Last split Channel swim before the next tide (7 + 7 hours)

Last weekend of August, after almost 2 weeks of just pool swimming, including a few "fast" 400 m lap-sessions under 8 min. and quite a few days off, plus a long bike ride (previous post), I felt the need for another, hopefully last LSD-swim (long slow distance) this year and did a 7 + 7 hour split swim in the lake. A bit crazy maybe so close to the next tide which is Sept. 6-11th, but I may only swim towards the end anyway - IF (!!!) the weather allows. I was really happy to have done it, my muscles had already started to shrink, but the hunger had come back. And with the high pressure zone still around and lots of people out at and on the lake, it felt easier and safer than had I done it earlier on cloudier and colder days during the week.

Some hours, especially in the middle, felt like hard work again, but overall I really enjoyed it and knew I could have continued. I pictured my self out in the Channel, first shipping lane after 3 to 4 hours, halfway geographically after 6 hours (which is nowhere near halfway in my case timewise), in the middle of the seperation zone I went home, and the next day, as usual not starting from hour 1 but from the seperation zone with hour 8 I made it almost to France (actually I DID make it to France, I just skipped a few hours in between). After 11 or 12 hours is when the really serious part of the swim will start for me. So to have done 14 hours felt good, a little room for self-transcendence left once I will be out there.
(To be sure, I am fully aware that conditions out in the Channel will be by far more difficult: waves, currents, cold water and wind, no rest, short feedings, possible seasickness etc.)



Saturday morning - 10:50 a.m. at the lake in Roxheim. The water was refreshing and clear, but lots of fluffy greenish organic matter floating around to swim through - good pratice for the Channel. In the beginning it used to scare me out of my swimming trance...



Sunday evening - ducks racing to get some cookie morsels from the photographer



Mission "Silbersee" completed - happy and sunburnt after a 14 hour swim weekend

Alison still has 2 swimmers and a relay for the next tide, but I am going back to Dover on the 7th anyway. If it is meant to be it will happen. She might even recommend another pilot if there is one available. A new helper for the boat has emerged out of the blue, let's see what the universe still has in store!

more photos

Sadness and another 7-hour swim

Shakespeare Beach - just wild!

Yesterday, after confirming with Alison that for me the tide is definitely over (Alison feels I can go on a good spring tide, but I couldn't now because of lack of helpers for the triathlon), I felt sad and empty. Went to the Euroline ticket center to check how I will get back, and then to Shakespeare beach again. The sea wasn't just powerful but violent, ferries were even held up for a couple of hours. In the evening it cleared up and there was a beautiful moon, almost full, over the waters which were becoming calmer. My 2 helpers had a last bus trip to Deal and walked back over the cliffs (4 hours) to Dover. Sumeru left this morning, Bea is leaving tomorrow, I may stay until Sunday.

Meditation helped me refocus - it is not even three weeks until the Sept. tide! So today (Thursday), with Bea's great support, I did another 7 hour swim in the harbour in beautiful sunshine and increasingly calmer waters again. Felt as if I had swum half the Channel (realising again the Channel is really no joke), strained but quite happy and upbeat again. And enjoyed the hard earned massage afterwards! We tried out a few things regarding feeding, such as throwing bottles and having a bit of bread with peanut butter when the sweet taste is getting too much (I like it during ultra races), and it felt good. Of course, in the Channel it will always be a bit different.



The usual swollen eyes after a 7 hour swim

Was happy to hear that Carol from Australia will come back with Max next year to finally do it (they have been so kind and offered us transport to and from the beach many times), and that Jonathan, also staying at Varne Ridge, will have his go tomorrow in what seems absolutely perfect conditions, along with many others. Amazed to hear that some pilots are still not going out. What a game.



Bea, Carol and Max

Hopefully 4 hours in the harbour tomorrow and a last long swim on Saturday, then back home, to get some work done. And looking forward to seeing quite a few swimmers back in September!

Good luck to all swimmers tomorrow!

Dover "Training Camp", Part 1

Sorry for the delay - laptop didn't work, camera gave up (I did exchange batteries, not knowing, however, that it only seems to work on accus or Duracell) - and now, typing away at the Dover Marina, I cannot upload any photos. (Pictures will be added later.)

Otherwise things are great!

Arrived on Thursday afternoon (24th July) by train and ferry again, totally enjoying the crossing and being out on the Channel again. Even went for a half hour dip in choppy harbour water in the evening sun before bedtime, another 1 hour dip next day - keeping it short for the 7/6 swims on the weekend, but trying to get the body used to the water temperature. It was nice meeting other swimmers on the beach and in the water, like Lynne Smith, who brought me some Advil I might need for the bike and running leg, Cliff Golding and Laura, Marcy MacDonald and others, and sharing experiences and inspiration. Greetings to Bea, Vedika and Vijaya if you are reading! And Praphulla!

The weekend - first split Channel swim in 16 degree C water (July 26/27 - 7 + 6 hours)

We were very lucky with the weather this time. The sun was out, giving the helpers and the swimmers a much easier time, although quite a sunburn to some, and the water was almost flat.

The 7 hours passed quite uneventfully - no collisions, no hitting on my head from behind. This time I fed not only Maxim but pieces of Swiss Lemon Cream Roll every hour after the second, in addition to half a banana and chocolate roll handed by Barry, Beccy and Cliff along with lots of positive and encouraging words. So plenty of carbohydrtes to keep me warm, but again my hands froze after the first hour, getting back to normal over the next hours. The only problem was a strange paralysed feeling in the groins which I tried to counteract with some stretching. It came back the next day, but today I was fine again. The 7 hours felt harder than the 7 hours at home, probably due to the cold. I felt best, however, during the last two laps. My shoulders and arms were fine in the evening, and the same after the 6 hours next day.

It was nice to meet more swimmers and faces well-known from blogs and Channel chat group - e.g. Beccy and Hoffy, Chris Poutney, Leanne, who is going to Zurich next weekend etc. And I was very happy to see some swimmers back fit and positive who had had some motivational or physical problems over the last few weeks. This is one of the great aspects of Channel swimming or long distance sports in general: mostly you are happy when other people are doing well and you sincerely try to encourage and support each other. Only very few are here to beat others and establish records - mostly the goal is challenging yourself and transcending your perceived limits.

Sunday was very similar to Saturday, only one hour less, luckily, I thought - although like most others I could easily have done one hour more physically, just mentally it can be a relief to know you are on the last lap - again, this was when I felt happiest.

Monday - bike day

I had asked Freda for advice on my training schedule for the next week, and she had "given me a day off", and recommended 3 and 4 hour swims the following days. I was hoping for bumpy water now, to get my muscles a bit bigger still. The weekend there would be a regatta in the harbour, so there would only be 4 hour swims maximum for everyone anyway. Then tapering towards the 7th.

So on Monday I took "my" mountain bike, which the owners of Westbank Guest House are allowing me to use, and had a hilly but leisurely and very scenic training ride along the bike trail to St. Margrets Bay, Deal and Sandwich where I wanted to visit the Sectret Gardens (not quite as striking as I had hoped). I spent all day, taking lots of pictures until the camera died and replacement batteries didn't help, and took the busy road (A258) back - but cars were very considerate. Coming back I passed by the harbour, which attracts me like magic, and met Freda and Alison, just to collect a scolding from Freda for not really taking the day off ( I explained to her that my training is not limited to swimming), and some helpful sharing of information with Alison.

Tuesday

Just two 1 1/2 hour dips in very lumpy water, nice Channel chats with other swimmers and helpers, e.g. Brent Hobbs who did a great sub 10-hour swim, accompanied by dolphins, the day before and was going in just for a short dip now. (Check his website for an inspiring report!: http://englishchannelogopogo.blogspot.com/) I am trying to hear about as many experiences as I can - there is always something to learn. Tomorrow 4 hours, hopefully.

July 12/13 Silver Lake - Power & Peace

First split "Channel swim" - 7 & 6 hours, plus 3 hours biking



This week I felt so tired. After only one 45 min. swim since Dover (on Tuesday I was travelling, Wednesday evening pool, Thursday evening I fell asleep, Friday Kieser weight-workout, too much actually) - I finally did my first "split Channel swim" - 7 plus 6 hours over the weekend in the Silbersee / Silver Lake near Roxheim.

Conditions were very windy - towards the end I felt like in Dover harbour on Sunday. No rain, luckily, but sunny spells, which made things easier and was like a gift from above. I was thinking a lot of Dover and all the swimmers trying to do 6 or 7 hours there. The blogs of various Channel aspirants like Mark, Hoffy etc. really help to keep inspired and connected to the Channel world, even when I am training out here by myself.

It was my first 7 hour swim in rough water this year. The first 2 sunless hours again the most difficult until it flows, last lap the best, also with the sun coming out bright, making the air bubbles around the hands in the water look like stardust! I enjoyed the power-aspect of the lake, great training for the Channel, and at the end I was very happy, even though a muscle in the right shoulder or a tendon really started to hurt to the point I was afraid I would not be able to swim next day.

Next morning, however, I felt like I was dead. Looking out of the window it was drizzling. my rain trousers were nowhere to be found - great excuse to take a later train and lie down again for half an hour.

Finally I had to drag my body out of the house, take the train to Mannheim, followed by a 1 hour bike ride to Roxheim (no proper train connection again due to construction work on the weekends). 10 minutes into the bike ride the sun came out and my energy level was soon rising.

At the lake, however, the wind was chilly and I was not tempted at all to go into the water (about 20°C). 6 hours seemed unimaginable, and I wished to be back in bed. On the other hand I wanted to feel happy in the evening and also make it to France! So no escape - take it as work and use a great training opportunity. To calm my mind I was telling it that 3 hours is the minimum goal - then whatever happens is fine, I could still go for a longer bike ride.

Once in the water, however, things changed. The surface was just a bit ruffled by the wind, but there were no waves. In fact, the lake was quite peaceful throughout the whole day. First I was stiff and slow and without energy (lactic acid), but after 30 min. the muscles loosened up and the power came back to my arms. Now it felt like 6 hours could be done "easily", with the usual 3 sessions of 2 laps, to make it easier for the mind. Still the first 4 hours were real work and kind of dragging, but there was no question I would stay in until the end. I kept thinking of the Channel swimmers that had gone out today and how far they might have gone, trying to "swim for them", and those doing long swims in the harbour.



Swan company (photo from lake Constance, but today I almost swam into swans twice in the middle of the lake, only without little ones)

I had short feeds every hour, counting again 8, 9, 10 etc. instead of 1,2,3 .... After 4 hours I felt chilly again and wondered how I had managed to do 4 hours in Dover in 16°C and why they had passed so much faster there! The difference may be more endorphines in Dover, and more exhaustion here due to the rough long swim yesterday and more routine/boredom.

After lap 4 I took a 15 min. cappuchino break with some food, enjoying the view OVER the lake instead of into the water for a change in a spell of sunshine. I need some joy when I am training - joy is a source of energy for me, and if it is missing I have to find a way to get it back. And a coffee or cappuchino break has worked wonders during 12 or 24 hour races when I was dead at 6 o'clock in the morning, but after a short break was able to run fast again and even enjoy it... In the Channel, however, I won't have any coffeine, last time I had black tea during the last hour and it did not do me any good to keep me warm ...

In lap 5 the joy of swimming came back. Funny enough, my right shoulder was o.k. today (I had taken some homeopathic Arnica, put some "horse balm" - for horses, not from! - with Arnica and other herbs on the shoulder and visualised light around it), I even managed to backstroke again at the end of the day, but now the left shoulder started giving me trouble, and at some point my left wrist seemed to loose power, some energy imbalance. Again I tried to send light into the arm or the whole upper body, and I was grateful it did not get worse but most of the time the pain or lack of energy even disappeared.

The last two hours were again the best of the day, with a feeling of freedom and a very peaceful flow, and lots of blue sky and sunshine towards the end. Still I was happy to be finished for today. 13 hours, first time this year, great! Thanks also to the weather gods!

Next weekend one or two more long swims, then the very serious 7/6 hour swim in Dover harbour. Then it will be tapering... My main concern and top priority now is the Channel - to reach Calais. Once across, running and biking to Heidelberg should only be a matter of time - there is no cut-off! I am not going for a record but rather take it as a kind of pilgrimage, inner journey or quest - a beautiful word a lady from Deal, wife of a coach, was using for the motivation of Channel swimmers when we were chatting in the harbour.

June 28/29 - Silver Lake III - 7 & 5 Hours

In the Middle of a Regatta Again - and Flashback to 1985



It would have been nice to go back to lake Constance for 6 or 7 hours of more waves and cold water - but it was too complicated with helpers, plus I have to watch my expenses... Also the official lake temperature had become "hot" - about 23°C - hard to tell what the temperature in the colder parts would be. I googled the web for cold lakes, but they were all too far away - considering I am going to Dover on Friday for a weekend.

Since the forecast for my home lake, the "Silver Lake", was windy with medium temperatures and slightly overcast, I finally was happy to stay. Instead I decided to use the opportunity for a long split swim: 7 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday - or so. And to leave early at 6:54 - which I did, at least on Saturday.

In 1985 I had done a 12 hour swim at the end of June in preparation for my scheduled Channel swim end of July (which finally only happened in September, due to the weather). Back then it was something totally new, so of course I had helpers in a kayak, to feed me every 30 minutes when I reached one of the shores. We had come to the lake around 6 o'clock in the morning, the early morning atmosphere had been simply breathtaking with its peace and purity, and we had a great day together on the lake, with other team members joining for shorter periods of time.

I still remember my first attempt at using Channel grease (the water was much colder then): I put it ON my bathing costume! When I stepped into the water, the bathing suit started to bulge, the grease hardened in the cold water and I felt like a buoy - resistance training or what? My friend had to drive back home (20 min. one way) to get me another swimming suit while I was bravely swimming the first lap "au naturel" all by myself. (The other helpers only came later.)

So this time the 12 hours would be split - which I thought was fine with much more long distance background. I didn't want to bother anybody to help, since I am quite happy alone at the lake, and if you are just a helper it can be quite boring. Plus, of course, I am in no way alone - lifegards, kids, families, surfers - a big lake family again.

By the way, my helper-friend from 1985, who was 4 years younger than me, passed away only recently due to a brain tumour. I was kind of dedicating these 12 hours to her. It made me aware again and only strengthened my determination: You never know how much time you are given here on earth - so always try to fulfill your dreams here and now - not in some distant future! Like some coaches say: at the end of your life, what counts is not how much money you earned or how many hours you worked in the office!

The first two hours of the 7-hour swim were difficult again - no sun, everything bleak and dark, water not too warm, but also not cold (around 20°C). My mind seriously tried to convince me to go back home and have a good day's rest and swim more tomorrow! I asked my mind, if it really thought it would feel at the right place at home. And also, what would I write on my blog? Then the wind picked up and it was fun punching the waves again - even for my mind. Then the surfers came, and I was told I was in the middle of a regatta again and could I not swim closer to the shore. Amazing effect: after a slight feeling of annoyment (this is OUR lake) I got out of my old routine into a new route - and that newness gave me joy! Again - so often in life we stick to our patterns and get annoyed if someone disturbs them - but it can bring joy to try and discover something new!

During the 6th hour, when my arms and shoulders were hurting from the waves, I had to argue with myself - go home and do 6 or 7 the next day, or continue? But who knows what will happen tomorrow! Now the sun was out, it was not even 4 p.m. - o.k., one more lap. The water felt colder than in the morning - my system still needs much more training! Or too much coffee lately?

Next day I started late to avoid the morning regatta - only to find the windsurfers had left, and there was no wind anyway. So 5 easy hours, I thought. The sun came out soon, it warmed up during the day considerably, but I often felt chilly and allowed myself longer breaks. The first half lap felt like slow motion - or even swmming backwards, with muscles all stiff from the day before. But it was only 2 min. slower than usual. Then I got into the rhythm again, as if as a continuation from the day before, counting not 1,2,3 etc. laps but 8, 9, 10.... Why can't you start at the 3rd hour - or even 7th? When the fun really starts...

At the 12th lap I would have loved to add one more - but my body didn't want to, and I didn't feel comfortable to push myself. So I biked back to Mannheim again through the fields - and enjoyed the afternoon sun and the quiet countryside with a deepened sense. I chuckled. Christian Hübner, how had swum the Channel on Tuesday, had been asked after a 24 hour swim, how he felt: His answer was "clean". That is also true in a deeper sense, like Alison Streeter, "Queen of the Channel" says: these long swims can open secret inner doors, behind the everyday garbage or rubbish. It occured to me again, that "exercise", training, and the latin word "exercitium" for spiritual discipline are closely related.

In the evening I watched the soccer finals in a restaurant garden with friends in a quite detached mood - and was very happy for the Spanish to win because they clearly were the best team (sorry, Germany, but second place is a great achievement, too, and also progress).

The next morning I felt like I had been in a retreat, a deep sense of inner calmness, tranquility and serenity. Difficult to get back into office mode.

June 21/22: Lake Constance – A New Friend

9 Hours in Freezing Heaven

Progress! Not in hours, but in quality. An international gathering of our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Kreuzlingen on Lake Constance offered a great training opportunity: 4 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday (approx. 25-27 km) in the pure, quite cold waters of the largest lake in Germany, bordering on Austria and Switzerland.

I had not been sure how many hours I would be able to last. A few days ago the lake was still below 17“ C – so far the coldest for me was 19°C. Right now, distance training is still more important than really cold water, but best a good combination of both. Again, someone „upstairs“ seemed to support my efforts benevolently: the weekend turned out to be almost pure sunshine with air temperatures up to 30°C plus. The lake had warmed quite a bit in the last few days, but near Kreuzlingen and Konstanz, where the Rhine river passes from the mountains through the lake into the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, the temperature is much colder than in Lindau and Bregenz, where the data are taken, as can be seen on thermic satellite maps. So in spite of some warmer patches, I suppose the water was between 17-19°C with some really cold spots in certain places. Since my tide is between August 7-17, the Channel should be around 17°C by then.

The youth hostel in Kreuzlingen has a canoe station where we rented a bright red kayak which was very visible for motor and sailing boats. By the time we had carried the kayak down to the lake it was around 1:30 p.m.

The water was heaven - clear, turquoise, with the sun glittering on the waves, and the lake really felt alive: moving, breathing, with swells even when the surface looked calm – great training for arms, shoulders, the whole body, all the muscles were needed to stabilize. Especially on Sunday, the frequent tail waves from motor and passenger boats gave some extra training, reminding me of the waves at Jones Beach, New York, minus the seewead and the jellyfish, or the „washing machine“ in the Channel.

Valishta on her mobile - "Sorry, we are in the middle of the lake - could you please find a replacement for the cooking crew?"

The water felt quite cold and I had goose bumps when I clung to the boat for feedings, but I was amazed how fast the body adapted.

Feedings were not exactly according to Channel rules (where you are not supposed to touch the boat or even a helper) – but I was grateful for the opportunity to cling to the warm kayak briefly every hour while grabbig my drinks and food from the back seat, shivering when I stopped in the water, but fine when I started moving again.

It was great to have a friend as company for a change and to swim at a good distance to the shore and still be protected. Sometimes sailing boats would come really close – only later we discoverd we had been swimming right through a regatta!

Like always, it took me 1-2 hours to get into the flow of the swim, to experience these peaceful and often deeply joyful states of „no-mind“ or calm mind, of just being, just swimming, swimming into infinity. And looking forward to more of it with increasing endurance and power. The goal is actually not just to be able to make it across the Channel, but to prepare in a way that I can have the confident feeling I had in 1985, when I was sitting on top of the White Cliffs, the French coast visible in the distance: to be ready and eager to go, looking forward to giving it my all. My attitude is not to try "to conquer" it – like in the title of a book by Tom Hetzel that inspired me a lot back in 1985. For me the Channel feels like a friend – I love to feel one with the water, the waves, the vastness, but the Channel is powerful, so it demands to bring your own power to the fore - physical as well as inner ("mental" is not my term, there is much more to inner power than just the mental aspect).

Saturday my helper had to stop at 6 p.m. So I got out to help bring the kayak back and after some consideration called it a day to participate in our evening meeting. I could really feel my muscles and shoulders, and the effect of the cold and heat combined on my metabolism and the whole system. Before going to bed I was treated to a great sports massage by my next day's helper Kastura, a judo champion from Russia, who was visiting Zurich.

After a sound but short sleep, usual morning meditation and some good Swiss breakfast including some müesli, we headed off back to the lake. By the time we had the kayak water-borne, it was past 9 a.m. The sun was already warming. Kastura had to be back at the meeting place by 2 p.m., which again left only about 4 hours time. So we went out for over 2 hours up the lake and less than 2 hours back, „downhill“ with the current. This time I noticed that I was longing for something salty and firm for the third feeding in the cold water – and enjoyed a bit of Kastura's bread and cheese.

We returned the kayak but then I went back to the lake for a last 1 hour swim by myself closer to the shore before catching the train back to Heidelberg. I really enjoyed this last hour again, and became determind to come back for more training, possibly next weekend if the weather allows. (Kastura must have sensed it and already offered her help again.) Towards the end I had to think of a German actress, Ruth-Maria Kubitscheck, living near Kreuzlingen on the lake, and her book about angels and spirits of the earth (similar to the devas of the Findhorn-community), which she had signed for me with a beautiful poem many years ago, where she describes with love and insight how each part of the earth has benevolent „protecting spirits“. Suddenly, when I looked up at the sky, a peculiar cloud formation caught my attention. It was like a curved feathery soft angel wing with a second cloud next to it that looked like an abstract Japanese or Chinese brush painting of a human figure rising upwards (reminding a bit of the Olympic logo). It gave me so much joy! But my camera was already back at the Youth hostel and by the time a got there the "angel" had dissolved.

(Painting by Ruth Maria Kubitschek)

On the train back I felt exhausted and chilly (air condition). Arms and shoulders hurt, and I was only looking forward to get home, stretch my back and lie down. I felt no inner joy, my whole system was just trying to cope. 17 hours in the Channel? Not quite yet! Plus biking and running?

But then, next morning, after some rest: Great feeling, happiness, gratitude, looking forward to the next long training session and the first Dover-weekend, and confidence to be able to get ready in time for the Big Day.

Many thanks to my helpers – and those who committed themselves to be part of the August adventure!

June 25th: Just booked my train tickets and b&b for the first Dover training weekend July 4th to 8^th!

Training during the week

Training during the week can be difficult: pools are quite hot and mostly crowded. Today (25^th) I felt like in a certain Tokyo pool mentioned on the Channel chat group, especially when all the "Pink Jumpers" left the small pool and continued their aquajogging the the main pool. So my only goal under these conditions is: don't touch! And stay positive. Things could always be worse. Here is the proof:

"Tokyo Wave Pool Insanity"

June 14/15th - Same Lake, Different Experience (2x 5 hours)

The weather forecast for this weekend was REALLY WET and REALLY COLD (down to 8 °C in the morning). Good for Channel training - but I was not sure if I would be able to do my planned 5 hour back-to-back swims under the conditions in the lake, again, all by myself (next weekend's long swim in lake Constance will be with friends). If I would be freezing after 3 hours in the lake I would continue in the nearby pool. And for Sunday, where rain was forecast for the whole day, I had already resigned myself to the idea of just pool-swimming - since biking to and from the lake to the train station in the cold rain with 5 hours in cold water did not feel safe.

Saturday: Big surprise. Almost blue skies and morning sun welcomed me at the "Silbersee" (Silver Lake) near Roxheim around 10 a.m and stayed out most of the time, resulting in an unexpected sunburn. The water was fresh (approx. 19-20°C) compared to the week before or the swimming pool, but not cold. And perfectly clear. The breeze, which picked up just a little, was much colder. 5 hours went by, in one hour laps from feed to feed, not easily but in a way that felt encouraging. Hot ginger tea with maltodextrine, egg wafers again, raisins and energy gel kept me going.

After 5 hours (15 km) I wasn't sure if I should continue for one more hour, since I still felt quite good and not too cold. Definitely I hadn't given it my all yet. But by now I was determined to come back to the lake the next day for at least part of the second 5 hours even if it was going to be raining and colder. So it felt o.k. to save something for a possibly tougher swim on Sunday.

So I took the 1-hour bike route back to Mannheim instead of going to the nearest train station, stopped by the MTG stadium to watch a bit of American Football for a change, which gave me a nice feeling of New York, Queens, (where the headquarters of our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team are located) and some good laughs ("where is the ball" - even the stadium announcer lost track at times). Even if you are not sure about the rules, it can be more entertaining than soccer. Which reminds me of Calvinball. At home I felt I had done the right thing - good training, but still enough hunger for the next day.

Dancing With the Waves

Sunday: Almost a ritual now, catch the 7:54-train, arrive at the lake around 9:30. The weather forecast had mercifully changed to only bits of rain. When I arrived, no wildlife, but lifeguards already on duty. Sky overcast, but as I greased up and got ready to step into the water, the sun came out briefly. Good morning! The water was colder than the day before.

During the first 3 hours the sun would peep through the denser clouds every now and then. Half a lap later, a black cloud appeared suddenly, and immediately the rain started pouring down and the wind picked up as I was swimming back to finish my 4th hour. It felt great to have a bit of a challenge, finally some waves! A much better workout and much more inner joy. Swimming in the rain is actually very beautiful, feeling the elements, as long as there is no lightning.

As I got out of the water for some hot ginger tea and raisins and to see if my stuff was well covered up, the liveguards were leaving the empty beach. "Are you finished?" they asked me. "No, one more lap;" I told them. (They had been there basically just to watch me swim, it seemed.) "In this rain?" they asked. I chuckled. In the water it was much nicer than outside. And even warmer. So back again, enjoying the peaceful rain and especially past the protecting peninsula on the left, halfway into the lap where the lake opens more, really enjoying "dancing with the waves", with the wind pushing from the back. No need to occupy the mind anymore - just swimming and enjoying the elements and the movement and the feeling of energy and rhythm.

The two fishing men on the other shore were still there (they had watched me over the last weeks from different places and today asked me about my swimming - it felt a bit like a small "lake family" with the lifeguards etc.), otherwise the lake was completely deserted.

On the way back to finish the 5th hour I was swimming against the wind, happily punching the waves. Great workout for the arms and the whole body. I should actually always check for bad weather to go to the lake even during the week! The rain was subsiding now, and the sun started to peep out again, making the waves glitter like silver.

My goggles, both pairs, had been giving me a lot of trouble today - a good reminder just at the right time to get a couple of new ones and swim them in for the big day. So I was just grateful there were no sailing boats or surfers out there today.

When I reached the shore, I was sure Freda would have sent me back in for another lap, or two, but I enjoyed the bit of warmth the sun was giving by now and took the opportunity to get to the train station dry before the next rain cloud would arrive. Back in Heidelberg, biking over the bridge in Ziegelhausen, the clouds were so dark and the wind was so "cold" (15°C, versus 13°C in Dover!!!) that thinking of having swum for 5 hours in a lake felt like it must have been on a another planet.

Next weekend will be longer, hopefully, at lake Constance, in colder temperatures

June 7th - 6 Hour Swim and Thunderstorm

June 7th was supposed to be a 7 hour swim - with 7 weeks of training to go (and one week serious tapering).

Maybe I was a bit too easy-going. Having overslept I only took the train at 8 p.m. to arrive at the lake in Roxheim at 9:30. Time enough for 7 hours of swimming, I thought. Rain was forecast for 11 and 5 p.m., but that doesn't matter much to a swimmer.

Again, no human soul around. This time I was greeted by a swan and 3 families of black necked geese, which at first were dispersed on the lake, but then strangely enough paddled to the shore within 50 meters of where I was sitting, one family following the other with altogether 10 little ducklings of visibly different age, soon grazing happily in the nearby grass.

Just before 10 a.m. I made it into the water - cool but not cold. Again sets of 2 laps, great feeling, "breakfast" after the 2nd hour, egg-waffles, plenty. I thought of the swimmers in Dover, who would have started around the same time, memories came up from my training there 23 years ago. My first swim in Dover harbour was a 7 hour test swim middle of July - and my training had started at the end of April! I remembered how much I enjoyed that swim - punching the waves in really bad weather and feeling good after 7 hours (with a few days of rest and a few good massages before). After lap 3 I was looking forward to complete the 4th hour - then it would be downhill. During the 4th hour, when my ellbow started to hurt and my arms started to feel a bit lame, I had to smile thinking of Freda, the "General" standing on the shore of Dover harbour with just one firm message: "head down" (great Channel swimmer mantra: "head down - until France") . So I put my head down - no thinking, no feeling, just swimming - and smiling!

Today I swam a great deal with memories, or visulisations, picturing myself in the Channel. My goal today was to do 6 hours plus one. 6 hours as equivalent to reaching the middle of the Channel where I could see both coasts in 1985, the White Cliffs of Dover and the French coast, which was a completely exhilarating experience. At that time I knew I would make it. The only thing was, it then took me 11 more hours from the "middle" of the Channel to France! The seventh hour today was supposed to be visualising reaching the French coast - like in this inspiring video taken from You Tube.

Video
The video below is of Hugh completing his English Channel Swim on 7/8/2004.

After 4 hours again some food - more egg wafers, 2 bananas and some oats with maltodextrine and some sports drink (which didn't go too well with the food), back for lap 5 und 6. At times I was thinking of Lake Zurich or of long training swims in the waves of Jones Beach on Long Island.

6 hours completed. Great! One more than last week. And one to go. My shoulder muscles feel a little sore, my elbow hurts a little, but I can put my head down again. As I step out of the water for a short drink break, I realise the black cloud on the horizon is growing and coming closer. The 11 a.m. rain never happened, so this one is almost on time. Before heading back into the water, I feel an urge to ask the life guards if a thunderstorm has been forecast or just rain. "Thunderstorsm", they say. "Didn't you see the lightning over there? And hear the thunder?" Still hoping it would pass in the distance I went back into the water to swim back and forth close to the shore as long as possible, but the lightning was closing in from 2 sides on the lake. No choice. The wind picked up, the clouds opened - I was one of the last people to leave the beach

So, only 6 hours for today. Come back tomorrow and cancel my long bike ride, because swimming seems more important now? Or be patient, get a good cardio and leg-workout on Sunday and do more 2 hour swims during the week and a 7 hour swim next Saturday and a real long swim of 8 hours the week after? One thing is to have goals, the other to stay flexible.

One poem-song came to my mind (again on Sunday), which can be helpful if you feel disappointed because something did not work out the way you wanted it:

Do the best you can
Cheerfully.
Accept the worst
Calmly....

(Sri Chinmoy)

By the way, when I came home, I found my official Channel Swim number in the mail - registration completed and confirmed! Ready to go!

First Open Water Long Swim - 15 km, June 1st

Silbersee near Frankental

Finally! After thunderstorms on Saturday and the Mannheim Marathon Saturday before, I did my first long swim in open water this year on Sunday, June 1st! Since the 5 hour swim on May 1st I had only done 45 minute to 1 hour swims at most in the pool, since it was either too "cold" (19°C, still have to acclimatise) or too crowded..., plus some weight training, which my teammate Vijaya in New York had recommended strongly. In 1985 I never thought about weight training, but since last year in Zurich I could feel my shoulders after 11 hours, I suppose it is a good idea, especially since with the triathlon I need my arms and legs after the swim still. And it just so happened that Kieser Training were offering one week free training for each life decade = 5 free weeks!



(This foto is from the Zurich lake Marathon Swim 2007, but since the blog does need a few more swimming fotos I am cheating a bit...)

So on June 1st around 10 a.m. I went by train and bike to the "Silver Lake" near Frankental, where I have always trained since 1985 for my longer swims.

I love the peace in this natural reserve area in the early and late hours of the day, with neighbouring lakes full of nesting birds of all kind and other wildlife. The water is pure in the main lake, with sandy beaches, and I can swim for half an hour to an opposite sandy stretch and another half hour back - which makes a lap of almost 3 km. It is perfect - half an hour twice is "easy", it's ideal timing for the feeding break, and all you need to get 3 more km done is one short moment of "self-transcendence" getting back into the water. After a short break, even after three or four hours - it usually feels great again, even if something started hurting before, mostly the flow comes back immediately as soon as I am back in the water.

On longer swims I usually do sets of two laps, then a tiny bit longer break - just to divide "infinity" into digestible pieces and get a feeling of accomplishment on the way - cutting hours off the big cake. The last hour is usually the "icing on the cake" which I enjoy most, even after six or seven hours.

So on Sunday, with 4 weeks from my last long swim, I was happy with 5 hours - it was strong, smooth, rhythmic swimming, faster than May 1st. The water was calm, temperature perfect for now - fresh, but not freezing, at times even too warm on the surface already.

Next weekend the swim will be a bit longer, hopefully there won't be any thunderstorms. The water temperature may even go down by then. So from now on, longs swims every weekend.

I keep reading other Channel swimmers' blogs about their training in Dover - and kind of envy them. I'd love to swim in sea water - it is so much more alive! But I feel it is o.k. for me to wait - I would need more fat to swim in those temperatures now. The more you get used to the cold, the more you suffer in the heat - it will be a difficult balance for August. But I will go over early enough to acclimatisze.

When I biked back to Mannheim train station from the lake in the hot late afternoon (27°C or more?) I knew I would be praying for rain for the biking and running part in August unless some polar air will get swept down south.

"My heart swimming

In silver light,

My soul swimming

In ecstasy's height."

- Sri Chinmoy

One of the aphorisms or poems which often come to my mind or repeat themselves inwardly like mantras during my long training sessions or events, like an expression of an inner state of consciousness I am experiencing - at times, that is. Sometimes I end up only focussing on or repeating single words like "silver light", with the rhythm of my breath or stroke.

May 1st - First Long Outdoor Swim - Infinity In a 50 Meter Pool

(photo Beat Walser)

Finally - my first long open air swim this year! On May 1st many outdoor pools opened. The air was still chilly in the morning, and since I had a 15 km swim on my schedule, which meant at least 5 hours in the water, I did not dare venture into the 19 ° Celsius pool in Heidelberg but chose the 24 ° C pool in Mannheim - what a wimp! And even worse: I started around noon, to catch more sun! Even a Channel aspirant has to be realistic - after spending hours in 27 or even 30 ° C water in indoor pools, a gradual changeover is needed. In 19 degree water I would not have lasted long, as I was able to confirm the next day in Heidelberg, where my left hand stopped functioning properly after only one hour in an almost empty pool. (I know that other Channel swimmers are swimming an hour in 10-11 °C water already, but I also know that I will have enough time to acclimatise still.)

The 15 km went great. Some people may wonder: 5 hours in the pool, just swimming back and forth - that must be so boring! But it's not. Even in this limited space, with my inner concentration and purpose, I feel freedom. There is inner joy, peace, and a real sense of accomplishment. If I had a choice between sitting in an office doing a routine job or swimming laps, I would prefer swimming! (not every day, of course)

The trick with long distances, also in running, is to cut them into pieces, mentally. So the first hour is a warm up (then a short feeding and pee break), the next hour is leading up to the halfway point (next break), the third hour is already past the halfway point (break), the 4th hour: almost there (with some mental dialogue going on, starting at the third hour: are 4 hours maybe not enough? but my "better" half insists: no, if you can do 4 you can easily do 5, and how would you feel if you stopped for no reason? And after all, since I am getting sponsored by some friends, I have to do my job well!)

More easily than bored I tend to get impatient at times at the thought of how far still to go. Then it helps to just focus more and not to think about distance. To feel grateful for the luxury of being here, in clean water, healthy, strong, in an almost empty pool, with the sun and an infinite sky above me, and no pressures whatsoever. Just stroke, stroke, stroke, feel the gliding through the water, enjoy the dancing patterns the sun is painting on the silver pool floor, just try to silence the mind, like in meditation. It IS a kind of meditation, with intense moments of a deep inner feeling of infinity and eternity - eternal moments. At the same time I am breaking down the hour (actually I am counting 3 km - 60 laps, which is a bit more than an hour towards the end) into sets of 30 laps, and enjoy counting from 1 to 30, always with a slight feeling of achievement when the next half hour is "marked off", and always looking forward to the next break and feeding. The counting actually helps focussing - like in Zen meditation, where a beginner can start with counting his or her breath.

At the same time there are always little things happening and changing around me - at times you have to come to terms with a swmmer obnoxiously backstroking into your lane, not understanding that a concentrated lap swimmer may not be paying attention all the time. Or you gratefully pick up speed and intensify your stroke when a good swimmer starts training in the next lane. Or you laugh out loud at the pair of ducks that seem to be perfectly comfortable swimming ahead of another swimmer at the edge of the pool, but who seems to feel bothered by them and splashes around to chase them away.

Visualisation and conscious positive thinking/feeling is another help. Often, after the first 1 or 2 "warm-up hours" which my mind needs to calm down, spontaneously pictures come up from inside - of other events, of the positive feelings during these events, and these experiences are melting with the present. So I can be swimming and diving back into the experience of the 12 hour walk in New York - the nice thing is, in my memory I forget the pain and keep the exhilaration, the flow, the beauty. And I love the feeling that different times and places merge together - not parallel universes (universa?) but a oneness-universe!

Or, a very important visualisation exercise, I picture myself in the Channel, the French coast already visible ahead of me. But I know that now the most difficult part will come where many swimmers have to give up when the currents start going against you. So with every stroke I imagine I am getting closer to the French coast, aware of the fact that it may still take three, four or even five hours. So what I am doing here is nothing, compared to the event itself, but with every lap I do here, the Channel will get so much easier.

I remember, in 1985, after 12 hours in the Channel, when the tide started getting against me and we knew I had another couple of hours ahead, I just thought: wow, now it really starts! I had done 12 hours in training, without difficulty, so only now I was entering new territory. This attitude really helped.

And - in a way, what is important and precious, is not just to reach the goal - that will take care of itself, as long as you give, give, give your effort, determination, discipline and enery - but the time in between, the way. I remember in 1985, when I finally reached the French coast, there was a feeling of "so this is it!" It was great to have done it, there was a deep sense of peace, but the best was the time leading up to it, the 4 months of intense training and inner and outer preparation and the joy of the swim itself - a swim where I felt like melting with infinity.

"The seeker-heart wants to get joy
not by binding,
but by becoming one with Infinity."
- Sri Chinmoy

Welcome! The countdown has started!

Welcome to this new blog for a new challenge: my Channel Triathlon Dover-Heidelberg 2008!

Only 5 months to go until the big event which is scheduled for the tide of 7th to 16th of August. High time to note down some of my experiences and thoughts on the way. I consider it a special blessing to have Alison Streeter, the Queen of the Channel (43 crossings!) and good friend of some of our Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team swimmers, as my pilot, which came quite as a surprise, since she got her own boat only this year! (Before I was forth place for early July - very iffy!)

After the international 12 h indoors swim in Zurich 2 weeks ago on Feb. 24th, where I completed my 27.2 k quite happily and kind of easy-going ("she is still smiling"!) with enough time for lunch, coffee and massage, the next longer training session is the 6 h Self-Transcendence Race in Nurnberg on March 15th, which will give me an opportunity to also meet my parents and my sister's family. My parents usually come towards the end to help at the food table, pick up cups from the ground or to give me a push on the uphill section - and to enjoy the great atmosphere.

In Zurich it was quite inspiring to meet Arthur Puckrin (born 1938, photo below) in my lane, swimming very steadily and obviously enjoying himself all the way. He finished two Deca-Ironmen (10x ironman distance) in 2006 and is still going strong. Made me feel like a youngster. He is a perfect example of my teacher Sri Chinmoy's motto: "Age is in the mind, but not in the heart."