What day is this? Farallon Day?

So much has happened since my last post. I had the great opportunity to swim as a part of a relay from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon islands. I had NOT read the Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey yet. Maybe a good thing?
It seemed like one minute I was Facebook cheerleading with Karen Rogers for the first successful relay and the next minute I got invited to be on the first ALL WOMEN'S relay to do the thing!
I was completely euphoric for the week and a half leading up to the event! I was so happy our local water temps dipped to 52F (my swim buds were not). I felt I could do anything for an hour and our relay was 6 swimmers on 1 hour legs.
Kim Chambers was on the first relay and she had the GREAT idea to coordinate this. Oddly I met her a few months prior at the Dolphin Club when I visited Susie Dods when I went up for the Open Water Swimming Safety Conference in SF. She has a cute kiwi accent.
So I booked my flight and my Dad picked me up to drop me at the airport. He told me to be careful. I said if that was my objective I would be home knitting booties for my impending grandchild!
Once in SF I rented a car to drive to SF Yacht Club. Somehow this was more terrifying to me than the thought of jumping into the waters of the "Red Triangle".
When I got to Vito's beautiful boat, the Sequel, there was a small group meeting. I was hoping for a swim but everyone was getting in gear for the following day. The order was Patti, Cathy Shark bait, Laura the Shark, Melissa, Kim and Me. From other relays I have been in, I know last place is tough because there is the motion sickness thing, but I did not want to worry about it.

Vito kindly let me sleep over on the boat. I grabbed some food from the local deli (gnocci and a sandwich). The next day I got up really early to shower (???) and Kim and Vito arrived.
We started in the darkness of the early morning under the magical glow of the Golden Gate Bridge in a bit of a drizzle. Strong swimmer Patti jumped into a massive ebb under the GG Bridge and swam a phenomenal distance. After Patti, Shark Bait dove in and swam another incredible ebb-fueled distance.

I went down to take a piss during Cathy’s round about 6:30 am. I started getting sick then. I went up top quickly and had some ginger candy but hurled over the port side. I was a really scared because I didn't want to fail the team. I threw up a few more times before my first round (#6).

Everything was better once I was in the water. I was happy the sun started to come out and I saw two big jellies. Oddly I was missing the kelp of Laguna Beach and five minutes later, Vito yelled: "Lynn look out for the kelp!" Vito said they could see the islands then.

When I got out I started puking over the side. I got inside and had a hard time getting my suit off. I tried to eat and drink but my stomach would have none of that. I shivered hard and it took me about 2 hours to recover. I felt bad that I did not have as much energy to cheer on my team mates.

My best bet seemed to rest until my next round. I decided to don the neoprene party cap along with bikini number two since the water temps had descended to sub-50.

I shoved in after Kim’s second round and immediately felt the motion sickness dissipate. The water was colder than anything I had previously experienced. The waves were large and I could see some cresting over me from the boat and was able to avoid getting a mouthful! When they signaled halfway I was a little relieved because I had not seen the quarter sign. I saw 10 and 5 and then there was fast Patti!(Yea Patti!!)

I thought I felt ok until I got on the deck. Some of the team members encircled me and just pulled my suit off on deck. They wrapped me in my towel. I was convulsing with shivers and nausea. They set me down inside under sleeping bags and I could not settle my body. Melissa laid on top of the sleeping bag to warm me. I felt like I could not do another round and told Kim so. I felt horrible but I was so turned inside out I felt like there was nothing left inside me.

After two hours I was better (though drained) and knew I could go again. I started gathering my things for a third round (cap, blinkie, dry suit (my Rob Aquatic suit...it was his birthday)) carefully as I would fall into rounds of dry heaves if I moved to quickly. I really wanted to do that third round to lift me out of the depth.

Kim was relieved that I was up for another go, but we caught a current and my tough team mates powered it in with Kim Chambers deservedly slapping the buoy at the finish.

What a super amazing group of women. I was bummed to feel so sick but stoked get to be a part. If I am ever so lucky to get invited on another relay like that, it will be scopolamine patches and 5-hour energy! Also I need to note that it is likely I do not have a Farallon solo cooking in my future at this time...no thank you!

Here is my video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Oceanswimmr#p/a/u/1/Ibv3hGvHzow

Here is the music video:
http://gallery.me.com/vitobialla#100119

On Healing...

In my last post I had said that my goal was "to heal".

I have had the great fortune to have my NOVA team mate Julia Juliusson of Sports Science Lab to treat my hurt shoulder...I mean rotator cuff. I have learned that the rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles. These individual muscles combine at the shoulder to form a "cuff" over the joint. The rotator cuff has function of stabilizing the shoulder as well as elevating and rotating the arm. Each muscle originates on the shoulder blade (scapula) and inserts at the arm (humerus ).

The four muscles that form the rotator cuff are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.

Without the diagnostic benefit of an MRI, Julia was able to tactilely determine that I had at the least, an impinged supraspinatus tendon. She has been treating my injury with ultrasound, massage, prescribed stretches and now strengthening exercises (ball and weights). She has also gotten me in the pool with a device called a "bell" that is like a multi-sided paddle (It really feels good to be in the water too!)

Today she had me swim a few lengths of freestyle and saw that my hurt left arm was doing the evil "crossover"! I was kind of shocked because I have read so many articles about avoiding that! I know my stroke has not been like that in the past and I had no idea that I had developed such a bad stroke! On subsequent laps, I brought the left arm out, held my core and rotated more. I still felt a bit of the "pinch" (impingement), but nothing like where I was even last week.

With Julia's help, I will be able to fix my stroke and do more long swims!

Julia is the best! Without her input, I would have likely jumped in too early and tried to swim through the pain and would have hurt myself more. This could have resulted in a lifetime condition of chronic shoulder issues!

I completely recommend Julia and Sports Science Lab to anyone facing any kind of rehabilitation issues!

http://www.sportsciencelab.com/

They are the BEST!!!

Why did I do that and what's next?

I have been on the road to this for over two years since I first read an email account of Jim McConica's Catalina swim exactly 5 years before mine (and I thought: "why in the world would anyone want to do that?" )

A few months later (October 2007) my friend Scott Zornig sent a mass email requesting crew for a crossing from Anacapa island to Santa Cruz island. I was just out of a really depressing relationship and I thought "why not"? So I got to kayak...it was a little more than I had bargained for! The winds were 25 knots, the sea had 6-8ft face swells, and the water was 57F!

I got tossed by a wave and had to roll the kayak back, hop on and catch up! I thought I would be able to contain my motion sickness with ginger products (wrong!) and threw up at the 5 mile mark. Scott's swim was only 6 miles but it was one of the most intense things I had ever been through and I was only the kayaker! I dry-heaved all the way back to Ventura Harbor, where I miraculously recovered and said "that was fun, let's do it again!"

I was invited back the following month to kayak for a relay crossing from Santa Barbara island to the mainland. On that relay I actually got to meet Jim McConica, Rendy Lynn Opedyke, Peter Attia, and Marc Lewis ...all amazing marathon swimmers! The relay was not successful but the experience was a positive one for me, anyways!

I went on to do a few more channel crossings as kayaker and official observer. My swim was the 10th channel crossing that I did.

My joke that it is that this is the sport of menopausal women! (1) I have insomnia, why not swim? and (2) HOT FLASH! Unfortunately I was not graced with any hot flashes, although I can't say that I was really tired.

A lot of people have said: What's next? And my response is: "To heal". I hurt my shoulder so I want to get better and then fix my stroke so this does not happen next time!

After I heal, I would like to organize and participate in a relay we will call "Girl's Night Out". Obviously all women ocean swimmers...Any volunteers???

:)

Video! Video!

Here is the video that my crew members shot of my swim! It is so interesting to see it from this angle after having been support on so many others! I am still eager to help others achieve this! What a great thing to get to do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHZ-MuE4zZU

And here are some great pictures (thank you Brad Arshat)

http://multisportsoc.smugmug.com/Nova-Masters/Open-Water-Training-Racing/Lynns-Catalina-Crossing/9896936_xgrzH#674420692_d9LX8

I am so lucky to have been able to do this.

Thanks to a GREAT crew (and a great swimsuit) and the blessing of a mostly healthy body!

Are we there yet?

I could hardly believe that the night of my swim had finally arrived. As we headed toward Catalina, I went below to try to rest up. The humming of the engine and the gentle thumping of the boat should have been soothing, but thoughts kept invading my mind. I was saddened that the swimmer out the previous night out had not been successful in his attempt. I was really worried that the west wind a few days before had dropped the ocean temperature five degrees from 70-72F to 65-67F. I had done some tapering swims in the newly cooled water and thought I could swim through it. As we got closer, I settled into the rhythm of the boat but never entered into a full sleep.

Having assisted on 4 other solo swims this year, I was acutely aware of the sound of the Outrider’s engine dropping down from full throttle to the gentle hum that signified that we had arrived at the island. I wanted to be excited and happy, but felt my heart sink a bit. I heard the rattle of the anchor chain being dropped, so I came up and looked around and found out that we had arrived at about 11:15pm. I didn’t want to leave at 11:30pm because the previous night’s swimmer had started around that time. It felt like bad luck to start then, so I asked to leave closer to midnight. I went back down below to “rest” but I kept wondering if the “real swimmer” was going to show up.

I finally got up and started preparing. I was going to wear a black bubble cap that my main observer David Clark had brought along but it seemed to constrict my forehead so I switched to a white bubble cap that I had briefly trained in. My assistant observer Beth Weber helped me grease up with A&D ointment (15.5% lanolin) and my first escort swimmer Patsee Ober got ready. I had decided to swim in Szuszi-Stephanie’s “Sportkini” at the last minute too. I had trained in it and thought it would keep me from getting strap rash. David Clark warned me that they had seen a sea lion but that did not worry me too much. I am not sure what time we jumped off the boat, but the 67F water was definitely not the warm embrace of 70F. I did not feel the “love”, but knew if I kept swimming I could get through the discomfort.

Patsee and I swam to the island. I have seen this so many times before from different perspectives: as an observer and as a kayaker. It was completely surreal to be the swimmer. I felt outside my body at that point. The water was beautiful and clear and I saw a few shadow fish dart past. I walked up onto the beach to make sure I was way past the waterline, raised my hand up to signal the start and then moved back into the water to swim.

I knew I was never going to get any time record, so my main objective was just finishing. Patsee and I swam up to our kayaker, Ralph Lufkin and then to the Outrider.

It was a beautiful, clear night just past the full moon. I could see Ralph, clearly outlined against the night sky on my right and Patsee and the Outrider over to my left. The starboard side of the Outrider was festively lit with multi-colored glow sticks that hung over the side attached by long strings. The water was clear and I saw strange figurative vertical lines of kelp that dropped below the water. I swam over bits of seaweed but they did not scare me because I was used to that from my training. As we got further out, the phosphorescent bubbles danced off my fingertips like the stars in the sky. I remembered reading Lynne Cox’s description of her disorientation during her first Catalina swim in Swimming to Antarctica. It was such an amazing magical view of the sea and the sky. I was trying to imagine how I could translate that into my artwork.

I smelled coffee fragrance coming off the boat and remembered that Outrider’s pilot, John Pittman called me the previous evening and said he would do “Galley” (food) for my crew.

My first feed (and all the rest) was warmed Perpetuem and Heed. It has a creamy neutral taste and it felt good. My feeds were scheduled every half hour so I was able to gauge the time at that point. Patsee paced along side me nicely and I felt good but a little chilled. I am not sure what time she got out though.

My second escort swimmer, Ray Meltvedt got in after Patsee. He wore some little fins to keep up with me. He had a glow necklace and bracelets and I was able to see him easily. He swam a little closer than Patsee and I felt like I had to swerve a bit to avoid him sometimes.

I looked over at one point and realized Ralph was missing. I flipped up to do backstroke and saw that that he had capsized. I knew it would be hard for him to flip the kayak because there was an ice chest with my feed bottles strapped on. I kept swimming and Ralph soon appeared back on my right. The feeds were getting cooler and cooler and I was feeling colder and colder. Patsee came back on deck and asked if I could “pick it up”. I felt really bad because at that point I noticed an unfamiliar pain in my left arm and couldn’t push too much past that.

Ray got out and Patsee got back in. I think of that point as my “pre-dawn crisis” because I had been so cold and my arm hurt I wondered if I could pull this off??? Patsee told me to go to the big boat for my next feed. I was handed a cup on a rope and the feed was delightfully scalding. I could feel the warmth enter my core and emanate outward to my fingers and toes! It was MAGIC! I felt the warmth become a shield that protected me in the last of the dark hours.

My ocean swimming buddy, Roni Hibben had taken on the task of preparing my feeds and that was what kept me going. I was so grateful to my crew that every time they handed me a feed I tried to remember to say “thank you”.

I have heard from many channel swimmers that the sun coming up is a big boost and so it was. I saw the water change from the moonlit blackness to gray and the sky began glowing. Patsee got out and Natalie Merrow got in. I was thinking at that point, I didn’t need escort swimmers, but had asked other Catalina aspirants and friends to come along to share the adventure.

During one feed I made the mistake of looking back and Catalina still looked really big, like I hadn’t gone very far. I never looked back again. At a point I saw my crew pointing off to my right. I breast-stroked and heard them say “Whale!” I never saw the whale but I know from other swims, wildlife is something the crew gets to enjoy, though not the swimmer. I was really happy that they got to see that!

My left arm hurt a lot the whole swim. I had a couple of Tylenols during the swim and at one point they gave me some big green Advil gelcaps. That seemed to alleviate the pain a bit. I never really got over being cold either. The warm feeds helped though. I had my first-ever jelly fish stings. The first was on my right foot and the second was on the underside of my right arm. It felt like glass had gashed my flesh. I didn’t stop or look. I didn’t mention it to the crew either, because I knew there was nothing they could do about that and the pain would go away soon enough.

I never thought of getting out, but I remembered Penny Palfrey saying that you have two choices in that instance: you can either be miserable in the water or you can get back on the boat and be REALLY miserable!

I remember my lanemate Alex Chueng getting in and swimming with me. He is a much faster sprinter but paced alongside me very nicely. I was happy to see him. My kayaker, Ralph got out and Brad Arshat took over kayaking. I remember him smiling over at me when I breathed to my right and that made me feel happy. I tried to smile back a few times but I was so cold I was not sure my face was working properly. I was afraid that I might look like a snarling dog baring its teeth.

I completely lost track of time. My crew had switched my feeds to every 20 minutes but it felt like every half hour to me.

During one feed, David Clark asked me what color my car was. I was thinking “I know that move…he thinks I am hypothermic!” I said “sage” and they laughed. I was not sure why until afterward; I was told that Patsee told David that my car was green.

At one point we swam past a little kelp patty and I saw a really pretty school of small fish. That was the only sealife I clearly saw.

Kayaker-Ralph got in though I don’t remember exactly when. My nose was kind of stopped up so when I was exhaling in his direction I wondered if he could hear me “honking” toward him. Natalie got in to swim but she swam so far ahead of me I rarely saw her. After a while Ray got in to swim and he swam along side me and sometimes underneath me. That made me start laughing!

I noticed the sun was edging past what I knew was noon and maybe past two. My original time projection was to get in around 12-14 hours. I saw the shore getting closer out of the corner of my eye and during feeds but I knew not to look up and risk discouragement.

We came into a murky opaqueness that was a bit of a red tide. I remembered that Anne Cleveland had commented on that during Penny Palfrey’s swim from Santa Barbara Island the previous week so I knew I was within a few miles!

I was excited when I saw someone in a red cap jump in. “Who is that?” I asked. It was Beth Weber the assistant observer there to see me in. I had seen that beach before but coming up to it as “the swimmer” was an entirely different experience. Someone had constructed about a half a dozen tall stone cairns at the edge of the rocks. Aside from a few people on the beach, the sentinel sculptures looked like my formal "welcoming committee". I wended my way through a bit of kelp and then came up upon the mossy rocks. I got blasted by a wave though managed to crawl back up over the edge and finish.

I heard the Outrider’s horn blast but I was so cold, I didn’t know what to feel. I looked for a pretty rock as a memento which I handed to Beth and then headed back quickly because I was starting to shiver. I remember Forrest Nelson mentioning that you have to crab-walk back out on your butt, except I got blasted by three waves before Ray reached out and hauled me through the surf. They asked if I wanted a “kayak-tow” back to the boat but I just swam it.

When I got back on the boat, they swaddled me in many towels. I felt someone put some cozy Ugg boots on my feet and I just shivered hard for a while. They eventually got me under a hot shower and helped me dress. After that, my crew wrapped me in a sleeping bag bundled like a baby burrito.

I am so grateful to my crew. Most of these people I have known less than two years and have met in the process of training for this swim and just from our swimming world in general. I could say “I did this swim”, but it is more accurate to say “we did it!”

When they said I “broke 16 hours” I was a little shocked and unhappy. This was over two hours more than the slowest time I had anticipated. I guess my sore arm and the cold took its toll that way. My time was 15 hours, 53 minutes and 38 seconds….the slowest time this century! I need to work on my stroke so that the next time I do this I will be less prone to injury and will do it a little faster!

Taper!

Earlier in the season, I attended an Art Opening at Peter Blake Gallery and was chatting with my friend Bob Pece (http://www.scagallery.com/sca_artist_bobp.html) . He introduced me to Joe Emley, who is a chiropractor and head of his volunteer fire battalion in Emerald Bay (friend of swimmer friend Bruce Newell who is head of his volunteer fire battalion in Modjeska Canyon). anyways Dr. Emley offered me an adjustment before and after my Catalina attempt.

Last Friday I got the courage to go to his office (in Laguna Beach at the corner of Thalia and Glennerye) and ask for the adjustment.

I've never been to a chiropractor before but it seemed like he unleashed the inner popcorn popper in my spine. Wow! That felt good! Well, some of it hurt a little too but there was a nice warmth afterward. He said to come back for one more adjustment before my swim!

The next day when did an ocean swim with Patsee, she said it seemed like I was swimming faster...OOooohhh! I just want to be able to get there.

You mean I don't have to kill myself?

Nick Adams (who swam Catalina AND English Channel this year...English Channel many times) sent me the note below. I was contemplating doing another 8 hour swim this weekend, but he (and others) advise against it. There is nothing that I can do now that will make me swim farther, faster or give me any more stamina (except getting lots of rest and good food).

Lazy-lethargic-Lynn is saying "Oh goodie, let's have a Guiness or three and a nap!" and Stern-work-ethic-driven-Lynn is moaning..."no, no, no...you'll swell up like a whale and they will have to gaff you out of the channel!"

*************************************************

Dearest Darling Lynn

You are a hero! Personally I wouldn't be doing so much distance this close to a swim. You've done plenty and will be fine on the day. Rest now, eat lots to get fully fuelled for your swim.

Give your body time to rest and repair. You are so strong mentally and physically, that you'll do what's required on the day, but you have to start the swim fresh and injury-free.

You really are one of my heroes. I have never met anyone with such a sunny personality and someone that smiles as much as you. Belive in yourself like we do; don't best yourself up before the swim believing it's the only way.

With all my love
Nick
PS Hug hug hug