Transition to Cold Water

Swimming long distances in a heated pool is NOT conducive to Channel swimming. It is great for conditioning, pace and speed work; but it does not challenge one with waves, cold, sea creatures and large ships! Pool swimming over 10 km in length is also tediously boring. In contrast, there is no pace clock, lines on the ocean floor, or need to perform flip turns in the open water. It is just me and the elements. As such, I am motivated to swim longer distances by simply staying focussed on the end-point--whether that destination is 15, 20 or 25 km away.

This past week, I made a complete transition to open water.

1. May 17th 12 km (3 hrs 10 min.) swim in 10'C (50'F) Okanagan Lake in a full body wet suit. I ended up with a significant wet suit rash and vowed to hang up the neoprene for the year.
2. May 19th 3 km (45 min.) swim in 11'C (52'F) Okaganan Lake in just my Speedo, silicone bathing cap, goggles and earplugs. This is the longest sustained cold water swim I have done without the aid of a wetsuit.
3. May 20th 4 km (60 min.) swim in 14'C (58'F) Christina Lake (near Grand Forks). Christina Lake is the warmest tree-lined lake in BC. It is surrounded by the Monashee Mountain range. This was a sunset swim...just me and the Loons (no pun intended). A very relaxing swim after a long day of work-related travel and meetings. Swimming through calm waters and taking in the sun setting over the Monashees every time I turned my head to breathe, was Zen.
4. May 22nd 5 km (80 min) swim in English Bay, Vancouver. Winds were 20 knots--resulting in wind waves and some swell. Perfect conditions for Channel training. The water was a balmy 14'C! Felt great and I did not lose any stomach contents.
5. May 24th 4 km (60 min.) swim in Okanagan Lake. The lake has warmed up to a balmy 11'C! My cold water tolerance is building.
6. May 25th 5 km (1 hr 40 minutes) swim to commemorate the opening of the new Okanagan Floating Bridge. While 10,000 citizens, politicians and my family were walking the new span, I took the opporunity to swim right beside them. The encouragement I received from friends, family and spectators inspired me to keep going. Thanks to Conny, Pascale and Laura from Okanagan Masters Swim Club for escorting me safety through all of the boat traffic.

Vancouver Marathon Inspiration

My wife Joanne (far left) at KM 25 in her first marathon. She finished in 5 hours and 9 minutes!! She is an inspiration....so much so that shortly after this checkpoint, I decided to brave the 11'C (52'F) waters in my Speedo trunks. The experience went like this...

Step I: immerse self in chest-deep water and wait for body to "numb." Step II: sprint for 50 meters to stay warm. Step III or "comfortably numb" phase--settle down, relax, breath regularly and enjoy the experience. Step IV: remain conscious of the effects of hypothermia and know when to pull out. Losing dexterity & slurred speech are par for the course. Confusion, delusions and uncontrolled shivering are ominous signs. I felt really good after 20 minutes in these temperatures--definitely the coldest water I have ever swum in without a wet suit! Other than a loss of fine motor control and some slurred speech, I felt strong. I subsequently got changed and rejoined Joanne's cheering section for the last 5 KM of her marathon! We are all very proud of her accomplishment....an inspiration for my Channel attempt!

A Seal Named Sammy

Friend and fellow Channel aspirant, Mike Humphreys from Seattle, and I swam from the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver to 3rd Beach in Stanley Park and return (5.5 KM). We fought the current on the way out and rode the incoming tide on the way back in. For safety reasons, we were escorted by a kayak manned by Rod Craig (of Gooey Tube fame). We were also escorted by a silver and black spotted Harbour Seal named Sammy. The experience of swimming with seals is analogous to walking your dog. The big difference is that seals have very bad fish breath. There was quite a bit of chop in English Bay and the waters were 11'C (52'F)--still really cold. This would explain the wetsuits we were wearing. We swam for 1 hr. 40 min. in the ocean, followed by 2000 m in the pool. Beer, pasta and comaraderie followed.