  My main focus was to make it through high tide and wait for the switch to low tide.  I figured at low tide the warmer river water would be in the Bay and I would feel better.

Consider 7.5 hours later into the swim, I’ve now been in the 52 (and sometimes 50) degree water for 6.5 hours.  I was really beginning to struggle.  My stroke rate was down to maybe 58.  I was cold and I wanted out.  But I only had that 30 minutes to go.  My feedings were now consisting of regular temperature water + Carbo Pro, as I quickly went through my warm liquids.   Just one more 30 minutes and I would be done.   I headed back out past 9 and 7.  As I rounded for home, I felt it…finally the warmer water.  It may have only been around 56 degrees but it felt like getting into a warm bath.  I had made it through!

Swimming Notes:

• I didn’t think about much during this swim except just keep moving.  I also just kept breaking the swim down into smaller portions.  Only 4×1 hour swims and 8×30 minute swims. 
• It was really great to see my parents walking the beach with me.  It was nice to have the company.  Although I have to remind people that during my swim they become my TV for the duration.  I always forget to tell people that so I see some pretty strange things.
• A swimmer and the crew have two very different experiences through a swim.  My mom pointed out that there were seals in the bay.  I never saw them or heard them.
• Not only was I transformed into one of the best booty shakers around, I also became Swamp Thing.  There were a ton of weeds in the water during the shifting of the tides.  I at least learned how to swim through the flotsam and jetsom.  I did manage to acquire a good rash from the weeds that ended up in my suit.  I guess I’m back to being itchy.
• Crew are critical in long training swims. 

There are a team of people that help me immensely in my training by torturing me. I love them for it. There is a small part of me that hates them for it too. I know that without them, I wouldn’t be as far along in my shoulder recovery as I am today. They keep me moving from one long swim to the next. And for this they should be recognized.

First we have Michelle “Strong Arm” Ogden, my massage therapist. She is a petite little thing, but she pacts quite a punch. I know she gets distinct pleasure of tackling my massive knots in my shoulders and back. Although she may curse me as well due to the work that she has to put into it.

Next on the torture team is the Athetic Training Department. Each one of them has their own unique brand of torture for me. They all swear that all the exercises will make me and more importantly my shoulders stronger. However there are times when I think they are just trying to see in what new ways I can contort myself. I’m sure they look at me and think “Look at what we got her doing now”. The team is as follows: Kathy McCleavey, Bryce Gillespie, Andrew Rager, and Jennifer Stuhmer.

Dr. Russel “Bone Crusher” Kort, D.C. is responsible for making sure that all my body parts are in alignment and moving like a greased hinge. Without his help on atlas adjustments and spinal adjustments, I would definitely have more trouble bilateral breathing than necessary.

Lastly and the newest addition to the group is my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Greenleaf. I finally convinced myself to go to the doc to see really what was going on with my shoulders as by now my right one has started acting up. After some pulling, pushing, some small exercises and some x-rays the diagnosis…impingements in both shoulders. This means that my rotator cuff muscles are getting slammed into the shoulder joint by my larger back and pec muscles. For the record, this is what my athletic trainers thought and my 1.5 hours of physical therapy 4 times a week is around strengthening these little buggers. The Doc recommended cortisone shots in both shoulders to alleviate the swelling and to help aid in the strengthening exercises. I had to research on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s website regarding this treatment. It fell in the gray area. They can be done but only with proper authorization. I have since emailed and received approval for the shots from the CSA, Ltd. I will be moving forward with the shots on Monday.

It is too these health care professionals that I send a big thank you for helping me achieve my goal and make sure that I get there in one piece.

Again another early morning for me.  I woke up at 4:30am and hit the road to Nehalem Bay at 5:30am.  I wasn’t planning on starting this early, but Jane and Kim were getting together in the afternoon to work on the feeding basket and I felt it important that I be there.

I arrived in Nehalem around 7:20 and got down to the business of getting ready for the swim.  I was just arriving shortly after high tide.  Since 2 weeks ago the water was 50 degrees at high tide, I wanted a water temp reading before starting.  It was running around 62-64.  Looks like the currents have shifted again.  Some of the fishermen I was talking to were disappointed that the temp had gone up again.  They then freaked out when I said I was getting in to swim.  Oh well. 

It was grey when I started the swim, but gradually the sun began to shine.  I made sure at my feedings to eat more.  I also made my liquid Carbo Pro mixture much stronger than yesterday per Jane and Kim’s advice.  I managed to avoid hitting the wall during my training.  It turned out to be a very good swim, even though I was completely knackered from the previous day and very little sleep.

Swim Notes:

• Yes, I do need stronger mixture of Carbo Pro in my liquid feedings.
• 62-64 degrees does feel like a warm bath to me these days.  I wish the current would change again so I could deal with more cold water.  I guess I’ll have to go back to more frequent ice baths.
• Dogs that are being walked on the beach are very confused by me.  They usually wade out into the water to get a good look.  This is can be uncomfortable for me because I’m really not sure how the dog or owner are going to react.  I’ve found that if I remove my goggles it makes the dogs less apprehensive.  The owners keep saying that the dogs want to save me.  Perhaps they do, or perhaps they are just curious.
• No songs.  I just really enjoyed watching the clouds being burned off and the sun shining on my back. 
• Earplugs – not going to use them.  I find that I’m more comfortable in the water when I can hear more than just the sloshing of the water.  Yes, the water can be cold as it comes into and out of my ears, but I’m more at ease when I can hear clearly.

How do you think one of my friend’s would love to start their birthday celebration?  By getting 3 hours of sleep and helping me do a night swim of course!  As you can see, there are lots of people making a lot of sacrifices for my dream, which I am eternally grateful.

Elizabeth’s Birthday Muffin:

At Saturday morning/Friday night 2:20am, Jane, Elizabeth and Kim R all met me just outside the Henry Hagg Lake park reserve.  We drove into the lake area and unpacked to start a long swim of 7 hours.  I was testing a new rash guard and a new pair of clear goggles, which are necessary when swimming in the dark.  Now I personally dislike clear goggles as I don’t like people to see my eyes as I swim.  I like to add that intimidation factor with mirrored goggles.  I have dropped the mirrored goggle and switched to smoke as mirrored were just a little too dark.  Ok enough about goggles.

I of course turned myself into a lightning bug again my attaching glow sticks to my suit and cap.  I also attached some light sticks to the front and back of the safety kayak.  Jane had the first 2 hour stint with me out on the water.  She guided, watched the time, and made sure I took my feedings.  Unlike the first night swim, I didn’t get sea sick and wasn’t as nervous.  Maybe it was because I was starting at night rather than starting at dusk and loosing the light.   I honestly can say that during these 2 hours, I had absolutely no idea where I was on the lake.  From what Jane said, we also had less batty visitors during this swim.

Getting Geared Up:

Lightning Bug:

Setting out into the dark:

The second 2 hours shift was taken by Kim R.  It was now around 5am and the light was just starting to come up.  The sky started to turn from black to light grey. Kim also started noticing my eyes.  She mentioned over the two-way radio that I looked like a zombie.  I have to be honest, I was most likely zoned out at the time.   See this is the reason I wear dark goggles.  Oh well. 

Round 3 – Elizabeth took over.    We were tooling around the lake in the beautiful sunshine.  It was just amazing.  The lake was calm (I know I know not good practice).  There were only a few fisherman out on the lake and one water skier.  All in all very calm.  With this being Elizabeth’s first foray out in a kayak, I would give her an A+ as she had to manage direction, time, feedings, etc.  Not easy to handle when you are just learning how to kayak.  

With 6 hours completed, the decision was made that since it was light I would do a quick normal lap of Hagg Lake (swim from Boat Ramp C to Sain Creek up the right side of lake to no wake zone and back again).  During this time, the girls would pack up the cars and kayak.  I was very sore at this point, but off I went.  I figured that once I completed the lap I would just get out.  Jane had very different plans.  I returned to the starting point and she just looked at me, shook her head and said ”That’s only 6:40. Get going”  Now this is just what I need in a crew member, the will to push me further.  I went off for another shorter lap.  As I came back in, I stayed out a ways while shouting “Am I done yet?”  Jane calmly said, “Yeah, you can come in”  I knew that if I swam all the way in and she told me that I wasn’t done that it would be very difficult for me to swim away for one more round.  All in all I swam 7 hours 1 minute and 38 seconds, my longest swim to date.

Thank you Elizabeth for starting your big birthday celebration by kayaking and sitting huddled on the beach.  Thank you to Jane and Kim for the support and working on a feeding apparatus.  Also thanks for pointing out that I probably didn’t consume enough food to keep my energy level up during that last hour.  We will work on changing this in the future.

Swim Notes:

• Surprisingly not many songs went through my head.  At least none that I remember.  I felt more robotic on this training swim.
• I did have a large hankering for french toast when the sun came up though.  I even shouted it out at one point.  (Note: I never did get a chance to get some french toast.)
• Goggles need to be loosened when you put a light stick in the strap.  Critical to do this before starting swim and getting headache.
• Make sure to have a change of goggles ready when the sun comes up as clear goggles can be too bright when it is a sunny day. 
• The new rashguard works fantastically.  I’m switching from my home mixture.  The rashguard is Headhunter Rashguard.  It is made for surfers.  2 thumbs up in my book.  I will continue to test it in the next two weekends when I complete my split Channel swims.

What a strange journey this continues to be! 

I just had a great dinner with Sybil Fisher, the first solo Oregon Channel swimmer.  She shared a 15 minute clip of her Channel swim and it showed just how challenging the race can be.  She spoke of the low points and suggestions to get through them.  She spoke of the pain and her ways of dealing with them.  She said that I have to be mentally prepared.  From my training, she says I’m right on track what needs to be in place is the mental attitude that I will not quit. 

After some rough months, I think I’m back mentally where I need to be.  I can do this.  I’ve definitely done the training.  And frankly I’m planning for a 14 hour swim, but if it takes me 2o then that is what it will take.  I’m committed to this.    I have the support from so many and I realize that while this is my personal journey there are a lot of people along for the ride buoying me along the way.

I knew after last years trip to Ketchikan, AK for the Pennock Island Challenge that I would return again.  In 2006, I had signed up for the Channel and Alaska was going to me my first introduction into cold ocean swimming.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I started taking cold showers and ice baths to prepare.  The entire time people just telling me I was crazy to even consider this.  After a while I began to think that they were right.  I couldn’t find another swimmer who thought that this sounded like fun.  That was until I reached Ketchikan.  The event in 2006 was small with me being the only out of state swimmer.  There were 21 swimmers total and only 3 soloists, all women.  But man what a crew of people; I have never felt so at home as I did that weekend in 2006.  I was welcomed into the fold of cold ocean swimmers with open arms and I loved it.  I knew then that I had made the right decision to go after my dream of the English Channel.  I managed to stay in contact with the Alaska swimmers through out the year and was looking forward to seeing them this year.

Now the 2007 adventure gets a little interesting.  Somehow I convinced 4 of my triathlete/running friends to come up to swim a relay and I convinced a sprint butterflier to come do the event as a solo.  I know that my tri/running friends were coming to show support as I have gone to plenty of running and triathlons to cheer.  As the event became closer, I think all of us became a little bit more nervous.  I wanted to ensure that they were well informed and had as much fun as I did the previous year.  They were getting nervous about the cold and the potential wildlife that the ocean presents. 

The Group – Kim B., Kim R., Jill V., Jane B., Elizabeth K:

Prior to arriving in Alaska, Willie sent an email explaining that there would be 38 swimmers, which included 16 soloists.  16!!!  The event had grown.  I arrived in Ketchikan and was picked up by Kathy.  It was then that I saw the list of swimmers.  There were successful marathon swimmers from all over the world.  On the list there were the following:

• 3 English Channel swimmers, of which 2 were successful
• 3 successful Catalina Channel swimmers
• numerous other successful long marathon swims which would take me forever to list here
• James Pittar, a blind marathon swimmer from Australia and Luis Castro, a swimmer from Brazil and plenty of accomplished swimmers from all over the States.

I was a minnow among the Great Whites and I was humbled to be in their prescence.  In true swimming fashion the arms were opened and we were all welcomed.   For all the support and guidance that they provided I can never thank them enough.  And I feel like my group of swimming friends continues to grow in wonderful and amazing ways. 

Saturday most of us spent it out doing a short 1K swim in Settler’s Cove.  Most of the time was spent talking and sharing stories.  The swim actually felt secondary to the socializing.  My butterflying friend decided to come along and test the waters.  She of course swam fabulously and finished a very strong 3rd.  My other friends had made the decision that they would enter the cold waters once and that would be the day of the Pennock.  Now the Settler’s Cove 1K proved to me that the waters were much warmer than last year.  It is strange to thing that 63 degrees actually is starting to feel like luke warm bath water to me.  The human body has amazing ways to adapt.

The Pennock Island swim was on Sunday.  I knew that the 4 person relay would be just fine after I saw them laughing and joking with their boat captain at the Saturday safety meeting.  (Turns out Cliff was a Johnnie that graduated in ’93.  I’m pretty sure that he and my brother knew each other…small world) Jill also met her safety kayakers.  I was going to be escorted by Mike Rath who helped escort me the previous year. 

Finish Re-enactment by Jill and Michelle:

Mike Rath and Michelle:

Race day was beautiful.  The sun was shining and we were all set to go.  With all the swimmers in the water, the race started.  I decided to see how long I could hold a fast pace.  Ok, I really wanted to see if I could race with the big dogs.  I held a good pace along the south island into the east channel up until the north part of the island.  And then my arms turned to noodles.  Mike kept encouraging me and saying I was gaining on the leaders with every stroke, but I knew that I wouldn’t be gaining anymore.  Now it was time for me to work through the pain and get back to a good strong stroke.  I made sure that I didn’t look for the red buoy that marked the end of the race.  (I did this the previous year and you can see the buoy for a very long time and it never seems to get closer).  I just tried to focus on Mike and my stroke.  At the 3rd feeding, Mike pointed to the red buoy and said “It is right there”  and it was.  I decided to skip the 3rd feeding and get down to the business of finishing.  I came in 5th behind a 2-person relay and 3 solo swimmers.  I finished in a time of 3 hours 9 minutes, which was 30 minutes faster than last year…but the North bouy was cut out of the race, which accounts for my faster time.

Jill came in not long after me.   We both had the opportunity to cheer in a lot of the other swimmers and enjoy one of the best hot chocolates I have ever tasted.  After a quick break,  I went back out to meet up with the relay team.  I wanted to provide any support that I could.  Turns out that they didn’t need me.  They were doing AMAZING.  Here was a team that was concerned they wouldn’t finish within the 5 hour alotted time and they were cruising in at 4 hours.  I think that they have all verified something that I already knew “WE ARE SWIMMERS!”

Again the event was amazing and even 3 of my friends have said that they would consider returning.  Willie and his family along with all the other volunteers put on such an incredible event.  If you are into swimming and looking for an event, this one should definitely be put on the list.  Check it out: http://www.alaskateamada.com/

Swimming Notes:

• No songs really played through my head this day.
• Earplugs – Not a big fan.  I tried them both days.  I understand why swimmers say that they keep them warmer, but I don’t like when the little bits of water get through.  In addition, I can’t hear anything and I find I like the sound of the water and my stroke.  I will give them another go.
• Swimsuit – I now have two contenders for the big day.  Both have been tested and come out ok.  Not to bad on the chaffing.
• Apparently there were 4 orcas in the water during the race.  I unfortunately did not see or hear them.  My friends saw a seal.  One of these Pennock trips I want to see orcas or wild bears or something more than just really big fish.

To Elizabeth, Jane, Kim R, Kim B and Jill – Thank you for taking a dip into my world.  I’m not sure that I could do the same for you in the running world.  I have been blessed with such supportive friends.  I know that gardens, school work, house work, social lives have been sacrificed to help me on my dream.

To Willie and the Pennock volunteers:  You all continue to make this a special event for all the participants which is evident in the race growth.  Thank you.

To the Pennock swimmers:  Thank you for showing me the place where I “fit” and reminding me that I am not alone.  You have shown me the importance of crew, training and most importantly fun and laughter.  Good luck on all your future swims.

So I’ve received a few emails about the Alaska Adventure.  Bear with me as I go catch up on the following:

• Work – very important as it pays the bills and is going to pay for these crazy endeavors
• Laundry – even though my work has a lenient dress code, I think arriving in my PJs would be a bad idea
• Grocery shopping – OK this doesn’t take very long as I just have to buy more boxes of Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese, milk and butter.
• Cleaning the house – well Mom and Dad are coming out for a training session soon and I don’t want them to think my house is a complete disaster.  I mean the fact that I’m eating macaroni and cheese out of a box is bad enough, but I have moved up to the organic brand.  Very tasty.

I will post Alaska stories very soon.  Sufficed to say I was a minnow among the Great Whites. 

Turns out that there is a way to track the Channel boats when they are navigating a swimmer across.  That and you can see most of the other boats in the Channel.  You need to register on this site.  I registered as Macyswim for the company and as Channel Swimmer. 

Once you have access to the site: Select Europe > English Channel > Dover Straits (upper right corner of website).  From there you can click on the square that states Dover Calais to get a closer view.  I’ve listed below some of the Channel escort boats.  I will be on the Viking Princess with Reg Brickell on my Channel swim.

http://aisfree.aislive.com/Influx.aspx

Escort Boats:

Viking Princess – Reg Brickell

Sea Venture II – Ray Cooper

Louise Jane – Andy King

Samallen P40 – Fred Mardle

Pathfinder – Eric Hartley

SeaKing – Kevin Sherman

Sea Satin – Lance Oram

Gallivant – Mike Oram

Seafarer II – Chris Osmond

Suva – Neil Streeter

Anastasia – Eddy Spelling

Ocean Breeze – Dave Whyte

Note: These are most of the CSA and CS&PF escort boats.  At the time that I wrote this, both the Louis Jane and Viking Princess were out in the Channel.  However, this does not mean that they have a swimmer out as most of these boats are also working boats that will be out on days that it is not a good swim day.  The Viking Princess is a fishing vessel.