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???

:)