I've been thinking about a book more and more lately. I know my writing is passable, but not incredible. I just need someone to come ghost write for me! ;-) Maybe @emkhowley and I need to work something out. :-)
I don't think I need to say it, but I will anyway. It would be an honor and a pleasure to work on this with you @ssthomas. Let's chat.
I know exactly what you mean. Oh, wait. I mean the opposite of that. I have no standard in my brain from which to measure, evaluate or understand such sorcery. I think the fastest I've swum 50 miles might be measured in days, or perhaps weeks. Interrupted by beer. And naps.
It was surreal watching this unfold on the dot-race, hour-after-hour, day-after-day.
I tried to stay awake to watch the middle-of-the-night finish, but I couldn't even do that.
Unbelievable.
Way to go @ssthomas . You've redefined what is possible.
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
What an incredible accomplishment! The real deal for sure. Well planned, thought out and orchestrated. Incredible at all levels....what a special crew for sure especially reading that last 'keeping it real' ending. Thanks Sarah!
I have talked with a few of my athletically inclined friends and family recently. It's been kind of funny. I will say, "Oh yes, Sarah Thomas just completed a swim of 104 miles." The reaction has been the same from everyone. There is approximately 3 seconds of absolute silence. And then a stunned, "wow..." And then a little more silence as it all sinks in. Like I said, more people have walked on the moon.
molly1205 said: @ssthomas Did you take any ibuprofen during your swim? And did you do any strength training or yoga in addition to your swimming prep?
Yes to ibuprofen. I take 600 mg every 6 hours. I use the infant liquid stuff and it just gets dumped into my feed bottles.
No to strength training or yoga- I simply don't have time between working and trying to get the swim volume that I want/need for anything else beyond swimming and working.
Lynnkub said:
Kind of a non-sequitor, but the tail end of your story makes me so very very very happy I no longer have periods. And someday I hope I have the honor to crew a swim of yours. You know I will not bring along "baggage"
Too funny, in a way-- my mother had read about Sarah getting her period, and I had just started mine a few hours prior to my Lake George swim-- which took place within the time Sarah was in the water-- I had been hoping for a menopausal hot flash to keep me warm!!! And you know, there are no products intended for use over 24 hours. . . I had some concerns about going vertical at the end, but it was so dark that anything untoward would have gone unnoticed-- I hope!!!
And you know, there are no products intended for use over 24 hours. . . I had some concerns about going vertical at the end, but it was so dark that anything untoward would have gone unnoticed-- I hope!!!
Let it flow, baby! I had the same issue during my English Channel swim and a couple others since. Funny how timing works. I figure no one's likely to be at the finish anyway, and it's easier on the body to just let it do its thing unencumbered. So, sorry guys. But this is a source of a good deal of concern for a lot of open water women. (I was recommended by a swimming friend to try out one of those Diva Cup devices. That'll get you to 12 hours. But from there, I guess you're on your own.)
Let it flow, baby! I had the same issue during my English Channel swim and a couple others since. Funny how timing works. I figure no one's likely to be at the finish anyway, and it's easier on the body to just let it do its thing unencumbered. So, sorry guys. But this is a source of a good deal of concern for a lot of open water women. (I was recommended by a swimming friend to try out one of those Diva Cup devices. That'll get you to 12 hours. But from there, I guess you're on your own.)
I can't even count the times this has happened to me, so I suppose it's just fitting that it happened during my biggest swim, probably ever! At least I have experience... You'd think my body, especially DURING a major swim, would say, "You know, we already don't feel so hot, let's hold off a few days on this." But, NOOOOOO, it was like, "Yeah, you think you're tough? We'll show you! You're already in pain? Let's add some hormones to the mix! You thought you were tough not having a meltdown at 30 hours this time? Well, we want to make you cry for 2 hours after you've been awake for 48 hours FOR NO REASON." And talk about the nausea the day after the swim... I took some more Advil, not for my arms, but because I thought my stomach was going to implode. So, yay. We should probably start a new thread on "swimming with your period." I loved the Chinese (?) Olympian last year at Rio who didn't perform well. When the reporter asked her what happened, she was honest and said she was on her period and just didn't feel good. I think she caught some flack in her home country for this, but I think she was awesome for just laying it out there. :-)
...and now we know why there are separate men's and women's locker rooms. In the men's locker room we just talk about wide screen TVs and trucks...
Well, we have separate locker rooms also because we use hair dryer to dry our hair while guys use it to dry their .... ehm ... things. That would never go well on our side of lockers
Sarah, that was impressive and very amazing write up and super awesome swim. I am happy that you opened the discussion about women's periods - it is a natural but painful and hormonal part of our lives, we all have to deal with it and yet, somehow it is not acceptable to talk about it. It is time to change that.
...and now we know why there are separate men's and women's locker rooms. In the men's locker room we just talk about wide screen TVs and trucks...
Well, we have separate locker rooms also because we use hair dryer to dry our hair while guys use it to dry their .... ehm ... things. That would never go well on our side of lockers
Um, no. Never seen it. Never done it.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
I found that mine would slow or "hold off" a bit during a workout, then would work to catch up afterward. And, oddly enough, I'm one that feels better while swimming if I'm in the middle of my period, esp. day 1/2. I'm entering the phase of life, though, where it's going to be less predictable, so it will be interesting to see how things adapt in the coming years.
ssthomas said:
emkhowley said:
Let it flow, baby! I had the same issue during my English Channel swim and a couple others since. Funny how timing works. I figure no one's likely to be at the finish anyway, and it's easier on the body to just let it do its thing unencumbered. So, sorry guys. But this is a source of a good deal of concern for a lot of open water women. (I was recommended by a swimming friend to try out one of those Diva Cup devices. That'll get you to 12 hours. But from there, I guess you're on your own.)
I can't even count the times this has happened to me, so I suppose it's just fitting that it happened during my biggest swim, probably ever! At least I have experience... You'd think my body, especially DURING a major swim, would say, "You know, we already don't feel so hot, let's hold off a few days on this." But, NOOOOOO, it was like, "Yeah, you think you're tough? We'll show you! You're already in pain? Let's add some hormones to the mix! You thought you were tough not having a meltdown at 30 hours this time? Well, we want to make you cry for 2 hours after you've been awake for 48 hours FOR NO REASON." And talk about the nausea the day after the swim... I took some more Advil, not for my arms, but because I thought my stomach was going to implode. So, yay. We should probably start a new thread on "swimming with your period." I loved the Chinese (?) Olympian last year at Rio who didn't perform well. When the reporter asked her what happened, she was honest and said she was on her period and just didn't feel good. I think she caught some flack in her home country for this, but I think she was awesome for just laying it out there. :-)
Those of you who followed the swim on Sarah's FB page know that the lead paddler, Scott Olson, was live-streaming the swim from a phone mounted on his kayak.
I spliced together the FB Live footage, added a constantly-updating timestamp, rotated any sideways-oriented clips, but otherwise left everything intact. There's nearly 22 hours of video from Scott's kayak - ~10 hours each from Day 1 and Day 2, and couple more from the first part of Day 3, before the wind forced Scott onto the boat.
I doubt anyone will bother to watch even a fraction of this. We offer it in the spirit of transparency - and welcome anyone to flip through to random parts, and reference the corresponding timestamp in the logs.
Days 2 & 3 coming shortly.... each of these takes the better part of a day to download, edit, encode, & upload.
I'm curious if anyone in the crew kept careful enough track of the feeds so as to know the total number of calories consumed by Sarah during the 67:16 in the water. I'm guessing that 500 +- 100 calories are burned per hour, thus a total of 33k +- 7k calories were burned during the swim. What fraction of that was consumed during the swim, I wonder?
I'm curious if anyone in the crew kept careful enough track of the feeds so as to know the total number of calories consumed by Sarah during the 67:16 in the water. I'm guessing that 500 +- 100 calories are burned per hour, thus a total of 33k +- 7k calories were burned during the swim. What fraction of that was consumed during the swim, I wonder?
Feed log won't really answer that question- roughly 250 calories/hour, plus the odd cookie and risotto along the way.
And to demonstrate just how immense this accomplishment is, I would imagine nobody could sit and watch this entire swim in real time. That's just sitting and watching. Now imagine swimming it. My head hurts...
curly said:
And to demonstrate just how immense this accomplishment is, I would imagine nobody could sit and watch this entire swim in real time. That's just sitting and watching. Now imagine swimming it. My head hurts...
@ssthomas --- Would you consider posting your "supply" list and logistical plan for your epic swim? I'm nowhere near (mentally, physically, or work-wise) being able to handle a super long swim (just did my first 10k), but do wonder what it takes to PLAN such an event. You did a great job reporting on what it took to SWIM it, but the planning (I imagine) was just as involved as the swimming.
Sara_Wolf said: @ssthomas --- Would you consider posting your "supply" list and logistical plan for your epic swim? I'm nowhere near (mentally, physically, or work-wise) being able to handle a super long swim (just did my first 10k), but do wonder what it takes to PLAN such an event. You did a great job reporting on what it took to SWIM it, but the planning (I imagine) was just as involved as the swimming.
I sure can. @evmo- is there a way to easily post an excel document?
Thanks, @evmo. So, the list above was what we used to keep track of who was bringing what. It's not meant to be all inclusive- I'm sure people brought things that weren't on this list. It was a working list- I sent it out almost daily the week before the swim to make sure we weren't forgetting anything.
I also have a notebook with info that I bring along. It had my feed logs, some info on my preferences/feeds (I believe Evan will post both of those when he posts the documentation from the swim), info on the nearby marinas, info on local hospitals, contact info for the two boat rentals, etc. I also kept a running hand-written list with everyone's travel logistics, grocery lists for food for the crew, tshirt sizes, etc.
Oh, and there were approximately 2 million emails between me, my observers, and my crew where we discussed the route, what we need from a boat, what we'd do if there was lightning... and more. @Karl_Kingery and I worked on the route for months, it seemed like, so there were a lot of emails back and forth with KMZ/Google Earth files where we made adjustments/corrections/asked questions. And just when we thought we had it nailed down, Karl found info about current in the lake, and we started all over.
There were also a lot of emails between me and Jamie Patrick where we discussed lampreys and he sent me info on those nasty critters...
It's really a neverending process. A lot goes into the planning- and no matter how well you plan, you're still going to miss something/forget something.
I suppose I should note, I do work from home. I've been doing that for the last 2 years now. It does make the early mornings and transitions a little bit easier to manage. I do, however, live 35 minutes or more from the closest swimming location. So, even though I am working from home, I still do spend quite a bit of time in the car. The doubles that I was doing once, and sometimes twice, per week during the weekday were a bit hard for me to handle. It meant being up at 5 and not really home until after 9 pm.
That's pretty comprehensive. I particularly like the "million" count for the batteries. Lol
Are most of the things on the list items that you've learned through experience you need? Or, is there a core set of supplies that you start with....well known for marathon Swimming.....and you then supplement for the specific needs of you and your team?
Part of what impresses me about this accomplishment is that it was a first...... no one had done this distance before, so the planning was necessarily a bit unknown. Yes, the Powell swim set the stage.....but when push came to shove, to some extent you had to guess on the exact supply needs you'd have.
You mentioned that you discussed what to do in case of lightning.......was that the main or only condition that could cancel the swim for you....or get you pulled from the water?
@Sara_Wolf : A lot of this list comes with experience. When you're doing an established swim, like Catalina or the EC, 90% of that stuff, you don't need to worry about. If the boat breaks, it's not your problem to fix. You just need your swim stuff, feeds, and probably some duct tape and scissors. When you self-support with your own boats, you have to prepare for pretty much every contingency, especially if you're out for 3 days. You never know what will go wrong, so some redundancy is pretty important. We probably had too much stuff, but you never know what you might need. For example, I had a sailboat, pontoon boat, a smaller motor boat, and two kayaks. The sailboat also came with a dingy. Both the smaller boat and the dingy broke. Fortunately, it was early in the swim and we were able to tow both back to shore with the pontoon and I still had a sailboat and kayak to escort me. The sailboat rental replaced the dingy with a working one, which was so fortunate because we ended up needing it for a solid 12 hours.
Also, a lot of the list was because I had such an experienced crew- they've all been on swims and done long swims. So, for example, @malinaka had a set of red LED lights that he used for a swim a few weeks before mine. He thought they were awesome, so he brought them. Turns out, they were essential on the second night when we were getting pushed around by wind. The pontoon couldn't stay back and the waves were too big for them to turn around and ride into (the boat would have been swamped). The sailboat was doing circles to stay back with me. The GPS was on the sailboat and pontoon, but now neither could stay next to me to guide me. So, Ryan, on the pontoon, had my mom hold up the red lights. He held our line (on the GPS route) and my kayaker and I could sight off of those so easily, without needing a boat next to us to tell us where to go. That night would have been much more stressful without those red lights leading the way.
So, I suppose the summary is that you learn as you go. And when you do a big swim, it's so helpful to have other people who know just as much as you do, if not more. The collective knowledge on this swim was incredible. It's why I picked the team I had, btw. If you want a dream team crew, I had it.
As for what would have ended the swim.... the answer really is "not much." We discussed lightning from the perspective of what the BOATS and crew would do. I wasn't sure what happened to a sailboat, with it's high metal poles, in a lightning storm. Turns out, it's pretty grounded and very safe. I wouldn't have gotten out of the water for a storm. (sorry, I know that's stupid, but you know... I'm not going to let something that lasts for an hour ruin something else that lasts for 3 days...)
So, really, there would have been only two contingencies that would have aborted the swim. First- if my crew was not safe. If the wind we had on that second night had been a headwind and we'd had the houseboat, there's a good chance none of my boats could have taken on the kind of wind and waves we were experiencing. If my crew had been in danger while supporting me, I'd have been happy to bail. Second- If I was ill beyond repair. I don't want to die or injure myself so I can't swim any more, but much less than that and I'll keep swimming. I'm sure my crew would have let me get out any time I wanted, but they'd have hauled me into the boat, wrapped me in a towel, and made fun of me for eternity for not being tougher. ;-) I trust my team to pull me if they were concerned for my life/safety. (That's why I had a paramedic on the team, so he could assess if that was a real danger.) They knew they had my complete consent to come in after me if they thought I was in danger. But, shy of that, it's just pain and discomfort that will go away as soon as you're done swimming.
My husband always reminds me that these swims are just a few days, a moment, in my life. They come and go so fast. You spend so much time (and money!) building and preparing, but then you blink and you're back at home, and it's all over. He knows me all too well and he knows that I'd regret quitting a swim for something minor. (Ask me about the two swims I haven't finished/haven't started sometime...) He knows that I'll be happier in the long run if I leave it all on the table. So, we swim. And swim. And swim.
And @curly: Yes. The answer is yes. I always tell myself that every stroke I take in training is one less stroke that will hurt during the swim. Better to hurt when you're at home than when you're in the middle of a swim. I'd rather enjoy the actual event and suffer in the pool or at my lakes where I already know every single rock and tree along the shore.
It really is a team that puts it all together..... team planning and team execution.
The nice part is that during the execution of the swim....to outsiders.....it was smooth sailing all the way, no issues. So, I count that as evidence of "a good plan coming together."
The nice part is that during the execution of the swim....to outsiders.....it was smooth sailing all the way, no issues. So, I count that as evidence of "a good plan coming together."
Trust me, it wasn't 100% smooth sailing. :-) I'm glad it seemed that way- but that's because I had a kickass team to take care of EVERYTHING.
Wow, what a great article. I noticed that Evan (and MSF) were given equal weight with Steve Munatones, super glad to see the credibility that is being built here. Perhaps next year we will be able to vote for Evan?
Comments
I don't think I need to say it, but I will anyway. It would be an honor and a pleasure to work on this with you @ssthomas. Let's chat.
Stop me if you've heard this one...
A grasshopper walks into a bar...
https://elainekhowley.com/
That was the fastest I’d ever swum 50 miles...
I know exactly what you mean. Oh, wait. I mean the opposite of that. I have no standard in my brain from which to measure, evaluate or understand such sorcery. I think the fastest I've swum 50 miles might be measured in days, or perhaps weeks. Interrupted by beer. And naps.
It was surreal watching this unfold on the dot-race, hour-after-hour, day-after-day.
I tried to stay awake to watch the middle-of-the-night finish, but I couldn't even do that.
Unbelievable.
Way to go @ssthomas . You've redefined what is possible.
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
What an incredible accomplishment! The real deal for sure. Well planned, thought out and orchestrated. Incredible at all levels....what a special crew for sure especially reading that last 'keeping it real' ending. Thanks Sarah!
Go for it! Eager readers await!
@ssthomas Did you take any ibuprofen during your swim? And did you do any strength training or yoga in addition to your swimming prep?
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
I have talked with a few of my athletically inclined friends and family recently. It's been kind of funny. I will say, "Oh yes, Sarah Thomas just completed a swim of 104 miles." The reaction has been the same from everyone. There is approximately 3 seconds of absolute silence. And then a stunned, "wow..." And then a little more silence as it all sinks in. Like I said, more people have walked on the moon.
Yes to ibuprofen. I take 600 mg every 6 hours. I use the infant liquid stuff and it just gets dumped into my feed bottles.
No to strength training or yoga- I simply don't have time between working and trying to get the swim volume that I want/need for anything else beyond swimming and working.
Great post and I agree--time for you to work on a book!
A wonderfully written account @ssthomas - engaging and inspiring. You are a natural storyteller.
Amazing! (though I don't think there are words to describe the feat).
And it makes the rest of us think that any other swim we want to make is achievable; thanks.
dieciseisgrados.com/
Too funny, in a way-- my mother had read about Sarah getting her period, and I had just started mine a few hours prior to my Lake George swim-- which took place within the time Sarah was in the water-- I had been hoping for a menopausal hot flash to keep me warm!!! And you know, there are no products intended for use over 24 hours. . . I had some concerns about going vertical at the end, but it was so dark that anything untoward would have gone unnoticed-- I hope!!!
Jeez, and I always figured that the shoulder straps on women's suits was the biggest concern...
The consolidated observer & pilot logs for Sarah's Lake Champlain swim are available here:
https://goo.gl/V951MR
Let it flow, baby! I had the same issue during my English Channel swim and a couple others since. Funny how timing works. I figure no one's likely to be at the finish anyway, and it's easier on the body to just let it do its thing unencumbered. So, sorry guys. But this is a source of a good deal of concern for a lot of open water women. (I was recommended by a swimming friend to try out one of those Diva Cup devices. That'll get you to 12 hours. But from there, I guess you're on your own.)
Stop me if you've heard this one...
A grasshopper walks into a bar...
https://elainekhowley.com/
>
>
...and now we know why there are separate men's and women's locker rooms. In the men's locker room we just talk about wide screen TVs and trucks...
I can't even count the times this has happened to me, so I suppose it's just fitting that it happened during my biggest swim, probably ever! At least I have experience... You'd think my body, especially DURING a major swim, would say, "You know, we already don't feel so hot, let's hold off a few days on this." But, NOOOOOO, it was like, "Yeah, you think you're tough? We'll show you! You're already in pain? Let's add some hormones to the mix! You thought you were tough not having a meltdown at 30 hours this time? Well, we want to make you cry for 2 hours after you've been awake for 48 hours FOR NO REASON." And talk about the nausea the day after the swim... I took some more Advil, not for my arms, but because I thought my stomach was going to implode. So, yay. We should probably start a new thread on "swimming with your period." I loved the Chinese (?) Olympian last year at Rio who didn't perform well. When the reporter asked her what happened, she was honest and said she was on her period and just didn't feel good. I think she caught some flack in her home country for this, but I think she was awesome for just laying it out there. :-)
This story is absolutely amazing from beginning to end. You're an incredible athlete. Thank you for sharing all the nuggets about this swim.
Well, we have separate locker rooms also because we use hair dryer to dry our hair while guys use it to dry their .... ehm ... things. That would never go well on our side of lockers
Sarah, that was impressive and very amazing write up and super awesome swim. I am happy that you opened the discussion about women's periods - it is a natural but painful and hormonal part of our lives, we all have to deal with it and yet, somehow it is not acceptable to talk about it. It is time to change that.
Um, no. Never seen it. Never done it.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
I've never done it, but sadly, I have seen it
I found that mine would slow or "hold off" a bit during a workout, then would work to catch up afterward. And, oddly enough, I'm one that feels better while swimming if I'm in the middle of my period, esp. day 1/2. I'm entering the phase of life, though, where it's going to be less predictable, so it will be interesting to see how things adapt in the coming years.
Those of you who followed the swim on Sarah's FB page know that the lead paddler, Scott Olson, was live-streaming the swim from a phone mounted on his kayak.
I spliced together the FB Live footage, added a constantly-updating timestamp, rotated any sideways-oriented clips, but otherwise left everything intact. There's nearly 22 hours of video from Scott's kayak - ~10 hours each from Day 1 and Day 2, and couple more from the first part of Day 3, before the wind forced Scott onto the boat.
Here's 10 hours, 45 minutes from Day 1:
https://vimeo.com/232692762
I doubt anyone will bother to watch even a fraction of this. We offer it in the spirit of transparency - and welcome anyone to flip through to random parts, and reference the corresponding timestamp in the logs.
Days 2 & 3 coming shortly.... each of these takes the better part of a day to download, edit, encode, & upload.
I'm curious if anyone in the crew kept careful enough track of the feeds so as to know the total number of calories consumed by Sarah during the 67:16 in the water. I'm guessing that 500 +- 100 calories are burned per hour, thus a total of 33k +- 7k calories were burned during the swim. What fraction of that was consumed during the swim, I wonder?
Yes, there was a feed log. Stay tuned
Feed log won't really answer that question- roughly 250 calories/hour, plus the odd cookie and risotto along the way.
9 hours from Day 2:
https://vimeo.com/232779028
And to demonstrate just how immense this accomplishment is, I would imagine nobody could sit and watch this entire swim in real time. That's just sitting and watching. Now imagine swimming it. My head hurts...
Well, I'd rather swim it than watch it! :-)
I could watch that beautiful sailboat all day long.
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
She was quite beautiful, that's for sure.
What did Sarah say when she cleared the water after 67 hours and 104.6 miles? FInd out here - kayak footage from Day 3.
vimeo.com/232928891
US News & World Report: How to Swim for 67 Hours Straight
by @emkhowley
@ssthomas --- Would you consider posting your "supply" list and logistical plan for your epic swim? I'm nowhere near (mentally, physically, or work-wise) being able to handle a super long swim (just did my first 10k), but do wonder what it takes to PLAN such an event. You did a great job reporting on what it took to SWIM it, but the planning (I imagine) was just as involved as the swimming.
I sure can. @evmo- is there a way to easily post an excel document?
Thanks, @evmo. So, the list above was what we used to keep track of who was bringing what. It's not meant to be all inclusive- I'm sure people brought things that weren't on this list. It was a working list- I sent it out almost daily the week before the swim to make sure we weren't forgetting anything.
I also have a notebook with info that I bring along. It had my feed logs, some info on my preferences/feeds (I believe Evan will post both of those when he posts the documentation from the swim), info on the nearby marinas, info on local hospitals, contact info for the two boat rentals, etc. I also kept a running hand-written list with everyone's travel logistics, grocery lists for food for the crew, tshirt sizes, etc.
Oh, and there were approximately 2 million emails between me, my observers, and my crew where we discussed the route, what we need from a boat, what we'd do if there was lightning... and more. @Karl_Kingery and I worked on the route for months, it seemed like, so there were a lot of emails back and forth with KMZ/Google Earth files where we made adjustments/corrections/asked questions. And just when we thought we had it nailed down, Karl found info about current in the lake, and we started all over.
There were also a lot of emails between me and Jamie Patrick where we discussed lampreys and he sent me info on those nasty critters...
It's really a neverending process. A lot goes into the planning- and no matter how well you plan, you're still going to miss something/forget something.
So, @ssthomas, during your peak weeks, your calendar must have looked something like this, for 40 hours of swimming/week:
Monday-Friday:
4:30-5:00a - get up;
5:00-7:00a - swim (2h);
7:00-8:00a - eat;
8:00-5:00p - job;
5:00-6:00p - eat;
6:00p-10:00p - swim (4h);
10:30 - eat;
11:00 - sleep;
Saturday:
7:00-1:00p - swim (6h);
1:00-3:00p - eat, break;
3:00p-7:00p - swim (4h);
Sunday:
rest
Is that about right? Please tell me your job is only part-time ...
Full time job. Schedule looked like this, roughly (sometimes a little longer on Sat and Sunday if needed):
-Monday- Work 7-4; Swim 4:30 pm-7:00 pm (lake)
-Tuesday- Work 7-5:00; Swim 6:00 pm-8:15 pm (pool)
-Wednesday- Work 7-4; Swim 4:30 pm-7:00 pm (lake)
-Thursday- Swim 6 am-7:30 am (pool); Work 8:15-5:30; Swim 6:15-8:15 (pool)
-Friday- Work 8 am-whenever I needed to catch up; no swimming
-Saturday- Swim 7:30 am-10:00 am (lake); Swim 2:00 pm-6:00 pm (lake)
-Sunday- Swim 9 am-3 pm (lake)
That could get me to about 85k-90k/week. I also quit taking lunch breaks to make sure I was getting everything done.
I suppose I should note, I do work from home. I've been doing that for the last 2 years now. It does make the early mornings and transitions a little bit easier to manage. I do, however, live 35 minutes or more from the closest swimming location. So, even though I am working from home, I still do spend quite a bit of time in the car. The doubles that I was doing once, and sometimes twice, per week during the weekday were a bit hard for me to handle. It meant being up at 5 and not really home until after 9 pm.
That's pretty comprehensive. I particularly like the "million" count for the batteries. Lol
Are most of the things on the list items that you've learned through experience you need? Or, is there a core set of supplies that you start with....well known for marathon Swimming.....and you then supplement for the specific needs of you and your team?
Part of what impresses me about this accomplishment is that it was a first...... no one had done this distance before, so the planning was necessarily a bit unknown. Yes, the Powell swim set the stage.....but when push came to shove, to some extent you had to guess on the exact supply needs you'd have.
You mentioned that you discussed what to do in case of lightning.......was that the main or only condition that could cancel the swim for you....or get you pulled from the water?
Wow. Just, Wow.
So I guess the actual swim was the easy part...
@Sara_Wolf : A lot of this list comes with experience. When you're doing an established swim, like Catalina or the EC, 90% of that stuff, you don't need to worry about. If the boat breaks, it's not your problem to fix. You just need your swim stuff, feeds, and probably some duct tape and scissors. When you self-support with your own boats, you have to prepare for pretty much every contingency, especially if you're out for 3 days. You never know what will go wrong, so some redundancy is pretty important. We probably had too much stuff, but you never know what you might need. For example, I had a sailboat, pontoon boat, a smaller motor boat, and two kayaks. The sailboat also came with a dingy. Both the smaller boat and the dingy broke. Fortunately, it was early in the swim and we were able to tow both back to shore with the pontoon and I still had a sailboat and kayak to escort me. The sailboat rental replaced the dingy with a working one, which was so fortunate because we ended up needing it for a solid 12 hours.
Also, a lot of the list was because I had such an experienced crew- they've all been on swims and done long swims. So, for example, @malinaka had a set of red LED lights that he used for a swim a few weeks before mine. He thought they were awesome, so he brought them. Turns out, they were essential on the second night when we were getting pushed around by wind. The pontoon couldn't stay back and the waves were too big for them to turn around and ride into (the boat would have been swamped). The sailboat was doing circles to stay back with me. The GPS was on the sailboat and pontoon, but now neither could stay next to me to guide me. So, Ryan, on the pontoon, had my mom hold up the red lights. He held our line (on the GPS route) and my kayaker and I could sight off of those so easily, without needing a boat next to us to tell us where to go. That night would have been much more stressful without those red lights leading the way.
So, I suppose the summary is that you learn as you go. And when you do a big swim, it's so helpful to have other people who know just as much as you do, if not more. The collective knowledge on this swim was incredible. It's why I picked the team I had, btw. If you want a dream team crew, I had it.
As for what would have ended the swim.... the answer really is "not much." We discussed lightning from the perspective of what the BOATS and crew would do. I wasn't sure what happened to a sailboat, with it's high metal poles, in a lightning storm. Turns out, it's pretty grounded and very safe. I wouldn't have gotten out of the water for a storm. (sorry, I know that's stupid, but you know... I'm not going to let something that lasts for an hour ruin something else that lasts for 3 days...)
So, really, there would have been only two contingencies that would have aborted the swim. First- if my crew was not safe. If the wind we had on that second night had been a headwind and we'd had the houseboat, there's a good chance none of my boats could have taken on the kind of wind and waves we were experiencing. If my crew had been in danger while supporting me, I'd have been happy to bail. Second- If I was ill beyond repair. I don't want to die or injure myself so I can't swim any more, but much less than that and I'll keep swimming. I'm sure my crew would have let me get out any time I wanted, but they'd have hauled me into the boat, wrapped me in a towel, and made fun of me for eternity for not being tougher. ;-) I trust my team to pull me if they were concerned for my life/safety. (That's why I had a paramedic on the team, so he could assess if that was a real danger.) They knew they had my complete consent to come in after me if they thought I was in danger. But, shy of that, it's just pain and discomfort that will go away as soon as you're done swimming.
My husband always reminds me that these swims are just a few days, a moment, in my life. They come and go so fast. You spend so much time (and money!) building and preparing, but then you blink and you're back at home, and it's all over. He knows me all too well and he knows that I'd regret quitting a swim for something minor. (Ask me about the two swims I haven't finished/haven't started sometime...) He knows that I'll be happier in the long run if I leave it all on the table. So, we swim. And swim. And swim.
And @curly: Yes. The answer is yes. I always tell myself that every stroke I take in training is one less stroke that will hurt during the swim. Better to hurt when you're at home than when you're in the middle of a swim. I'd rather enjoy the actual event and suffer in the pool or at my lakes where I already know every single rock and tree along the shore.
Thanks for the insight.
It really is a team that puts it all together..... team planning and team execution.
The nice part is that during the execution of the swim....to outsiders.....it was smooth sailing all the way, no issues. So, I count that as evidence of "a good plan coming together."
Trust me, it wasn't 100% smooth sailing. :-) I'm glad it seemed that way- but that's because I had a kickass team to take care of EVERYTHING.
Some thoughtful coverage of this swim in the Financial Times today:
https://www.ft.com/content/7e898266-d0ff-11e7-947e-f1ea5435bcc7
Well-deserved press in a big publication for @ssthomas - and always nice to see MSF in print too
Anyone having trouble with the FT.com paywall, here's a PDF.
Wow, what a great article. I noticed that Evan (and MSF) were given equal weight with Steve Munatones, super glad to see the credibility that is being built here. Perhaps next year we will be able to vote for Evan?
I agree, a great benefit to the credibility of WOWSA, to be mentioned alongside MSF ;-)
Or rather, a great benefit to us all, to be mentioned in the vicinity of @ssthomas
In other news, another @emkhowley-authored article, this time for USMS:
http://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?aid=3431
Nice work, Elaine!
I just love having @emkhowley out there, representing all of us in all types of publications. She's just the best. :-)