This year I have been trying to be better about how I train outside of the pool.  That is why I’ve started doing all the hydrostatic weighing and VO2Max testing. 

The new hydrostatic weighing results are in:

Back in March I was at 25.6% body fat.

Now I’m at 24.8.  I have lost 1.5 pounds of fat and gained 0.5 pounds of muscle and lost 1 pound overall.  And no Leroy I’m not disclosing my overall weight.  I commend you on what you are doing, but posting photos of me in a swimsuit to the web is the farthest I’m going.

This is good news.  I’m still on the downward trend.  We are going to do another hydrostatic weighing immediately following the Manhattan Island Swim (ok 3 days later) to see what marathon swimming really does.  Remember I lost 7 pounds on the Channel swim last year.

In addition to understanding how my body is working, I’ve started working with a nutritionist to help me ensure that I’m putting in the right fuels.  Now this I was worried about as Annie’s Mac and Cheese has become a staple dinner.  Turns out that I got to keep the Mac’N Cheese, but I had to add in a little bit more protein and veggies to the mix.  I thought this may ruin the essense of boxed mac ‘n cheese, but no it has actually just added to it.  Go figure.  I did find out that I was consuming too many refined sugars.  Perhaps the Dots and jelly candies weren’t the way to go for snacking.  I’m slowly coming around and my body seems to recover faster.

Then there is still my athletic trainer, my massage therapist, my chiropractor and my acupuncturist who are keeping the body moving, loose and limber.  I’m guessing some of you are doing some medical bill expense calculations…and yes this does get expensive, but it is worth every penny.  I’m much stronger than I was at the same point last year.  The shoulders are holding up, even if my right one has decided 10 days before Manhattan to act up.  I think it is stress.

Then there are the external aids.  This year Game Ready gratiously sponsored me with some shoulder wraps and a connector hose.  Man why didn’t I use this sooner.  Game Ready has these wraps that cycle cold water through them and they also compress on your joints.  It is a dream come true.  Now instead of 10 bags of ice or frozen peas being strapped all over my shoulders and upper arms I can do it all at once!  I love these things.  I do look like an American Football linebacker while in the shoulder wraps (Yes Leroy I will get a photo soon).  But I love these things!  In fact as soon as I’m strapped in and on my 30 minutes of compression/icing, I fall asleep.  Sort of sad to think that I sleep better wrapped in ice than I do normally.

Then there is my supplemental nutrition which you have all heard about CarboPro, CLIF shot bloks, and CLIF Builder bars.  I’ve also added apple sauce to the mix instead of canned peaches, way easier to swallow and get on with the swimming.

What else, I think I’m forgetting something.  Well there are the times that I show up at my friends houses uninvited just so I can get a home cooked meal.  They always oblige even if I do eat a meal that would feed a family of 4…for 3 nights.  Ah I love to swim because the eating is so good.  Although it does get hard to eat all the time to keep up with the training.  But I’m grateful to my friends and mom for feeding me.  (Note: Mom sent me home from MN with a suitcase full of freezer meals. I did go with the Mac N’Cheese standby last night.  I know I know, I’m sorry but it tastes so good and it has been 2 weeks.)

Oh well, I can’t remember right now.  I’ll tell you when I remember or I tell Mom and she updates you.

Dear Everyone,

I’m Michelle’s mom and am trying to help lighten my daugther’s load.  Plus, I get the opportunity to share my side of the story!

Michelle has not posted recently because she has been focusing on putting one arm in front of another and training hard for the Manhatten Island swim that is only 10 days away.  Yikes!  So, let me update you now on the latest adventures in which I have been engaged with Michelle.

All of May and June when the snow melted, Michelle swam in Hagg Lake.  So far the water has been cold enough for a good workout.  As she has mentioned before, swimming with someone helps her pace herself and helps pass the time while training for the upcoming events.  Tim continues to be her swimming buddy, and she appreciates the company.  I appreciate that my daughter isn’t out there alone like she was last year. 

This weekend Michelle and I did her training in Minnesota where all of her family lives.  She had the honor of meeting Ann Bancroft, the North and South Pole explorer, at the home of my friend on Thursday morning.   I listened as Michelle and Anne talked about possibilities and BIG goals.  Ann understands the rigors of attempting physical and mental tasks that test the limits of one’s abilities.   She also understands how some can think extreme athletes are a little crazy to have such physically strenuous goals.  Ann’s training regimen is equally physically taxing as swimming for hours in very cold water–she pulls tractor tires around her yard to strengthen herself for pulling a sled full of the supplies she needs for such for a polar expedition.   Michelle indicated that pulling tractor tires around the ground is not something she has to experience for herself.  Ann is an amazing woman who took a great deal of time for my daughter.  Michelle has already mentioned that she learned a great deal about those niggling things that have to be done in order to successfully take on the great physical challenges that seem impossible.  It was a true honor to meet Ann. 

Michelle swam 4.5 hours on Thursday and 3 hours on Friday in Lake Koronis in central Minnesota.  Although the spring has been very cold in Minnesota, I am pleased to report that the course of normal events is still on track in the great north.  The chiggars made their annual debut during Michelle’s training swims.  Michelle looks a little like she has chicken pox across her face, neck, back and places that are not on public display.  Those little buggers itch!

Thursday’s afternoon swim was more difficult than she hoped it would be.  Perhaps Michelle might have been stressed about giving her first big speech in Minnesota to the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Administrators.  While she enjoys speaking to new groups and it was especially fun to be in front of most of the principals and assistant principals of the high and middle schools in Minnesota, it is a little stressful mixed with very exciting.  The speech on Friday morning was a success and I was proud to have heard her speak.  The swim Friday afternoon proved to be more relaxing and interesting. 

The chiggars were still there but so were eagles(2) and eaglets(2), white pelicans, a very big something under the water, and a Minnesota thunderstorm.  All provided unique experiences.  I am supposed to kayak at exactly the right location next to Michelle.  I am not as good at maintaining that exact location as Michelle would like at times which leads to the normal mother-daughter exchanges about who is doing what well.  Enough of that.

Not to be a quitter, I donned my hat and slathered myself with sunscreen and dragged the kayak to the water.  We set out in the afternoon because of the morning speech.  The day was beautiful–replete with big fluffy clouds in a blue sky.  Michelle swam across the lake and headed for the first of three small islands.  The plan was to swim around them and then back across the lake. 

Only those in or from the midwest understand how a few puffy clouds can join together to become a quickly moving thunderstorm.  Michelle and I did well in the wind and rain part of the storm, but when it began to thunder and lightning, it was time to head for the shore and sit it out.  Well sitting it out involved being right under an eagle’s nest.  Neither of us have ever been so close to eagles before.  Those eaglets were big and the mom and pop even bigger.  All looked menacingly at us.  Michelle, the naturalist, told me that my job was to beat away the big birds if they decided that there was an efficiency in attacking her rather than wasting their time on small fish.  They didn’t attack and it was good to see them up close. 

Seeing some very, very large moving something under the lake water was not so good.  Michelle’s head, arms and feet all emerged from the water at the same moment when she saw a big shadow in the water.  All she could think about and related was the story of the marathon swimmer that was attacked by a crazed otter.  No attack.  Only chiggers…and you never see them until it is way too late.  Later the family consensus was that Michelle was swimming over a very, very large carp.   I told her to keep swimming in truely mother supportive way.

Saturday Michelle didn’t swim but was close to the water– she fished with her nephew, Matthew’s, tiger pole.  She caught 8 fish on one worm.  Is that a record?  It was good to see her laugh and forget about swimming for a little while as Matthew (almost 5) and Jacob (7) and Alex (9) and she caught crappies (it is NOT a long ”A” sound) from the shore.

The Manhatten Island swim is rapidly approaching and I find myself alternately excited and anxious for Michelle.  (I think she feels similarly)  I know she will do well, but once a parent always a parent.  I worry.  Since I was on the Viking Princess when she crossed the channel,  I know how much positive energy your comments brought all of us.  I am hoping that those of you that follow this commentary will send support on July 5th and before.  Those comments that I placed on the white board and hung over the side of the boat and that Michelle read supported her in many ways.  I don’t think I ever got to say thank you for that.

On the 5th I will be trying to post updates throughout the race for those interested.  Thanks to all of you who send your good wishes. 

I hope to post again before the race. 

 - Mom Macy (aka Kathleen)

Training has been going well…mostly.   So here is the updates.

June 13-15:

On Friday afternoon I decided that I wanted to get in my long swim and get the training weekend underway.  I convinced Tim to join in.  Now why Tim keeps deciding to join, I’ll probably never know, but it is nice to have someone there that holds me accountable.  So we arrived at Hagg Lake around 3pm-ish and got ready to start the 4 hour swim.  We were planning to swim our normal loop and pier to pier as I call it.  That route typically takes us about 2 hours, so 2 times through and we would be good. (Picture:  The 3 dots on the top line in the middle mark the beginning of the swim and then we head to the right to the top 2 dots (Boat Ramp C and the Victory Tree), back past the beginning into the cove.  Then up the other side of the cove (bottom line), then comes the pier to pier across the lake).

What we didn’t plan for on Friday was the wind.  We headed up to Boat Ramp C it was pretty choppy, but we were doing well.  On our way back to the starting spot, we noticed what we both thought was someone in a floating tube.  Then I noticed Tim swimming right for that person.  I took a closer look and it was an overturned canoe with a gentleman hanging off the back.  I then swam over and Tim and I swam the canoe and fisherman back to the shore.  We helped him out of the water and he was glad that his fishing vest with all his flies was still there.  He was a little disappointed that he lost his good fly fishing rod.  (Note to fisherman:  We never found your pole that day.  Sorry about that).  After the rescue Tim and I continued on our way.

Heading up to the first “pier” Tim and I noticed the waves were getting bigger.  We were swimming about 6 feet apart, but I only infrequently saw Tim as we both ended up in the troughs at the same time.  When we got to the first “pier” we looked across and made a decision that swimming across would not be a good idea.  There were a lot of fishing boats and I wasn’t wearing a balloon or anything to make us more visable, so we headed back into the cove.  (Note: Cutting out the pier to pier cuts out about an hour of the route, so we would have to do 4 “U”s to complete the swim). 

The swim progressed without much fanfare after the rescue.  Again the fisherman thought we were nuts, but it was all good.  The only mistake that I made was not bringing enough food for the 4 hour swim.  Dang it.  Something that I planned to remedy the next day.  We did end up only swimming 3 hours and 53 minutes, but I figured with saving the fisherman we were actually good for the day.

Side Story:

Often I wonder if other marathon swimmers think about the same things that I do.  I usually focus on songs and/or food.  Lately I’ve been running through speeches that I have to give in my mind.  Early on in the season, I found out that Tim had named the tree at the first “pier” position, KT.  The tree is some sort of cherry or apple tree and it reminded Tim of the KT Tungsten song “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”.  Now I’ve started to call that spot KT.  During one of our bobbing moments, of which I take more than Tim, I asked Tim if he had named any of the other locations that we swim to.  I thought he would say no, as I’ve been swimming at Hagg 3 years and I’ve never named any of the positions except for Sain Creek and Boat Ramp C, which are what the locations are called.  Boy Tim had named many of the places we swim past.  Names are as follows:

Start location = Sain Creek Pavilion.  Not very exciting as there is a pavilion there and it is called Sain Creek.

Bend on the way to Boat Ramp C = There are 3 trees, you can see them at the base of the parking lot.  The big tree Tim has named the “Mother”.  Not exactly sure why, but I have since named it the “MoFo” tree which hopefully people know what it stands for as my mom would be upset if I explained further.  Now I call it the MoFo tree as often we have to put in a short jaunt to this tree at the end of the swim as we are 15 minutes from our end time.  Now I would typically just like to get out as we are right at Sain Creek, but no we have to swim to that MoFo tree and back before getting out.  I know it is good for me.

Boat Ramp C has a tree out on the point that has been named the “Victory Tree”.  When the leaves are off the tree the main branches from a V and look like someone raising their arms up after a race. 

Back into the “U” on the top side of the map.  We have the Double Barrel.  These are 2 garbage cans on the beach that we use as a landmark before we start to swim across the cove to the other side.  Apparently to Tim they look like the double barrel of a gun.

At the end of the cove there is the “Bat Cave”.  There is a spot in the trees where there is a small path that cuts in.  It is always dark and kind of mysterious looking in the bat cave.

I don’t think that Tim has named the spot directly across from “Double Barrel” that we swim to.

Now on the other side of the cove (sort of W shaped based on the beach).  At the middle point of the “W” we have Balthazar.  Tim explained this to me about something to do with greek mythology and something of the like.  As you can tell, I’ve forgotten the reasoning.  Plus “Balthazar” doesn’t roll off the tongue so I called it “B”.

At the end of the “W” (4 dots marked before KT), we have the “Kids”.  There are a bunch of trees here that are leaning towards the water and it looks like kids rushing into the water.

Then you all already know about KT at the first “pier”.   Across the lake there is a downed tree that Tim and I must touch before heading back.  Apparently this log wasn’t named, as I asked Tim, but he quickly came up with “Lincoln”  Gotta love the Lincoln logs. 

So now after 2 years of just boring swimming at Hagg, the different locations have names and we use them to map out our course.

Back to Training stories for June 13-15.

Saturday I had planned for another 4 hour swim.  I also had brought plenty of food for the day.  I again have gone back to last summers fuel program of CarboPro and Shot Bloks.  I’ve also incorporated CLIF Builder Bars at the end of the swim as I find they really help me recover.  We took our food and bags to the waters edge to mark off a spot, so that the fishermen wouldn’t pin us into the lake by taking up all the shore property.  We set up a chair and I placed my food on the top of my bag for easy access.  We went out for our typical route for 2 hours.  Again things were going well, it wasn’t as windy today which was nice that we weren’t fighting the white caps (white horses for those in the UK).  We got back to our stuff and my food was gone.  Now this is the 2nd time that this has happened to me.  The first time I figured that someone had grabbed my Shot Bloks as they are a good fuel source.  But I had 2 bags of Shot Bloks for today and some apple sauce and my CarboPro/Water mix.  All that remained was the apple sauce and the water.  Now I was super upset because now I was again down on food and someone/something was stealing mine.  Tim looked up the beach a few feet and there was my Lemon Lime Shot Blok package.  Well one of them at least and it had been gnawed through and all the Shot Bloks were gone.  Dang those squirrels.  Now I figure the squirrels are lying in wait as Tim and I arrive and plan their scavaging strategy.  “No wait we must wait until the pier to pier.  She can’t see us then and we have 1 hour to complete the mission”  STUPID SQUIRRELS!  They don’t take any food from Tim and he carries the Nature’s Valley Oat n’ Honey granola bars.  Those squirrels find my Shot Bloks every time and whisk them away.  I’m sure that the squirrels at Hagg Lake have a ton more energy after I’ve been there.  Granted they do have good taste.

The last 2 hours of the swim I was cursing those little fuzzy creatures and planning my new strategy for having food on the beach.  Tim of course thought that this was quite amuzing, which it is but it still irritated me. 

We managed to get in the 4 hours, but I don’t remember much past the squirrels stealing my food.

Sunday – We took the day off.  YEA day off!

Next weekends training session would take me back to Minnesota.

P.S.  My mom will be helping to keep my blog updated because as Mark has so kindly pointed out…I’m behind.  I can’t seem to find enough hours in the day.  Now I don’t know if giving my mom my password is a good idea, but if it gets the info out then it is worth the risk.  You know I love you Mom!  So watch for the Mom Posts coming to this blog soon.