The donkeys dem...
New visitors center at Cruz Bay


















At L'esperance...

The race on May 28

As we lined up that morning, I felt really calm, and thought to myself: "I can do this, this is what I do. I'm a swimmer. I can hold my own amongst these other swimmers and I have done the training." The other swimmers were friendly and of all ages. I'd already met up with Merry and met her friend Steve, they were both swimming assisted. The long course group started first. Once in the water, I didn't get kicked or hit! It reminded me of swimming in a lane with 5 or 6 high school kids when I used to work out with the swim team. I took it easy, for this was my warmup. We rounded the first buoy and I felt a little high-heart beat, so tried to take it easy. Soon I got into my pace and mostly cruised the rest of the way. All the way out of Maho, I was swimming next to Mr. Yellow Fins, who later turned out to be John Holden probably. It helped to have someone to swim beside for I didn't have to sight so often. It is an odd sensation, for one is just beneath the surface and can't really see what is going on, such as how many swimmers are ahead or behind. Suddenly someone will just come up from behind. And you can't really see the scenery as you go except for underwater. A few times I did a couple of breaststroke kicks to see ahead and behind, but got right back to the freestyle.

We rounded the point and started into Cinnamon Bay, and I lost Mr. Yellow Fins. Saw the orange bouys to go between, and saw the water boat but didn't need water then. As I started out of Cinnamon Bay, I saw the notch in the hill to sight on: good thing, because the bouys were few and far between. A guy and 2 girls came swimming up beside me and we all swam along together almost into Trunk Bay. They were good swimmers. Found out later they were the winners from the previous 2 years. They swam pretty close to Trunk Cay whereas I stayed well away from it, and then I lost them. Turned out I passed them and they were behind me the rest of the way.

There was a lot of current at Trunk Cay, felt like I was standing still even though I was swimming hard. Even leaving Trunk I felt some current but that was replaced by a little chop but not too bad. I saw some of the underwater snorkel trail markers. Never saw the 2nd water boat but didn't want to stop then anyway. I was on kind of a swimmers high by this time, cruising along, feeling my arms working, willing them to keep pushing, enjoying the bouyancy from the salt water, seeing some coral and fish. My arms felt like big wings or fins.

I was alone by now, not seeing any bouys, but sighting on the point of Thatch Cay as directed. This was a long leg. I saw Peter Bay on the left and almost thought it was Hawksnest and began to get excited, but realized it wasn't over yet. The bouys around the next point at Peace Hill were way out from the rocks, and it seemed like forever until I came to the bouy for turning left. Thank goodness for the kayakers pointing the way. I rounded into Hawksnest and saw the bouys ahead. I felt like slacking off but remembered my book which said that fatigue is a sign to work harder. Plus I thought, "I didn't spend all this money to fly down here and slack off now." I had seen some heads behind me but didn't really know where we all were in the race. I had an idea, though, that not a whole lot were ahead of us.

Made the last turn through that gate and headed right toward the finish. That part is a blur, seemed to take me forever to get to shore. I stumbled trying to run out of the water. I didn't know my time or place until later, though the 2 girls I'd passed came over and said I must have won the age group. They were so nice, we all congratulated each other. Martha and Becky were there taking pictures, hauling my stuff, cheering me on. I was grateful to have my good friends there.

The Friends group put on a great picnic and awards party over at Oppenheimer Beach just next door. We talked to Merry and John, had some Virgin Islands Pale Ale and hamburgers. I won a lovely original fish painting with plaque saying 3rd overall women's long course solo, a restaurant gift certificate, and a bag full of Hawaiian Tropic stuff. Then I got to meet Watergrrl, or Kendra! And her husband. Turns out they live on St. Thomas and have swum in the 5 mi. race in St. Croix. She is so cute and nice. She and her husband each won 1st overall in the intermediate solo!

I feel happy to have set a goal, followed through with the training, and finished the event. I feel that I did well and have joined the ranks of open water swimmers. I've come out on the other side. It was a good challenge. I'm not sure what I'll train for in the future, if anything. This was an approx. 3.5 mi race and my time was 1 hour 38 min. This swimming distance is equal to about a 14 mi. run or a half marathon. I'd like to swim in some more races, but those St John waters have spoiled me. Dirty rivers and lakes in TN? Yuck. So I'll keep up my pool training, do probably 3 days a week, 3000 to 3500 yds. each time.

I'll put up some more photos from our trip soon, then end this blog.

More photos from the race day

Scenes from the Beach to Beach Power Swim, May 28, 2006

Back home

It has now been a week since the swim, but seems like only yesterday. It was a great trip, we had a blast. The race went well; I felt really good and confident and my stamina held up. What a new experience, swimming all that way with no flip turns, other swimmers around, seeing sand and coral and fish below me, sighting on things to keep on course. The water was so beautiful, so clean and bouyant, and I didn't get that sick chlorine aftereffect.
My time was 1 hour 38 min. 34 sec. I came in 3rd overall for women. There were 11 women and 26 men in the long course solo categories, total 37. I was 8th out of those 37. I was also the fastest in my age group (35 - 49) although they didn't score it like that. There were 142 swimmers in all doing various lengths of the course. The race results in PDF are at this address:
http://www.friendsvinp.org/swim/06_results.pdf
I stumbled a little in the soft sand coming out of the water (a clumsy emergence), but there was lots of clapping and they handed us each a medal and water. Well more about the race later, I'll put up some photos from the race and the rest of the trip soon.

Last swim at Y

Swam about 2,000 yd at lunch time with Lynne. That's it now until we get to St. John. I hope I have planned this training well and that I will have the endurance needed on Sunday. Guess it's all over but the shouting now.
Got some last minute grocery needs and Power Bars, picked up some cash. Now I'll check in online and go get packed. There are no computers at Maho, I would guess, so I'll have to blog when I return.
Below- Hawksnest Bay, the site of my emergence, as real distance swimmer Diana Nyad says. After the long hours, pain, fatigue, and loneliness, she says "...my emergence is what it's all about."

Hawksnest Bay

An aerial shot of Hawsknest Bay where the race will end. The "Christ of the Caribbean" statue stood on Peace Hill (peninsula at left of bay) next to a windmill; I read that the statue was toppled in a hurricane.

Mon. May 22

Did about 2500 yd. Only 5 days until the big day. I only hope I can finish and enjoy it, not have the "piano fall" or "die" or whatever the lingo. I suppose I'll eat my usual cereal, plus a power bar and some gatorade that morning. It will be a shocker to someone who trains in pools. But then, I did learn to swim in those bays over 30 years ago....

Friday I swam about 2900 yd. - did 500 wu, 2 X 400, 4 X 200, 8 X 100 some pretty fast, long rests. My bod was saying, this is nothing, lets keep going. Am feeling more rested now.
One week until the big day. Have been making piles of clothes and stuff to take, readying to pack. Can't wait......

Williams story

Back in February I read Haunts of the Black Masseur (see March 3 post) because I'd heard it had lots of swimming information. And it did, mainly the history of swimming and bathing, particularly in literature and amongst the romantic poets. I noted that the allusion of the title was to a short story by Tennessee Williams, "Desire and the Black Masseur". I finally got around to finding and reading the story at the library. Whew, not a swimming story. It had to do with a wimpy little white guy getting massages by a big black man in an underground sauna at a NYC health club. The story was about torture, self-hatred, and mutilation. I was sorry I'd read it.

I much more enjoyed the stories in Splash, a compilation of writings about swimming given to me by my friend Betty. I loved "Wet" by Laurie Colwin and "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. Must go back and read that collection.

Wed. May 17

Swam about 2800 yd today: 500 wu, 5 X 100, 4 X 200, 3 X 300 then some kicking. Still feeling kind of tired. Looking forward to those sharks.... maybe they will make me swim really fast. The Sea Huntresses will come in handy.

L'Esperance

We lived at the top of the old road leading down to L'Esperance, a Danish sugar plantation in the late 1700's and early 1800's. This link has a description of the hike.
http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/LEsperance.htm
The "foundation of an old house" mentioned is our old pre-fab national park service house foundation, the house blown away in a hurricane. The text doesn't mention the graves at L'Esperance; a large flat marker for Hendrick Tonis was there. My brother Bill mapped the whole area and cleared out saplings so that one could see the foundations of the old buildings and mills. We looked down on the royal palm from our house.

Tuesday May 16

Had to work 2pm to 8 pm today, so I swam at the lunch time lap swim. Lynne was there, too. I did about 2500 yd: 500 wu, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, then about 500 kick. Arms kind of tired feeling still since Sat. Had some fun by doing some spinning dolphin playing with my fins on. Glad to hear from Watergrrl! And got some other comments from several anonymouses. Nice to get some compliments on my blog. So here is a nice picture to further beautify my blog. That is Jost Van Dyke where we'll be stopping on our boat rides.

Monday May 15

Turns out I am more tired today than I was yesterday, so must rest today. Will get back in the swim tomorrow.
I wonder where is Watergrrl? Have not heard since the first training swim. Hope all is well.

Saturday May 13

I did it! I swam 6200 yd (3.5 mi). I divided it into 3 X 2000 yd and drank water treading water at 2000 and 4000. Took one hour 44 min. At 3000 yd my left hand got weird, kind of weak feeling, but that went away. Around 5000 my triceps down to my lats (my wings) got pretty sore. My calves started to feel crampy, I think from pushing off the wall. But I felt pretty energetic, esp in the last 500. Norma came in and got in my lane, wouldn't you know it, but not a problem. I pictured where I'd be in the swim, like "I'm rounding America Point now, heading into Cinnamon Bay " etc.
Now I can slack off some and rest up. Upcoming schedule:
May 15 - 5000
May 17- 4500
May 19 - 4000
May 22- 3500
May 24 - 3000
May 26 & 27- paddle around in Maho Bay
May 28- the race

Thurs May 11

Swam 4500 yd: 1000 wu, 1750, 1000, 500, 250 breaststroke and kick.
I've come a long way since January when I started my training in earnest. Back then a 2500 yd workout seemed like a lot. Hope I can keep my conditioning reasonably good into the next half-century....

Leatherback turtle seen on St. John

An endangered leatherback turtle story in Tradewinds: she began to make a nest at Caneel Bay during the daytime, then left to swim over to Trunk where she completed the nest at night. See story at link.
She was beach to beach power swimming.

Virgin Islands food

Market Square on St. Thomas, a block from my high school, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School.
What do I recall about foods of the VI: At home, we pretty much ate as we had in TN, after bringing the groceries across from St. Thomas on the ferry. Had to keep a lot of it in the freezer due to humidity. But Bob Nose would sometimes bring up lobsters that he had caught and grill for us.
At my high school cafeteria, we supposedly had goat! And there was also fungi, a cornmeal mush kind of thing. Everywhere was chicken leg and johnnycake. The chicken was delicious, very spicy, as at Joe's Lunch wagon on St. John. St. Thomas had some Trinidadians selling East Indian inspired food such as roti. I often got tamarind sno-cones on the street after school. There were lots of fruits, such as mango (little wild ones picked right off the tree), genip, mami apple, sugar apple. There'd be fish frys to eat and dance at on St. John. We didn't do much fresh fish buying tho, wish we had. I recall sitting with Phyllis at the park visitor center as she ate her lunch of things like pumpkin, callaloo, sweet potato (white ones), dashin (?). She was of Carib descent from Dominica.
There was a drink, maubi, sold at the market in St. Thomas, a reddish brown liquid made from roots and herbs, who knows what. Non-alcoholic. Alcohol? Rum of course which was .99 cents for a bottle of Cruzan. Guavaberry at Christmastime.

Sat. May 6

Today I did 5600 yd. or 3.2 mi. I did a 400 wu then a descending ladder of 1000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 300, 200. 100, 100. Felt pretty wiped out by the end. I must be crazy. I'll be lucky to finish in the 3 hours they are allotting. I expect pool times to mean nothing in the sea with waves and everything. If I am done in 2 hours I'll be lucky. But I still can't wait. In 3 weeks I'll be back on my beautiful St. John. Been gone too long.

Wed, May 3

Today I did 4000 yd.: 800 wu, 1 x 800, 2 x 400, 4 x 200, 8 x 100. Trying to fight burnout. Going ok, feel good in the water. Will do short swim Fri. then long one (5600) Sat.

Home

Here's Stephen multitasking; maybe studying his German or looking at ebay, talking on the phone at the same time. The babies: Molly, Sadie, and Sparky and Andy.

Monday May 1

I swam 5000 yd: 500 wu, 1750 yd (1 mile), 500 kick, 1750 broken, 500 kick.
Counting down to May 13. Am fighting the chlorine and black line doldrums. What a rush it will be to finally be in those beautiful bays again.

We got emails from Delta saying a few of our flight numbers had changed, no biggie we hope.
I ordered a sun hat from LL Bean, ordered a white shirt from Pam, got film,- I'm about set. Need to borrow Sandra's suitcase.

Sat. April 29

Swam 5300 yd today: 1100 wu, 3 x 1000, 400, 300, 200, 100, 100 kick, 200 kick.
Just got to get through the next 2 weeks of increasing yards. 2 weeks from today is the last continuous swim, then I taper. I keep longing for the taper......

The Girls

Becky, Julie, Martha


Here we are! the foxy Caribbean babes. In the second picture, Debbie is on the left. She is staying in the States this summer with her new hubby since they just went to St. John last summer on their honeymoon. We were having our "Spring Fling", drinking Bellinis and wine.

Caribbean music

Ok so like I am so far behind, no telling what they are listening to now there. I read that Bob Marley's son Damien had a big record, Jam Rock. Very rap. When I was there it was all Exodus and Natty Dread and Rasta man, stay off the swine. Plus Jimmy Cliff, Ram Goat Liver, How you jammin so, I come out to play, Sparrow, Bass Man, Flag Woman, Shift Your Carcass. I went to carnival in St. Thomas 73 or 74, a cop shoved me off the street and I shoved him back and he about hit me. Carnival on St John was milder, I rode on the park service float and we threw genips at people. My prom was at the big hotel Frenchmans Reef at the harbor in Charlotte Amalie, we had some calypso band and got down. I went with Chris O'Dea, such a sweetie, who went off to MIT and I never knew what happened to him. My big crush was on Denis, the brother of my friend Benedicte. They were French, from Martinique, their parents worked in perfumes at AH Riise. Then there was Francis. So much for my love life.

Thurs. April 27

Dear diary-
I went to the Y today to finish up what I began yesterday and got stormed out. I did about 2500 yd. ( like my old self before distance training). Included 10 x 100 rather fast, came in under 1:30, heart rate kind of high. Felt great. I want to swim everyday. I'm psyched.

Have been remembering life on St. John. It had to be hard for my parents, their teenage children going wild in the tropics. We'd all have blender drinks before dinner, daiquiris or pina coladas, then I'd try to study for school. I went to St. Peter and Paul HS on St. Thomas. Mom, Bill and I would have to get on the ferry at 7 am, arrive Red Hook in 30 min, then ride a taxi (often with Eddie- "okay, okay") into Charlotte Amalie. What a place, with us all coming from middle Tennessee in the early 70's, what a consciousness raising. I'd ride the public bus from town to Red Hook and be the only white girl on the bus. I became a fan of the beautiful Caribbean people and their music, food, language, even literature.

More to do on St. John

Another thing that Becky, Martha and I may want to do is stroll around at Caneel Bay Plantation to see the beautiful plantings. They used to have lots of exotic tropical plants and trees with signs labeling them.
We might wander out to Turtle Bay, have tea or planter's punch at one of the bars, lie in a hammock for a while. I guess security could have changed since 30 years ago. I used to babysit for the managers kids, go with my folks to parties there for national park families, hear steel drum music in the bars, steal cookies and strawberry frappe from the afternoon tea tables, use their sunfishes to sail in the bay. Once the wind was down and I could not move and the ferry was coming in... very embarrassing.

Wed. April 26

Found some distance workouts on the USA Swimming site. Did 400 k + 1200, 100 back, 300 fr, 100 back, 200 free, 100 back, 100 fr, then 600 reverse IM kick, 200 kick drill; 400,--
then there was a storm with lightning and they made me get out. So it was a short day. only 3700.
Probably I should have some short days mixed in but with only swimming 3 days a week I have to get a lot of yards in then.

Monday April 24

Swam 5000 yd today: 2000 warmup, some kicking, pulling, 5 X 100 quickly, drills. Then did 2 X 1000, then 500 plus 500 kick. I'm taking a day of leave one hour at a time so I can leave work at 4:00 several days to get the yardage in. Worked great today, got home by 6:45.

I'd have thought with all this swimming I'd be skinnier by now, but there is this pesky 5 lbs or so that isn't going anywhere. I still have thunder thighs and a big booty and tummy. Helpful for flotation.......

Am breaking in my new Speedo poly endurance suit which I hope will stand up to the salt water and the chlorine for a long time. Those lycra suits don't last long.

Sat. April 22

I did 5000 yd Sat. (500 wu, 1750 in 28 min, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100) When I got to the pool the guard said that there was going to be a pool party and he'd have to put in a rope across the middle. I said, I must have a lane I've got to do 5000 yd today. He did give me a lane, and another lap swimmer came in too. I was on the gutter. But I got it done, and it looked like only 17 screaming idiot kids, so they had plenty of room. I resent the Y renting out the pool to parties when people need to do laps.
I heard from Watergrrl that there was a training swim from Maho to Cinnamon today in St John! Can't wait to hear about that. Sure wish I was in those beautiful bays. She lives down there, I'm jealous.

St. John Archaeology

These students are writing about their internship doing archaeology on St. John, working for Ken Wild, the National Park Service archaeologist. There have been some excavations going on at Cinnamon Bay in recent years. More info at Friends web site.
http://friendsvinparch.blogspot.com/

Snap out of it!

All right- attitude adjustment. Got to get my motivation back up. I'm feeling up again this morning. I'm happy to be in good health and have this chance to train and prepare for such a distance event. I've been looking for such a challenge for years. There isn't a lot of time left and I'm going to enjoy it, concentrate on my stroke, think up interesting workouts, do some timing and heart rate checking. Remember 2 summers ago when the pool was closed for 5 or 6 months for repairs, I was miserable. I've got 3 rough weeks coming up, but I want to be prepared and feel confident flying down there that I've done the training and can do the event.
Here's Grant Hackett for moral support. He says Julie you wimp, 5000 yd. is nothing.

My schedule coming up: Sat. Apr. 22 swim 5000 yd. (or 2.8 mi.)
Week of Apr. 24: up to 5300 yd (or 3 mi)
Week of May 1: up to 5600 yd (or 3.2 mi)
Week of May 8: up to 6200 yd (or 3.5 mi)
Week of May 15: Taper! 4000 yd
Week of May 22: 3000 yd
May 26: Fly to the VI
May 28: The Beach to Beach Power Swim

Wed. April 19

I swam 4000 yd today: 500 wu then the Evans 3500 workout. I feel energetic physically,and I don't get tired, but my mind is straying. I am impatient and want to go on and do this event so I don't have to train so long anymore. Is it spring fever, just wanting to be outside with the flowers and warm breeze? I am getting bored with the chlorine and the black line and the squalling kids and the splashers and the lazy guards. Would be nice to have more lap swimmers around for moral support.
I'll come back Sat. and do the 5000. It will be earlier in the day, I can take my time. I see why this distance swimming is more mental than physical.

Mon. Apr 17

Swam 4000 yd- Need to get up to 5000 this week. I am getting antsy, don't want to spend this much time in the water.
Did 1000 warm up, then 2X500 then 2X1000. Felt pretty strong and fluid. I feel pretty confident that I'll have the endurance if not great speed. Stephen calculates 1:42 for 6200 yd. based on my 4700 time.
My good pals came to dinner Sat. and we are getting excited about our trip- Debbie is advising us on restaurants. Delta don't go on strike.....

Thurs. April 13

I did it- I swam 4700 yards non stop, took 1 hr. 18 min. Counted MahoCinnamonTrunkCay 4 times, then HawksnestBeach once. Felt quite strong, in fact around 3000 or so I wondered if I was having the "runner's high", and was able to finish quite strong. Mr. Red Trunks ( an unfriendly much slower guy) and I were sort of racing around 4500 yd but he never stands a chance. Not bad for being on my period and recovering from a Tues. pm happy hour. I'll go in Sat. and do a short swim to get my 3rd swim in for the week. My girls are coming to dinner that night tho so must keep it short in favor of cleaning and cooking.

One month from today is my final straight swim of 6200 yd. I'll have to do that on graduation day probably. Then I have 2 weeks of taper, then the big day on St. John. The end is in sight.

Mon. April 10

Swam 4700 yds. today: 200 wu, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100. Whew. Took 1 1/2 hr. Noted heart rate- mine stays around 144-156 on long sets, about right for cruising. The next month will see increasing time commitments for each Y visit. Looking forward to May 14 when taper begins....

Boat trip scheduled

We have scheduled our May 29 outing! It is a motor boat trip to Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay, Guana Cay, and Jost Van Dyke on Breakaway http://www.visitbreakaway.com/
That will be M. Lou's big day so we will have a big blowout. Hope there's plenty of shade under that roof. I'll be exhausted- that is the day after the swim; so what better than to lime on the boat and eat and drink!

Goals

I looked up my goals written back in January:
My first and main goal is just to complete the 3 1/2 mi. swim alive. My inside goal is to complete it in 1 hour 45 min. which realistically allows for 30 min. per mile. My outside goal is to complete it in 1:30.
They don't really need revising, these are pretty realistic.

Ch ch ch changes

This training is bound to have some effect on my head and my body, I think for the positive. I'm able to slip into a few items of clothing that were too snug before. I'm less likely to skip a workout and don't bargain with myself any more, like, should I swim today? I know that I have to, so I "just do it". I'm finding that I have reserves of stamina that I didn't know I had. I am even watching it when consuming wine or beer- limiting to just one so that I can swim the next day. And my goal is to feel triumphant that I can finish this swim May 28 feeling not too exhausted. And then I will prove to myself and the world that 50 (which happens in Oct. 06) is not all that bad.

Sat. Apr. 8

Today I swam 4500 yds: 5X900 (900 wu, 9X100, 3X300, 2X450, 1X900).

Wed. Apr. 5

Feeling much better- did 4500 yd. Went easy on the warm up, stretched first, did lots of kicking, 1000 yd. Then did the mile, took 29 min. I was trying to modify my stretch and not reach so far, seemed to help. At first it hurt a little when right arm did recovery, but that went away. After a mile, I did 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, then 300 kick.

I'd advertised the swim event for the Friends of the VI NP on the USMS discussion forums, and got one response from someone known as "Swimgrrl" who says she plans to come to do the swim! Glad to get a recruit. I wish I were raising money somehow to donate to the Friends, because they do good work in conservation on St. John. I'm not much of a money collector, and I'd just hit friends up for the Worldwide Swim for Malaria. At least they'll have my entry fee.

Mon. Apr. 3

I swam 4000 yd. Felt tired and am sort of low motivation now. I should be getting psyched, finally May is in sight, and I need to increase to 4500 yd this week. By May 13, I should be at 6200, the max. Then- the taper. Guess I need to keep my goals in sight and not get discouraged now. I have to spend so long in the water. Today I walked Sadie and it was such a revelation to be above ground and seeing things. I'm not complaining- I chose to do this. I'm a little worried about some feeling of overextension in my back like right under my shoulder blades. Could be I'm not rotating enough and reaching too far. Also must watch the over reach when pushing off at each flip turn.

To do on St. John

A week is already looking too short. Some things I want to do while there:
See where our house used to be, at the top of the L'esperance trail, up on Centerline road overlooking Fish Bay. We would see the Jamaican red tail hawks circling over head. One could see St. Croix on clear days. Our house was a metal pre-fab house sitting on a cistern. No AC of course. Lots of mold, lizards, a beautiful hibiscus bush at the door, a terrific deck.

Hike down to the petroglyphs, rock carvings done by Africans, Caribs, Tainos, Arawaks- I don't think they know for sure. Maybe drive out Bordeaux Mt., highest point on St. John.

Go to Coral Bay for dinner; drive down to Salt Pond Bay, maybe into Lameshur.

Visit Merry at her house, built since I was there last. Have seen pictures; she built it in the style of old island architecture with stone walls and hip roof.

Hike around on Mary Point, Leinster Bay, Cinnamon Bay trail.

Do Cruz Bay, visit a few shops and eat. I'm sure it will have changed a lot.

See the archeological digs going on at Cinnamon.

Swim, snorkel, sail, motor boat, lime on the beach, drink. I need a month.

Friday March 31

Had to swim at lunch time today since we have dinner at the library for the students tonight. So I had to make it a shorter swim. Think I did about 2500 including lots of kicking towards the end. Lots of swimmers made for choppy waters and temp was too high. Got to see Lynne, Jan, and Jim. I'll try to do some walks etc this weekend.

Wed. Mar. 29

Swam just over 4300 yd; did 500 wu, 200 pull, 300 kick, 1750 yd, then 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 100 kick. Am getting kind of sore or an overextension feeling in the lats (tricep soreness has gone away). I also am getting kind of dotty and disoriented. All this being underwater. It will be much more stimulating to have fish and coral instead of a black line to look at. I keep thinking of the Charles Sprawson comment about swimmers' delusions and neuroses (seeMar. 3 post).
Hooray I have a comment. Thanks M Lou, one of my travel buds. We are now thinking of a power boat ride on the 29th to several of the BVI. Cue Miami Vice music.....

Monday March 27

Swam 4100 yds. Must do 4300 yards by end of week. Did some 100's on 1:30 with :15 rest, did some 200's and 400's and an 800, thinking about pace and taking heart rates.

Two months to go! My passport came so I am psyched to travel the globe now. Stephen and I are talking about a trip next year to northern Italy, Prague, maybe Germany- I'm getting like my friend Betty and want to always have a trip to look forward to.

Quicktime clip of underwater scenery, St. John

If you have Quicktime, you can view a swimmer's eye view of walking down to the sea, going underwater and seeing fishes and corals dem:
http://www.usvitourism.vi/en/stjohn/sj_Home.html

Click on "Snorkeling off St. John"- very cool.

Sat. Mar. 25

Swam 4000 yd today; this was the first Saturday I'd attempted in a long time; fortunately there was a lane line in and lap swimmers had half the pool- excellent. Did the Evans set plus a warm up and cool down. There were several other lap swimmers, including Sarah. I plan to add a fourth weekly workout when possible from now on.

Wed. March 22

Wed. I swam 3500 yds: 800 wu, 1 X 800, 2X400, 4X200, then 300 cool down. Used fins a lot to get done faster. Sarah is doing 6000 yd workouts now, and it is nice to have a fellow swimmer nearby. She is an amazing girl.

Thurs. I found 2 cute swim suits for my trip at Swim and Tri in Knoxville- One is an "Ugly" by Ocean and is mostly poly, and the other is by Illusions, a co. in CA that is making competition style suits in cute tropical prints for half the price of a Speedo. The woman at the store is apparently the new coach for Prime Time, the masters group at UT that I used to swim with some.

Thurs pm we had dinner with friends Doug and Susan, Jan and Dave; Doug and Susan are planning to move back into the area from Boston. I talked to her about her training for the Boston Marathon last year. They run up to 20 mi. in practice (marathon is 28). In swimming it is 6 mi. as the max needed to practice for a distance race. Glad I'm only doing 3 1/2, but I have to practice the whole 9 yards.

Monday March 20

I did 4000 yds. I did 1000 (some kicking and pulling) warm up, then swam 10 X 100 with :20 rest, held 1:30. Trying a little pace work, also checked heart rate. Then did 2 X 500, 2 X 250, 150, 100, 50. Felt pretty strong. Debra had installed a new clock- a big square wall pace clock! Thought I'd gone to swimming heaven. The angel chorus sang. I overlooked the hot water for that.

Some underwater scenes

See you in May, dudes...

Friday March 17- 3rd straight swim

Did about 200 warm up then swam my 3rd non-stop swim, this one of 3700 yds. or 2.1 mi. Took me 57 minutes; paused to say bye to Sarah and change lanes when she left, did 300 breaststroke to break things up in there. Water was hot. I worried a little about my back which had been hurt Wed., so I tried not to overreach. By 2000 yd I was feeling great again. Did a little stretching before I started. Swam about 200 cool down, for a total of 4100 yd. 6160 is starting to look possible. You go girl.

Wed. March 15

Beware the Ides of March for true, me son- wrenched my back as I got out of my car this am and missed my swim for today. It has felt a little better as the day progresses. I rarely have back trouble.
This photo shows St. John's north shore on the left, with the entire route of the Beach to Beach Power Swim visible. I drew a black line showing the start at the farthest point which is Maho Bay, then coming towards us (west) into Cinnamon, then Trunk, then Hawksnest Bays.

Monday March 13

I am up to 3700 yards per practice now. I'm getting a bit tired! I did about 200 warm up, then I did that Janet Evans ladder again, 1X500, 2X400, 3X300, 4X200, 5X100. Easy to keep track of yardage and gets it done. Took 1 hour 15 min. I rested about .30 to 1:00 between sets. Yes I know Janet did shorter intervals! I'm getting some sensation in my lats, maybe I need to stretch more.

I'd heard that as masters swimmers age up (also runners, bikers, etc) we are able to do endurance type stuff better than sprinting. I'm finding that to be true, whether it is because of slow vs fast twitch muscles or mental toughness. I'm more concerned with finishing than being fast- the old tortoise thing.

Friday Mar. 10

Managed to do 3500 yds today, despite not feeling that great and the chlorine level seemed high. Tried a workout I found on web recommended by Janet Evans: 1X500, 2X400, 3X300, 4X200, 1X500.

Distance swimming heroes

Janet Evans and Grant Hackett- my heroes

Wed. Mar. 8

Did 3600 yds. 500 wu, 500 kick, then a mile non-stop (1750 yd), then assorted 250 back and breaststroke, then 500 free, then 100 kick. The mile is taking 29 min. wish I could get that shorter.

Beach to Beach power swim photos

These are some scenes along the way. The web site for Friends of the VI National Park has this great course map with photos taken all along the route.

swimming in my head

My book about distance swimming by Penny Dean says that 70 to 80 percent of open water swimming is mental. I think each day of training is so mental too. I used to argue more with myself about "should I go to the pool today?" which is better now with this big goal looming, I had better go or else. It helps me to have a sort of disconnect between my head and my body. My head says "I just want to go home and lie down and eat and have a beer." My body says, "come on lets go!" My body is the little kid begging to do stuff and my head is the reluctant but indulgent parent. My head thinks, I want this huge piece of chocolate cake, but body down there don't need it. Head tends to sabotage things for body sometimes. A guest I heard on New Dimensions said to strive for integrating mind, body and spirit. Maybe during a long swim this can happen and all come together.

Monday March 6

Did about 3600 yds. Found a distance freestyle workout on the USMS discussion list and adapted it; was in groups of 300's and 600's, made the time go quickly. Will have to use more of those. Never really understood lots of pulling tho. My legs need the work. I wonder: does it count to use fins doing distance yardage?

Fri. March 3

I don't know how far I swam or even how long I was in the pool. There were 3 of us in 2 lanes and I was on the gutter, so it was choppy and crowded, probably good practice for open water. I kept losing track of laps, couldn't see a clock. Must have done around 3200. Felt really out of touch. Made me think of these lines from Charles Sprawson's Haunts of the Black Masseur: "The swimmer's solitary training, the long hours spent semi-submerged, induce a lonely, meditative state of mind. Much of a swimmer's training takes place inside of his head, immersed as he is in a continuous dream of a world under water. So intense and concentrated are his conditions that he becomes prey to delusions and neuroses beyond the experience of other athletes."

Wed. March 1

I swam 3600 yds.: 500 wu, 250 kick, 250 pull; 500 free; 1000 free and breast; 400, 300, 200, 100; then 100 kick.

Learning to swim

I grew up far from decent pools and never thinking of myself as athletic. I couldn't play basketball, softball, or run. I could ride a bike and liked to walk. But when my mom came home one day and said she had signed me up for swimming lessons, I cried for happiness, although I don't really remember the lessons or becoming much of a swimmer at that point. These lessons were at the Spring Grill Motel outdoor pool where kids did splash and play all summer.

I do remember swimming in a lake with Steve Cornett while our families camped together; I ducked my head underwater and my glasses slipped off. I felt them slip through my fingers as they sank to the bottom. My folks really scolded me for that.

While in high school in Murfreesboro I went to a backyard pool party where I raced 2 boys down and back and beat them; one said "how did you do that?"

Then we moved to the VI, swimming paradise. Learned to snorkel, did some splashing and playing. Sometimes after school if I'd come by ferry into Caneel Bay where my mom worked in reservations, I'd swim there waiting for her to get off work. Her friend Rory was usually there and she taught me the basics of crawl and breaststroke.

Then when I got to Maryville College I passed the freshman swimming test and took water safety instructor, becoming a lifeguard at the college pool. However I don't think I swam much more than enough to pass the course and the lifeguard certification.

After graduation I worked at UT in Knoxville and joined the aquatic center where I swam occasionally but never really got into a regular routine of it. Worked on a masters in library science and became assistant librarian at Tennessee Wesleyan College, promptly joined the Y in Athens around age 30. I got a book at the public library to learn strokes better. Eventually started a masters swim group here, but our small numbers made it hard to maintain. I did attend a couple of meets in Knoxville as did Jim Johnson from here. I spent several summers swimming with the Knoxville masters group "Prime Time" coached by Jenna Johnson, 1986 Olympian.

Sea Hunt

Here's Becky and Martha doing sea hunt, helping me win. I must remember to act surprised.

Day sail is scheduled

Yesterday we managed to get our day sail scheduled for May 31 with the Wayward Sailor, Capt. Phil. We kind of had a hard time finding an outfit that would take us to Jost Van Dyke, but Phil will. He does a snorkel stop, lunch at Foxy's, & a short walk on Jost. This is part of the original fantasy of sailing the Caribbean. I'm hoping he'll let me dive off the side.

Monday Feb. 27

Swam 3500 yd. 500 warm up, 5 X 100 with fins, 5 X 100 (timed at 1:36 to 1:32), 2 X 500 (timed each at 8:01) and then 4 X 200 (timed 2 at 3:11), 200.
That was wild how each 500 and 200 was exactly the same time. I found a pace chart on the USMS site which shows what each 100 yd. should be to be a certain time in the longer distances. For example, if I average 1 min. 35 sec. per 100 yd, I will come in at around 1 hour 35 min. in a 6000 yd swim.

Phase 2 starts tomorrow

In Jan. and Feb. I managed to swim usually 3 days a week and increased to 3400 yd. per workout, well once or twice anyway. I did 2 non-stop swims of 2500 and 3200. Friday was a bust; had too good a time with Lynne and Kiki "whining and wining" Thursday night, so missed a workout and was mad at myself. But starting tomorrow I begin the push for longer workouts leading up to 6000 yd by May 13.

Met with Martha and Becky yesterday for lunch at the Northshore Brasserie. We compared packing lists, discussed day sail plans, and talked about other plans for trip. They are up for the bbq after the swim and after their shark activities helping disable my competition. Martha says, Julie remember to act surprised when you win. Just hope they yank out those little kids' snorkels.

Swimming in perspective

3.5 mi probably doesn't sound like a lot to a runner or biker; however, a swim coach I read said that swimming 1 mile is equal in effort and energy to running 4 miles. So this event will be more like running 14 mi. As a non-runner, I don't know if that is a lot to run. I probably could not run one mile. I do think that triathlons are disproportionate in terms of swim length versus run and bike lengths. I'd rather a longer swim myself, but most triathletes hate swimming from what I have heard. If only I could run. But I always hated all that bouncing around, girls flopping, and all that sweat.

Wed. Feb. 22

Managed to do 3400 yd. today: 500 wu, 500 kick, 500 pull, then 5-4-3-2-100, then 100. No that is 3100. Fortunately starting now the high school team is done practicing so I can get into the water at 5 instead of 6, so can swim longer and not get home so late. A window opens.

Plan for coming months

My training plan:
Week of Feb. 19- 3400 yd per practice
Feb. 26 - 3500
Mar. 5- 3500
Mar 12- 3700; 3rd straight swim
Mar 19- 4000
Mar 26-4300
Apr 2- 4500
Apr 9- 4700; 4th straight swim
Apr 16- 5000
Apr 23- 5300
Apr 30- 5600
May 7- 6000; 5th straight swim
May 14- begin taper- 4000
May 21- 3000; rest a lot
May 28: The event

Mon. Feb. 20

Today I swam almost 3000; I did 500 wu, then a ladder 100,200,300,400,500,400,300,200,then it was time to get out. This was at lunch time so time was limited. It was crowded and choppy, so probably good training for open water. This week I need to start increasing to 3400.

Cinnamon Bay

Cinnamon Bay is the first bay along the way after leaving Maho. The national park campground is here. We'll swim in from the left ( in the lower photo), go between the cay and beach, then on to the right and on to Trunk Bay.
I worked in the campground cafeteria one summer, visiting with Sharon Edwards and kids between shifts. My dad would give slide shows for the campers in the evening.
We could hike from our house up at L'esperance down the Cinnamon Bay trail to the beach. Our house got blown away in a hurricane (long after we left of course).

Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay is the 2nd beach along the way from Maho to Hawksnest. I worked there one summer, running a concession stand 2 days a week. I was working for Doug Cleland who ran the stand for Caneel Bay. That's where I learned to make rum punch in big quantities. We'd feed tour bus crowds. Got to chat with park employees such as Rudy de Windt and Louis; got to watch the mongooses. I recall Carl the bus driver who swore that one can swim just as fast without kicking- I've often thought he was right.

Friday Feb. 17 - 2nd straight swim

Yesterday was my 2nd non-stop swim, 3200 yd. this time. I did maybe 200 warm up and then began. Counted using "beach2beachpowerswim" (1000 yd) 3 times, plus 200 yd. (orca). The first 1000 took about 15 min., kind of lost track after that. In all, 50 min.

Felt pretty strong, had to tread water a few times to pull my cap back on, did 100 yd breaststroke at end of first 2 1000's. My triceps were yelling. I felt victorious and wanted to shout when I got out. The guards are starting to be amazed by me.

So I can do 3200 straight; 2 months ago I'd not have believed it. Today I doubt I can do 6000 straight by mid May, but in a couple of months, perhaps anything is possible...

Wed. Feb. 15; stroke and kick

I did about 2500 yards; had a headache so got out a little early. Did the 1750 in 29 min. I feel kind of tired today, hope I am not getting sick.

I maintain a 19 stroke per 50 yd. count, never seems to change a lot. Think my kick is getting a bit stronger, tho, that should help.

In freestyle a swimmer has either a 2, 4 or 6 beat kick. That means the number of kicks per arm stroke. Distance swimmers usually have 2 or 4 beat kicks, while sprinters have 4 or 6. I have always had the 6; freestyle is like a waltz to me. I can't seem to relearn this. My book says that the big muscles of the legs use more oxygen, so they should work less than the arms. However I think about long hikes and how my legs do all the work all day, so I am not really afraid of tiring my legs. My quads can get a little sore, but my triceps are what gets really sore from swimming. A good sore though: like they have worked. I do have a good stroke, keep my elbow high and pull with the entire forearm; so many swimmers I see have the typical dropped elbow.

Blogging is great. As I told my friends, what better way to blather on endlessly about your favorite topic, your own self?

Monday Feb. 13

Did 3200 yards: 500 wu, 3 x 500 free, 1 x 1000, 200. I often spell things to keep up with laps, like my name, or other words, since I forget numbers, and words make it more interesting. My name and St. John Swim are 10 letters (10 laps =500 yard). Whales = 300, dolphins = 400.

Felt pretty good doing the increase, although got home later. On Wed. and Fri. I can get into the pool sooner, I hope. And soon (Mar. 10) the swim team will be finished, so 4 - 6 pm will revert to rec/lap swim. My friend and former coach Debra is the aquatics director; she will swim some then too. I am glad to have a real swimmer as the Y's aquatics person now. Swimmers used to be the last people our Y considered.

I did a few weight machines before my swim; not sure if that is a good idea at this point. I don't know at what point I stop the weights. Made my shoulder a little sore.

Fri. Feb. 10

I swam with Lynne at lunch time; did about 2300 yards. Can't get enough time in on my lunch hour.. We were going out that evening to friends house for dinner, so had to go at lunch.

Hawksnest

Here is beautiful Hawksnest Bay where the race ends, at the farther beach; to the left is Oppenheimer, I think, the scientist owned it. Hawksnest was a favorite beach when I lived there, not visited a lot by the tourists.

Increase of distance per week

Last night I did 3000 yards: 600 warm up, 1750 yd (1 mi) in about 29 min., then more to get the 3000.
I figured up how much to increase each week, according to my Open Water Swimming book by Penny Dean which says one can increase by 5 to 15% each week. I can increase by 6% each week to get up to 6000 yards by May 13, the day of my last long swim. It isn't so much the yardage that scares me but finding the time to get such long workouts in. Some days I can only do an hour due to work/home/pool schedule; other days I will need to be in the water for 1 1/2 hours or more. Saturdays may be the time for that, making sure they give me a lane line since Sat. is only rec swim. I have to plan ahead so there is food at home ready to heat up too.

The zen of swimming

Swimming is the best kept secret of the exercise world. If everyone swam, the world would be a healthier, happier place. It is relatively injury free, develops great lung capacity, tones up the whole bod, gives you a certain weightless high, keeps the fat down, gets those endorphins buzzing. I imagine that it almost feels like flying. I was looking through a runners catalog and was amazed at all the stuff they sold for injuries to feet, knees, hamstrings, shins, ankles, etc. You don't see any of that in swimming catalogs. And one can study each stroke for years making little changes and never quite perfecting it.

The Beach to Beach Power Swim

Here is the map of the swim- on their web site it is so cool, you can click on places along the route and see a photo of the water level view from there. As the pelican flies, the route might be only a couple of miles, but apparently when you wind in and out of the bays it is more like 3 1/2 mi.

Psyched again

OK so I swam last night, did 3,000 yards and I am psyched for this again. Did 500 warm up, then a 100,200,300,400,500 ladder, then 500, 200,200,then 100 kick. Had a few pesky rec swimmers and the parent-tot crowds on either side of the lap lanes. Sarah is a high schooler preparing for state competition, nice to have her to swim with. Got enthused again. I will need to start doing more like 1 1/2 hour workouts somehow; used to do that with the Knox. masters team up at UT long ago. Need to increase to 3500 by Feb 18, 4000 by Mar. 18, 5000 by Apr. 15, 6000 by May 13, then taper.

Back in the swim

Friday was a waste as I had forgotten my swim stuff, drove home after work to get it, and never got back out of the house. Got my period too. I did do long walks on Friday and Sunday, plus got some exercise Sat. pm contra dancing. It was nice to walk with Stephen and Sadie and bond with them. Swimming's kind of lonely. So back to it today. Need to start increasing to 3000 yd per workout at this point.

Wed. Feb. 1

I did a little over 2500 yds. on my lunch hour; did 500 warm up, 1750 (1 mi) in almost 27 min., then a cool down. I sometimes lose count on the longer swim. I hope I am not crazy to do this. At this point I can't imagine swimming 3 1/2 times as much as that mile I did without stopping. And in the ocean it will be so different, I must look for buoys marking the course, not kick the coral, deal with waves and other swimmers, no walls or flip turns. And when I get nervous my heart beats faster and I get worn out more quickly. Having dark doubts....