Chanel No. 51 August 19th - The start

We started at 9:50 GMT Peggy is in the water and is looking fantastic.

We have internet access check the blog

Peggy is the first swimmer in the water. She left the shore under perfect conditions. She is a half hour into her swim and doing very well. The day is an absolute gift from God. Everyone says it is the best day of the year. Time moves on Liz is the next swimmer then Nancy, Margaret, Vicki and the closer Dani. This is our line up for the relay swim. The swim will take us into the night. We will keep you posted.

Chanel No. 51 August 18, 2009

Just arrived in Dover a few hours ago, went for a team swim in the Harbor, it was beautiful. It was the second swim for the Peggy and the Coronado girls. We are all hooked with sweatshirts, duffel bags, hats, suit. We won't be fast but we will look great.

...got a text at 6:00 GMT from Eddie to be at the dock at 7:30 am tomorrow. He will text at 3:00 am to confirm. The girls said "bring in on" Scrambling - had a nice steak dinner with the team, hit the grocery store, been unpacking and repacking for the swim...ready for bed since we been up for 36 hours already and have to swim in the am.

At the ten hour mark

When it became clear that the internet was not coming about up, I started a log in Word...

18:56 Margaret just transitioned in. The sun is starting to come down and it is difficult to see signals on the boat from the water. Nancy could not see a thing. Nancy looked great in the water has bought into the deck changes out of wet suits.

It will start getting cold once the sun goes down. This has been a rare perfect day. Flat and beautiful. Everyone loves the swimming. We will get there I am sure.

Eddie says we were 6.2 miles, we can see France… could be Peggy will finish.

8:06 We’re 3.75 miles to the Cap. Vicky is in with the beacons on her goggles and suit, sun is setting beautifully.

Marg just stopped to tell us about her swim. She felt she couldn’t get into a rhythm right away after jumping into the water – I’m sure that’s the same for everyone. After a few minutes she felt better with her stroke. Once she hit her stride, she felt strong and happy to be swimming. She put her all into it, knowing that this might be the last go for her Channel swim, even having to suck it up when the five minutes remaining sign showed up –twice! Marg said she used her new motto to live by “no excuses!”

Dani had a 2^nd terrific swim, really pushed the whole time . Left it all in the Channel.

Peggy is in for her third leg, the hopes that this will be our last leg were dashed by the tide changing. We are going to miss the Cap, just 1.8 miles away and need to land at Wissant which is 4 miles away. I will need to put on a suit. I was really hoping that she would finish what she started. :-0

Travel Plans

We are booked on out flights -- Margaret, Debbie and I are flying Monday August 17th night, with hopes to arrive in Dover tuesday at lunch time (save us a roasted chicken leg).
It is all coming together. margaret and I are training hard with lots of long swims (2 plus hour for Marg and 6 hours for me). Last weekend, margaret swam for two hours, then waited 2 hours and went back, swimming fast, to see how it would feel. She felt great.

While you are training you will need to do sets like this. Swim hard for an hour, lay on the beach for 1 hour plus, swim hard for 1/2 hour, lay on the beach for and hour plus and eat ice cream, swim hard for 1/2 hour. (And I do mean HARD)

Can't wait for our first practice swim in the Dover Harbor.

Cheers

Back from travels and ready to rock and roll in the Great Pacific!

I'm back from my trip, and looking forward to getting into the wonderful Pacific waters again...keeping up with the training and swims...this lovely piece of equipment is located on top of a very high mountain in malaysia - humidity 120% - at 7am...hiked it twice ... because there just wasn't enough pain the first time around...

2 Hour Swims Complete!!

Yes, Mission Complete and feeling great!
Even after celebrating a small birthday party...with ahemmm...Ms. Collins...and Nancy Blair, the swim was very doable and know I have the endurance to master this challenge. I feel, without a doubt, I could have put myself back into the water 4-5 hours later...even tho I was on a plane heading up to Anchorage, AK...and I feel I could have given it 100% again..no problem. I believe it is 90% mental preparation and determination that will see me thru this swim...my body is along for the ride :)

Over the next 2 weeks I plan to focus on my swimming techniques, swimming smarter, not harder...longer strokes, being more streamlined in the water and and being able to plan my strategy with my time in the water to be the most efficient I can be.I am really looking forward to finalizing the plans to get to Dover....preparing my kit of "survival" items needed to make the swim more enjoyable and continuing to mentally and physically prepare for the challenge. Without a doubt...Bring it on!Once I have confirmed my travel arrangement, I will post them so all will know. Also, if some of the items Debbi mentioned on her list can be used by all, let us know so all of us can share in the expense of making this swim not only successful, which it WILL be, but enjoyed by all.Thank-you Peggy for the wonderful swim and I look forward to a little Seattle training when I return...Off to Hong Kong in the morning...Ciao, Vicki

Swim Updates

I think I've cracked my open water training strategy...Wildcat Lake (5 min away) has people swimming almost every night (crappy weather they swim at the pool). Last night I met a guy just getting in and asked if I could swim with him, the course is straight out for half mile (it's marked for races) and back, it took us just under 30 minutes. Everybody wears wetsuits, but me, and the water temp was 64. It felt a little cold, but I was more tired then cold; he was trying hard because he didn't want this chick to show him up (I think) and I was trying hard because I didn't want to lose him and swim alone. It does get me to know that I'm not even close to being ready for this relay. That was just a mile and only half an hour. I'm going out today and I'm going to try to do it twice in an hour.
Enough about me...how are things going with you?

2-hour swims

I know by the end of July 4th weekend everyone will have completed their 2-hour swim. Woo hoo!
here are the updates I know: Peggy has done a 6000+ workout. on 6/23 Peggy did two workouts in one day a "double" day. Margaret has 2 2-hour swims under her belt and is coming back on Saturday for another.

Okay Coronado crowd how about some updates!!!!!

OK, I did it...snuck in on an openwater training swim with about 50 women mini-triathletes, I was the first one in and last one out, I knew a few of them and word got out why I was there (mainly because my lake is a little creepy with weeds)...talked to one who submits articles about these kind of things so there may be a little human interest story in our local crab wrapper about our relay...I swam for an hour and fifteen minutes in a big rectangle and I think the water was about 67 degrees. I'm thinking about coming out to the East coast and swimming with Margaret and Liz, it would be nice to have that qualifying swim behind me. So there's my first blog...here's to you, Deb... and you Coronado girls better get on it. GO TEAM! Also, congrats to Liz on her Chesapeake swim, why am I not surprised? Later.

June 14, 2009

Thank you Deb for creating this blog. It will be fun to share accomplishments, frustrations, concerns and workouts from now until August.

I feel honored to be a part of this team. Without a doubt, we will get this done.

The water is cold here in Long Island Sound. Have now completed two long swims at Hammenasst Beach with Marcy and other swimmers, Morris and Jim. Yesterday another swimmer joined us, in a wet suit! Course, I was in no way swimming "with" these swimmers, but hung in there to go "close" to the distance. Marcy was so encourging, I am one of the luckiest, 54 year old swimmers alive.

Hi everyone,
I am here in MD doing the Chesapeake Bay Swim (4.4 miles -- yes I know, hardly worth getting wet --only kidding). Weather tomorrow for the swim will be pretty bad -- very choppy. These are the days we need to be out there training -- there are no mill ponds in the Channel. If conditions for the swim are as they say it will be a rough go for many. The water temp is 73F and most of the swimmers will be in wetsuits.

Begin to pray to the Channel Gods.

Websites

Liz had posted these on the other site last month. They're good resources:

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=62304

http://www.doverlife.co.uk/

Dover life has a direct link to Channel Swimming - They've already posted todays successful crossing by a two person relay. It was the 1st successful crossing this year and accomplished by two 18 year olds; Tatum and Ryan, from Nevada!! They flew across in 10hrs 40mins!! Awesome and the 1st to sign the wall at the White Horse!

I hope this gets you excited because the 2009 season is here!!

Chanel No. 51 Blog Site Launch

Hi all, (Team Chanel No. 51),

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Debbie, the so called cat herder. I've helped Peggy and (she's helped me) on Lizzy's two double Channel crossing attempts the past two years. Thank goodness for team work because we both needed it! I started this blog as a place for everyone to get to know each other through posts. It's an easy forum to update each other on what you all are doing for training, motivation, cold water acclimation tips, just to say hello, etc. It's really no more than a private chat site.

I got your email addresses from email yesterday after we scored rooms at Victoria House. You have no idea how lucky we are to be staying together in Dover. I'm sure Audrey and Bill will ask us to breakfast in two shifts, but it will be great to camp out at the same place.

This site is private and we are the only authors so you can write whatever and no one outside the group will be able to access it. On the channel swimmers site, all kinds of questions are asked by "newbies" so ask away. Lizzy is the expert and Peggy and I have seen a lot from the boat.

Happy training!