Nabble - Hudson River Swim for Life Forum

THANK YOU TO RICHARD CLIFFORD

2009-10-29T06:32:43Z

This is a long overdue thank you to Richard Clifford who organized the efforts of over 100 kayakers to safely guide us across the river on Sunday September 13, 2009.

Re: Enterococcus Count and Water Quality

2009-09-12T15:48:04Z

Dear Coppertop,

We addressed the water quality at the swim safety meeting on Wednesday night. The water is tested every few weeks as noted in the Riverkeeper data on their site. We advise folks that if you have a weakened auto immune system and the water quality has the potential for higher than normal counts you may want to consider not swimming, the choice is yours. The swim last year was held on September 9th and the water sample was taken two days prior to the swim. The counts were high due to tropical storm Hanna which produced 4 plus inches of rain on several days.

To my knowledge, no one got sick after last years swim and if so it was not reported to us. Moreover, I have not had anyone report to me over the past 18 years that they were made sick by swimming in the Hudson during our swim.

I hope to see you at the swim.

Sincerely,
Dennis Chillemi
Founder, Hudson River Swim for Life

Re: Enterococcus Count and Water Quality

2009-09-12T11:32:45Z

What I plan to do is go tomorrow and see what the organizer's thought s are on this. August 22 is a few weeks ago and thewater changes all the time. There has been so much rain the last few days I cannot imagine that does not have an effect on the colony count. Are you planning on still swimming?

Re: Enterococcus Count and Water Quality

2009-09-12T10:08:00Z

That is my understanding. I would think that if it is that bad, the race organizers would either cancel the swim or post a warnnig to swim at your own risk. I'm on the fence. What do you think? Anyone else have thoughts?

Re: Enterococcus Count and Water Quality

2009-09-12T08:18:07Z

I just read your entry. It is very concerning. If in fact the colony count is that high the water is not acceptable to swim in according to the EPA. Is that your understanding?

Enterococcus Count and Water Quality

2009-09-11T13:31:13Z

Is anyone concerned about water quality? I went on the www.riverkeeper.org site and found this disturbing data: http://www.riverkeeper.org/special/swimmableriver/data.php?id=28E

On Aug. 22 (last sample) the count was in the red zone at 8664. Last year on swim day it was in the red zone at only 627.

Anyone have thoughts/fears on this?

Re: Question about water temp...

2009-08-14T05:46:10Z

hi there!

I was in the river last saturday and it was about 74 degrees. I've done the swim eight years in a row and the water is always surprisingly warm. I've never used da wet suit, I'd say only abot 10% of the people do. I heard they make it much easier to swim so I might get one this year as I'm getting kind of old and I do find that I get chilled after being in for more than an hour.

Question about water temp...

2009-08-13T12:43:58Z

Is it a reasonably comfortable temperature? I prefer not to wear a wetsuit.

Re: recommendations for open water training

2009-06-22T16:54:17Z

Hi there!
Just read your message about training for the swim. I can only talk from my own personal experiences. If I do the swim again this year, it will be my 9th time. Up until my first river crossing, I had only swum a mile at a time, and always in a pool and I was nervous that I couldn't swim three miles. I am a fairly strong swimmer, I do a mile in about 30 - 35 minutes. I never tried to swim three miles (216 laps) in a pool prior to my first swim and other experienced open water swimmers told me not to worry. Adrenalin sort of takes over, plus, you are more buoyant in the river (it is very saline), plus of course you can rest -- so it isn't as daunting as it seems. That said, the currents of course can be wicked so pool/lake swimming really doesn't help with getting used to currents. In any case, you mentioned you have a kayaker and that is great, hopefully they will also be with you in the river. I've done the swim with and without "dedicated" kayakers and it makes a world of difference to have sombody next to you.

All of that said, I know you're asking specific questions about a lake, so I'll share your question with some other folks. I do know that there is a small group of people that swim at 6 am in the Hudson on Monday, Wed & Fri mornings. Maybe you could join them?

Lauren

Good Luck Josh!

recommendations for open water training

2009-06-22T07:00:55Z

Hi Everyone:
I registered for the swim and have been training in a pool since September. I am very excited about the swim. My question is: As I have never done any significant swimming outside of a pool, I would like to try some longish swims in lakes this summer before the big day. Does anyone have any suggestions? We own a kayak and my wife would paddle next to me so I am not concerned about safety but I would like some place reasonably free of heavy boat traffic where I could swim unmolested.

Thanks!

Josh

Re: Question about TS Hanna

2008-09-10T16:32:14Z

Just curious, did you swim on Sunday? I know you had reservations about participating. I hope you did swim and that you had a good experience. The currents were wicked! I hope you'll participate next year. What is fun, is the fact that the river is an ever changing body of water and each year's experience is unique. The most important factor is that we are all contributing to a very important cause.

Stay Strong, and we'll see you next year

Re: Welcome to the Hudson River Swim for Life

2008-09-10T16:28:37Z

This year's swim definitely was more challenging than the other seven I have done (although 2001, which was my first was also rough). The river is an even changing body of water and we have no control over the currents so each year is a unique experience. I'm happy that we had the opportunity to even swim as scheduled considering the fact that hurricane Hanna's aftermath was a factor. KUDOS to everyone who helped organize an event of this magnitude. I can't wait until next year's swim!

Re: Welcome to the Hudson River Swim for Life

2008-09-10T12:27:53Z

Dennis,
I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity to be involved in such an event.
I watched the swim in 2007 and decided at that point to get involved in Team in Training. Let me say that being involved in the process was even better than watching it. The swim was challenging this year but that only added to the excitement. I am already looking forward to next year. I was great meeting you and all of the people on your staff. Team in Training is an excellent organization for folks of all levels of experience. If someone has stumbled into this website and is wondering if this is the event for them, the answer is a resounding YES!!!

Re: Question about TS Hanna

2008-09-04T13:38:47Z

There isn't an alternative date for the swim. If the weather is bad, the swim doesn't happen. In the past 16 years, this hasn't happened. This is my 8th swim and the previous seven all took place on perfect summer days! We all just got an email from Diandra of LLS and she said the following:

"We will watch the weather very closely as the weekend nears. The forecast for Sunday, at this time, looks like it will be clear. We will send an email blast out sometime on Saturday evening as we know more about the storm. There is no alternative date for the swim so we will wait and see what the conditions are like on Sunday morning."

Even if the weather clears, my hope is that, as you say, the river is swimmable. We'll have to wait and see what mother nature does.

Good luck, and don't be nervous!

Re: Question about TS Hanna

2008-09-04T10:41:58Z

We will watch the weather very closely as the weekend nears. The forecast for Sunday, at this time, looks like it will be clear. We will send an email blast out sometime on Saturday evening as we know more about the storm. There is no alternative date for the swim so we will wait and see what the conditions are like on Sunday morning.

Question about TS Hanna

2008-09-03T15:06:54Z

I have been watching the weather and it now seems that TS Hanna may be affecting our area this weekend. When is a decision made about whether we will swim or not? How will we be notified? Is there an alternative date in these type of extreme cases? A tropical storm going through here, even the night before, would really agitate the river. Just getting a little nervous, because I really want for the swim to happen, but I want to make sure it is safe since it is my first time. Thanks for your reassurances and information ahead of time.

Re: Unsure if I should try

2008-08-29T13:17:10Z

It sounds to me like you won't have any problems with the swim. I will be doing it for the eight time this year (I'm 54). The first time I did it, I was a dedicated lap swimmer, swimming six times a week, a mile each time. I was petrified of trying three miles in open water. I never tried to swim more than three miles in a pool even when I committed to doing the river swim. You are more buoyant in the water so somehow (aside from currents which can be tough) to me, at least, it seems easier. Plus adrenalin keeps you going. And, being out in the river, looking up at the bridge is an awesome experience you'll never forget. So give it a try, you won't regret it. And, remember the event is not about racing or proving something to yourself, it is about fund raising for two charities.

Re: Unsure if I should try

2008-08-28T20:17:41Z

Stacey,

I think from your post that you are probably in fine shape for this event. I am one of 3 coaches who have been training our TNT swimmers. They have been swimming 2miles, aprox 3000m, at our weekend trainings and swimming on their own during the week. I am sure that the 2200m that you are swimming with the USMS team is quality swimming and that is what is important.

The wetsuit is nice because it offers buoyancy which makes swimming a little easier and warmth if you are a person who has trouble with that; however the river is very warm right now. The average depth of the Hudson is actually only like 20ft. The main channel is deeper but only about 200ft or so. The Hudson is a shallow river so it warms quickly. Right now its in the High 70s low 80s. It will be very warm next weekend too.

For the 3mile swim across the river we will be getting in at Nyack at noon. It will be a deep water start from the dock in Nyack. There is a map of the route posted on the main page of this site right now, it's in the left colum. We are going to take off swimming south at first catching the tail end of the south bound current, do our main crossing when the tide has gone slack then ride the north current into the finish. That is the plan and we have been out checking the river and things should be great.

Don't be nervous about the 3miles. Most of the challenge is a mental one. But it sounds like you have been doing good training and it will be an amazing day. There will be hundreds of people there, a brand new one mile swim, even an exhibition water polo tournament going on between swims.

If you have other specific concerns please let me know. I think you will really enjoy the swim and will do fantastic. See you next you weekend!

Unsure if I should try

2008-08-28T17:04:11Z

Hello, I have done a bunch of mile swims in the ocean this year and a bunch of sprint triatholons. I currently swim about 2200 meters twice a week in a pool with a local masters group. I have swam all my life. If I do the swim I would wear a wet suit but I am a little intimidated. How much do people currently train for the 3 mile race? What is the current like? Do we get in the water in the a.m. or at noon? Sorry for all the quesitons. I would LOVE to do this swim-- just not sure about the the 3 miles. Any words of wisdom? Thanks, Stacey

Re: Another Question about the swim

2008-08-18T10:06:47Z

hydration does not begin the day before. I was just reading another posting on here about nutrition and hydration which offers some other good advice.

When I am getting ready for a swim I like to drink water or juices. I think its important to always eat healthy but as you approach a big event you want to eat foods that you are:
1. Used to eating
2. Like eating
3. Won't make you sick/lazy/or feel heavy
4. Have good amounts of carbs and energy
The day before I swam the channel my big dinner was a bowl of tuna fish and noodles with some celarly and carrots. That is what I wanted, but its not a guaranteed meal for success. It really is up to you and what you like.

A great thing to do on race day is to wake up to water. (or any day) but start your morning with a big glass of water. Also have a good breakfast, again I think light and energy. I ate a recovery power bar and cliff shot blocks before the channel.

During the swim you should consider drinking. I drank energy drinks every 20-30min during my channel swim. I once raced a 10k in Australia and made the mistake of swimming the race without any liquids. After the first 5k I was dehydrated and burned out.

All Kayakers have water and drinks on their boats. You can ask any of them for a drink. If you have your own kayaker (I recommend signing up a friend!) have them carrying your drinks and alert them to your desired feeding schedule.

If you want to eat during the swim, think of something easy to chew and that won't get soggy. I like swiss rolls. The hard choclate shell protects them from the water and they are quick rush of sugar and solid tastiness.

Hope this helps! See you in the river.

Re: Hudson Swim

2008-08-18T09:56:49Z

Regarding the currents and difficulty of the swim;

The currents are supposed to help us on the swim. As is always the case with open water swimming our plans are subject to the whims of Mother Nature, however, here is the plan.

Depart Nyack at Noon, head south on the tail end of the south bound current, make most of our crossing on the slack tide when the current should let you do what you want, then as the current and tide pull north we will ride them into a glorious and spectacular finish in sleepy hollow.

As for the rest of the difficulty. To me, the very begining is good because you have the adrenaline and excitement pushing you. Then as you get out into the main body of the swim it can become a little more mentally difficult. I try to have a little something to keep in my head to help me zone out and not think of the challenge. This can be different for everyone. It may be your loved ones who inspired you to swim, or the views of the Hudson valley that drew you to the river, what ever it may be you don't want to think about distance or time. Enjoy the day and get ready to celebrate your hard work, great fundraising and success.

It's coming up soon and it should be a wonderful swim.

Re: Another Question about the swim

2008-08-18T06:00:36Z

Keeping hydrated of course is very important. Drink lots of water the day before and the day of the swim and make sure to eat well, especially the week leading up to the swim. The kayaker to swimmer ratio is excellent so make sure to get a kayaker's attention at the first sign of not feeling well but hopefully this won't be necessary if you stay hydrated. Many kayakers will have bottles of water with them. Your earlier post talked about the first hour being the easiest. I've done the swim seven times and each year it is a bit different. At the pre swim meeting you'll be briefed on how the currents will affect this year's swim but an attempt is always made to take off at a time when the currents are in our favor. Actually, the hardest swim is the first, after you get past that milestone you'll probably be hooked and looking forward to more open water swims. Just try to relax and enjoy the event, it is an awesome thing to be out in the middle of the river knowing you're helping very worthy causes!!

Another Question about the swim

2008-08-16T22:54:27Z

I recently did the 1 mile Newburgh to Beacon swim and I got a headache because I was dehydrated I think. What would people who have done this swim recommend I eat and drink the morning before the Hudson 3 mile swim to avoid being dehydrated and losing energy? Thanks.

Hudson Swim

2008-08-16T22:35:44Z

First of all- Congratulations Matt!!!

Second-- I have heard from some who have done this swim that the first hour is the hardest. Is this the case because we are going against the current? Do we then swim with the current after that? Thanks. I am excited that we are getting close to the swim date. Good luck to all.

Three errors of nutrition

2008-08-15T20:31:05Z

Three errors of nutrition

Avoid eggs. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. Eating carbswill make you fat. Nutritional advice such as this has been touted for years -- but is it accurate?

Not necessarily, according to Wendy Repovich, an exercise physiologist at Eastern Washington University, who did her best to dispel several common nutrition misconceptions during a health and fitness summit held recently in Dallas.

"Eating eggs will raise your cholesterol . " This myth started because egg yolks have the most concentrated amount of cholesterol in any food, Repovich said. However, when eaten in moderation, eggs do not contain enough cholesterol to pose health risks, she said.

"Most people avoid eggs and probably if they have any kind of cardiovascularrisk their physicians tell them to avoid eggs," Repovich said. "But really, there aren't a whole lot of studies that show that one or two eggs a day really make a difference to cholesterol levels."

"Eating carbohydrates makes you fat" is another myth. Cutting carbs from the diet may help a person shed pounds due to water loss from a decrease in carbohydrate stores, Repovich said, but eating carbs in moderation does not directly lead to weight gain.

Here's another myth. "Drink 8 glasses of water a day." Repovich said people need to replace water lost through breathing, urinating, sweating each day -- but that doesn't necessarily total 64 ounces of water.

"I see an awful lot of people carrying bottled water around," Repovich said. "I think people are still under the impression that they have to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but most people don't realize they get water from other sources in the diet."

And too much water can be harmful, Repovich warned, leading possibly to an imbalance in the body of sodium, a condition called hyponatremia.

It's also a myth, Repovich said, that everyone needs vitamin supplements, although she admits to popping a multivitamin each morning. People who eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, along with moderate amounts of a variety of low-fat dairy and protein and the right quantity of calories, probably don't need a vitamin supplement, she said.

"But for the most part, we don't eat the way we should so probably a simple multivitamin is good for most people," Repovich said.

Walking is one of the best ways to keep healthy

2008-08-12T20:26:03Z

Walking is one of the best ways to keep healthy

　　Walking，the world'smost natural exercise， is one of the best ways to keep healthy. It is less dangerous than running. Walking strengthens muscles without stretching them too much and it puts less pressure on bones and joints.Many people are active in what is called fitness walking .They take short walks a few times each week to improve their health .Fitness walking can be done almost anywhere and anytime No special equipment is needed.

　　Experts advise drinking a lof of liquids， especially water before and after each walk and also gently stretching the muscles and joints that are most likely to become tense during the exercise.

　　The most effective way to walk is the natural way. Keep your head high and your back straight .In fitness walking it is important to remember your foot steps should fall almost in a straight line.Bend your arms at elbows .Let them swing from the shoulders with each step.

　　Walking is good for the health of your body.And studies have provided details about the link between walking and your emotional health.A group of students were asked to describe their feelings of energy and tension before a ten-minute fast walk.When they returned，they felt less tired and more full of energy.This feeling lasted one hour .Even after 2 hours the students felt less tired than they had before the experiment.

　　Short walks can also help make personal problems seem less serious .One group of subjects described the seriousness of their personal problems such as job worries ，or failing marriage.They went for a ten-minute fast walk .When they came back，they said their problems seemed less threatening.Improvements were not observed everyday，but after 3 weeks，the differences became very clear.

YES WE DID IT!!!! England to France

2008-07-16T02:20:25Z

Sorry for the delay in getting this up. Between my brain being fried and bad internet connections it took me a couple days. Today is Wednesday 7/16, but on SUNDAY JULY 13, 2008 I SWAM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL! ENGLAND TO FRANCE! 10hrs and 50minutes. Alright so now for all the details.

Last I wrote I was still waiting. I spent my last week leading up to the Channel Crossing swimming about an hour a day and watching DVDs and eating my face off with the rest of the time. I tried to swim in a pool one day but I had to get out because my toes literally felt like they were on fire! During the course of my last week I met some more cool people at the beach; Karah from San Francisco, Jeff from Colorado, Neil from San Fran, a team and solo swimmer from Iceland. Anyway on Saturday Ali gave me the green light that Sunday was the big day. I went to bed early, no problems sleeping and was up early ready for GAME DAY!

I got on Alison Steeter’s boat at around 6am. They still had some boat things to do before motoring off to Shakespeare Cliff to start so I went below and took a nap. They woke me up earlier than most swimmers because I am so pale and had to sunblock-up. My mother Dolores Dios her boyfriend Tom and my friend and goalie Kyle Davis were on the boat with me. Alison was my pilot and had her crew there too. Kyle took a funny photo of me (not posed) where I am jumping off the boat “Peter Pan” style. I swam up onto Shakespeare beach, took a knee, said a prayer and then got up to swim. They blew the horn and then I was in the water, not too quickly, I go slow even if I had just been in there. I took off swimming fast though, and almost crashed into the boat in record time. Everyone was screaming at me and I stopped a few feet from the back of the boat. I then moved to the right side of the boat and set off towards France.

The swim was amazing. The water is so clear. People always wonder what swimmers think about while swimming. Honestly, I prefer to zone out. The temperature was 61 when I started and got warmer the whole way across. When I swim I count my strokes between breathes. It is very rhythmical. 1, 2, 3, breath, 1, 2, 3, breath… etc. This occupies my main thoughts on something, then I just have to worry about that subconscious voice. I am a religious person. I went to High School at St. Benedicts in Newark, NJ. During the first half or so of the swim I was mostly thinking to myself how amazing the day was and to appreciate the perfection and beauty of God’s creations, and how lucky I was to be out in the middle of the Sea experiencing things that many people may never experience.

The day was great. The Sun shinned on my back all day long, the Sea was as flat as you could pray for and the water did not feel very cold. But the swim wears on. I did not wear a watch but I counted my feeds. When you are swimming your crew has to feed you so you have the strength to go on. When they decided, about every 20-30min, Kyle or my Mom would lie down on the side of the boat and reach down to me with a cup of warm Maxim. I would swim ahead of them, flip on my back, glide back – grab the cup, roll over and tread while drinking. Chris one of Ali’s crewman was great. If I took a second longer than he liked he was “Encouraging” me to continue. “This is Not a McDonalds!” “Quit Sight Seeing!” “SWIM!” But I did not take too long anyway. I didn’t want to stop. I was swimming with a steady stroke count the whole way, about 71 strokes per minute. In a pool that would take me over 75yds below 100yds, I have an ugly short non-rotating water polo style stroke. Kyle and Charlie from Kingsdown joked watching me once that if they didn’t know me they wouldn’t think that stroke would get me to France. As the day wore on my stroke stayed the same, strong all the way but I think I was pulling less water sometimes.

So I counted my feeds and put it in my head that the swim would take me like 16 or 18hrs even though I hoped that I was lying to myself. Eventually we hit the shipping lanes and that was cool. Ali timed it right and we didn’t have to stop but there were huge super tankers, cargo ships and all sorts of things. I got very excited seeing them because when I am back in New Jersey I watch them from my Mom and Grandmother’s porch. I kept saying that those boats were going to my house. Jeff from Colorado left a few minutes ahead of me and I was chasing him all day long. He was a very strong swimmer and unfortunately I heard he actually got held up by one of the tankers. Apparently Ali overheard the radio conversation and the Ship Captain was from Russia or Eastern Europe and have never heard of Channel Swimming and kept saying he saw the boat but no swimmer. I don’t think the stop hurt Jeff very much. He completed his swim in 10:30.

Another cool thing about the shipping lanes was there were these crazy seagulls. I think they must live off the ships. They also might of thought I was food because the kept buzzing me. They were flying what felt like just inches over me. They were lucking I was on a liquid diet because I probably could have used my polo legs to pop up and grab one of them! They might mess with some people making them think they are closer to shore than they actually are, but I had a good idea where I was so it was nice to have the company. I had some other company that nobody, Thank God, told me about. A SHARK! Apparently there was a big ‘ole 15ft shark swimming out in front of our boat. The crew reassured Mom and everyone that I had nothing to worry about because he, “Only ate the little beasties” aka “fish” I’m glad nobody told me because I would have been worried.

About 5 or 6 hours into the swim my left leg started hurting. My hamstring or something in the back of my knee hurt on every kick. So I stopped really kicking with my left leg after a while. My shoulders took turns hurting. I threw up a little in my mouth about 3 times while swimming, my back hurt, my hands got sore. I never said anything or complained though. I just drove on. If you stop to complain it just makes the thing that is bothering you worse, it gets in your mind and you need to stay mentally strong. When the swim got worse I started thinking about Jesus, John F. Kennedy and Alvar Nunez Cabaza de Vaca. Cabaza de Vaca was a Spanish Sailor who ship wrecked with his crew in Florida and walked all the way back to New Mexico and then Mexico city back in the 1500s or so. Hs crew was him and three others after the wreck. When things got bad for him he reassured himself that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was much worse. JFK swam 16 miles in the Pacific dragging a friend with his teeth! I always thought that Jesus is God, so he could have gotten off the cross whenever he wanted but he chose to stay on there. I imagine that the pain and fear all of those men felt was infinitely worse than the little bit of discomfort that I felt. So I’d put my head down and drive on.

I had Alison Streeter, the Queen of the Channel taking me across with the best crew anyone could hope for. I had nothing to fear or worry about. Kyle said I got less witty as things wore on. One time, Kyle tried to tell me how France was getting closer. I was not letting myself look or think about France. I told him, “That’s a … that’s a … Visual… a visual lie!” then Ali was like, “An Optical Illusion?” and I was like “Yes! That’s why you’re the Queen!” then put my face back in the water and kept on swimming.

Eventually I got really close to France, obviously, and then during a feed Ali was like this might be your last feed. I was thinking, great, am I close or is she going to make me swim the last hour or so with no food. I had myself at 11:30 in my head when it was actually probably like 10:30 or something. I kept on swimming then the boat was yelling at me again. I looked up and Kyle was in the water next to me wearing his American Flag cap just like mine. I started to think, great, I have miles to go and I am slowing down so much I need a pacer, then Kyle told me to look up and I could see people on the beach in France! My Mom and Tom took out my Grandfather’s (John Dios) flag. My Grandmother (Marcela) told me to take it with me when I told her I wanted to bring a flag. Earlier in the week I had been swimming with Karah from San Fran. One day she wore an American cap like me, the next she wore a yellow one. She said she thought the yellow was warmer. I told her, “These Stars and Stripes keep me warm.” When I saw Kyle and those Stars and Stripes flying off the boat I warmed right up, I had gotten colder as the swim wore on even though the temps were going up, and everything that hurt stopped hurting. Kyle and I swam hard the last couple hundred meters to France. There were waves and sandy beaches. I tried to body surf in. When we hit the beach I got up and took off running. I was so excited I had done it! Kyle got up and ran with me. We were sprinting across the shores of France. He was like, “How are you running right now?” I answered, “We only have ten minutes I want to see something French come on!” We ran off the beach and found a bridge. I stood on the bridge and was happy to stand on something the French built in France after swimming there. We ran back to the boat, then I was like, “Oh man, I have to swim back out to the boat!” That might have been the worst part of the whole ordeal. I got back in, and swam out. I had done it.

On the boat I started to feel bad. The salt water messed with my throat and I was having a little trouble breathing. I threw up a couple times, although I didn’t have much to throw up. I went below and went to sleep for the ride home. When we got back to Dover I felt fine. I went and took my first hot shower in ages then we went out to the Pub. We went to the White Horse, a local place where Channel Swimmers can write their name on the wall. I signed the ceiling above the door next to two of my good friends and mentors, Tim Lawrence and Matt Johnson, both US Air Force Academy graduates. Tim is in Afghanistan right now. He actually called during my swim from there. I forgot to mention that. That was a huge motivation to know he called from overseas to check on me! I yelled from the water that I had been thinking about him and my Academy roommate Ryan Tate who is in Iraq right now. Tim and Ryan really helped keep me warm while I was swimming cause I kept thinking about how hot they must be.

So I wrote on the ceiling:

The beat Air Force was a joke for my Air Force friends.

Ali came to the pub and had a drink with us. I skipped the beer and had a couple Vodkas on the rocks. I needed a strong drink after everything.

Thank you so much to Alison, Freda and Neil Streeter and everyone else in Dover who has been so supportive and wonderful to me. To my Mother who always believed in me and gave me my love of the water and supports all my crazy endeavors. And my brothers who I wish could have been with me. To Kyle for helping me train and rest, to Tom for being there and taking all the time to come over too, to my boat crew, to Tim, Matt and Karen Reeder my Air Force mentors. Karen can actually go correct my Go Army, because she is faster than me and she was a big help in my success too. To all of you who are huge parts of my life who have been supporting me and following me through all this. We all have more to do though. I have more events to complete this summer, and more money to raise for the fight against cancer. Thank you all so much though for helping me accomplish my dream.

I am in Sennen Cove, UK near Lands End right now. I will be going for a run today to start getting ready for the Ironman. I can’t wait to get back to the US and see you all soon.

Thanks again. If I forgot something or you want to know more, let me know

Week 3, Almost Game Time

2008-07-06T14:36:24Z

This was a pretty awesome and hardcore week. Since Saturday is really my Monday remember that this week began with the 6hr/5.5hr awesomeness. Then Kyle Davis came town. He got in at around midnight on Sunday and little did he know he was getting up early Monday morning to train.

Monday: Kingsdown.
Dave who I have mentioned before picked Kyle and I up at around 9:30 and drove us to the beach. Charlie was there waiting for us. He gave me a 4mile workout, but I was still tired from the weekend and misunderstood/forgot how far it was between the buoys and ended up swimming 6miles instead. Kyle was very impressive on his first day in the English Sea he swam 4miles, and I swam 6, 2 by accident. My mom made fun of me asking if I was turning into my brother Zach who has been known to run many miles by accident. All in all it was a great workout, and I felt good even with the extra mileage.

Tuesday: Kingsdown.
Back to the beach at Kingsdown with Dave, Kyle and Shivering Sean joined us too. The day was amazing! I couldn’t even believe I was in England, sorry English readers, but its true. It was so sunny and hot, yes hot, and gorgeous out. The Channel was as flat as a pancake too! I am praying for a day like that when I swim. Charlie gave us an extra long course to swim because visibility was so good. We could see details on the French countryside. Each length was 1500m, almost a mile. I swam 15k/9.3miles, and felt great. It was an amazing workout and the sun felt awesome on my back. Kyle swam a good 4miles again.

Wednesday: A Taste of The Channel.
Oxford and Cambridge have a big rivalry, part of that rivalry now spills out into the sea. There was a relay race between the two schools. Neil Streeter was taking the Oxford team and a CSA Pilot was taking the Cambridge team, Ali took us out on her boat to watch the start of the race. We were lucky enough to see a solo swimmer take off too. After the swimmers took off from the white cliffs for France, Ali through me into the sea, actually I jumped ship. I have an awesome photo of it. I swam next to the boat for a couple miles, it was great. It was great practice; and really awesome water. It is so much clearer out there and a dark green color. It was weird swimming with the boat at first, but then I got the hang out it. I have a new plan now too. I’m not even thinking about swimming to France when I go, I am having a personal competition to see how long I can swim next to Alison’s boat and if France gets in my way I’m going to get on shore and say what’s up.

Thursday and Friday were rest days, I chilled out, saw Dover Castle and the Secret World War Two tunnels and watched lots of DVDs while eating lots of food.

Saturday/Sunday: The Harbor
I did 3hours on Saturday and 2hours on Sunday. Each day I did about a 15minute warmup, before knocking out a fast 5k. Both days I did my 5k on about 1:20. I did a total of 8k on Saturday and 6k on Sunday. Both days felt good and I felt strong. Alison is thinking that Friday might be my day to go. She says there should be a 5.5m tide which should be really good. I am excited. This week I am going to keep the training light and stay lose so I am ready to kick ass. My Mom comes to town Tuesday morning and then my whole crew will be here.

I’ll be in the Harbor having fun again tomorrow. Thanks for seeing how I am doing. Please keep spreading the word and supporting me. We have raised almost $4000 to help fight cancer, almost, our goal is just over $20,000. I appreciate all the support, even just emails. Anything to give me something to think about besides swimming is great too. Oh last thing. They throw a parade in Dover on July 5th, I pretended it was for the 4th of July, even though the parade sucked and had no cops, firemen or Soldiers. Happy 4th of July, I miss America but I have a mission to complete here. See you all soon

QUALIFIED!!! 6hours and other fun/suffering

2008-07-02T08:54:41Z

Saturday was a big day for me. I headed out for my 6 hour swim, my qualifying swim. It was hard. I had it in my head to go for distance and not think about time. That didn’t last too long though. I did my first 5k in a little under 1:30, but the wind started kicking up and the water was pretty rough at one end. It’s like a conveyor belt sometimes, one way is super easy and the other way is awful. I was super hungry during my swim. When your training, you go two hours then you get a cup of drink with maxim, a carbo loaded energy drink, then every hour after you get a cup and a couple bites of food. I could probably eat a steak if someone gave me one. All the water polo training, I can stuff my face non-stop. I once remember we were eating pizza while doing shooting drills, anyway…. Back to the swim. I kept going, never got too tired or cold and felt great and finished up my swim. Qualified!

When I got home after eating my face off. I found out I was expected to do 7hrs today! (Sunday) So I ate non-stop, seriously all Saturday afternoon and night. Got a good nights sleep and got up to swim again. I really never felt good today though. I got cold early which surprised me cause I haven’t been cold, but I kept going, and later my shoulder (right) started hurting. I changed my stroke up where I wasn’t pulling across my body but doing a straight arm recovery instead, hoping to use less muscles in my shoulder, but it didn’t help enough. I ended up getting out after 5:30. I was pretty disappointed with that. I was supposed to do the 6/7 so I would have done a channel split. I’ll just have to pray for good conditions and a lot of strength on my actual crossing so that the 6/5.5 might be a split. I have been eating non-stop all day today and will go to Kingsdown again tomorrow. Kyle Davis, my water polo goalie gets into town tonight, so that will be great too. I’ll be taking him along to Kingsdown for his first taste of fun.

Looooong week

2008-07-02T08:52:19Z

Well this was my first week of real training. Here is the summary.

Monday I went out to the harbor myself around 5pm in the afternoon and went for about an hour alone. I wanted to make sure my shoulders were working after the injection. They were, and although it was cold it was a lot better than kicking around in my fins. At 6pm I met up with a big group of triathletes from the local Deal Tri-team. Most of them donned their wimp suits before we all headed out for a 1000m time trial. At the end I think a lot of them got out and walked back. I turned around to swim some more and ran into a couple guys from the local crew team who decided to trade their boats for speedos for the night. All in all it was right around 2hrs.

Tuesday, I went for a lovely 8 mile walk over the White Cliffs to find the Village of Kingsdown. It’s funny cause I live in the Village of Ridgewood, and that place is huge. Kingsdown has like 5 houses and a Pub. Anyway, about halfway there I realize I’m getting horrible blisters on my ankles. I think well if I turn around I have to walk 4 miles back to Dover and don’t get to swim, or I can go 4 miles to Kingsdown and swim. So I drudged on and made it to Kingsdown. Once there I met up with Charlie who was training Dave, and Shivering Sean was there too. Dave is getting ready for a solo as well and was doing his 6hr qualifier. Charlies wife and Katherine from the Tri team and a couple other people came out later too. I did three hours there, but got out a couple times to eat as much food as I could. I have discovered I need a lot, I mean A LOT of food. Luckily Dave gave me a ride home after his swim, cause my ankles were nasty.

Wednesday I looked for the guys from the crew team but they didn’t show up, so I went for a good swim in the Harbor alone. I don’t like being out there alone though. It’s nice knowing other people are in the water. Thursday I took it easy and did a workout in the pool. The pool felt so hot though that I was feeling sick in it. I took Friday off and Shivering Sean and I took a bus to London to try to go to Wimbledon. There was a 5hr line though, so we saw a movie instead. Later we got stuck in the worst bus traffic ever. All in all we spent 10hrs on the buses on Friday and saw no tennis.

Here is me being cold after swimming in the Harbor

First Weekend In England

2008-06-22T09:38:09Z

Alright, get out the red Indiana Jones markers and maps; I took off from Newark airport 8am Friday morning and flew straight across “the pond” to London, took the underground to the train to Dover and now I’m just getting ready to swim on to France. Dover is great; almost just as I remembered it, except now instead of 10 or 12 swimmers training regularly down at the harbor there must be close to 50! It’s crazy. In 2002 when I was here last it was bring your own swim caps, and do what Freda says. Well you still better do what Freda says, except now she decides what cap you wear, writes down your number and keeps a record of exactly what you do.

Let me back up a second for those of you who don’t know Dover and Freda. Freda Streeter is the General of the Channel. She is the mother of Queen of the Channel Allison Streeter, MBE. If you know what’s best for you, you better stay on her good side. Also listening to her and staying on her good side is the best way to get the training you need to get across the channel anyway. Not listening to her doesn’t do anything good for you.

Dover Harbor is about 1200 – 1400 meters across from wall to wall, and that’s where we train. It’s somewhere around 57 – 61 degrees right now depending on who you ask and how they are trying to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit.

I began training first thing Saturday morning. I did 2hours probably around 4 miles of just kicking Saturday and Sunday. Just kicking is really cold because you don’t get all the blood flow in your upper body from moving your arms, not to mention that it is pretty hard and miserable on the legs too. I get to start swimming normal tomorrow, Monday June 23rd. I had a cortisone shot in my right shoulder last Thursday so I’ve been taking it easy as per Doctor’s orders, yea kicking 4 miles a day is taking it easy. Tomorrow I am going to try for a four hour swim, we’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow night I am also going to link up with some local triathletes who are doing a 1000m time trial. They’ll all probably be wearing wetsuits, or as they call them over here, wimpsuits. We’ll see if I can’t smoke some of them.

Last night was really cool. I didn’t participate because I was taking it easy, but about 15 swimmers met up around 10pm once it was finally dark here, took a while to get dark with it being the longest day of the year, but they then put on glow sticks and went out for a nice little night swim around the harbor. I’ve got some pictures, they are blurry cause it was so dark out, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the event.

Tuesday I am going to take an 8mile walk over the white cliffs to the town of Kingsdown to meet up with some swimmers there for a four hour swim. So that should be fun.

night1.JPG
night2.JPG
night3.JPG
night4.JPG

Re: Fun Work Out! Try it

2008-06-17T13:21:58Z

An open hand technique is good, but don't get carried away. People used to always talk about cupping your hands. What you want to do is cup your hands and let your fingers be a little relaxed. Having small gaps between your fingers will allow you to pull with a larger surface. If you have small gaps the water will still get caught because of its tension. If you allow too much space then you will become less eficient as the water will pass through your fingers.

Also, try pulling in a S shaped pull so that as your arm crosses you body you are pulling through the water all the way from your finger tips to your elbow. This allows that whole area to be your paddle.

Don't forget to reach far before putting your hand in the water and to have a strong finishing push before taking your hand out of the water.

Hope this helps, let me know if you want me to clarify anything.

Re: Fun Work Out! Try it

2008-06-17T12:14:56Z

Thanks for sharing this workout. I have a question for you about stroke technique. I recently read somewhere, in an article giving advice to tri-athletes, that it is best to use an open hand technique in stroking. I am used to keeping my fingers fairly close together, though not rigid, just comfortable, forming a sort of cup. Do you agree that an open hand is more effective?

Welcome to the Hudson River Swim for Life

2008-06-17T06:36:19Z

Welcome to the Hudson River Swim for Life! I am proud and honored that you have chosen this event to participate in. The challenge is real and the rewards are life long. The Hudson River is the most beautiful body of water on the east coast and possibly in North America.
We have a remarkable team of volunteers and staff who are there to support you with all of your training needs and concerns. Furthermore, we have all made a conscious decision to raise much needed funds to support blood cancer research and to provide quality patient education and services. Please reach out if you have any difficulties fund raising we will assist you every step of the way so you can concentrate on your training.

See you in the river!

Dennis P. Chillemi
Founder, Hudson River Swim for Life

Great to Be on the Team

2008-06-15T05:45:32Z

This is my first HR swim and it's great to be on the team! I'm looking forward to our first training today. I think its AWESOME that our coach Matt is swimming the English Channel! What an inspiration!

Best,
Abby
(I do indeed, love to swim - it's the only sport I seem to do well!)