Tuesday, January 29, 2008

How Does One Prepare for the Channel?

To me, swimming the English Channel is not an "extreme" sport of uncalculated risk. If I prepare myself adequately, there is no reason why I cannot achieve this goal. I consider this swim more arduous than extreme. For sure, there will be periods of exhaustion, physical pain, cold, mental anguish, despair, loneliness and boredom during my attempt. How do I prepare for these challenges?

1) Physical
I have to be prepared to swim 35-45 KM (35 KM if I swim in a straight line but 40-45 KM is more realistic in consideration of tidal current). This means I will be logging lots of mileage in the pool. Currently, I am swimming 12-15 KM / week; by mid June, I will be up to 30-35 KM/week. Speed work will also be important. Swimming the Channel is not a race, but maintaining a good pace can mean the difference between catching a tide that will carry me to France; or if I am too slow, hitting a tide that is ebbing out into the Atlantic. I will chronicle my physical preparation throughout this journal.

2) Cold Water Acclimitization
I love a good hot tub and warm shower after a hard pool workout! However, training in a warm pool by itself will not prepare me for the Channel. It is absolutely essential that I swim long hours in 14-17'C waters. This means training in the Pacific and Okanagan Lake WITHOUT A WETSUIT! I expect the Channel to be 17'C (64'F) when I make my attempt at the end of July. I am very comfortable swimming in this water temperature. However, last fall, I succumbed to moderate effects of hypothermia. After 7.5 hrs of swimming in 15'C waters, I started shivering uncontrollably. Still in charge of my faculties at the time, I pulled myself out into my escort boat. Being a Registered Nurse and Paramedic, I knew exactly what this sign meant (i.e. a downword spirral toward severe hypothermia). There was no need to risk myself for the sake of a training swim. I was very humbled by this experience. My goal for the day was to swim to 8 hrs. What affected me most was not so much the water temperature, but rather the ambient air temperature of 9'C. I guess the snow line in the mountains was an ominous sign pf things to come! What I learned from this experience is NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE THE EFFECT OF COLD--be it water or air. I will have to do more preparation in this aspect of my training. Unfortunately, Okanagan Lake doesn't warm up to "human" temperatures until the end of May. In fact, the lake here is colder than the Channel up until the 1st week of July. For this reason, I will be making some trips to Vancouver/Seattle/San Francisco for some ocean training sessions this spring. Ocean temperatures do not fluctuate as much as our deep lakes do in the Interior of British Columbia. I also know Channel swimmers who take ice baths or spend time in restaurant freezers......this is a little bit extreme for my liking. As I said, I like my hot tubs. When the lake here warms up to 13'C, I will be the first one in. Once it hits 16'C, it will feel like a balmy day in comparison.

3) Nutrition
One thing I have learned from my two long training swims (the first one in June /07 for 6 hrs and the 2nd in September /07 for 7.5 hrs) is that nutrition is key to success. I have learned this through trial and error--experimenting with flate coke, chicken noodle soup, Gatorade, Hot Chocolate, Power Gels, etc. The key point is I will need to consume large amounts of carbohydrate, protein, electrolytes and fluids to keep up with caloric demands and fluid losses. Of the food combinations noted above, I crave Chicken Noodle soup the most. Why?....I sweat a lot during these marathon swims. Sweating contributes to sodium depletion.

I feed every 15-20 minutes for approximately 15-20 seconds at a time. My support crew throws a water bottle ahead of me, I turn on my back, ingest the substance, and off I go. It is imperative that I do not stop for a prolonged period of time. There are two reasons for this: 1) the longer I stop in cold water without movement, the more susceptible I become to hypothermia and 2) I lose time which can mean the difference between swimming in a current that will assist me to France or work against me. If you think about it, if I were to stop for 2 minutes every 15 min. x 12 hrs.....that equals 96 minutes or 4-5 KM worth of swimming. Through much dialogue with other Channel swimmers, I have discovered that Hammergel products meet my nutritional needs and it tastes good to boot! I especially enjoy the cappucino gel! That said, I still have a lot of work to do in this area to optimize my nutritional regimen. Some Channel swimmers insist on feeding no more than every 30 minutes. I think this is an individual decision based on one's caloric needs. Besides, the feeding break does give me something to look forward to.....no matter how brief the encounter. "Just swim to the next feed, and the next and so on........eventually, there will be a chilled bottle of champangne waiting for me on the beach in France!

4) Mental Preparation
Athletes who have successfully swum the Channel say the challenge is 10% physical and 90% mental. Hypothermia can play tricks on the mind and the experience can be mind-numbing and boring. It can also be an incredibly isolating experience--especially if I am tasked to swim in darkness at night. The key is to stay focussed the entire time. For this I use the strategy of visualization. As I am writing this, I can see myself swimming efficiently stroke for stroke; and persevering through chop, swell, diesel fumes (from my escort boat) and flotsam/jetsam. Most importantly, I can visualize myself making lands-end on French soil and waving back to England! I learned this technique as a competitive swimmer. When I prepared for big meets, I would envision myself achieving my goal times. I would actually picture myself keeping pace with the race clock and meeting my interval goals at each flip turn. I would then take this vision into the actual race. I have also been advised that meditation can work in my favour. To be honest, I find the whole open water swimming experience to be an exercise in meditation and relaxation.....Turn my head to breathe and there is a mountain.....Turn my head to breathe on the other side and there is a glorious sun rise over Okanagan vineyards.......It is a transcendental experience--especially when I am swimming all alone in the middle of the ocean or lake first thing in the morning!

Open Water Swimming in and of itself is a very invigorating and peaceful experience. There are no lines on the bottom of the lake, no flip turns, no coach and no pace clock.....just me and the elements. For me, it is a form of spirituality, and I love it.

5) Balance
How on Earth do I find the time to prepare for such an event? I have two young boys (Connor age 5 and Cameron age 3) and my wife Joanne. I also have a career that takes me out of town quite often. The key is balance. My strategy is to workout in the mornings when the family is asleep as it takes less time away from them. Two, I need to work out intelligently. For this, I have a private coach and friend (Rob Swan of Critical Speed) who specializes in endurance training for Masters athletes. Part of my regimen includes strength training away from the pool (i.e. weights). I also commute to work by running or cycling. This helps me get in some aerobic cross-training activity. Lastly, I can stretch or do sit ups while winding down my day in front of the tube. To put my training regimen in perspective, some Channel swimmers log more than 40-50 kms/week in the pool. I simply do not have the time to put in that kind of mileage. I trust that the "balanced" approach (i.e. combination of speed work in the pool, long distance swims in the cold lake/ocean, in concert with weights and other aerobic cross-training activities, will more than adequately prepare me for my journey to France.

6) Support
I simply could not attempt this challenge without the support of my wife Joanne and my kids. I have to ensure that I balance my workouts with family life. I also receive a lot of support from friends, colleagues and fellow swimmers from the Okanagan Masters Swim Club. Certainly the camaraderie I share with the Masters swimming fraternity is where I draw a lot of my support from. Lastly, great Canadians like Terry Fox were an inspiration to me while I was growing up. I vividly remember Steve Fonyo (the one-legged runner who completed Terry Fox's dream of running across Canada) finishing his cross-country run at Mile O in Victoria. The very next day, a swimmer from Ontario named Vickie Keith swam butterfly across the Strait of Juan de Fuca (from Port Angeles Washington, to Mile O in Victoria). I said at the time that "I could do that too", minus the butterfly part! I also grew up with swimmers in Victoria who achieved great heights in the sport: John and Wayne Kelly competed in the LA and Seoul Olympics; Greg Streppel was the 1994 Open Water World Champion; Finbar Donnelly swam not once but TWICE down the Fraser River to raise money for environmental causes; and Rob Dyke swam around Vancouver Island to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross Society. I am forever grateful to have had the priviledge of growing up in the pool with such great athletes! I also thank my old coach Mark Fellner for shaping the swimmer and individual I am today. Mark, the 8 x 200m butterfly set I did as a 13 year old was over the top, but I completed it through thick and thin. It is that same perseverance that will get me across to France!

More recently, Shane Collins of West Vancouver helped put the English Channel into the realm of possibility. Shane is the first British Columbian to have successfully completed the crossing. Lynne Smith of Austin Texas is another inspiration. I was introduced to Lynne on-line through a mutual friend. Lynne created a blog detailing her preparation for her very successful 2007 Channel swim (under 10 hours)! I have applied a lot of Lynne's learnings into my preparation strategy.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Who is Ogopogo?


Canada's most famous water monster is Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan in the South Central Interior of British Columbia. Older than the Loch Ness Monster, Ogopogo--also known as "N'ha·a·itk" in the Salish First Nation's language--pre-dates western settlement in the area. Ogopogo symbolizes the Okanagan Valley. As far as sightings go...Ogopogo does not wear a Speedo nor is insulated with a mixture of anhydrous lanolin and vaseline!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Why Swim the English Channel?

My friends say "I am crazy"; others are simply flabbergasted that I would attempt such a feat. They question, 'Why on Earth would you want to swim the English Channel? Don't you know that it is really cold and rough; and that it is the world's busiest shipping channel with over 600 ships plying these waters every day?" In addition, there are very strong tidal currents and swell from the open Atlantic...not to mention flotsam and jetsam and jellyfish that sting!" OK, I get it, but did I also mention that I am swimming this body of water in just a Speedo, silicone bathing cap, earplugs, goggles and an application of grease (anhydrous lanolin and vaseline to help stave off hypothermia). What a sight for sore eyes!
Why am I attempting this challenge?
This is a dream I have carried with me since my youth when I was a competitive swimmer growing up in Victoria, BC. I have been putting this goal off for years. Turning 40 has brought it a head. I want to attempt this swim while I still have the physical stamina to do it. In other words, I am using this swim to retain as much of my youth as possible. This isn't to say that I couldn't swim this body of water in my 50s or 60s. There are plenty of swimmers who have successfully swum the Channel at an older age. Hence, this challenge is more than turning 40 years of age: it is about fulfilling a lifetime dream.

1 – 1 of 1