CuttingWater

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I love Long Course Meters

Such a wonderful morning with the youth of our Laurel East Hartford YMCA swimteam.

The Odess Terry Pool in East Hartford is one of my favorite places to swim, especially on days like today. 61 degreesF (air temp), 71 degreesF (water)... perfect conditions with the early morning sun.

We all left with new tan lines.

I had a 2 new training buddies today, alumni from our program, both swimming at their respective colleges.
I had the pleasure of coaching both Nora Gentile and Victoria Waldesien, they have matured to withstand and, I think, appreciate, the long sessions I do.

I enjoy the 50 meters, 2 less turns to do per 100, my back is so happy.

Both girls swim distance events at their schools, so my workouts will get and keep them in shape, if they stick with them. I'm very happy to have the company.

Today, 8,000 meters, Lots of 400's.
I promised the girls different workouts, but no advance warning when the long day comes up, don;t want any ditching.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Life happens

Day off from EVERYTHING, floors are getting done and doing the final preps before I can't get into the kitchen for 3 days.
Sometimes you just have to let go and not feel guilty.

Tomorrow will good, looking forward to swimming with LEHY.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

What a difference a day makes

Back to Hammonasset State Park for one loop.
Such different conditions, 24 hours later. There was Lots of cloud cover with no sun to warm our backs. The water felt a few degrees cooler than yesterday.

I left home, driving the hour in a mist, keeping in mind that the weather forecast was going to be just like yesterday, but only 6 hours later than expected.

A smaller group today, Liz Fry, John from LI (back for a couple hours after a 7 hour swim yesterday... GOOD JOB), and Sean. I try to use these days as my evening and night training, no sun lamp up above.

Liz was working on some speed wok, so after our warmup, she sped off, to the next beach pavilion while stayed at my comfortable pace. I wasn't wearing any drag, and did that feel good.

Glad I decided to get the day in.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Saturday at Hammonasset State Park

A good day at the beach, start with fog, ending with beautiful, sparkling sunshine.

Hammonasset State Park is wonderful place to train. We start at the furthest eastern beach, at Meig's Point, and swim along shore 2 miles west to the far fishing jetty and then swim back to our starting point.

Depending on the tides, the 1st leg can be fast, 44 minutes, but usually has promised a slow 2nd leg. A usual loop lasts just under 2 hours.
It was very good to see old swimming friends (Jim Bayles, Liz Fry, Ray Gandy) and meet new ones (John, from Long Island, Elaine Kornbau Howley from Massachusetts). Ray and Elaine and heading over to Dover for their 1st attempts at the English Channel. I wish them well and will help with any advise they like to hear.


I had a family get together later in the day, so I decided to do only one loop, but to do a big loop, by doubly back a few times to swim with some of the swimmers coming up from behind.





...I'm putting my order in for this kind of day in England....please.


Dream, Prepare, Succeed.









one day late

Friday, June 26, 2009

Not at the pool today, morning of sweating with Gilad's, 'Power & Grace' and 'Cuts & Curves'... dry land training.

A busy day at work and nasty thunder/lightning storms in the evening.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Sun came out today

18 working days left

We haven't seen the sun shine through the trees for weeks, today is the day... yippee.

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died today....

A pretty good practice this morning, 10,000yards, short fun stuff.

Tube 400
Swim 20 x 200
RP 400
BP 400
P 400
Swim 20 x 200
Buoy 400

Feeling pretty good, looking forward to the high temperatures promised by the Weathermen, yeh, right,,,, for Saturday.
Hammonassett with friends.

Dream,Prepare,Succeed

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Nothing exciting to mention.

Back to the pool, I'm looking forward to the weekend swim at Hammonasset and getting out to the 50 meter pool. Hopefully next week, the pool the will be fixed.

The 25 yard pool is taking its toll on my back.

The 1500's felt good today. I'm getting antsy about this time, ready to get to the channel and swim. Only a month to head across the pond.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Sometimes you HAVE to sleep in

Day off today, no guilt.

Sometimes you have to listen to your body, when it's tired... close the eyes.

Booked the flights to England today, happy to get them for under $800.00 on British Airways. They promised a complimentary drink that has been missing of late on American... we'll see.

Tomorrow, we'll be back in the water at Mansfield Community Center.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Madison Mile







Yesterday, June 20th was the Madison Mile. A mile swim in the waters off of Madison, Connecticut. Dave Parcells, a friend who shared my passion for open water swimming founded the event. Dave passed away 2 years ago while swimming at the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, we miss him dearly.

The weather forecast was for rain but Dave must have put plans in for another forecast. We had ideal conditions, especially for his channel swimming friends. 60 degree water, flat water and 70 degree air temps brought a wonderful day for everyone at the Surf Club.

...TBC

Friday, June 19, 2009

Gotta get it done

Thought this was going to be a good day in the water, but it was one of those days, I just wanted to get through the workout.

Fulcrum: 50 (modified catch-up)
Swim: 10 x 100
F: 100 (alternate 50 modified catch-up/25 full stroke)
Swim: 10 x 100
F: 150
S: 10 x100
F: 200
S: 10 x 100
F: 250
S: 10 x 100
F: 250
S: 10 x 100
F: 200
S: 10 x 100
F: 150
S: 10 x100
F: 100
S: 10 x 100
F: 50

250: 25 Head up/ 25 Mod CU w/ 10 pull ups at deep end

I was hungry while swimming and debating what to have for dinner, then my cravings told me, red meat.

I needed a steak to replenish my muscles.

I understand there are many vegetarians out there, I give you a lot of credit, but I couldn't do it.

I'm not a fast food meat eater, just an occasional good steak, baked sweet potatoe and salad.

Now, I'm ready to go tomorrow.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Lazy Day

I just couldn't get out of the bed and go to the pool, or even workout this rainy morning.


Sometimes you just have to listen to the body.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Feeling like myself again

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

It took a few days, but I'm back on track. Feeling good again in the water.
10,000 yards and hoping to get 50,000 in this week.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Easy week

Friday, June 12, 2009

Feeling the fatigue, I decided to stay home in the morning and catch up on some life "stuff".

Floor exercises and light weights at the gym at lunchtime.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Fatigue

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Today I made it back to the pool.

As I was driving the leisurely 20 minutes through the woods, I couldn't help notice how fatigued my body was.

I made it through 8200 of the 10,000 yards, I had planned to swim.

Just tired. I'll try again tomorrow.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Interview and the Brooklyn Bridge

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Sleep was restless. The lactic acid is slowly leaving my muscles, but wakes me with every turn I take. I am the 1st to wake. After a quick shower, i head down to Starbucks for a coffee and wait for Janet or Bertha to wake.

Janet met me downstairs and we took a walk around the neighborhood, waiting awhile before bringing Bertha a coffee back.

Janet and I walked over to 'Ground Zero' looking at the memorials and the new construction.
A quiet, sun soaked morning to think.

I went back upstairs and packed up a few things before heading uptown for the documentary interview. Janet and Bertha would finish the packing and I would meet them at the Brooklyn Bridge for a walk.

After a $12 cab ride, I met Martin Belderson on 24th Street. An hour later I was done, so much work for a 3 minutes interview, all the typical questions I've been asked in past 16 years.

Another $11 and I was at the Brooklyn Bridge, meeting the girls for our crossing. I always thought the walkway across the bridge was wider than it was, it was very cool trip. We walked across, had breakfast and walked back to Manhattan for our ride home.

How come everyone is so willing to help with the baggage when you arrive and no one helps when you leave. Exactly what happened. I didn't care, I was ready to get out of the city and get home.

Traffic was OK and we arrived home just after 5pm.

Post-race

Now the euphoria begins. I've already started to forget the stiffness of the past 2 hours.

No Injury, just fatigue and muscle soreness... but lots of smiling faces greeting me.

When I exited the water, the post-game volunteers started to assist, handing out the silver blankets, water and food if you wanted.

I was greeted by Janet and Diane (taking pics) and at the top of the ramp, sister, Teresa and nieces Charvelle and Kassandra met with hugs and smiles.

I only wanted a water and get on the massage table, luckily there was a space available. I signed my waiver, answered their questions and had a wonderful massage to get that lactic acid out of the muscles. Janet helped me put on my sweats, now I was feeling better.

Afterward, I met up with Bertha and Liz and met with my orbserver, Beth. We talked about the past 8 hours for awhile before saying"good-bye" to Beth and leaving the South Cove area, back to the Marriot.

After a relaxing bath and some relaxing time, we all head out to the social across the street at North Cove.

Dinner, Awards, and friendship.

After a long day, we said our "good byes" to Teresa and Liz, and went home to the Marriot to crash for the evening.

"Good Night"

MIMS: my race

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...BEEEEEP

The 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim had started.

I stayed in my usual, favorite position in a race, the outside right of the pack.

I was swimming my own race/swim today, no pressure, ESPECIALLY at the start of a 7 hour plus swim. I have never been a sprinter and I really have to warm-up for at least 30 minutes to feel good in the water.

We quickly swam south, passing the new Holocaust Museum and the tip of Manhattan, Battery Park. The sun was rising in front of us, but the reflection off the tall skyscrapers blinded me when I took a breath on my left hand side.

I didn't have to fight for any position, in my mind, I was warming up and NOT racing today, just training. I will continue telling myself this through out the day.

As we passed the docks for the Statue of Liberty Ferry and neared the large Staten Island Ferry, the pack was breaking up and the kayaks were trying to match up with their swimmers. In a few minutes we passed the Governor's Island Ferry port, Runar, my kayaker had found me by then and was trying to get on left hand side. It was difficult to see him clearly with blinding reflections shining on us. I was feeling good and confident, looking up every few swim cycles to check on my swim line.

We could see the big, beautiful Brooklyn Bridge up ahead of us. As we swam past South Street Seaport, I remembered how far out in the river we usually have been. Today, we will be swimming much closer to the Manhattan coast, should be interesting.

I remember seeing a glimpse of 'Taz' our boat, the bright orange Tennessee Flags came in handing to easily spot Liz and Bertha waving them at the stern. By then, we had quickly moved north, I looked up above to see the Brooklyn Bridge, trying to see Janet. I wondered if she had made it, but as you see the photos from the bridge, you can tell she had. Great Pics Janet!!!

As we flew by the Brooklyn Bridge, we were to stay pretty close to the Manhattan coast. I could feel the turbulence from the currents. Soon we were north by the United Nations building. No time for sightseeing, keep on swimming.

More bridges to swim under. While we swam, Janet met up with her sister, Dianne, they had some fun with the Statue of liberty.

As we reached the upper East side, we were met by some friends looking for us up on the walk ways. Mina was 1st, that's Liz's Mom, I could see her Carnation (Not really, but she said that was how we could recognize her).

This was a fun spot to swim, the (under) water was calming, just moving us up north at a nice clip. The Gracie Mansion Parkway flew by, with no trouble at Hell's Gate. We stayed to left with no thought or risk of being brought up into Long Island Sound.

We entered the Harlem River, with the big, green Foot Bridge in front of us. I had entertainment, with my NY (English Channel swimming) friend, Meryem Tangoren, walked along shore, waving and cheering for me and the other swimmers. She must have stayed with us for at least 2 miles. Pretty good for just having her 3rd child a month ago. Thanks Meryem for company.

I had fun heading up the Harlem River, the water was calm and I could see some interesting "stuff" on the sides. One place looked like a Circus Tent in the Bronx (I think that's a BIG market). We swim under much lower bridges in this area, until we pass Yankee Stadium.

This is the river I was catching up and passing some swimmers, experience must have been on my side. I remember seeing a #6, back and forth we went, when I took a feed, #6 went ahead of me. The kayakers shielded the swimmers from any advance, eventually we passed her on the right and stayed in that position for the remainder of the swim.

I remember passing #32, but I knew that was a relay and I really did not care, solo vs. relay, no competition there.

I was trying just to focus on good technique and what was happening to my body, how my back was feeling, shoulders, elbows.... then I saw a 32 fly by my right side. The relay must have changed swimmers, fresh arms and legs moving much faster than me, that's OK, Go Mexico.

As we moved north and passed the Roberto Clemente Park on my right side, I remembered the morning training sessions in the outdoor pool with my NYC friend, Marcia Cleveland, Karen Farnsworth and a few others I can't remember, that was back in 1991. Every morning I would meet my ride on East 96nd Street and 3rd Avenue. We would go up to the pool, meet the other swimmers, workout for a couple hours and then we would all go our separate ways to work or school. I haven't thought about those days for a long time. A great group of friends, on weekends we would cram into cars for road trips to CT and swim the 1 mile challenges in Westport and Greenwich.... wow, memories.

Now we're closing in on #20 ... is that you Podge? Sorry to pass you, but we must keep on swimming.

As we close in on the top of the island, there were many construction cranes on both sides. Yes, the Columbia "C", we are almost there. I love the landmarks for this swim, so interesting, keeping your mind busy.

Quickly we moved under the HIGH Henry Hudson Highway bridge and toward the swinging railroad bridge.
I noticed the "Circle Line" cruiser move past us, and our boat 'Taz' followed through the opening into the Hudson River. While they went to right, I was escorted under the Railroad Bridge, the lowest to swim under.

I could feel a shift in the water currents as the Harlem River met the Hudson. There wasn't too much surface action, pictures can not show what my hands and arms were encountering under the surface.

With the water flowing faster, we quickly made our way south toward the famous GWB, George Washington Bridge. The bridge is so High, it looks closer than it is. I had the experience not to get too excited, knowing I had at least an hour of swimming to reach the Little Red Lighthouse that guards the water under the bridge.

After only looking up 4 times from my swimming pattern, we quickly passed under the GWB, the LAST bridge to pass under, yippee!!! I screamed "last bridge" as we flew under.

The conditions seemed to shift after the bridge, more turbulence and a mild chop. I could see Runar and Tim (my kayak escorts), and 'Taz' rocking on the surface.

I tried not to get too excited, we still had a few hours left to reach the finish line but the scenery became more interesting as we closed in on the Upper West Side. As I saw the Columbia University Tower in the distance, I remembered the days training in the pool with the Redtide Masters program.

Next was the Boat Basin, where had a few Island swim parties. All of the sudden, I looked up and there was a green bow coming right at me. It was moving slowly by now, and all I heard from a guy leaning over the starboard side, "it's OK, you missed her". I touched the boat with my right hand, not believing what had just happened. What an idiot, he must have been flying up the river and not noticing my boat and kayaks. I am just thankful my 'guardian angel' was pushing me away from danger again.
We finally reached the area where the piers pushed out of the West Side coast. My heart lifted knowing we were closing in on the finish, but the debris patch seemed to increase as we passed the Chelsea Piers. At one time, my right hand met a stick perfectly. In my hand was a stick, the size of a relay baton. I grabbed it, rolled onto my left side and threw it back behind me. After the swim, Liz told me that Runar had rescued a 8 foot plank that was right in front of me. Where does the debris come from, I have no idea but we did pass by some large barges and there is so much Garbage generated in the city.

We passed the Intrepid Museum, midtown position now and I could see that Emprie State Building(ESB) again. "Follow the close buildings", I kept telling myself. If I follow the ESB, it will be there for a very long time and can be an optical illusion to trick your mind that you are not moving....

but we were. Soon the North Cove bright, white tents were in view, soon. I picked my kick, don't ask me why, but my excitement increased, the finish was close.

We started to move to the left and the coast line. The Battery City walk way was there, with many spectators enjoying the beautiful, sunny day and cheering for the unexpected swimmers passing by them.

The ORANGE buoys were in sight, yes!!!! 200 yards. I could hear voices screaming, cheering me onto the finish.

I rounded the corner, turning left into South Cove, seeing the finish line only 15 yards away.

Touch... it's over... 7 hours 49 minutes, 59 seconds (7:50 is easier).

A GOOD Day in the water. Morty Berger looked down at me to officiate my finish.











Race Preparation


After saying "good bye" to Bert and Liz, Janet and I walked over to my meeting place for the race, South Cove. We watched the early morning fishermen at Battery Park. When we made all the way around the tip off the island, I was feeling nice and warmed up from our morning stroll.

At arrival time, the race officials were setting up, swimmers were roaming around, saying "good morning greetings".


We arrived on time, as instructed. Wandering around, too early to get ready. Janet took some pictures of the harbor. We decided to head over to our hotel, which was only a few blocks away. An easier place to get the sun screen on and to put on my suit (Speedo Endurance).

At 6:05am, we went back to South Cove. All the swimmers had made it there. Martin Belderson was interviewing John VanWisse for the documentary.

I found a nice, dry bench to set up my equipment and started some stretching. George Hunihan came over and we chatted about his days on Wall Street, the disaster on 9/11 and what was going on today.




At 6:45am the kayaks began arriving from North Cove and Pier 40. We knew time was getting close. Our #'s were written on our arms, me ... 16.


At 6:50am, Janet started heading out to the Brooklyn Bridge for some photos. Then we got the news, that the start was going to pushed back until 7:15am. That 15 minutes may make a difference for some of the slower swimmers.

At 7:10, Morty Berger, the Race Director, signaled us to head down the gang plank and line up in numerical order. One by one, we jumped into South Cove and swam away from the dock. The Cove was lightly littered with debris, making the few warm-up laps abit disgusting.

After the last swimmer entered the water and we lined up behind the bright orange buoys, the Count Down began.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 BEEEEEP....the 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim begins.





MIMS Race Day: Sending off crew


Oh, what a beautiful day for a swim.

3:30 am: wake up: start getting crew, Bertha Eurto and Liz Greenstein, moving sround and the coffee brewing.

4:20 am: taxi ride to Pier 11, transporting the day's equipment to the boat
We arrived on time, figuring our cab driver would not know where to go, but he did.
Plenty of time to find a real cup of coffee and a bagel. Liz and I took a walk a few blocks to find just the deli we needed and it was open and had a bathroom, the nerves were working today, if you know what I mean.
I came broke, so Liz treated, THANK YOU, for the bagel & cream cheese & coffee.
We walked back to Pier 11, to find another English Channel crosser and friend, Henry Eckstein, getting his camera ready. I gave Henry a big hug, he was observing for another swimmer and ready to take some movies of the day, such a nice man, we had a a great time on a E. Channel Double relay in 2003, friends forever.
Janet and I said "good bye" to Bertha and Liz. The deli had misunderstood our order and had forgotten Bert's bagel & peanut butter. Oh well....
They were to register and wait for our our Boat "Taz" and captain.
We walked toward Battery Park, eventually finding South Cove. A great place for the start and finish.

Pre-race day



Friday, June 6, 2009

1 day until MIMS

I need to apologize for not posting. I thought I would be able to, and mostly have the time to post, but the minutes clicked by and all of the sudden it was to time to close my eyes for a few hours but the early morning swim.

Friday: Another early day, finishing my packing and preparing the feeds for the swim.


I mixed all my Maxim feeds and packed to cooler for tomorrow.


I'm trying a new feed which seems to work well. I baked (microwave) 2 Sweet Potatoes until very soft and let them cool. Unpeeled, the meat of the potatoes was mixed in a blender with 2 cups of water, 2 large scoops of Maxim and 3 envelopes of Sweetened Green Tea mix. This made 3 good feeding for tomorrow.

After frantically, running around the house, getting everything ready for Paula, who was taking care of the animals, I finished my chores.

At 8:30am: Janet, Bertha & I made our way down to Manhattan. We were trying to get down before 11:15am, check in the Hotel and head over to the Governor's Island Ferry.

We made it down to the West Side, even with all the rain. A cool, steady rain made to trip slower and more anxious, especially as we closed in on Battery City.

As the rain continued and the wind picked up, we found our destination, the Marriot Downtown, unpacked the car and left Juanita, the little red Prius, in the care of the valet. After check in, a pee break and a stop at Starbucks, we had 20 minutes to get to the Ferry Terminal.

We Made It!

The rain kept our heads down, no time to take any photos. With a quick "hello" to our Mexican E.C. swimming friend, Nora, we raced through the terminal to be the last passengers accepted on the noon ferry ride. Upstairs, it was like a swimmers reunion. Mexicans in their bright green & red parkas, the pink 'mighty mermaids' relay and other solo swimmers and relays.

After a short ride across the white capped harbor, we exited the ferry and all proceeded through the Governor Island streets to our sign-in and meeting center.

Looking at the crowd, Janet and Bertha, decided to take the 12:30 ferry back to Manhattan and the hotel. they had their whole adventure, finding their way back through the maze of construction and sidewalk crossings.

The documentary film crew was setting up their equipment in the 1st room we entered, I said hello to Martin Belderson, who I had met 16 years ago, when I 1st did this swim and he was filming the 1st MIMS documentary. We both have changed, our hair color had grayed and we both had a few more winkles for both us, but the same enthusiasm.

I got back in line to see Tobey Saracino, another friend and fellow channel swimmer, who signed me in with a hug and a smile, and handed me my 'goodie' bag'. I paid for my extra dinner tickets and followed the line of swimmers into the conference room for our meeting.

"Hi Morty", with a hug and a quick catch-up conversation with Morty Berger, the race director, I found a lone seat in the middle of the crowded room. Who would have known I sat in the right spot, next 2 young English swimmers, Terrance and Connor. I was supposed to look for Connor, a.k.a. Podge, per request from his coach/friend Nick Adams. I remembered Podge from his 2007 English Channel swim. We laughed and I told the guys this would be a fun swim, less boring than the channel and would be over hours before a crossing.


The boys were looking for John VanWisse, the Australian swimmer, who happened to be right behind us. Lots of swimming talk and laughs when Podge gave John a pink watch from Nick Adams.

Morty started the meeting. He started with instructions for us all to introduce ourselves, where we've swam and why were we here. They were fun and interesting introductions from all the solo swimmers and relay team captains. After a quick intermission, Morty went through the course and answered ?'s. At 3pm, we were all looking at our watches and needed to get back to Manhattan to ready for the evening and the morning.

On the ferry ride back to the city, Liz Fry and I caught up and discussed the swim with John VanWisse. He had different goals than me... he was looking for another win and I just wanted to finish without any injury.

We docked at the port and all passengers split to their destinations. Liz, Deb, Peg & I made our way through the wind and rain to our hotel. Liz and I stopped for a road side pretzel, good carbs, not really but tastes good.

We split when we arrived, Liz to her room and prep and I went up to Room 3113 to meet back up with Janet and Bertha.

After unpacking and setting the hurricane swimmer look to the room, we all got ready for a quick dinner. We wanted to head across town to our favorite Italian place but the rain kept us close to home. I was just hungry, anything hot would be fine.

We ended up at 'Morans', an Irish pub. Shepard's Pie for me, and finishing up Bertha's mashed potatoes and a few fries from Janet's plate. We went back to home base to relax, I took a bath to relax and my pre-race shave.

I was texting my other crew member & friend, Liz Greenstein, all day. She was in NJ for a Memorial Service and heading down to stay the night w/us because of the early morning start. At 8:30pm, Liz arrived. I prepped the girls on the already-made feeds, their signals I would be looking for and what they should discuss with our pilot. I would not be able to meet him.

After that, we all tried to rest for a few hours before the early morning wake-up call.

See you at 3:30am....

Dream, Prepare, Succeed.


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

I like tapering

4 days until Manhattan
57 days until England

I could get used to these shorter distances for a workout, sleeping an extra 1/2 hour is always a plus too.

Workout

Fulcrum: 500
Swim: 8 x 50 (:45)
Rev. Paddle: 500
Swim: 4 x 100 (1:30)
Tube: 500
Swim: 2 x 200 (3:00)
Big Paddle: 500
Swim: 4 x 100 (1:30)
Buoy: 500
Swim: 8 x 50 (:50)
Paddle: 500

5,000 yards

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Crew meeting

5 days until MIMS
57 days til England

Sllep in until 5:30am, Rodney Yee's 'Yoga Burn' at 6;30am to work on the back

A long day at the office and a fun, informative web-seminar w/ race director, Morty Berger at 6:30pm.

This is going to be a fun day on Saturday. Did I tell you, I'm using this as a training swim, so what a different attitude and look I have for this swim/race. Relaxing and did I mention"FUN".

Monday, June 1, 2009

Taper Week


5 days to MIMS
58 days to EC tide opening

Oh, how I love taper week, I don't like coaching the week, but swimming is a different story.

The hour&45 minutes just flew by, and that was 6500 yards

F (Fulcrum) 50 (Modified Catch-up) / Tube 800 / F 50
Swim 10 x 50 (:45) / F 50 / Reversed Paddles 2 x 400 (:10 rest) /F 50
S 5 x 100 (1:25) / F 50 / Big Pad 4 x 200 (3:05) / F 50
S 2 x 250 (3:45) / F 50 / Paddles 8 x 100 (1:35) / F 50
S 500 / F 50 / Buoy 16 x 50 (2 on :45, 3 on :50) / F 50

Just Staying Loose for Saturday.

Dream, Prepare, Succeed...

2015 ... Swimming for Homes for the Brave

After spending the past 20 years paddling from Dover to France, it is time to venture into new waters, while helping some special people.
Soon, I will be traveling with my A-team to Scotland to swim the length of the famous Loch Ness.
As always, I try to help a Foundation raise funds and awareness and I thank you for interest and support.
I am deeply troubled with the thought of homeless individuals, especially in our US Veteran population.

That is why I am teaming up with our Connecticut-based “Homes for the Brave”. Can you imagine not having a place to call home?

Here is more information about Homes for the Brave! -Facebook pages – https://www.facebook.com/pages/ABRIHomes-for-the-Brave/199613606735630?ref=hl

- Annual Appeal with more information about our financials and programs- http://www.homesforthebrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/HFTB-2014-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf

-Check donations can be mailed to the following address:
Homes for the Brave
655 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604

- Donations can be made online as well: https://homesforthebrave.isecuresites.com/products/index.php?type=1110

Please write “Loch Ness Swim/Marcy” to track your donation.


I will always be dedicating my swimming to all those battling cancer and in the memory of 4 special people in my life. Cancer first hit my family when I was young. My grand-aunt Eleanor Kersavage, passed away with uterine cancer and my Auntie Bea Halchak battled with brain cancer.

On January 1, 2002, our LEHY family lost Nikki Giampolo to bone cancer, just turning 16 years old. Her spirit still lives on in our East Hartford swim team.

In July of 2009, my brother-in-law, Gregory Allen Urban, who passed away, after a valient battle with lung cancer. I can see him now, talking about cars and projects around the house, music and his family.

I know Aunties, Eleanor and Bea, Nikki, Greg and all the angels will help me CUT through all this water this summer.

The St. Vincent's Medical Center Foundation, based in Bridgeport, CT provides financial support for the needs that Health insurance companies don't cover, in addition to providing affordable cancer screening, wigs, medication and other things to make life easier for those suffering with cancer and their families.

Please make a donation, and thank you.

Online donations can be made at: http://give.stvincents.org

or you can send a check through the post to:

Swim Across the Sound
St. Vincent's Medical Center Foundation
2800 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT 06606
(203)576-5451

Thank you so very much, peace and good health to all.