My First 2-Mile Swim

This week I did my first 2-mile training swim, and it was hard! 

As soon as I got in the water, I realized that there was a strong current against me that day. Lake Washington is big enough to have currents, especially on days with a lot of wind. I always thought currents had to do with tidal pull, but I'm not sure in the case of a big lake.

Anyway, I was doing an "out and back" swim parallel to the shore, so I knew I'd get some relief once I turned around. Problem was that I felt like I was barely moving at times, and the first mile already felt like 2. So I finally got to turn around, but I was already tired by then so it still felt hard.

I did get to have some moments in my tiredness, where my body relaxed so much that I felt like I was working totally with the water, never fighting it. That's the best feeling--when you feel one with the water!

Maybe that was just a hallucination though, because I was getting really cold and a little dizzy-brained. The water temperature had actually gone up this week, but the air temperature was below 60, and the parts of my body that weren't always in the water started getting REALLY cold (my face, hands & feet).

By the time I got out I was so happy to have dry clothes and a car to wait in while Jonathan finished his swim! He was doing 4 miles, but he's a lot faster than me and had a head-start, so I didn't have to wait too long.

After a hot bath, we made our way over to our favorite Pub in Fremont for a celebratory meal & pint. Not exactly a healthy recovery meal, but it sure was good :)

Dealing with Muscular Pain

Besides the nerve pain I've lived with since the accident, I have also had to deal with a lot of neck and shoulder pain. 

Since the muscles in my left arm don't work, the arm feels heavier than normal and just hangs there. My neck leans to the right to compensate for the weight, and my back goes WAY out of alignment. This meant that I started having migraines after the accident. I never had them before, and they always seem to come when one particular vertebrae gets especially out of whack.

I tried a number of things that helped, acupuncture, chiropractic, floating in a hot tub, and of course different pain & migraine drugs.

The thing that has helped the most though, is a massage every two weeks. If I go 3 weeks I start to hurt (as I was reminded after going to England and missing my usual appointment recently). If I stick to that schedule, my headaches never get worse than a couple of Advil's worth. I can deal with that.

It took me a while to find the right massage therapist, which is why I've included a link to Renee Lewis' site:

Renee Lewis Massage

It's important to find someone with experience doing injury work. She also works a lot with athletes, so can help with the aches & pains I get from training, too.

I have to mention that along with massage, exercise has been my biggest pain reliever. Even running, which I was afraid would hurt my neck when my arm bounced, has helped my pain level. I've often gone out with a mild headache, and had it disappear mid-run. Besides all the happy endorphins I'm getting, I think the activity helps keep everything loose and healthy.

Now I usually feel pretty good when I'm active--no wonder I'm a fitness addict :)

The English Channel

So we're back from visiting J's Grandmother and swimming in the English Channel.

Our first day in Folkestone we met a swimmer that was scheduled to swim across to France the next day. He was about to go for a warm-up swim and looked nervous about the rough weather/waters and how they would effect his chances the next day. We decided to rest, and hope that the weather got better the following day.

It was a good thing we waited, because the water was perfect and calm for us on Friday. We hoped that meant a good chance for our Channel Swimmer. I have to admit that I was still intimidated by the cold, milky-white water, and it was really unsettling not being able to see my hand after it entered the water.

After a while I got used to it and felt great for working through the fear. I really enjoyed the rest of the swim and felt totally exhilarated moving through the water. We went again the next day, and had an even better time. It was a bit sunny, so the optimistic locals all came out to enjoy the last of summer.

We were the only ones in the water, so I felt a bit like the entertainment as I struggled to get on my wetsuit. I swam out quite a bit further that day, and felt pretty secure in the super-salty buoyant sea. At one time J got worried and swam by to check on me. I just flashed him a smile and said I was having FUN!

We swam almost every day, and the waves started to build as the weather got rougher. I got some good experience swimming in heavier chop and swells than I'm used to, and it helped me feel more confident about the upcoming St Croix Coral Reef Swim.

Tomorrow I do my first 2-mile swim in Lake Washington (back on home turf) and get to see if swimming in the English Channel helped my training out. Of course I never attempted the crossing to France, but a man from Finland completed it on the day our friend was scheduled--I think he made it!

Swimming in England

We're gong to be visiting Jonathan's grandmother in England soon, so decided to stay in Folkestone so we can keep up with our swim training. We might head over to Dover as well, to train in the Harbor.

I did some online research trying to find local swimmers that could tell us the best spots & other info, and ended up reading a lot about the English Channel swimmers. These people swim the 21 mile crossing, and are usually lucky if they can do it in 10 hours.

That puts my 2-mile swim in October into perspective. If they can do 21 miles (and a few do double or triple crossings!!) in cold, rough water, then I can certainly do 2 miles in the warm Caribbean.

We definitely plan to bring our wetsuits with us to England, although the "true" Channel swimmers do it without. We might be considered wimps, but I get so cold in Lake Washington that I would probably turn blue without one :)

By my next post, I'll probably have swam in the Channel!! I'll let you know how it goes. 

First 1.5 mile swim

I did my first 1.5 mile this weekend and was really pleased with how it went. I'm training for a 2-mile swim to raise funds for UBPN in October in St Croix, and this was the first time I really knew I'd be able to do it. Up until now I was just going on faith :)

The water was much calmer than when I did the triathlon last weekend, and I felt like my breathing was smoother than ever. I felt strong in the water, even when I hit small currents, and it reminded me of why I love swimming. It can be so peaceful in open water when it's just you & the water.

At one point, I heard a sudden buzzing sound, and looked up to find the coast guard next to me. I was a bit shocked, but they moved on slowly once they saw that I was doing fine. I couldn't help wondering if it was a standard visit, or if someone had worried about me and called them. I did have to stop to adjust my goggles because they fogged up completely at one point. It might have looked like I was struggling while I battled with them :)

The water is getting colder though, so I was frozen by the end, even with my wetsuit on. I had time to change into dry clothes while I waited for my husband who was doing a longer swim. By the time he was done we were both famished and went straight to our favorite restaurant for lunch, messy hair & all. I had a blanket wrapped around me and a huge smile on my face as we sat in the booth--the waiter must have thought I'd gone insane.