Only a few weeks into 2012 and I am feeling super-charged! A far cry from my feelings at this time last year – I am happy to say that I am already having much more FUN this year training for my various planned events.

With Alcatraz only 6 months away now, my excitement for the event has been fuelled by the new TV series with the same name (Alcatraz) which features real footage of the island and builds on the mystery of what really went on behind the walls of the “ROCK”. 

I have watched hundreds of videos on you tube and read an equal number of blogs written by people who have completed, and failed, in their attempts to make their swim ‘escape’. Each time feeling a mix of excitement and fear in anticipation of my own upcoming attempt– and it seems this is normal for everyone.

What’s the biggest fear? Missing the entrance ‘chute’ to the aquatic park. It’s the trickiest part of the swim, that is, after you’ve already battled the current, chop, and quite often-large swells of the frigid San Francisco Bay. Because the tide shifts half-way through the swim, by the time you are getting close to the entrance to the park, the current is moving swiftly out towards the Golden Gate Bridge and Pacific Ocean. Misjudge your trajectory, or sight incorrectly, you will need to be rescued as fighting the current at this point is impossible. In fact, event organizers clearly state that if swimmers "aim too far to the right" they will "end up west of the entrance, swimming in place against an unbeatable current and need to be rescued".

The other bits of advice I have gleaned from the all-knowing Internet are to NOT follow the swimmers in front of you, as this will put you in the unwanted scenario mentioned above of “too far right”. While in other events (like triathlons) it is common to use other swimmers as guides (while doing your own sighting of course), doing so in this event is a no-no. Why? The rationale is that these swimmers have already fought the current to be in the position they are in and because the current is so strong, even if you ‘think’ you are on course by following them, you are most-probably to the ‘right’ of them, taking you off course and threatening your chances of finishing the race. Good advice.

Having swum in some fairly nasty ocean conditions here at home, I know too how difficult it can be to sight in choppy and swell-y (is that even a word?) water. Sometimes only being able to see a foot in front of you, learning to swim in more or less a straight line is of huge value (for this I swim laps in the pool with my eyes closed and draw an imaginary line from my head to my destination, and imagine I am on that line).  I have swallowed what seems like an unhealthy amount of sea water trying to move through one wave/swell to the next forcing me to hold my breath for juuuust a little longer while I duck and swim under or through endless crashing walls of power. There too have been occasions, where I have become so incredibly nauseated in the water, suffering from what I can only describe as sea-sickness – from being tossed violently from side to side in especially turbulent conditions. I have had my lungs seize mid swim and had to ‘talk myself out’ of an asthma attack, had moments of panic where I am convinced I am being stalked by a seal (or other mythical sea-beast with big teeth). I have been startled by rogue sea weed and other random ocean debris that have brushed past my face, stuck to my goggles, toes, or fingers forcing under water screams followed by many recovery minutes of breast stroke while I get my head, heart rate and breathing back under control.  And even after all of these experiences, I am still in LOVE with ocean swimming.

For me, ocean swimming (like running) provides complete freedom. Like a long run becomes less about running, and more about rhythm - breathing and movement combine to create the ultimate meditation resulting in complete immersion into my environment. There are no thoughts, there is no time, and I am alive, completely living in the moment. Additionally, there is LIFE in the ocean, and I always emerge from it with a sense of awe. No two ocean swims are ever alike, and nothing can be taken for granted there – EVER. Mistakes made in the water can easily result in death, and because of this I respect its power.

But, ocean swims for now are dreams of the near future, as we are still a number of months away from being able to get back into the water. Instead, my training partner and I reunited today after 4 months of being apart due to her injury. We hit the pool first thing when it opened this morning and did our ‘thing’. It was a fantastic swim, probably the best I’ve had in months, and I’m sure it was because we were back in the water together. There is something about having a training partner that makes workouts more fun, more relaxed, and I’m convinced more efficient. We discussed our strategy for the next 6 months, one of which we hope will include some ‘current crossings’ in West Vancouver. Where the Capilano River meets the Pacific Ocean is notorious as being ‘difficult’ to navigate due to current. So, its there we will make our attempts to cross (repeats if possible!) – with full boat support of course.

Until then, if you see someone in the pool swimming with their eyes closed, its just me imagining my ‘line’ from Alcatraz to the entry ‘chute’ in the San Francisco Bay.

K 

It has been an interesting and productive month in training! After a few frustrating weeks in the water feeling more like a fish out of water than in, I came to the conclusion the only way to change it was to spend MORE time swimming. Go figure. 
Coach Martina has been consistently kicking my butt, and I am thankful she's a bit of a hard-ass who doesn't make it easy for me. Even when I'm hoping she will say "ok Kim, good job - you can stop now" and says "ok Kim, good job, now do one more". Secretly, I am happy for the push. There is some part of me that likes to feel as if my arms and lungs are going to explode, and I think she knows it.

I have been missing sharing all this fun with my training partner Tracy Anne, who unfortunately, had a nasty accident with a casserole dish over thanksgiving that severed a tendon and a few nerves in her right hand (just days before her birthday too I might add). The ONLY up-side to this is that we are still MONTHS away from the Alcatraz swim. That and the fact she's a bit of a rockstar-dolphin who will be able to slide right back into the water no problem, even after a few months off :) Still, she has more strength and serenity than I have. Given the same situation, I would have gone postal by this point not being able to do anything! Guess its true, we all get what we can handle.

Additionally, I added a cycling/spin class to the mix as cross training and also as an attempt to mend the broken relationship I have with my bike. After a friend of mine told me she had done a lactate threshold test at Peak Centre for Performance in Burnaby, I of course needed to do the same thing. I was accused of being competitive by James, but really, it had nothing to do with competition...unless of course he meant within myself, then YES, it had absolutely everything to do with it! HA!

The West Vancouver classes are crack-of-dawn early and hard, just how I like it. Led by competitive cyclist Dave Vukets, its a lactic acid fuelled sweat-fest aimed to improve your specific areas of weakness. And let me tell you, I feel like I have a lot of weakness! That being said, I DO feel like I am improving even after only 3 weeks of riding again.

All of this brings me to today. Remembrance Day 2011. My annual birthday ocean swim.
Last year we started the annual birthday ocean swim idea - Tracy Anne's birthday is in October, and mine is in November. We swam both and the ocean was needless to say cold. Very, very cold. Last year, we had snow on the ground for the November swim. We wore no boots, no gloves, no extra swim caps. Just our wetsuits (Tracy Anne didn't even have a full sleeved suit last year), pure determination and a little bit of crazy. Needless to say, we weren't in the water long. This year, with Tracy Anne out for the November swim due to her injury, I convinced one of my masters swim buddies (who also joined us for the October swim) to take the plunge with me. Seeing as I was going to be out of town this year for my actual birthday, I decided that with everyone off of work for Remembrance Day, it would be the perfect day to do it. We all met at the HSC at noon (including a few spectators) and Tracy Anne offered up her coveted booties and gloves, which I gladly accepted. I made a guestimation for water temperature to be 9C. No backing out now - we were already suited up, and had an audience!

As we made our way down to the water, I was mentally preparing myself for the shock of the water. We entered slowly, and I took an initial temperature reading. 10C! So close to my estimation, but with the extra gear on, it felt totally do-able. We made the first plunge, and all felt good....except for the face. Oh the face. It hurt. It burned. It made me want to overcome it. This is the internal competition/determination I live with. I hate giving up. I like pushing myself to new limits, to see what I am really made of. 

In a 20 minute mixed freestyle-breast-stroke-backstroke swim I was sometimes cursing the cold and others totally in awe of the beauty beneath me on the ocean floor. I stopped at one point just to watch the crab I had been following do it's perfect sideways dance. Some gulls bobbed on the surface and a few people out for their walk stopped to watch us, wondering no doubt what the heck it was we were doing in the water. But it was all worth it. I LOVE that we have created this tradition, and I LOVE that we live in a place where we can actually do something like this.

Until next time.
K

2 weeks seemed like an eternity since I had last been in the ocean - but after a fairly successful pool swim earlier in the week, and the ankle feeling better every day, I was happy to be 'on track' with my hopes to be back in the ocean by weeks end.

When my training partner emailed me to ask if I would be ready to swim this Saturday, my initial response was 'I don't know', followed by a fumbling-finger-couldn't-press-send-fast-enough one asking 'what time?'. I admit, it was a bit of a bi-polar response, but I was banking on her knowing me well enough to know that even if I was stranded on a desert island surrounded by shark infested water with only one arm and one leg, I would still at least TRY to swim. (Hmmm - guess we chose the right event to train for - ha!). That, and after missing 2 weeks of my beloved masters swim, I was jonesing to do a little more in the water than my earlier week 'trial' swim (which ended up being a 30 minute, 1250 pull-buoy workout--slow and boring). 

In the last masters class, I had been chatting with one of the guys about our ocean swim adventures and training for Alcatraz. An ex tri-athlete himself, I could see the light going on inside his head. He was IN - and wanted to join us on our next planned swim. I promised we would let him know, and also hinted that he should register for Alcatraz soon, as it was notorious for selling out each year months in advance. A sly smile from him let me know that he knew exactly what I was doing....planting seeds was fun :)

I will admit, I was a little nervous before heading to the water. It was colder outside than it had been 2 weeks ago, I was worried about my ankle 'mis-behaving' and being unable to kick, about how cold the water would be, would my lungs hate me, etc, etc. But, as luck would have it, on the drive down, it started to warm up. When I arrived at the water, I was happy to see our friend from the pool - and my training partner had also brought with her another friend whom she had also convinced that ocean swimming in October was a good idea. I believe she referred to it as a 'cleansing'. HA! Love it!

At the water's edge we gave some last minute advice to the 'newbies' - 'It's gonna be cold - swim close to shore - if you lose the ability to open and close your hands, get out of the water - if you get dizzy, get out of the water - if you get short of breath, get on your back and relax....if it doesn't improve, get out of the water...lastly - IT'S GONNA BE COLD".  And with that - we made the plunge. Not surprisingly, it was cold - but not as cold as I thought it would be! The reading on my thermometer was between 11C &12 C (that's about 52F). In preparation for the anticipated dip in temperature, I had put on 2 of my silicon swim caps, and this proved to be a GREAT idea. My hands were cold and numb as were my feet, but honestly, it was totally bearable. The added heat retention from the 2 caps allowed me to swim very comfortably and also avoided the dreaded ice-cream headache from days past. My ankle started to ache at the turnaround for the 2nd lap, so I decided to only do half of the second loop before turning around to head back. 

All in all, it was a HUGELY successful day in the water, and I am super excited to get back into the pool next week and re-introduce my body to all my other workouts. 
I think we will have at least another month outside before it gets 'stupidly cold'. I'm hopeful at least after today's triumph.
Until next time :) - K

"OUCH!" - I'm not sure these were my exact words ( I think it was more of a scream of agony) as I missed the last 2 stairs at home Wednesday night and mashed my right ankle into the pavement. Feeling the all too familiar 'pop' on the lateral side of the ankle joint followed by shooting pain and instantaneous swelling above my running shoe - I was simultaneously angry, fearful, and praying that I had not just broken my 'good' ankle.

After a long day of work and teaching, I was happy to be finally home again. As usual, I was multi-tasking. Carrying my back-pack with my changes of clothes, water bottles, protein powder, left over food from my lunch, dinner, and various snacks, I also had the mail, my phone and my fitness ball tucked under my arm. I was reading the envelope to one of the pieces of mail trying to predict its contents when all of the sudden - what I thought was my last step - most certainly was not. Down I went. Hard. So hard (and loudly), my landlord came flying out of the garage to check on me - at the same time I was banging on the door for James to rescue me. Thankfully both were home as I'm not sure how I would have managed if I had been alone.

Once inside, James (who also happens to be a Nurse) went into action - and its a good thing. I was so incapacitated with pain and disbelief I wasn't able to do anything to help myself. All I kept thinking was "How am I going to swim this weekend?". That and the knowledge that the Fitness Conference I had registered for months ago was happening this Saturday! How was I going to participate? How was I going to drive? How was I going to work next week? Crap! I had a hill workout to teach the next day! What was I going to do??? Maybe I could wrap it and..... As James was handing me pain & anti-inflammatory meds and wrapping my ankle in ice he looked at me hard and said "don't even think about doing anything stupid like teaching tomorrow or trying to swim this weekend" DAMN! He knew me too well! Still, I needed to be able to get around. A panicked facebook message went out to good friend and super athlete Gary Robbins for his well used and awesomely modified crutches (drink holder and phone/wallet pocket included). Thanks to modern technology, he got my message from the road in Tacoma and called right away. After he asked all of the appropriate questions like "are you crazy" and "did you do it on purpose (haha)", he gave James directions on how to break into his house to get said crutches for me. :) Thanks Gary! 

12 hours later (the next morning) we were sitting in Emergency at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver after waking up in a considerable amount of pain and a new shape and colour to my ankle that had developed over night. After the young intern sarcastically asked why it had taken 12 hours for me to get in for x-rays (he was actually quite funny), James responded for me with a head nod in my direction "stubborn" he said, then they wheeled me away. The verdict thankfully was that it wasn't broken. Advice was the usual RICE and as much rehab as pain would tolerate. Sigh. 

So here I sit, day 2, on the couch with a smorgasbord of ice, traumeel, pain medication and pillows trying to do all it is I am supposed to be doing to heal. I am doing my air alphabet (I promise Kelly) , gently stretching my achilles and calf, dreaming of running, swimming, and driving. I have been reminded of the valuable lesson of the consequence of being distracted.

My training partner did an ocean swim after work yesterday and said the water was 'frosty'. I hope to get in one more time before it gets too cold. I am telling myself that maybe next week I will be able to swim. I will most certainly try anyway. It's just how I'm built.
K

Yesterday I was on a mission to find a thermometer I could attach to my wetsuit in order to help give me a better understanding of what to expect in San Francisco. I asked my facebook friends for suggestions, and in between the comments of me being crazy to still be swimming in the ocean, and suggestions to take up shark or sea-lion wrestling as cross-training for the event, I learned my best bet would be to head to MEC. For $8 I picked up a thermometer/compass combination that I thought should do the trick. I emailed my Alcatraz training partner Tracy-Anne to tell her that "tomorrow" we would finally have the answer to the question we were a little afraid to know.....Just how cold was 60-62F (15.5-16.2C)?

At 5:45 am my alarm went off, and after a quick look outside, was sure we would be swimming in near darkness at 7am. The upside however was it was raining. While this is typically a downer when training for any other event, in the water it doesn't matter (you're already wet) and  usually means a warmer swim. When we arrived at the HSC (Hollyburn Sailing Club) at Ambleside in West Vancouver, it had brightened up enough to swim safely, the tide was out and we joked that the seal patrolling the water near shore was taunting us with the old "C'mon in! The water's just fine". HA!

Once at the water's edge, I double check that my new purchase is securely fastened to my wetsuit zipper-pull, and that I can reach around to read it. So far, so good. I look to Tracy-Anne and relay the first reading - Air temperature: 15C - OK.
Our next steps bring our feet into the water......WHOA! Yup, just as expected. Its cold. I take the opportunity here to make the first check of water temperature. After a minute I remove the thermometer from the water - it reads 15C. This is actually GOOD news! I was afraid that the temperature would read higher, and my perception of cold was going to have to drastically change.

With our feet barely able to stand the cold ankle deep water, it was never the less time to shock the body - time to swim. 
SPLASH! Head under and hands submerged all of my body parts not covered by my wetsuit instantly start their protest. The worst of which seem to be my hands, already red and stiffening up. HOLYFRIGGINCRAPTHATSCOLD! We both stand up and simultaneously start clapping our hands together. I remark that we will NOT have this luxury when jumping off of the ferry in San Fran and this seems to get us both moving again. As I dive under again, I remember a 'tip' from the Alcatraz website stating "remember to exhale when jumping into the water to avoid the gasp reflex". Good advice. As I exhale into the cold once more, I start "skulling" quickly with my hands to get the blood flowing (Coach Martina would be so happy to know I am doing drills! haha) and it works. Soon, I am in my stroke and am feeling quite comfortable. The water is actually, dare I say, NICE! Refreshing! And crystal clear! After about 20 minutes of swimming, another reading of the thermometer confirms the water temperature is indeed 15C. 

Next step will be the purchase of hoods to wear and the experimentation with ear plugs - both to help retain as much body heat as possible. That and just swim, swim, swim - in every condition possible. Tomorrow however will be back in the pool for another early morning Masters. I'm sure my feet will thaw out and will have full use of both of my hands by then ;)

It's official, the training season has begun! It has been a great first week back teaching bootcamp - seeing all of the old (and new) faces sweating it out, laughing and feeling good about their workouts. I tried this week just to relax into my schedule of work and play - but I was anticipating the start of my own workouts in the water. 

I joined a Masters Swim class downtown at the YWCA last year after much coaxing from my swim partner - and am I ever GLAD I did! In 6 short months I took 3 minutes off of my original Oliver swim time and was stronger than I had ever been. The only downfall of this was that most of my tops got a little tight around the chest, shoulders and arms :) and people started commenting on how 'buff' I was looking wanting to know what it was I was doing differently. Swimming, just swimming. Pulling your body through water is tough, and after swimming an average of 137km's over a 6 month period training, the body was bound to change. 

Fast forward to 4:45am this morning when my alarm went off. Ugh - really??? Yup - time to get up. 
5:00am Walk the dog
5:25am Make coffee
5:40am Eat, feed the animals and check the swim bag (I once arrived at the pool sans towel...booo)
6:00am Drive to pool
6:25am Walk out on pool deck
6:30am Start warm-up
6:45am Drill-set - Are you KIDDING ME? My arms are tired already and I'm pretty sure my heart rate is WAY too high :)
7:05am Main-set - Ugh assessments.....GREAT...I wonder if this is how my class feels about assessments? LOL
7:15am Coach Martina sets me up for one of my fast 50 sets....which I complete in .50s...not bad! But I'm DYING. Haha
7:25am Cool-down...THANK GOD! My arms and upper back are SO tired, I feel like I'm melting.
7:30am Coach Martina writes the distances on the board...2,000m. Not bad for a first day, but I'm HURTING! 
7:31am Steam room please! Stretch....oh so tired....thank goodness I have the day off!

This is just day ONE, and I know it will get harder - but I'm looking forward to the training (remind me of this when the ocean swims get colder...brrr). Having a good coach (Martina is awesome!!) and the right environment to improve is imperative! Its good for me to be on the 'other side' of things as a participant. I hope it too makes me a better instructor.

K

I have been asked a number of times to blog about my training adventures....Although I can't for the life of me figure out why anybody would want to read about the self-inflicted torture I put myself through....except for maybe the participants of the classes I teach! HA! Maybe they really DO just want to see if I hold myself to the same standards expected of them!

This blog will hopefully set the record straight....I practice what I preach (ok not ALL the time) - but when I set my mind on something - Look out! The bottom line is this, I LOVE to sweat, work hard, and push my body to exhaustion. This is partially why the sport of triathlon appealed so strongly to me. Triathlon is not only a test of endurance, where mental strength has to match or often exceed physical strength, but to compete in the sport requires multiple hours of cross training, eating, sweating and often times, cursing. It was perfect.


My problem though, is I get bored. Some may say this is a weakness in my mental 'game', and maybe so. I say, once I've accomplished something, I want to move on. Take it to the next level, or switch it up to do something completely different. After completing the Oliver half Ironman 2 years in a row - I was bored. I needed something totally different to set my sights on. Something fun. Something new. Something kinda crazy. Why not just do a different race? Different distance? Nope. I wanted a break from triathlon - I wasn't having fun - that means I needed a change.

Enter Sharkfest. Yes, thats right - Sharkfest. What is it? Oh - Its a swim. Where? From Alcatraz Island across the San Francisco Bay. Aptly named for the shark infested waters that surround Alcatraz, the website clearly states it is NOT a swim for Novices. Gulp. When my swim partner mentioned it to me during one of our ocean swims last year - I was like "NO WAY - I'M NOT SWIMMING 1.5 MILES IN FREEZING - IMPOSSIBLE CURRENT - SHARK INFESTED WATER FOR FUN"......uh....yeah....for the record, I have also said things like " I will never run for fun", or "I will never do long distance triathlon", etc.... 
All teasing aside, I am actually pretty excited about the event! It's something different - something fun - and yes, kinda crazy - but I am looking forward to the training - the mental game - the cold showers and winter ocean swims to acclimate myself to the expected water temperature. Stay tuned! It's sure to be a wild ride :)
 - Click on the picture below for the link to the site