#77 & #78 Altitude Training~Colorado Springs, CO

With the summer Olympic Games starting in Rio in a short few days I thought it only fitting that I get some altitude training in Colorado Springs.

Actually I was staying at The Broadmoor for a business meeting. With a little early recon the week before I found a beautiful 50 meter pool at the exclusive Country Club of Colorado. It's a private members only club so the chances of getting in were slim. A simple ask by me of the aquatics manager landed a day pass to the pool. I'm glad I asked as the setting was gorgeous; an outdoor 50 meter pool at the base of Cheyenne Mountain.

Luckily the scenery looked good because  I sure didn't! I was slightly out of breath, alternate side breathing was a thing of the past and my send off's while typically manageable were a bit tight. I started to blame it on fatigue from the 3 mile Misery Challenge a couple days before when it dawned on me it was the high altitude-duh! Once I figured that out I just enjoyed the scenery and swam a leisurely 2,000 meters and got out. 

This pool ranks in the top 10 of all pools I've swum in based purely off the setting. Glad I made the effort to ask to swim there. If you don't ask you don't get!

The second high altitude training session of the week was the lap pool at the Broadmoor Hotel. Absolutely no comparison to the Country Club of Colorado but it was a legitimate outdoor lap pool at a hotel. I slogged through 1,000 yards which was a good way to decompress post meeting and to get ready for the awards banquet. I still felt the altitude, perhaps not as much.

A little internet research showed that I was at 6,000 feet in elevation in Colorado Springs versus 46 feet in Boston. Now I fully appreciate why our Olympians train at altitude at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. 

Hopefully this training will have me swimming faster at sea level soon!

Will be back in Colorado in a few weeks for some more altitude training.

Synchronized Swimming...Misery Challenge

Last weekend was the second annual Misery Challenge in Manchester by the Sea. It was a spectacularly beautiful day albeit a bit hot.

With the success of last years event the number of participants increased. There also appeared to be a solid core of swimmers from last year. 

The good news was that my synchro swimming partner and friend, Jen was there. Yup my synchronized swimming partner! 

Jen is an avid swimmer both in the pool and out. She is also a swim angel for Swim Across America's Boston Harbor relay swim. Her kind, easy going and patient personality is ideal for a swim angel and synchronized swimming.

Last year Jen and I swam in a handful of open water events together including the Misery Challenge. Wheather we started those races together or in different heats we alway seemed to finish within 60 seconds or less of each other (Jen always in the front)-synchronicity!

As this was a time trial start entering the water two by two Jen said we should go together. I happily agreed!

The water temp felt great at about 65 degrees. The tide was quite shallow to start so we had to do some swimming and walking. Once we got out into the channel it was smooth sailing. We swam side by side, in synch, with each other for 1.5 miles out to Misery Island and made the turn back to the harbor and the finish. I made a quick wardrobe change at Jen's suggestion and ditched my swim cap as it was falling off. We had some sighting issues trying to find the yellow course buoy and swam a bit astray. We found it fairly quickly and fell back in synch towards the finish. 

We hit another shallow patch towards the finish and had to walk about 10 feet before final couple hundreds yards swim to the finish.

I know I swam faster because of our synchronized swimming routine and was two minutes quicker than last year.  I finally had the same time as Jen!

Quaffed a post race morning Cisco beer and was off to the airport to Colorado Springs.

Thank Jen~ for being a great synchronized swimming partner! 

Chloe's Boyz

Our friend, open water swim coach and all around Australian English Channel swim goddess, Chloe McCardel spirit was ever present (for a few of us) during Swim Across America's Boston Harbor Relay yesterday.

Swim Across America is a fabulous fundraising organization for cancer research. Since 1987 they have raised over $40 million for cancer research in their ever growing number of swims across the country from Boston, Nantucket, San Francisco, Chicago and beyond.

SAA has also been the starting point of new friendships for many. Ours relationship started with Chloe McCardel in 2014.  Chloe is a world class marathon swimmer, coach and open water swimming ambassador. She was the coach of our 2014 SAA English Channel relays. SAA's Boston Harbor swim serves I guess as a bit of a reunion for Rip, Grant and I. While Chloe has clients across the globe we are quite sure we are her favorites in the United States. 

(I should have eaten more veggies as a kid)

The conditions for this years SAA Boston Harbor swim were perfect for followers of Chloe. It was overcast, cloudy and the water was cold--just like the English Channel. Over the course of the day we swam sans wetsuit for roughly two hours with experienced Boston Harbor swimmers and some who were swimming in cold open water was a new experience.  The water was likely in the high 50's and at one point I heard someone say it was in the mid-50's.  A good day for cold water acclimatization.

(Grant has subtle entries into the water)

As the sun finally began to peek through the clouds a spontaneous dance party broke out on the bow of the boat.  It was then that we realized that my foot was bleeding.  While I wish I had cut it busting out a dance move I think I actually did it jumping off the boat to swim. Chumming the waters for sharks.

(Rip's traditionally painted toes and my bandaged foot)

Chloe has swum across the English Channel 13 times. Six solos swims, two double crossings and last year she did a triple crossing. The first triple in 25 years! Last year she also crossed the channel three times in one week. The first time ever in history. This year her goal is to break the long standing Australian English Channel record of 19 lifetime crossings. Earlier this summer she has already crossed three times.  She has four more to go. With her positive personality, determination and hard work I am sure #20 isn't too far off in the future later this summer. Chloe-thank you for being a motivating force for Rip, Grant and I to try new swims. Go Chloe!

(Photo op mid dance party)

Thank you SAA for all you do in raising money for cancer research and being a place where new friendships happen and dreams unfold.