Follow Me to France...

The Final Chapter

2007-08-05T13:25:00.001-07:00

At 4:15 a.m. my crew (Alice, Heather and my dad Jon) boarded the Viking Princess at Folkstone Harbor. After Reg (pilot) and Ray (co-pilot and CSA observer) helped us load our equipment on board and did the final preparations for the boat, we headed out of the harbor and toward Shakespeare beach. The sun was barely just rising and the light on the white cliffs, the clouds, the water and the horizon was spectacular.

I was full of nervous excitement and couldn’t wait to just get in the water and swim! At 5:00 a.m. I jumped in the water to swim into the beach for the start. I was so happy that the day I had been waiting for was finally here: The day I was to swim the English Channel.

It was light already and over the next few hours I watched when I breathed to the left as the sun continued to rise above me. I knew it would be on the other side of the sky by the time I reached France. The water was a little bit choppy, but I felt smooth, strong and rested.

At two and a half hours, my right shoulder started to hurt in a way that I knew wasn’t good. The pain continued to increase and at 3 hours I asked my crew for painkillers to be added to my feedings. The pain didn’t concern me. There was no way a sore shoulder was going to get in my way of getting to France. The time went by quickly and I made an effort not to look towards England during my feedings, as I had been told that you could see the White Cliffs for almost 5 hours of swimming.

We entered the first shipping lane (West bound traffic) and I knew I made significant progress. Ray told me to stay close to the boat. I had spent the last week watching the vessel traffic from our house in St. Margaret’s Bay and I knew what I was heading into now that I would be swimming in the shipping lane. I paid little attention to all of the activity around me, as I knew Reg was safely guiding us through the ships and onward to France.

The closest encounter had Reg take me in a complete circle to avoid the path of a large tanker. I knew exactly what he was doing and laughed to myself at the fact that we were momentarily heading back to England.

At 6 ½ hours I swam through a large swarm of jellyfish. They were blue, purple and yellow and of all different sizes. They were on the surface of the water and as deep as about 5 feet. The water was clear by now and all that I could see was jellyfish in every direction. This lasted for about 30-45 minutes. My crew carefully pointed out the path I should follow. Sometimes the space between two jellies was too close for me to swim and I would make my body as narrow as possible and skull and kick as I made my way through. I swam with my head up and my eyes at the surface of the water. I picked up my head enough to loudly should expletives at the jellies. Something worked because I managed to make my way through hundreds of jellyfish without getting stung. I had gotten a small sting earlier, but nothing during that time. For the next several hours I watched as my dad diligently studied the water making sure I didn’t swim into any more jellies. I imagined that they seagulls were above were watching out for me too.

The water was rough (5-8 foot swells with scattered white caps) for all but about two hours early in the swim. I watched as the boat just bobbed up and down and side-to-side. The water conditions weren’t challenging for me, but I was sure glad I wasn’t on the boat.

At 8 hours my right shoulder throbbed in pain and I alerted my crew that I hadn’t been able to urinate in two hours. At the time I thought it just meant that I was dehydrated. I didn’t realize until much later that it meant not only was I dehydrated, but also I hadn’t absorbed any of my feedings after hour six.

I noticed the ships changed directions and I was overjoyed. I had reached the East bound shipping lane and was in French water! I was an incredible amount of pain and felt increasingly weak. I acknowledged the pain and then just let it go. This was the English Channel and nothing was going to keep me from getting to France. At 10 hours I could see France. I had almost swum to a new land! And it wasn’t just the cliffs above the coast; I could see the color of the trees and the details of the landscape. I started breathing more frequently to the left to get a better glimpse of France to remind me that I was getting there.

My crew told me to pick it up and I did despite the intense pain in my right shoulder. I had heard so many stories of how this is where a channel swim starts – after 10 hours of swimming and you had to sprint to make it to the point of Cap Gris Nez before the tide swept you right past. I continued to try and move my arms faster and pull as much water with each stroke. Alice later told me that my stroke rate never fell below 64 stokes a minute.

At my 11 ½ hour feeding I vomited up everything that had been just sitting in my stomach since hour 6. The canned peaches I ate at hour 7 came up just the way they had gone down. I thought to myself “This is a Channel swim and you just keep swimming”. And so I did. I popped my head up momentarily a few stokes later to vomit again without even breaking stroke.

France was so close and I never felt like I had been further from my goal. At 13 hours Alice told me what was going to happen next. “I am going to get in with you and you must keep up with me. You can make the point, but you must go faster now.” She got in and I poured every last ounce of energy into each stroke. I reminded myself that I never had to swim again. All I had to do was pick up my stroke and get to France! It wasn’t working, Alice and France were getting further and further away. Within a few strokes, Alice was ahead of me. I was giving it everything I had, and I was too weak to keep on pace.

I essentially had not fed since hour 6, which was over 7 hours ago. I was tired and running on less than empty. Alice got out at 13:40 and I continued to push on. With every stroke I was more and more committed to making it to France. I never thought I wouldn’t make it and I never stopped believing in myself.

At 14 hours my crew lined up along the side of the boat and told me that I had been a mile and a half from France and now I was 3 miles from shore. I looked up and saw the point and it seemed so close. I didn’t know that I had been on the other side of it and been had been swept right past it by the current. They told me it would take 6-11 hours to make landfall and then it wasn’t even certain. I told them I couldn’t swim for 6 more hours.

At 14 hours of swimming and getting as close as a mile and a half from France, I was pulled. My crew did absolutely everything to get me to keep down my feedings and to keep me on pace. Alice and Heather cheered for 14 hours. I’m talking red pom-poms, purple glitter top hats and motivating communication via the white board. At the end, I was too sick, too undernourished and too weak to make it to France. I had been swimming at 68 stokes per minute for the last hour and I couldn’t even lift my arms up to the ladder of the boat. Reg pulled me on board and Alice and Heather began the recovery effort. They quickly took my suit off and put me in warm clothes. I started to shiver violently and continued to vomit for the next hour. My eyes were almost swollen shut and my breathing was labored. I didn’t know at the time, but my dad was mentally planning on how we would get me airlifted out of the boat and to the hospital if things got any worse.

I was wheezing and I asked Alice “Why am I breathing like this?” She was concerned and asked Reg where the nearest hospital was and if we could get an ambulance to meet us at Folkstone harbor. He said he had never had to do that and that all of the swimmers are in bad shape at the end. He wasn’t close enough to me to see how difficult it was for me to breathe. I didn’t know at the time, but I had aspirated seawater or my feedings and bacteria were already infected my lungs. It was a long ride home. It took over 3 hours in the boat going full speed in a straight line to cover the distance I had covered swimming the reverse S-shaped curve typical of a Channel swim.

Reg let us off at Folkstone harbor. Alice and Heather unloaded the boat and my dad went to get the car. I needed help out of the boat, up the stairs, to get into the car and even to get my seatbelt on. Once back at the house, my condition continued to decline and I was short of breath and needed to rest after just walking across the room. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. My wheezing was getting worse. At 2 a.m. my parents took me to the emergency room in Ashford. I was admitted to the hospital after the doctors reviewed my “rather impressive” (direct quote) chest x-ray. Immediately after seeing the x-ray, I was put on interventions antibiotics and oxygen. They kept me for three days, carefully monitoring my progress and continuing to administer antibiotics intravenously three times a day for 48 hours.

The hospital staff was interested in my story and amazed by my perseverance. I continued to be in a tremendous amount of pain and had difficulty doing anything but lying in bed. The pain from my right shoulder radiated up into my neck and down into my hand. Every part of my body was sore to the touch. Sitting up, turning over, adjusting my position in the bed required a huge effort and help from the nursing staff.

My parents and friends visited my daily. Both Michelle and Julian came to see me the day after their swims. Alice printed out e-mails and comments on my blog. I truly felt the love and support of everyone who had supported me in my journey.

After I got out of the hospital, I met Reg at a bar in Folkstone. The first thing he said was "You look a lot better, Love". I told him the story of being hospitalized and the aspiration pneumonia. He told me that I am enormously brave and a great swimmer and not to give up on long distance swimming. He had charted my course for me even though I didn't touch France. I covered 30 miles. I gave him a hug good-bye, thanked him for everything and told him that I would be sending a friend over (Amber Rhett)to swim the Channel in a month and a half.

I gave it all in my training and during the swim. I don’t have any regrets. I couldn’t have done more to prepare to swim the English Channel. My focus for the past two years has been to get to France. I also had the intention to have the strength to endure and the courage to embrace the struggle. I found the strength to endure and I certainly embraced the struggle, but in the end facing a huge calorie deficit, a growing infection in my lungs, an injured shoulder and possibly 11 hours to go, there was no choice but to be pulled. I had a courageous swim on a day with very bad luck.

Many people have offered support, guidance, inspiration, encouragement and mentorship. I thank all of you.

THANK YOU to my crew of Alice Wong and Heather Catchpole for being as committed to the swim as I was and for believing in me throughout the journey.

THANK YOU to my parents for accompanying me to Dover and for being supportive of my swimming for 21 years.

THANK YOU to my training partners, coaches and mentors at South End Rowing Club, the Dolphin Club and Burlingame Aquatic Club.

THANK YOU to my colleagues and students at Aragon High School for their enthusiasm, patience and support.

THANK YOU to everyone who has “followed me to France” and been a part of my journey.

Onward to…the next chapter of my life!

Love,
Jessica

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

30 miles from England to Almost France

2007-07-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

I am catching the train in an hour or so to head to London to meet up with some friends. I am just ready to get out of Dover. I am feeling much better, but I know the pneumonia will keep me feeling exhausted for awhile.

I met up with Reg last night. He gave me a chart of my swim and calculated the distance I swam - 30 miles!

I am working on writing up something about the swim but it will be several weeks until it is up here with photos and videos.

Thank you again for all of your support.

love,
Jessica

quick update from Jessica

2007-07-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

First of all, thank you all so much for your outpouring of support and concern over the past few days. I am deeply touched by all of your thoughtful and supportive e-mails. I didn't have internet access in the hospital, but Alice and Heather printed out and brought some of the e-mails. Like true South Enders Julian, Michelle and Alice visited me daily and made sure my spirits were up.

I think you have all heard a bit about the swim, and I look forward to writing a more detailed e-mail about it soon. I had trouble keeping anything down after hour 8 and somehow contracted aspiration pneumonia during the swim. The doctors think it was from inhaling sea water or maybe some of my feedings. I was in very bad shape after being pulled and my parents took me to the emergency room Sunday night after the swim. I was admitted as soon as they saw the results of my chest x-ray. I was immediately put on a cocktail of intravenous antibiotics. I was released from the hospital today (Wednesday) at 2 p.m.

My focus during my training and during the swim was to get to France. I never thought of "failure" as an option. I felt confidant in my training and knew I had done all I could have to prepare to swim the English Channel. In addition in getting to France, I had two wishes or prayers. Those wishes were to have the strength to endure the adventure and the courage to embrace the struggle. I believe I did both of those things wholeheartedly.

I can't wait to give you more stories from the swim, but this internet cafe is closing now. I'll try and come back tomorrow. The swim was truly an adventure. And damn...France was so close! Close enough to see the color of the trees. OK, gotta go now. More later.

love,
Jessica

Update: More to come

2007-07-09T01:18:00.000-07:00

It's Alice again. Jessica is currently unable to update her blog and I know people will be checking back in soon.

We do have great photos and video, but those will be put up later, so keep checking back! We have other things at hand.

More details will follow of the swim in the next few days. Yes, it is true that we pulled her at 14 hours. She was so close. She got to within a mile and a half of the French shore, and then got pushed out to 3 miles. We haven't debriefed the swim in it's entirety yet, as it was an exhausting ride back to England and later, an exhausting evening for all.

At 11 and a half hours Jessica threw up. She threw up multiple times and we could see that she had not digested any of her feedings. She did those last few hours on empty. She really is incredible.

The boat ride back was rough. She continued to throw up as we tried to get her warm. She was weak, and her breathing was labored. She had a hard night, which I will let Jessica share with you when she is better (but don't worry, she is OK).

Thank you everyone for your good thoughts.

Tomorrow is the day!

2007-07-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally get to swim the English Channel. I just got off the phone and he says tomorrow is the day. We are busily getting everything ready. Thank you for all of your support. It is going to be a great day and I feel fantastic.

Onward to FRANCE!
Jessica

It is still not right, Love

2007-07-06T12:00:00.001-07:00

Reg says "It is still not right, Love." So, no swim on 7/7/07. We are waiting for the wind to be below force 3. He says the forecast gets better on Sunday, so maybe then. We are going to head into town to visit with Julian, Scotty and Michelle since we won't be busily preparing my feeding supplies tonight.

I'll keep you posted. The right day is just around the corner. I can feel it.

Thanks for all the well wishes and good thoughts.

Onward to France!
Jessica

Follow me to Dover...and wait...

2007-07-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

Today we met Julian and Scotty at the Dover Harbour for a leasurily swim at 10. I brought my camera so you can enjoy our antics. Yesterday Reg was more blunt with Julian and told him that the forecast was "crap". People on the beach still seem hopeful about tomorrow possibly being the first day of the Channel season that a swimmer will set out to get to France the hard way.

Here are Julian and I on the beach, with France somewhere behind us:

A dramatic beginning to our swim in the harbour:

View of the White Cliffs from the beach:

Finally in the water:

They say if the flag on the castle in Dover is not blowing in the wind, it is a good day to swim the Channel. Here it is in the distance, flying in the wind:

I am ready for the real thing!

The Storm Before the Calm

2007-07-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Reg said not tomorrow. Now we know why. The winds have picked up significantly, the fog has moved in and there are countless big "white horses" (white caps) on the Channel. It is raining. We are sitting comfortably on the couch inside our cement house with steel shutters drinking French wine. The house is aptly named "The Gun Emplacement" as it was used to defend England against invaders by sea during both World Wars.

We are trying to be as French as possible in hopes of getting a little bit closer to France, which we keep believing is some where out there beyond the fog bank. Alice is diligently listening to "In Flight French" and Heather is speaking in some convoluted accent which seems British at times and French at times. Heather even did her hair in French braids and contemplated giving herself a French manicure. As I type this, I am using my best "Brench" (British-French) accent. We sit staring at the barbie doll pink fishing nets, which remind us of the task we are waiting for. Yes, we have cabin fever and yes, this is the reality of waiting for your day in the Channel. My dad has gone to bed, as he is getting up an hour earlier each day, so he will be prepared to wake up at 1 a.m. on the big day. However, he is sleeping facing France.

"Keep everything crossed, Love"

2007-07-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Reg says no swim tomorrow and keep everything crossed for tomorrow. Now that we won't be finalizing swim details this evening, we have time to put some photos/videos up on the blog. Check back later. :)

J

An Inter-Continental Moment of Silence

2007-07-04T14:03:00.001-07:00

Several days ago we found out that members of the South End Rowing Club were going to have a moment of silence to "channel" energy to the channel swimmers here in Dover. This moment was going to take place after the SERC's annual 4th of July club swim at 9:45 am in San Francisco. This is also the day before the first day of the tide Jessica and Julian are going to swim. There is an 8 hour time difference between San Francisco and Dover. What do you think the 2 SERC channel swimmers patiently waiting in Dover were doing during that time?

At 5:43 pm here in Dover (ie 9:45 am at SERC) Jessica, Heather, Jessica's parents Jon and Joann, and myself all went outside. It was drizzling lightly, but there were patches of sunlight coming through the rain clouds hitting the Channel. We stood in a line at the edge of the cliff and stared out across the water, watching the ships and wondering if we would catch a glimpse of the French shoreline. At 5:45 pm we observed a 1 1/2 minute moment of silence, all thinking of the task at hand and feeling the thoughts of the people back home in San Francisco who were all thinking of us at the same time. As instructed, at the end of our moment, we all chanted "South End, South End, South End!"

At 5:45 pm in Folkstone Harbor, a few miles outside of Dover where Reg Brickell keeps his boat, SERC's other channel swimmer Julian was with his crew member Scotty and his parents. They were unable to observe the moment of silence as they were in the process of buying Reg Brickell a pint...also true South End style!

Tonight, Julian and his entourage joined us for dinner at our house. We all took a stroll at sunset along the white cliffs and observed life in the channel. It is wonderful to have so much support here as well as at home.

Thank you to the South End Rowing Club members for "channel"ing your thoughts to us, your support is definitely felt, even here, 10,000 miles away.

PS - Reg believes Jessica will probably swim Saturday and Julian on Sunday. There is a chance, he says, that if the wind dies down, Jessica could go as early as Friday.

Thursday? "Not looking good for Thursday, Love, not looking good at all"

2007-07-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone, Alice here. Jessica has given me some power over her blog now, so sometimes it might be me instead of her. After a day of anticipation and of waiting for the time to come tonight to call Reg, the pilot, to hear if Thursday would be THE day...and after almost an hour and a half of "network busy" signals from the British phone service, Reg informed us, "Not looking good for Thursday, Love, not looking good."

To be honest it wasn't the response we have been waiting, anticipating, or even expecting after today. After a couple days of staring out the living room window hoping for a glimpse of France through the rain and fog, we spent many hours today watching France! It was clear enough to finally see the French shoreline, and I am sitting here tonight looking out at the lights on the coast of Calais. Jessica's quote of the day today, "Wow, France looks really close when you look through the binoculars!"

They say this is the toughest time. The waiting. But we are all in good spirits and everyone has been well prepared for the waiting. Jigsaw puzzles, knitting projects, good books, board games, walks through town, and commentary on just about everything are passing the time well.

A huge rainbow encircled the sky tonight, from one side of France to the other. We think it is a good sign!

Thank you all for your thoughts and well wishes.

Given everything...Reg still said to call tomorrow, so Thursday or Friday still are not crossed off.

We're in Dover!

2007-07-02T05:18:00.001-07:00

Alice, Heather, my parents and I are all here. I took a swim yesterday in the harbor. The water felt warm and salty. I met this morning with my pilot Reg. He says to call on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and he'll let me know if I'll be jumping Thursday morning at 3:30.

Our house has a beautiful view of the Channel. Yesterday for about five minutes I could even see France! I feel great and ready to tackle this swim.

Onward to France!
Jessica

Tomorrow I will wake up in London...

2007-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am leaving my house in San Francisco in about 5 minutes. All of my bags are packed. My parents have the two large duffels with my swim supplies as it is easier for them to bring those in the rental car than it is for me to travel with them on the train to Dover. In my carry on bag I have all of the essentials: swimsuit, cap, goggles, passport. Thank you for all of your support. Your belief in me gives me strength. As soon as I get the chance, I'll post a quick update on life in Dover. The good news is that the forecast calls for rain UNTIL the first day of my tide, July 5th!

Onward to London, and then Dover and then FRANCE!

On My Way to France!

2007-06-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday June 9th I swam for 10 hours and 5 minutes in the San Francisco Bay. The water temperature was 55-56 degrees. I covered 27 miles in my swim from the club, to Candlestick and back, and then to Chrissy Field and back.

I left from the beach at the South End Rowing Club at 5:20 a.m. Leslie, Lynn and
Alice were on board the zodiac. The water was smooth and calm and it was my favorite time of day to swim, just before sunrise. We headed to the Bay Bridge and I could see the sunrise slowly when I breathed to the left. The increasing amount of light on the bay reminded me of the city limits swim attempt three weeks ago.

My stroke felt smooth and strong. I had been concerned about my right shoulder recovering fully from my 8 hour swim just two weeks before, but it felt great! No popping, cracking or pain. I had spent two intensive acupuncture sessions working on getting my right shoulder ready for the 10 hour swim.

The water was glassy and the sun was out. I knew it was going to be a great day. My stroke rate was still in the low 70's even though I felt it was slower because I was trying to keep my strokes smooth and long.

The cityscape changed to the industrial skyline of the southern part of San Francisco. At three hours we had made it to Hunter's Point and it was time to turn around and swim nine miles back to the club for the change of crew.

The water wasn't quite as smooth as it had been earlier, but it was nothing compared to the chop and wind of my eight hour swim. At four hours I felt better than I ever had at that point. I still felt smooth and strong. There was no doubt that it was going to be a long day, but it was comforting to feel so good at four hours. The sun on my back gave my body just a little bit of heat and it felt nice compared to the 55 degree water that my body was feeling every where else.

As we approached the club at about five and a half hours I began to feel nauseous and cold. I remembered from my eight hour swim that this was normal, my body was going through a metabolic change and I would feel better in an hour or two. I was greeted by friends cheering on the South End dock as we approached the club.

I didn't stop to wave or say hi because I didn't feel well and didn't want to slow down or stop because I thought I might get cold. After the swim I told Alice that I didn't feel cold at all during the swim. She said that I was shivering when I came up for my feedings for about an hour and half during the middle of the swim.

Alice stayed on board for the last half of the swim and Joel and Duke took over for Leslie and Lynn. Once we were set, we headed back out of the cove, this time West towards the Golden Gate.

The water got a bit more choppy and the wind had picked up significantly from the morning. As we headed towards Chrissy Field, the crew told me to stay close to the zodiac as we were going through the middle of a windsurfing race. My stroke rate had decreased to about 66 strokes per minute and my shoulders were getting very very sore. Duke reminded me that this was all normal and that I was just doing just fine.

At seven hours we turned around and headed back to the cove. The water had miraculously calmed down and I felt much better than I did at the seventh hour of my eight hour swim. I was relieved to be swimming back home but knew that the next three hours were certainly not going to be easy.

I was still in good spirits and making jokes with the crew during my feeding breaks. I didn't feel well, but what kept me going was knowing that they next time I was in this situation it would be in the ENGLISH CHANNEL! By eight and a half hours I wasn't joking anymore and would just let out a series of groans during my feedings. As you can see below, I am doing some backstroke to stretch out my shoulders.

At nine hours I was exhausted. Not only did my shoulders hurt, but my legs were in pain and I had had my goggles on continuously for the entire swim. My face was swollen and I felt my tongue getting larger. My throat had already swelled up from the salt and I knew the next step would be my tongue starting to slough off. That had never happened to me, but I had heard plenty of stories. I could feel my left goggle leaking a tiny bit and I knew that meant that my eye would be swollen for days. We were close to the cove and Alice would be getting in to swim with me shortly.

Once we entered the cove I had 25 more minutes to swim. Joel and Duke led me on an "inside-inside". That was along the inside of the breakwater and back. For the first part of that I was swimming with the tide and was protected from the turbulent water outside of the cove. I turned around at the end and faced an opposing tide that was difficult to swim against. I kept my arms moving, but couldn't see any noticeable progress. I thought about all the stories I have heard about the difficulty of finishing in France against a strong tide. So, this is what it is going to be like I thought as I struggled to get my arms out of the water for each stroke. I slowly made it back with Alice by my side. She had to slow down significantly to stay with me after I had swam for nine and a half hours. It felt good to have her next to me. As I swam back into the main part of the cove, Alice headed into the beach to make sure the showers were warm and the sauna was on at the club. I still had about 10 minutes to swim. Duke told me to head towards the flag, around a buoy and into the club. I was overjoyed! I had made it through all of the long and difficult training swims in less than ideal conditions during the coldest year in the bay that anyone can remember and once I stood up on the beach I would know that I was truly on my way to France!

I picked up my stroke rate as I headed in to the beach. I could see people waiting on the dock. I knew my parents and my roommate Kristina would be there. I swam until I felt the sand with my fingertips. I struggled to stand up. I heard Alice tell Kristina "Let her clear the water on her own!". We were committed to follow English Channel rules right down to the finish. At 3:25 p.m. I stood up on the beach and said "My name is Jessica and I have been swimming since 5 a.m." My family and some spectators followed me in to the club.

I walked into the locker room and was shocked to see what I looked like. As expected, my eyes and face were swollen. My skin was coated from silt from the bay. My face was red and I still had the greasy A&D ointment I had put on that morning to prevent chafing.

I stood under the shower and realized this was the swim in which afterwards I would not be able to wash my hair. My shoulders throbbed in pain. I couldn't move my left arm. Alice and Kristina helped me wash my hair. I laid down in the sauna and reflected on what I had gone through to get to this point. After a long sauna, I went back into the locker room. I looked in the mirror and still was surprised by my appearance. For one moment I thought I may be able to brush my hair. I gave up on that idea quickly and decided I wouldn't brush my hair until I could do it myself. That would turn out to be several days.

Alice, Kristina and I headed back to my house. Sarah was coming over to help prepare a recovery dinner. We ate and drank as Alice and I told stories from the swim. I had difficulty sleeping that night. I couldn't turn over, I couldn't take the covers off without kicking them off and my shoulders still throbbed in pain.

THANK YOU to Alice for being my most loyal friend and crew member and for putting up with me these past few months!

THANK YOU to Lynn and Joel for piloting.

THANK YOU to Leslie for helping me avoid injury by working with me on my stroke.

THANK YOU to Duke for being an incredible Channel mentor. I will make you proud.

THANK YOU to Nicholas for healing my shoulders and making sure I was ready for the 10 hour swim and working with me to prepare for the last big one: the English Channel.

THANK YOU to Kristina and Sarah for a great post swim dinner.

THANK YOU to Tom K., Suzie D., Bob R., Jon M., for being flexible and working out the logistics so that three great swims could happen in the bay on one day.

Up next: Dover to Cap Nez Gris, first tide of July (July 5-12)

Thank You, South End!

2007-06-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who attended the Swimming to France English Channel Benefit party last Friday at the South End Rowing Club. Kim Howard did a great job of putting together a fantastic party. The raffle was a success, the turnout was phenomenal, the food was fantastic and everyone loved the chocolate fountain, chair massage and the tequila fairies and studs!

3 weeks from today I leave for London! Tomorrow is my last long swim. 10 hours in the bay starting at 5 a.m. I am a little bit nervous, but I know when it is finished I will feel like I am truly on my way to France.

8 Hour Swim - check!

2007-05-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Alice, Brenda, Marta, Nigel and Joel for making this swim happen. I swam from about 8:30 - 4:30 and it was rough and windy the whole way. At two hours I knew it was going to be a long swim because my shoulders were already hurting. We headed towards Candlestick for two and half hours, turned back towards the club (and a sailboat regatta) and cruised in for a change of crew at about 1:30. I swam around the cove while Joel hopped in the zodiac to relieve Brenda. We headed towards Chrissy Field and I started to get cold. The water was only 54 degrees. I was shivering from about 5 hours to six and a half hours. I felt very cold and very tired. At six hours I felt much worse than I did finishing my 6 hour swim a month before. I continued on and my shoulders started to hurt more and more. We arrived at the cove and still had an hour. Alice got in with me which was a huge motivator. We did several small coves and then Alice got out early to make sure the showers were warm and the sauna was on. I was greeted on the beach after eight hours, two minutes and twenty two seconds by my roommate Kristina and Alice. I thought that I would need to crawl up on the beach, but I was fine to walk and made my way into the shower. I sat for several minutes and couldn't believe I was done. This was the hardest swim that I had ever done.
Up next: 10 hours on June 9th!

Today's S.F. Chronicle

2007-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Paul McHugh's article about the City Limits Swim attempt and South End's Bay to Breakers swim appears on the back page of the sports section of today's Chronicle.

You can also find the article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2007/05/24/SPGFVQ0D3L1.DTL

It was the P.E. teachers at school who noticed first. I guess they read the sports section cover to cover.

The article mentions my blog and today I got over 50 hits! That is more than I usually get in a whole month.

Thank you to Paul for being part of our swim adventure on Sunday morning and for accurately and beautifully describing the bay swimming experience.

Candlestick to Diablo Point

2007-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

The swim started just below the city limits on the bay side at 3:26 a.m. on Sunday May 20th. The water felt warm when I got in. I stayed right next to Duke, who was escorting me in a kayak. For the first half of an hour, I couldn't see much. The southern part of the city is not well lit and I couldn't make out the Bay Bridge yet. It took me about an hour and a half to get into a good rhythm with my stroke. I wasn't scared and I felt calm and confidant with Duke and my crew on board the "Magic Woman" watching over me. As I approached the Bay Bridge at about 4:45 a.m. the color of the sky changed and revealed the very first hint of the light of day. The sun wouldn't rise for another hour and 15 minutes. By now, the lights of downtown San Francisco were clearly visible and I felt like I have made some progress. We continued on, past the Ferry Building, the piers along the Embarcadero and towards the Golden Gate. As we approached Alcatraz, a container ship passed on my right. I was a little nervous, but stayed right next to Duke in the kayak. As we got closer to the Gate, the water got a little more rough but I continued on. I swam under the Golden Gate full of enthusiasm. I didn't know for sure that conditions would allow us to continue this far and I felt like I had a chance of making it as long as I could make the turn to head South down the coast. It was smooth sailing under the Golden Gate and then conditions changed dramatically. 7-9 foot swell had been forecast and now I was in the middle of it. The wind caused the swell to break so they were like waves. Because of the geography of that area, the huge cresting swell was hitting me from three different directions. I saw the Duke skillfully maintaining the kayak and the boat moving side to side but I was in the middle of too much water to see anything else around me. All of the sudden everyone was telling me to swim South, towards the South tower and towards Mile Rock. An incoming ship was approaching fast and I had to get out of the way. I felt like things had gotten bad very quickly and that if they got any worse I would be in trouble. I told Duke I wanted out. The boat got close to me quickly and Dan pulled me out. I wasn't tired, just scared. I started shivering about 5 minutes after I got out but I hadn't felt cold during the swim. Heather and Alice helped me get warm and we headed back into the bay. As we went back through the Golden Gate, I looked back to where I had just been and the water looked more calm than it had been when I was just there. Things can change so fast in the open ocean. Mark dropped us and all of our stuff off at a dock near South End and I headed in for a shower and sauna.

After we were all warm and dry, Alice, Heather, Duke and I went out for breakfast and discussed the swim. This swim put us all in a situation that we had never been in before. I was scared and doubted myself for just a moment. We discussed what we learned and what we could all do differently next time.

I feel stronger, more confident in my crew and better prepared for the Channel. I feel fortunate that this happened on a training swim and not on my way to France.

THANK YOU to Dan and Anna for coming up with the idea for the swim and asking me to be a part of it.

THANK YOU to Mark Chow and his crew for donating his time and his boat.

THANK YOU to Alice and Heather for monitoring me in the water and keeping me well fed.

THANK YOU to Duke Dahlin for paddling next to me, especially in the dark!

Next up: 8 hours on Sunday the 27th.

Update on Swim Around the City Attempt

2007-05-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Let's call it Candlestick to Diablo Point. I made it to about 1 mile past the Golden Gate when huge swells cresting from three directions left me feeling like I was up against several walls of water. I asked to be pulled. The only thing we didn't have a contingency plan for happened. I wanted to get out.

Right now I feel great about how much I did do and lucky that we had this experience before we get to the Channel. Details and photos to follow.

Thank you for all of your support.

Countdown Until S.F. City Limits Attempt

2007-05-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

It is 5:34 p.m. At 1:30 a.m. tomorrow morning I will be boarding a boat at the Berkeley Marina with Alice, Heather, Duke, Paul from the Chronicle, Dan McLauglin and boat captain Mark Chow. We'll head over to just South of Candlestick Park where I will jump in the water at 3 a.m. Duke will be kayaking for me. We'll both have 2 glow sticks attached for visibility.

Sleep tight and dream of smooth fast water outside the Gate!

3 Hours Under Sunny Skies

2007-05-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Bob, Cory, Nigel and his son Tristan and Ruben piloted for me out and around our cove. It was pretty much the same course that Nigel and I took a month before when we were stuck in the pouring rain swimming against the tide. This time, the weather was beautiful and the water was about 2 degrees warmer. Inside the breakwater, outside the breakwater towards Fort Mason on a 2.6 knot flood tide. We made more progress than I expected against that tide and made it almost all the way to Yacht Harbor before turning around and heading into the cove for the last half hour. I felt well cared for with my flotilla of four pilots! Bob was the official time keeper and paddled along next to me on a paddle board. Cory was in charge of feedings and was in a kayak. Nigel and his son were in a double kayak and Ruben just happened to meet us at the opening in a row boat. He had planned to just go out for a row, but when he saw that there was an Channel aspirant in the water, he decided to join our crew.

This Sunday I jump at 3 a.m. for an attempt at a 21 mile S.F. city limits swim. We are still looking for a second boat, as the boat captain of our primary boat is concerned about his own fatigue as the swim continues. Please e-mail me if you have any connections to people with boats who might be interested in being involved in this historical swim.

On the 27th I'll do my 8 hour swim in the bay, June 1st is not only my last day of school but the date of the South End Swimming to France fundraising party. A week later I'll set out on my last long swim...10 hours in the 9th.

10 Coves of Death

2007-05-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

In 2002, I swam the 5 Coves of Death for the first time. 5 Coves of Death is held every year on the 5th of May at 5 p.m. It is the qualifying swim for the Bay to Breakers swim (Bay Bridge to Ocean Beach) held later in the month. Each "cove" is about one mile.

On my 5th time around in 2002, I saw Elizabeth Leahy swim behind the Balclutha for the 10th time in completing her 10 Coves of Death. Her pilot told me that she was training for the English Channel. At that moment I knew that they year I swam the English Channel, I would swim 10 Coves of Death. At that time, I didn't know when that would be.

Elizabeth swam the English Channel later that summer. Last Sunday I swam 10 Coves of Death in 4 hours and 11 minutes.

It is a difficult swim. You are with the tide sometimes, against it at other times. It is not a swim that is planned with ideal tide conditions in mind. Legend has it that for it to be a true "cove of death" that you are required to take a shot of tequila each time around. I have never done that. For me what makes it a cove of death is going behind the large historical ships of Aquatic Park. This year those include the Balclutha, Eppleton Hall and our new neighbor, the Thayer.

Alice, Amber and I started at 3 p.m. so that we would be able to finish with the rest of the pack at about 7. Alice was in a kayak and would be in charge of my feedings. Amber was swimming, but quickly got ahead and maintained her lead for the rest of the swim.

The water temperature was 54 degrees. It felt much better than it did a few weeks ago, but 54 is still not warm. The cove was full of cold spots that felt like they were 50 degrees.

The swim was uneventful from a swimmer's perspective, but Alice told me later that on 6 of my 10 times around she spotted a HUGE sea lion between the goal posts and the repair. Once she changed direction so quickly to avoid a seal that she paddled my leg. Alice did a great job maintaining a calm presence in the kayak while I just kept on swimming.

When I finished my 5th cove, the rest of the swimmers were just starting. It gave me energy to see South Enders cheering from our dock as I came around for coves 6-10. Cove #6 I swam alone while Alice walked on the beach to stretch her back. She was back in the kayak for coves #7 and #8. At the beginning of #9, Alice gave the kayak to Marta and went in to change into her suit. With one and half coves left, Alice swam out to Marta and me to finish up the swim. Just like in San Diego, it was great to have Alice swim next to me as we finished #9 and headed into #10. My stroke rate stayed the same throughout (74 strokes/minute) and although I was tired at the end, I recovered quickly. I only felt cold in the real cold spots but Marta told me my skin looked purple, which is a sign of hypothermia.

I socialized on the beach at the finish, not even feeling the urge to rush to the shower and sauna. I walked past the party on the patio at South End and looked forward to a great dinner.

The fatigue and exhaustion from 6 hours on the 28th and 4 hours on the 5th is starting to wear on me. I have been having trouble sleeping, yet my body desperately wants to rest.

Thank you to Amber for being a part of the 10 coves.

Thank you to Marta for turning disappointment into teamwork!

Thank you to Alice for kayaking, feeding me, counting my strokes and finding a way to swim where she can match me stroke for stroke after I have been swimming for 4 hours.

We Made It Happen!

2007-04-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Alice, Heather and I met boat captain Andy at the dock at Mission Bay in San Diego at 7 a.m. It was foggy, but the air was warm. I knew that this swim would be beautiful. I'd be out in the ocean, with my English Channel crew on board in the warm waters off of San Diego. We loaded up the boat and Andy drove it slowly out of the bay and into the ocean. Once we got to the ocean, we picked up the speed and Andy put the boat in neutral about a half mile of shore. He looked at me and asked me if I was ready to jump. Just about as soon as I reached for my cap and goggles, we all smelled the smoke coming from the engine. Alice and I got out of the way and I scrambled up to the front of the boat. Andy grabbed the fire extinguisher and Heather helped lift the cover off of the engine. I had stripped down to my swim suit and was prepared to swim to shore from the burning boat. I knew the gas tank was full and that there was a full extra tank of gas near the engine. Andy got on the radio and called for help "Vessel in distress!". I was one second away from jumping in the water when Andy said that he thought he got the fire out. Two guys out fishing stopped and lent us their extinguisher. Heather called her friend Brian on her cell phone. He works for the San Diego County beach lifeguards and would be able to send someone out. It seemed as if no one at headquarters had heard our call for help. We heard Heather's end of the conversation: "Our boat is on fire...no, I am not kidding". Brian called lifeguard headquarters and within 2 minutes a Baywatch style rescue boat was in sight. Alice, Heather and I climbed on to the rescue boat and rode back to the dock towing Andy and his broken down boat behind us.

We had no boat, but we still had a 6 hour swim to complete. I didn't go all the way down to San Diego to give up just because we didn't have a boat. We put our heads together and came up with the following plan: We would rent a 2 person kayak for Alice and Heather and Brian would lend Andy his paddle board. We would do 6 hours in the ocean off of La Jolla Shores. I'd swam there before and liked it.

We had all packed as if the crew would be on a boat all day. No one had clothing for kayaking and we didn't even have enough bottles for my feeding supplies because we had planned on refilling them from a larger bottle on the boat. We filled every container we had, bought some dry bags and headed to the beach.

We left the dock at Mission Bay at 9:30, we were on the water in La Jolla at 10:45. It would be a long day of swimming and it wasn't going to be perfect, but I was going to get my 6 hours in.

I felt great for the first three hours. The water temperature was perfect (60 F), the water was clear and relatively calm. Around 4 hours I started to get a little tired, but I still swam on. After 4 and a half hours I was tired, but just kept swimming. At 5 hours, Alice jumped in with me and swam the last hour. It was great to have her by my side after swimming alone for 5 hours. I imagined us swimming side by side in the cove in San Francisco as we have done for many years together. I remained in good spirits and was cracking jokes with the crew until the very end.

I felt fine walking up on the beach and just barely started to shiver during the time Heather and Andy went to get the cars. I even made friends on the beach with another woman who had done a 9 mile swim that morning. We showered at Heather's and met back up with Andy and a few of Heather's friends at a nearby sushi restaurant. I slept OK that night and felt stiff in the morning. The more I moved around during the day, the better I felt. Today (Monday) I felt completely recovered.

THANK YOU to Heather, Alice and Andy for making this swim happen despite the early morning set back. As two of my students told me this morning after I recounted the story of the accidental kayakers: "Those are some good friends!".

THANK YOU to Brian for lending us the paddle board to use. It was helpful to have another pilot out there and it saved Alice's back!

THANK YOU to the fishermen who initially helped us and to the San Diego County Lifeguards who brought us into shore.

You can also check out Alice's photos which include the boat incident and the rescue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aywong/sets/72157600158796788/

I came, I swam, I QUALIFIED!

2007-04-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today I completed my English Channel qualifying swim by swimming for 6 hours and 53 seconds in 60 degree water. It really is much more exciting than that. Our boat caught fire and so we headed to La Jolla Shores to rent a two person kayak for Alice and Heather to paddle. I'm tired now and we are about to head to dinner...I'll include more details and photos later.

Tropical San Diego Water

2007-04-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

After enduring the longest and coldest winter in the bay in the past 10 years, I am heading to San Diego tomorrow and will be completing my 6 hour qualifying swim on Saturday in the ocean off of La Jolla. Expected water temperature is 60 degrees Farenheit.

The bay is still a chilly 52 and hasn't consistently been above 53 since November 30th. The absolute low point was 46 degrees on January 17th and 18th. If you want a better description, read my blog from those days.

Currently there is a whale in the bay and one of our very own South Enders swimming from the Bay Bridge to the club got close enough to it on Sunday to see the barnicles on it's back.

I'm ready to get out of here and head towards some more tropical water.

SWF seeks Boat

2007-04-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

If anyone has a boat in the S.F. bay and wants to help me with an incredible swim please e-mail me ASAP!

Times When I Think I'm Crazy

2007-04-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

There have been two instances during my training when I think to myself that I must be crazy to do what I am doing.

1.) When I was walking barefoot across the icy South End deck to get in the 48 degree water in the dark in January at 6 a.m.

2.) Today when I was swimming through the swell in the pouring rain against a 2.2 flood tide in 53 degree water.

My goal was to swim for 3 hours today. Last night the water felt alright (about 54) but this morning it felt much colder, I think it was a low 53. I jumped at 7 with Nigel, did a cove and kept swimming waiting for Nigel to come back out and meet me in the kayak. We headed East inside the breakwater, made a sharp left around the end of the breakwater and headed West. That is when it really started pouring, and continued to do so for about the next hour. I got really cold at about 2 hours. I told Nigel I didn't feel well and I wanted him to stay close to me. I told myself to calm down and just keep swimming. At that point we had turned around near Gas House Cove and were headed back to the cove. I wanted to get back to the cove as fast as possible, but swimming out into the bay to catch the tide seemed so daunting. I felt nauseous and warm and cold at the same time. I felt light headed and couldn't imagine swimming for another hour. I only felt this way for about 5 minutes and once I calmed myself down I felt much better and knew that I could make it to 3 hours. Nigel was calm and supportive the entire time which made the situation much more bearable. Once we got back to the cove, Alice swam towards me and we did the last half an hour together. A soaked Nigel headed in to the beach with the kayak and I finished my swim in the cove with Alice.

Thank you to Nigel for kayaking in the pouring rain.

Thank you to Alice for finishing the swim with me.

I am now ready for a nap.

Bay Bridge-Anita Rock-Yacht Harbor

2007-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

This morning under foggy skies 15 sunrisers and I jumped at the Bay Bridge. Alice, Michelle and I missed the boat (no pun intented) and got a ride from our swim commissioner to the start. However, getting in the water from the Embarcadero involved a climb down algae covered steps and sliding into the water getting scraped along the way by barnacles. Alice and I swam stroke for stroke for the 56 minutes it took up to get back to the opening to the cove. Along the way we encounted a large red ship and a ferry that sped between us and the rest of the swimmers.

At the opening, Joe Butler (in a zodiac) and I continued with the ebb tide towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We found ourselves almost amongst the start of a regatta and then right next to a capsized sailboat from the day before. We didn't see the baby gray whale that was sighed off of Chrissy Field on Thursday.

I wanted to stay in the water for 2 hours today. The temperuature is still just a brisk 53 degrees. I swam towards Anita Rock (a shipping channel marker just West of Chrissy Field) and rounded it to start back swimming against the ebb tide. The sky was gray, the same color as the water and it was starting to drizzle.

From the water I saw kids playing on the beach in front of Chrissy Field. I thought "what are those kids doing playing on the beach on a day like this?". Then I remembered what I was doing and thought that they might be thinking the same thing.

It was difficult to make progress against the 2.25 ebb, but I made it back to the St. Francis Yacht Harbor and Joe pulled me out of the water out of 2 hours and 10 minutes of swimming. I was alright and didn't start shivering until just before we docked the zodiac at the club. I didn't feel too bad, but was looking forward to a long shower and sauna.

Thank you to Bill Wygant for getting me to the start. Thanks to all of the pilots for keeping us safe on a busy day in the bay. And to Joe Butler for staying out in the cold and missing the club breaksfast to help me get more milage in.

Spring Break Fun at the Pool

2007-04-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today I figured out how to upload vidoes from YouTube to my blog. These videos were taken by Traci today after the noon practice with Burlingame Aquatics masters swim team.

An Honest 10 Miles

2007-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today Paul Springer of the South End and my friends Alisa and Carla made the trek out to Lake Del Valle to do a 4 hour training swim. Paul provided the 2-person kayak and Alisa and Carla paddled for Paul and I as we swam the entire length of the lake and back again (10 miles).

The water temperature was about 60 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Everything went smoothly after Alisa and Carla got used to kayaking for swimmers and after I found my groove swimming in fresh water.

I felt good the whole way, in fact my muscles didn't even start hurting at all until about 3 hours and 25 minutes. Then I could feel my lats, but my shoulders were still OK.

I fell asleep in the car on the way home and then again for 2 hours once I was home. When I woke up about 8 p.m. I realized that if this was the channel, I would still be swimming.

THANK YOU to Paul for providing the kayak and for being a great swim partner. Congratulations on your longest swim ever!

THANK YOU to Carla and Alisa for doing a great job as pilots and crew.

Reply to An Anonymous Post

2007-03-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

The e-mail address I use for my PayPal account is jessicaksullivan@yahoo.com

Thank you for your support.

Onward to France!

Candlestick Park to Aquatic Park

2007-03-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I swam 10 miles from Candlestick Park to South End Rowing Club in Aquatic Park. Duke Dahlin piloted for me, Fast Eddie, John Hathaway and Paul Springer. The water temperature was between 52-53 degrees F.

My favorite part of the swim was watching the scenery change from the industrial landscape of the Southern part of San Francisco to highrises of downtown.

My least favorite part was stopping for two ferries and a police boat.

I was a little anxious swimming under the Bay Bridge because the last time I swam under a bridge (the Golden Gate) I had to get rescued from the fast currents carrying me straight into the South tower.

I finished with pod #2 in 2 hours and 32 minutes. I felt more cold than tired, which is a good sign. I wasn't sore the next day which makes me feel like I am getting in pretty good shape.

Next Saturday: 4 hours in 63 degree water (Lake Del Valle)

THANK YOU to all of the pilots and organizers of the swim, especially Duke Dahlin, Bob Roper and Jon Meyer.

Thank You Libbie

2007-03-23T11:52:00.001-07:00

Thank you to my friend Libbie who offered her house as a place for me to nap after school before Open House last Thursday.

A few weeks ago, she took the time to turn my vision of a "Swimming to France" postcard into reality. I will use this design for the Swimming to France Benefit party at the South End Rowing Club on June 1st.

Thanks again for all of your support.

Channel Fatigue Part II

2007-03-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

The exhaustion is overwhelming. I just got to school and I have to be here for 12 more hours because of open house. My eyes are burning and starting to water. I feel like a baby who is about to cry because I just want to sleep.

Channel Swimming Application in the Mail!

2007-03-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after school I mailed my application and fees to the Channel Swimming Association. I am one step and $627 closer to France!

Glow Stick Fashion Etiquette

2007-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Bob walked into the water at with a yelp at 5:48 a.m. and I was just seconds behind. But two days after day light savings time had taken away our sunrise swims, I wasn't close enough. Bob vanished into the dark abyss the cove and I could barely make him out as we swam to the Bad Becky Buoy. Cory was close by and I tried to keep up with her so I would have some sort of visual reference.

"Bob, you know you can't wear purple glow sticks after Day Light Savings, It is like wearing white after labor day!" I joked with Bob after we had reached the the first point in our early morning swim. He wore purple glow sticks which as not nearly as bright as the yellow and orange ones that Cory and I had attached to the straps of our goggles.

I wasn't scared, just frustrated. I couldn't see anything! It was like the blind leading the blind trying to make it across the cove. I realized that because I couldn't see anything, the only experience I was having was that of swimming. Pure swimming in the cold, dark water. My mind didn't wander because the most important thing was the task at hand, one stroke after another moving me through the water.

Swimming into the Daylight

2007-03-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we jumped at 5:45 and swam into the daylight. I stayed in for 45 minutes in 52 degree water. My hands were numb and twitching by the end. Daylight savings comes 3 weeks early this year, so next week my entire swim will be in the dark. Not the pitch dark of winter, the dark of spring that is almost OK, but certainly not like the beautiful dawn swims we have been enjoying. The photos above were taken on Thursday March 8th, between 5:55 and 6:20 a.m. The first shot is of the water on the beach just before we jumped. The second photo is the moon above the cove. The third photo is an attempt at a self portrait and the last one is just a shot of the cove near the end of my swim.

I have been incredibly tired recently and feel like it has been a long, dark, cold and exhausting winter. Last night I went to bed at 5:30 p.m. and still felt like a zombie all day. I took off two workouts this week in hopes of restoring some energy to my tired body.

Boat for San Diego Swim CONFIRMED!

2007-03-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

Heather e-mailed me today to let me know that her boat connection (Andy) has confirmed that he will pilot my 6 hour swim on April 28th in San Diego. He has some ideas about the route, but the details have yet to be determined. I'll jump at 7 a.m.!

March Madness!

2007-03-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

It's March! That means I am replacing one of my pool workouts with a bay swim and swimming longer in the bay. I convinced Bob and Cory to start our bay swims earlier. The way we see it is "dark is dark and early is early". This morning Bob, Cory, Jim and I met at 5:40 a.m. and we were in the chilly 51 degree water a few minutes later. They got out after about 25 minutes and I continued on, swimming for a total of 43 minutes. The water is still cold and will be that way for awhile. By the end of the swim, my hands and feet felt numb and it took almost 10 minutes in the shower to regain dexterity in both hands. It is difficult and somewhat comical to wash your hair with hands that you don't have full use of yet. Thanks again to my early morning bay swimming crew: Bob, Cory and Jim.

Brave Swimmers on a Dark and Stormy Morning

2007-02-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

It was another one of those mornings. One of those mornings where I feel a little crazy for doing what I do. I heard the rain falling all night long and knew it would be a stormy morning in the bay. My dedicated training partners Bob, Cory and Jim met me and we walked outside into the rain and watched the swell rock the boats in the cove. It was actually kind of fun once we got in the water. I felt raindrops on my skin and the gentle roll of the water as I swam. I can't wait to feel the sunshine again.

Save Another Date!

2007-02-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Swimming to France fundraising party will be Friday June 1st at South End Rowing Club. Check here for details as the date gets closer. Please contact me if you can make a donation (food, alcohol, etc.) for the party.

Yacht Harbor Under Blue Skies

2007-02-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

This morning we enjoyed a fast and glorious swim from Yacht Harbor back to the club. The water was finally a comfortable temperature and all the landmarks of the bay shone brightly under the sun. The Golden Gate was behind us, Alcatraz in front of us and then to our left, the skyline of San Francisco to our right and then home into our beautiful cove at the foot of Hyde Street. Thank you to the pilots, registrars and cooks of the morning. I think spring is right around the corner.

9000 Yards!

2007-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I swam 9000 in a single practice yards for the first time in almost 10 years. The first 4500 yards was with Burlingame masters swim team and then coach Chris Culp gave me a lane during the high school practice to finish up my yardage. The good news is that I am not even sore today! I feel like I am right on track with my training.

I got in the bay at 10 a.m. today for a short swim. The temperature was rumored to be 54 degrees! The sun on our backs warmed us and for the first time since early December I swam without a thermal swim cap. I am looking forward tomorrow's swim to the club from Yacht Harbor.

Swimming Painting in My Classroom

2007-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Thank you to my student Donna Graves who spent the fall semeter working on a mural of me swimming in the ocean for her Advanced Art class at Aragon High School. This week it was finally put up in my classroom and it looks great. I imagine that it is me swimming to France and the boat is Reg's Viking Princess.

So this is why I like swimming in the bay!

2007-02-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Last week I knew we were on the brink of the sunrise being just early enough so that the first hints of light could be seen when we got out of the water at 6:30. What I didn't realize was that the tempurature would be serveral degrees warmer by today. After the first 25 yards of swimming I remembered once again why I like swimming in the bay. It is a whole new world of swimming when you are not gripped by the icy cold that hurts your teeth and makes your face ache. Rumor has it that it was 53 yesterday and 51 today. I can't believe I ever thought that was cold because now it just feels so good!

As we swam in to shore we saw the first light of day illuminating the San Francisco skyline. The water was silky blue and resonated with the recently stormy sky. To the West, the lights were still on on the Golden Gate Bridge but it was light enough for us to see the orange color stand out from the gray-blue sky.

Sunrise this morning was at 7:02 a.m. In two weeks it will be at 6:45 a.m. I think the worst of the cold/early/dark combo may be over.

My Really Good Friends Helping Me Get to France

2007-02-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Bob, Cory and I enjoyed a brief photo shoot on the beach at 6 a.m. Why not? It wasn't raining, there wasn't ice on the deck to either South End or the Dolphin Club and the temperature of the water was approaching 50!

Almost everytime I leap (or timidly walk and scream) into the water in the morning in the dark in the middle of winter I think of how grateful I am to have Cory and Bob as training partners. They have consistantly supported me through the coldest winter any of the old timers can remember. They are a part of my journey to France and that is more and more apparent every day that we step into the icy winter waters of the bay.

This afternoon Alice and I jumped at about 5:05 p.m. for a short swim. It rained on and off as I drove from the Peninsula up to the club. I walked out of the locker room first and from there could see heavy rain beating down on the South End dock. Alice stepped out of the locker room and before she could see the inclement weather I asked her "Do you want to see how good of friend you are?" She laughed and said "sure". I looked towards the rain falling on the bay and together we walked toward the water.

THANK YOU!

Fuel Me! I'm the Rocket!

2007-02-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

We jumped at 9:15 this morning for a choppy and beautiful swim from Coughlan Beach back to the club on a fast flood. Coughlan Beach is just West of Fort Mason. It was named after Frank Coughlan, a long time South Ender who passed away recently. Frank ended up at what is now known to South Enders as "Coughlan Beach" instead of the club on a Alcatraz swim and thus the beach was named.

The water was 49 degrees and that means that my watch read something other than 46 or 47 for the first time in almost a month. I hope the worst of the cold is over. Alice, who will crew for me during the Channel had her first experience piloting a club out-of-cove swim.

I rode over to the start in the zodiac Alice was co-piloting. It was a beach start, which means that we had to jump out of the zodiac into the freezing water and wait on the beach for the official start. We swam out from Coughlan Beach (just West of Fort Mason) and headed for the "too far out buoy" which is in front of Fort Mason. The swim went by almost too quickly. Before I knew it, I was flying by Fort Mason and ready to head into the cove. The swim took me 22 minutes which is likely less time than I spent in the sauna.

I came in first out of the South End women and was awarded a sign to hang around my neck that said "Fuel Me, I'm the Rocket". I joked with Alice that that would be what I say on my "speed feeding" across the channel.

On My Way!

2007-02-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

I just purchased my ticket to London! I leave at 4:30 p.m. on Friday June 29th (arriving in London on the morning of the 30th) and return at 1:50 p.m. on Friday July 27th. All that is left is a whole lot of swimming betweeen now and then.

SAVE THE DATES!

2007-01-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

I just spoke with Michelle Brickell (the wife and business partner of my pilot, Reg Brickell) and the dates for my window are July 5 - 12, 2007! Now it is time to start looking for tickets to London.

Dark and Early

2007-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Nigel and Ralph for letting me join them for their 5:15 a.m. bay swim this morning. My alarm went off at 4:15 and it was easier to get up than yesterday. Maybe going to bed at 7:45 p.m. helped. Yesterday I asked Nigel yesterday if they wear glowsticks at that hour and he said no, but that they would today for me. With goggles on and the fog and water that is as dark as the sky it is comforting to be able to see the people I am swimming by the little glowsticks tucked under their goggle straps.

Channel Fatigue

2007-01-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

Today when my alarm went off at 4:35 I peeled myself relunctantly from bed. My eyes stung from fatigue and my shoulders and back were still sore from my two workouts the day before. I stumbled into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker and immediately couldn't wait until I was back home that night. I swam slow in workout but tried to keep my stroke together. Cory and Bob told me that neither of them could make it our usual Thursday bay swim the next morning. That meant I may have to swim alone, in the dark, in 48 degree water. And the forecast called for a chance of rain. Nigel said he was jumping at 5:15. OK, so I wouldn't have to swim alone, but I would have to swim at 5:15, in the dark and the cold in 48 degree water. At least I would have time to take a long sauna before going to work.

At school, my colleagues told me I looked tired and cold. I don't talk about my swimming too much at work. It isn't something that everyone understands and I don't think I should complain when it is something that I am doing by choice. My students asked me if my eyes were red from the chlorine. I told them it was from just too much swimming in general. My swimmers asked why I wasn't coaching this year. I reminded them about my "big swim" this summer.

The cold grips you and sends painful, piercing, icy jolts to your nerves. Channel Fatigue wears on you, day after day. It is a dull pain that creeps up on you like a wave of lethargy. The next 6 weeks are going to be a grind. It is still cold, icy cold and it is so dark it feels like night when I jump in the water. The days will start getting longer, the bay will start getting warmer. Of course, it is all relative.

I am home after two workouts and a full day at work. The water in the bay felt better this evening that it did yesterday morning. Who knows how it'll be tomorrow at 5:15 a.m. I am finally warm and dry. It is almost 7:00. I think I'll get in bed.

Thank you to my friend Melissa for letting me sleep for an hour at her house after school because I didn't have time to go home before my next swim.

It's official...46.6 F!

2007-01-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Still well below 50. It has been 46.6 for the past few days. It is the kind of cold that makes my muscles involuntarily twitch. It feels like little electrical shocks racing through my triceps. Wednesday I got to swim in the light with Alice, but Thursday morning it was back to the dark. I don't really mind the dark so much, it is really nothing next to the grip of the cold.

The photo is of Bob swimming along side the Balclutha - the largest boat in the cove. That was a few weeks ago when we thought 51 was cold.

46 on my watch!

2007-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

I scraped ice off my windshield at about 5:25 a.m. and jumped into the bay with Cory and Bob at 6 a.m. Something about it wasn't as bad as last Thursday but the temperature reading on my watch said 46 degrees. I think it may have been 47 but combined with the air temp it read as 46. I stood around on the dock for a minute (not any longer) looking for Cory's husband Jim. I hobbled past the sunrisers as they prepared their boats for a gas house cove swim. I felt like I was running with broken legs into the showers. All I could think was that I was going to be warm for the rest of the day. As I showered, Tawny entertained me with her stories of becoming hypothermic last week and watching the moon bounce around the sky. I don't plan on swimming for longer than about 25 minutes until the temperature creeps back up to above 50. I can't believe that will actually feel warm.

Try This Tri

2007-01-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Pool workout - 1.5 hours
Bay swim (water temp: 47-48 degrees) - 18 minutes
Lunch with two of my favorite people and training partners - Alice and Amber

Even with the water still a chilly 48 degrees, the sun warmed our backs as we swam and it didn't feel nearly as shockingly cold as Thursday.

(photo of the three of us in much colder and crazier times last March after the Gar Woods Polar Bear Swim in 36 degree water)

There is cold, and then there is C O L D

2007-01-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

As Bob and I walked on to the beach this morning at 6 a.m. I told him my new mantra: "standing on the beach in France, standing on the beach in France, standing on the beach in France". We stepped into the water and I let out a holler. I could feel the drop in temperature like icicles penetrating every pore in my body. My head was well insulated with 2 silicon caps, a thermal cap and ear plugs, but my body felt an icy sort of pain as I entered the water. Our course was short - to Eppleton Hall (a boat), to Oprah (a buoy), to the flag and back. Yep, this was COLD water. I took my first few strokes with my head out of the water to decrease the initial shock. The swim was only going to be about 20 minutes, but with every stroke I could feel the water stinging my arm as I placed my hand in the water to start the next stroke cycle. My teeth started to ache. Bob and I stayed close together, if not for warmth, then just for the company and comfort of knowing someone is going through the misery with you. Feeling the cold attack my body I let all other fears go. Swimming in the dark? who cares! Being bumped by a sea lion? Just give me some of your heat!

I didn't really feel the worst of it until I got out of the water. I walked Bob up to the Dolphin Club and ran back down the stairs, checked the temperature (a brisk 48 degrees) and ran across the beach to South End. Usually when I am leaving the beach and other swimmers are just getting ready to get in, I tell them how great it feels and how getting in is the only hard part. This time I was shouting as I ran into the locker room. "That water is so cold, it is freezing, you have fun!" I taunted. As I ran into the club my feet became numb in parts and I felt like I had little cushions padding the bottom of my feet, because I couldn't actually feel them. I continued to warn the swimmers in the locker room about their impending swim. I turned on the shower and walked into the sauna to try and get some feeling back in my feet. Oh, so this is how Lynne Cox got nerve damage in her feet. I went back to the shower out of fear of warming up too quickly. I couldn't stay in the sauna long enough because I had to go to school, so I had to continue the warming process with what I call "car sauna". I had left my down jacket in the sauna before I got in so that I could put it on all nice and toasty when I was ready to leave. When I got to school I turned up the heat in my classroom and kept my down jacket on through 2nd period.

Amber and I are getting in the bay on Saturday after a swim in the pool. The forecast calls for possible snow at sea level. Snow on the beach in San Francisco. I'll bring my camera for that one.

"Standing on the beach in France, standing on the beach in France, standing on the beach in France."

NYD Half-a-Traz

2007-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Nearly 100 swimmers and half that many pilots from SERC and DC jumped from the boat about 1200 yards outside of Aquatic Park at 8:30 on January 1st, 2007. The heavy fog made it impossible to swim from Alcatraz, as neither the swimmers nor the pilots could even see San Francisco. The water temperature hovered around 50 degrees and I finished the swim in 20 minutes. I wasn't dissapointed that the swim was so short because I was very nervous about jumping from a boat and having no visual clues to help me know which direction to go in. Thank you to Gary Emich (SERC swim commisioner working one day over his tenure) and all of the pilots who helped us get to shore safely.

No resolutions for 2007, just one thing to get done: SWIM TO FRANCE! Let the countdown (and the long training) begin...

"Below 50"

2006-12-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

"What's the temp?"
I ask Amber as we stand on the beach.
"It just says 'below 50' "
she responds.

BELOW 50? Oh no! That is almost bone chilling cold. There are two temperature drops that I can feel more than any others. The first one is the drop below 53 degrees. That happened over a month ago and was a clear indication that the tropical summer temperatures were long gone and wouldn't return until at least June. The next one is the dreaded drop below 50. This is when we are clearly in the darkest, coldest days of winter. It may drop serveral more degrees before our New Year's Day Alcatraz swim. brrrrr!

Amber and I jumped with Cory just past 8 a.m. this morning. I got in the water first and headed towards the opening in route to the bad Becky buoy. The three of us stayed together as we did a reverse cove. We made a slight change in our course when we saw a harbor seal playing around the landmark we were headed towards - the repair. The repair is a section of Muni Pier that was repaired many many years ago and still looks different than the rest of the pier. I momentarily stopped to watch the seal - mostly out of curiosity, but out of envy as well. Envious of how well it is suited for this piercingly cold environment.

NYD Qualifier

2006-12-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

77 swimmers jumped this morning from the beach in front of the club to an outside-inside-reverse cove as a qualifying swim for the New Years Day Alcatraz. I was in the water for 46 minutes. The consensus in the womens sauna was that the temperature was about 52F. I didn't wear my temperature watch, but I did bring my camera and got a few shots as we left the opening of Aquatic Park. I am very tired from an exhausting week. It is time for a long nap.

Documenting the Dark Days of Winter

2006-12-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

The dark, cold mornings of winter are here. The temperature of the bay has dropped about 7 degrees in the past month. It now ranges between 51-53 F and fluctuates daily. As the winter solstice approaches the days are getting shorter and shorter and my morning bay swims are getting darker and darker. The sunriser swimmers of the South End don't swim early enough for me to get to school on time so I swim with a group of Dolphin Club "pre-sunriser" swimmers. Cory and I are often timid entering the water, but Bob and Nigel run ahead and practically leap in the water. Sometimes Steve gets in 15-30 minutes ahead of us to log in the miles for what ever challenge the Dolphins are up to. If we are lucky, he doesn't scare us by the flag by sounding like a barking sea lion. Jim (Cory's husband) starts a few minutes ahead of us and follows our course. We catch up with him sometime during the swim.

I brought my new camera (a shockproof, waterproof Olympus Stylus 720 SW) for a swim on Tuesday in hopes of capturing the allure and mystery of swimming in the bay in the dark. Tuesday was one of those days where as I walked towards the water I repeated out loud "We're crazy, We're crazy, We're crazy". It was a different kind of dark out. The sky was covered with clouds and there wasn't even a hint of light from the moon. On top of that it was raining. It is a cold, rainy, dark December morning and I am jumping in the San Francisco Bay. Crazy. After about 30 minutes of swimming in the dark and running into debris from the recent rain, Cory and I swam into the beach. My dear friend Amber met us on the beach and gave Cory and I a sip of her warm mint tea. What a treat! We chatted a bit and then Cory and I ran off to hit the showers at our respective clubs.

The photos didn't work as well as I had hoped. Maybe I'll get some better photos this weekend when I get to swim in the light.

Links to Photos of "Hyde from the Breakers"

2006-12-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Colin Gift of the Dolphin Club for these photos of the September 11th SERC swim from Seal Rocks back to the club.

A timid jump from the boat:
http://flatstar.smugmug.com/gallery/1880376/1/94697495/Medium

Duke and I head towards the Golden Gate:
http://www.flatstar.smugmug.com/gallery/1880376/1/94701921/Medium

I just ordered a waterproof digital camera so look forward to more photos and tales from the bay here soon. Upcoming events include the winter solstice sunrise/sunset swim on the 21st and the New Years Day swim from Alcatraz.

Touch n' Go RTA 10/28/06

2006-10-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day in the bay. This Round Trip Alcatraz (RTA) swim is part of the "Nutcracker" swim series hosted by Bob Roper of the South End Rowing Club. This particular RTA was a "touch n' go" as opposed to swimming around the rock.

The conditions were perfect! My pilot (Duke Dahlin, E.C. 2003) ran onto the beach minutes before the start of the swim. We grabbed a kayak and hauled it down to the beach. Duke emerged in a clown suit and a bright pink curly wig. I knew it was going to be a great day on the bay. I always feel confidant with Duke by my side as I swim.

We started at 9:30 at the tail end of the ebb tide. Leaving aqautic park, as I breathed to the right I saw the bay bridge and to the left Duke paddling along side of me. I reminded Duke that I needed to practice finishing on rocky beaches and I wanted to touch land at Sunrisers beach instead of just touching any part of the island, which was also an option. We reached Sunriser Beach (see photo above) on Alcatraz after 40 minutes. It was named Sunriser beach by a group of early morning South Enders known as the "Sunrisers".

I cleared the water after swimming through some unexpected sea weed and breifly socialized with J.P. (E.C. 2005) and Hendrick (E.C. 2006) who were already on Sunriser Beach. I entered the water again for the swim back to San Francisco. This time I got the view of the magestic Golden Gate on my right and Duke on my left. I felt the sunshine on my back and enjoyed every minute of the trip back.

As we entered Aquatic Park, Duke let me swim in alone so he could head back out into the bay to help other swimmers make it in to the opening between the municiple pier and the breakwater that led to our club on the beach. I thanked him and headed in. I made landfall after swimming for an hour and 27 minutes and enjoyed a leisurely shower, sauna and lunch with the club. Thank you to Jon Meyer, Bob Roper, Duke Dahlin, every pilot out on the water and all the others who selflessly made this swim possible.

Getting to France the Hard Way

2006-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have spent hours of time thinking about my training plan. I have talked to numerous channel swimmers, swim coaches and teammates. I have thought about what has worked for me in the past and what hasn’t. Over and over again I have heard from successful channel swimmers that there is no single training plan that works for everyone, but above all YOU must be completely confident in your training.

My goal is to get to France. My swim training has two functions. First to provide enough yardage in the pool and mileage in the bay to have the endurance to cross the English Channel. Second (and most importantly) to simulate the conditions of the English Channel through regular and consistent exposure to the San Francisco Bay.

My pool training is done primarily with Burlingame Aquatic Club Masters swim team. My bay training is done in the San Francisco Bay with the support of the South End Rowing Club.

November 2006 – February 2007
This is when the temperature of the bay starts to drop, reaching as low as 48 degrees Fahrenheit on the coldest days of January and February. This is the time in my training where I will do more training in the pool because the bay is just too cold to stay in for very long. I will continue to get in the bay 3-4 times a week during these cold months. As my friend Duke says: “it’s just to make the summer feel that much warmer”.

Monday 5:30-7:00a.m. pool
Tuesday 6:00-6:40a.m. bay and 6:00-7:00 or 7:30p.m. pool
Wednesday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Thursday 6:00-6:40 bay and 6:00-7:00 or 7:30p.m. pool
Friday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Saturday 1-2 hour swim in the bay OR 8:00-9:30pool followed by a short bay swim (depending on temperature of bay)
Sunday off

**I will only swim 2 or 3 of the evening workouts per week**

December 2006
In December I am fortunate enough to have two and half weeks off of work for the holidays. The bay will be very cold at this time, but I plan on increasing the number of workouts per week so that I am swimming twice a day four times per week.

January 2007
I will kick off 2007 with the annual New Years Day Alcatraz swim co-hosted by South End Rowing Club and the Dolphin Club. I'll continue the same weekly training schedule through January.

February 2007
This is the month when I will start doing longer swims. Ideally these swims will be in the bay, but it is still uncomfortably cold (very low 50s) and it is alright if I do the longer swims in the pool
• Saturday February 3 – 2 hour swim (pool or Lake Del Valle OK)
• Saturday February 17 – 3 hour swim (pool or Lake Del Valle OK)

March 2007
The temperature of the bay should be warming up a bit by now and I can start to decrease the number of pool swims per week and increase the number of bay swims to 5 times per week.
• Saturday March 3 – 3 hour bay swim
• Saturday March 17 – 3 hour bay swim
• Saturday March 31 – 4 hour bay swim (depending on bay temperature – this may need to be done in Lake Del Valle)

Monday 5:30-7:00a.m. pool
Tuesday 6:00-6:40a.m. bay
Wednesday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Thursday 6:00-6:40 bay
Friday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Saturday 1-2 hour swim in the bay OR 8:00-9:30pool followed by a short bay swim (depending on temperature of bay)
Sunday off

April 2007
This month I will start doing 3 hour bay swims on the Saturdays that I am not doing a longer bay swim.
• April 7, 14, and 21 – 3 hour bay swim (one of these in the dark)
• April 28 – 6 HOUR QUALIFYING SWIM! (May be done in San Diego, depending on temperature of the bay)

Monday 5:30-7:00a.m. pool
Tuesday 6:00-6:40a.m. bay
Wednesday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Thursday 6:00-6:40 bay
Friday 5:30-7:00 pool and evening swim in cove
Saturday 3 hour bay swim (or longer - see above schedule)
Sunday off

May 2007
I will continue to swim 5 times per week in the pool and increase the number of evening workouts to 3 by adding a pool workout on Tuesday or Thursday.
• Saturday May 5 – 10 Coves of Death (about 4 hours in the bay)
• Saturday May 19 – 8 hour bay swim

June 2007
This will be my last month of training! My training peaks with a 10 hour bay swim on the 9th. I will taper down from there in order to be completely rested and ready at the end of the month. I need to pay careful attention to my body and make sure I get enough rest. School gets out on June 1st, so I will have plenty of time to train and get ready to leave for England at the end of the month.
• Saturday June 9 – 10 hour bay swim
• Saturday June 16 – 6 hour bay swim
• Saturday June 23 – 1-2 hour bay swim
• Saturday June 30 – 1 hour easy bay swim (in Dover?)

July 2007
• SWIM TO FRANCE! Check http://followmetofrance.blogspot.com for updates!

Swimming Background

2006-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Swimming Honors and Awards
• Second Place Gar Woods Lake Tahoe Polar Bear Swim, March 2006 (a 200 yard swim in 36.9F degree water)
• 10 mile solo Maui Channel swim (4:57:09), September 2005.
• Second place (4:59:50), 12 mile solo Trans Tahoe swim, July 2002.
• 10 mile Bay to Breakers Swim (Bay Bridge to Ocean Beach), May 2002.
• Fourth place(2:50.25), Capitola to Santa Cruz 10K swim , August 2001.
• First place, Pacific Masters Swimming Open Water Points Competition, Summer 2000.

Swimming Experience
• Currently training for a solo crossing of the 21 mile English Channel (to be completed in July 2007).
• Team member, Burlingame Aquatic Club Masters Swim Team, 2005-present.
• Team member, South End Rowing Club, 2000-present (Board Member 2006-2007).
• Team member, Strawberry Canyon Aquatic Masters, 1998-2005 (Board Member 2001, 2002, 2005).
• University of California, Santa Cruz four year Varsity Swim Team member (1994-1998).
• Team Captain, U.C. Santa Cruz womens' swim team, 1997-1998.
• Berkeley High School Varsity swim team, 1991-1994 (MVP, 1992).
• Team member, Golden Bear Swim Club, 1986-1994.

Swim Coaching Experience
• 2005- Swim Coach, Aragon High School, San Mateo, CA
• 2001-2003 Assistant Swim Coach, The College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA.
• 2000-2002 Head Swim Coach, Miramonte Swim Club, Orinda, CA.
• 1997-1998 Swim Coach, Santa Cruz High School, Santa Cruz, CA
• 1997-1998 Assistant Director, U.C. Santa Cruz Nike Swim Camp, Santa Cruz, CA