Skaha Lake Ultra Swim: Photo Gallery
It’s over…and I did it!
Here’s a photo gallery until I’m recovered enough for a full post!
Many many thanks and hugs to my kayaker extraordinaire Christine Therriault-Finke. You’re the best.
Amazing experience.
Events
Here Comes Skaha and I’m Ultra-Excited
It’s almost here!
It’s the event I’ve been working toward since the early new year – the Skaha Lake Ultra Swim.
The Skaha Lake Ultra Swim is an 11.8 km event, encompassing the length of the lake from Penticton to Okanagan Falls. It’s one of BC’s longest swims, and it’s the longest swim I have attempted in my short life. I’m confident due to last weekend’s long swims, but also nervous because there has been so much build up to this weekend.
I thought I’d write a post about my preparation for an event such as this, in case it’s helpful to anyone else with a big life-changing swim coming up. Read More
Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 3 (Six Mile to The Prestige)
If you want to indulge in a lush, boozy brunch, you’ve gotta earn it!
And earn it we did – with a grand finale swim of 10.6 km from the Six Mile sand bar all the way into Nelson. The original plan had us wading ashore at Lakeside Park, but cooler and hungrier heads and hearts prevailed and we climbed out at the marina just below the patio at the Prestige Hotel. Brunch never tasted better. More than just an extra mile, the additional distance added another 3.17 km to our grand total taking us to 27.17 km swam over 3 epic days. Read More
Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 2 (Kokanee Park to Six Mile sand bar)
You might have thought that your intrepid swimming subjects would have faced the darkness of the new day and the prospect of another 8 km with dread and apprehension.
You might have thought that there would be tears, self-doubt, and…chafing.
YOU WOULD BE (mostly) WRONG! (There was some chafing.)
Another 4:45 wake up call, coffee, poops, pep talks, vehicle drop off and a short portage, and we were off! Our team was one less today, since our triathlete decided to save his shoulders for an upcoming event.
Today’s 8.03 km stretch went from the beach at Kokanee Park to the sand bar at Six Mile. The lake was calm and peaceful for our first half, with mild currents for the second.
Without the challenge of yesterday’s chop, everything felt a lot smoother. I had worried about my shoulders, but the only discomfort I felt was in my lower back. This is usually because of the altered position of my body in my wetsuit.
The Steven Boys took an early lead and reported that they both felt amazing. Mark stated that he could have gone all the way into Nelson. Wanker!
Deanne and I gave Barney, our kayaker and food dispenser, a good morning workout as he paddled between us doling out Shock Bloks and encouragement. Read More
Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 1
At 4:45 am, I grabbed my phone in the darkness to check the time. From my cozy Boler bed, I could see a light on in the cabin and I knew that indeed, my hosts were up early as promised and YES – we would be meeting on the beach at 5:30 to take on the first leg of our 3 day, 24 km swim from Sunshine Bay to Nelson.
I drove out to the fabulous Steven Family cabin late evening yesterday, and even at that point I wasn’t exactly sure that what we’d planned would actually happen. I wasn’t sure that I’d swim all 3 days. I wasn’t sure my shoulders would hold up, or that my nutrition and energy levels would be well prepared enough.
My friends Mark, Deanne, and Bruce Steven dreamed up the crazy idea to swim from their cabin on Kootenay Lake all the way to the City of Nelson, BC. They plotted out a 3 day route that would average around 8.5 km each day, followed by a big breakfast and sweet recovery time at the cabin. And “cabin” doesn’t do the place justice – it’s a gorgeous property with a spacious deck, 2 gazebos, a private beach and an outdoor shower.
I slurped back a cup of coffee, having stuffed my face the night before with my favourite pre-swim feast: peanut butter, bagels, apple slices, and more peanut butter.
After a thorough neck slathering, I slipped into my Orca Alpha suit and headed down to the beach. We were joined by Stephen, a triathlete from Nelson, and our 3 support paddlers who would help to guide us and also carry our all-important hydration and nutrition. I chose a variety of Clif Shock Bloks as they are easy to eat in the water and the caffeine works as an effective analgesic when the joints begin to ache.
We set off just as the sun was starting to rise. The water was beautiful and calm and I started feeling awake and alive. After 2 km though, the wind and chop picked up and for a while I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, just flailing my arms and legs. We swam through the ferry crossing and I had visions of being sawn in half by the underwater cables. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Read More
Gear Review: Vorgee Vortech Max Goggles
Gear review time!
We checked in to the Across the Lake Swim in Kelowna and as always, we took a look at the vendor tables in search of something fun. I like to spend money when I’m a ball of nervous energy. Don’t you?
The Vorgee table had a bunch of interesting stuff, and I had noticed their presence at the Canada Day Challenge in Vancouver a few weeks ago.
I struck up a conversation with the rep about my current struggle to find the perfect pair of goggles for both lake and pool. Sharing is caring, so I’ll fill you in on my situation:
I’ve been almost exclusively using the Aqua Sphere Vista masks for my open water swims. Pool training is a bit more flexible – as I have a bunch of different goggles in my swim bag at any given time. My collection is huge and includes the tiny Tyr mirrored pair that look cool but sit inside my eye socket and threaten to suck my eyeballs right out of my head.  Friends, this can happen!
Let’s get this out of the way – I am blessed with extra large eye sockets. Not quite anime-level peepers, but definitely higher and wider than the eye sockets that most goggles seem to be designed for. Small competition goggles get uncomfortable when my eyelashes bump up against the lens, and I can never seem to open my eyes properly when I’m wearing them. I like seeing. Seeing is fun. Read More
Swimming Through a Messy Life
Getting a 3.5 km swim in at clean, lovely Christina Lake.
Keeping up a weekly swim blog is hard work. What if nothing exciting or momentous happens in a given week? What if many momentous things happen, but they don’t necessarily relate to swimming?
Or maybe…swimming should be my metaphor of moving through things in the medium of water.
I am going through a lot of things in my life right now. A deep breath.
- I’m newly separated and adjusting to that both well and terribly
- I have a wonderful new job that presents a big blue sky of opportunity but also a steep learning curve and a big chance to do something great – and as a work motivated person, this is so important to me. But yeah. Pressure!
- I definitely have a form of PTSD from my previous job
- I have a teenager who is moving through her own changes and challenges, and doing a far better job of it than I did at the same age
- I am new to this whole world of my own financial management and planning and this presents its own steep learning curve and uncertainty
- I am preoccupied with my health and feeling a bit of fear. Well, maybe not just a bit. Â I have some terrible habits and some shite genetics
- My lawn needs mowing and my deck needs painting and OH GOD THE WEEDS
- My beloved new wetsuit gives me awful neck chafe and it looks like I’m spending a lot of time in dirty chambers of sex bondage
- I’m not spending any time in dirty chambers of sex bondage
So – to just go out and swim through it all? Sometimes it seems overwhelming.
I like to solve problems, and I also have a tremendous need for growth and change. The stability of a regular swimming practice is working well for me, even as the rest feels sometimes like a radio in my head that I can’t tune in.
How can I apply what I am doing with swimming to the rest of a messy life? Read More
The VOWSA Canada Day Challenge
Happy Canada Day!
I celebrated the true north strong and free this weekend with a getaway to Vancouver with my kiddo, the lovely Scarlet. We hung out with some best pals, ate some great food, saw my favourite band Belle and Sebastian on Friday night, and capped it all off with the VOWSA Canada Day Challenge event this morning.
This was my first open water event of the season. I am very pleased to say that I think I got most things right for this this swim! I didn’t burn out in the last 3 weeks – partly because I was sick, partly because I had a whole bunch of work travel, and partly because I’m trying to be more aware of overtraining and how it affects my body and my metabolic syndrome. I’ve been averaging around 10K each week, and I did sneak a few short sessions in while in Comox and Chicago on business, as well as a workout in the Trail Aquatic Centre to test out my new Orca Alpha wetsuit. Read More
That Time I Escaped from Alcatraz
When I told my good friend that I would be writing this week, I promised a tale that would include a diaper and CPR.
THIS TALE CONTAINS BOTH.
Without further ado, I’d like to tell you about the time I escaped from Alcatraz. Yes, I joined the likes of that (in)famous Bird Man and other brave escapees.
How did it happen?
My escape from Alcatraz was part of my 40 year old swim odyssey, but I didn’t get to plan it in advance. On my actual 40th birthday in September 2014, my family arranged a surprise party. I don’t normally love surprises because I’m a complete control freak, but this one was simply awesome, unexpected, and welcome. After a lovely dinner, I walked into my house to find my friends all dressed up as characters from my favourite movie, Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic. We had Zissous, Klauses, and even a convincing Alastair Hennessey.
And my present (as if the party wasn’t a giant present in itself) – my present was a trip to San Francisco to do the Alcatraz Swim. This is an annual event organized by Water World Swim (who organize many other cool destination events). The swim itself isn’t particularly long at 1.5 miles, but the chilly waters and finicky currents of the San Francisco Bay make it a challenging one. I was so excited and freaked out. I thought I’d completed my 40th year challenge, but I was pumped to add one more fabulous destination swim to cap off an amazing season. And best of all, my parents would be joining us in the city I grew up knowing as the inspiration for their “Song“. Read More
Swimming with Rattlesnakes
I’m on a boat, waiting to swim the Rattlesnake Island 3 k. (2014)
I’m writing this on a plane on my way back to Comox, BC. My work takes me back to the Island this week, and I’m looking forward to chalking up a few more swims in the local aquatic centre. I made a quick executive decision to not bring my wetsuit on this trip, after some research that told me that the local lakes around Comox will still be a bit too cold for training. This may be true, or I might just be a wuss.
By June I have usually been in the lake a few times. Christina Lake is often the place for my annual first foray into the open water outdoors. It is always awesome to feel that chilly briskness on my face and hands. That first wetsuit pee is also very nice. This year I’m either a little less brave OR it’s still too cold. Following a strict training schedule in the pool is also my focus, as I strive to get my kms in and build for the longer events coming up this summer. Cold water training will have to wait a week – or at least until I’ve made it through at least 5 cold showers in preparation.
Last week I trained 3 times, including one midweek session that was 4800 metres. I could not consume enough carbs in the 2 days that followed (toast fans, are you out there? Can I get an AMEN?) and finished up the week with a short Saturday night session that focused on drills – specifically my underwater pull. Rather than throwing my shoulders into each stroke, I’m working hard to develop the water feel in my pull through fist drills, doggy paddle (yes!), and sculling. My early swim coaching taught the centreline pull technique so I must undo this tendency to pull to the middle and then out and down. I’m an avid reader of technique tips, and right now I’m finding TriSwimCoach and Swim Smooth blogs to be helpful. Read More