Feed Plan

In case you were curious as to what my feed plan looked like, here it is! A feed plan is the schedule of what I will be eating every 30 minutes in the water. I have it mapped out for 6 hours. Hopefully, I will be finished before that! Yes, it is color coded. 

STAGE 6 FEED PLAN

L.Picardo

6/24/2014

Splash Time- 10:30 AM

What’s In The Bag?

Green Bottle- Water

Orange Bottle- Water with Gu mixed in

Blue Bottle- Peanut Butter M&M’s

Applesauce

Chia Vitality

Gu Gels- Chocolate and Vanilla

Schedule

Feed 1 (0:30)- Chocolate Gu

Feed 2 (1:00)- Water with Gu

Feed 3 (1:30)- Chia Vitality and Water

Feed 4 (2:00)- Applesauce and Water

Feed 5 (2:30)- Vanilla Gu and Water

Feed 6 (3:00)- Applesauce

Feed 7 (3:30)- Peanut Butter M&M’s and Water

Feed 8 (4:00)- Applesauce

Feed 9 (4:30)- Chocolate Gu and Water

Feed 10 (5:00)- Applesauce

Feed 11 (5:30)- Vanilla Gu

The applesauce is a very sentimental for me. I grew up eating delicious homemade applesauce that my great-grandmother, grandmother and great-aunt used to make to go with pork chops and red cabbage (and really almost any other dinner). I now go apple picking and make sauce every fall with the same recipe. While I am using store bought applesauce in little individual pouches because they are easier in the water, having applesauce be a part of my swim makes me feel connected to them in a way. I also think about my paternal grandmother who passed away right before the open water season last year, and how she used to go "Oh Blessed Mother!" when my dad would tell her about my swimming. She said this a lot when he would tell her that I had absolutely no fear of waves when I was only 6. They all loved the water as much as I do, and while I often wish that they were here to see me become a marathon swimmer, I know that they are still here with me. 

Nanny (my great-grandmother) and I reading Mother Goose. April 1989.

Senior Prom 2007. My shoulders were a lot smaller back then. Great-Aunt Alice (left), Grandma Kay (right)

Mmmmmm. I can smell it now!

Hold Fast,

Laura

Origins: Hold Fast

Less than one week to go before Stage 6! Today was my last 5:45 AM pre-work swim! Francis hummed "Pomp and Circumstance" as I deleted that alarm from my phone. I am incredibly proud that I did not once give in to the temptation to take one of the many available cabs that gather outside my building so early in the morning! I am overjoyed that I can stay up past 9 tonight, even thought I know that I will probably not make it much past 10.

Today's post is an origin story of sorts. 

Every open water race, Francis writes the phrase "Hold Fast" on my fingers like so...

Hold Fast is a nautical term that was used to help sailors persevere in storms and battles. Sailors had to hold tight to the riggings to help their ships weather storms, so this was also a call to hold on. It comes from the Dutch "avast" (think Pirates of the Caribbean) meaning to stop. I first came across this phrase in high school when I saw and read Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Old Joe Plaice (the one who has brain surgery on board, for those of you familiar with the movie) has hold fast tattooed on his fingers. He also says one of my favorite lines from any movie: "I tell ya. The Devil's at the wheel of that there phantom ship. You better hold fast." My friend John and I were obsessed with this movie! We both used to cantor and sing with a group that did music for the 9 AM mass on Sunday mornings (nerd alert!), John was getting nervous before doing his first solo psalm. Before mass, I grabbed a pen and wrote Hold Fast on my fingers. Before he went up to sing, I put my fists together so he could read the message, which made him laugh. He went on to deliver an exquisite performance of Isaiah 12: "Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and holy one of Israel.'

Hold Fast to me means persevering through struggle. It is my in-water reminder to focus on my swimming and not the pain, push harder, and make it to the finish. Hold Fast, along with the tried and true "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo, and the new "Let It Go" from Frozen are my three mantras that will hopefully keep me going to the finish at the George Washington Bridge, Sandy Hook, and whatever other open water challenges are on the horizon.

Hold Fast,
Laura

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway-2.5 Hours in 57 Degree Water

Less than one month away from Stage 6. Some days, I feel like I could swim it without any problems, and other days I find myself wishing I still had several months left to train! I know I am ready, but uncertainty is always lurking behind every door. The only way to calm this uncertainty is to just get out there and swim!

Thursday May 29th is a day that I will always remember. I took a personal day from work, and woke up at 4:30 to head out to Brighton Beach with Bonnie and Lori. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, made some coffee, kissed Francis goodbye, and before I knew it, there we all were staring at the beautiful Atlantic. 

The hills in the distance are the towns of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, NJ. AH is my hometown! Always a great comfort out in the water!

The air temperature was a chilly 55, and the water temperature a "balmy" 57. On the beach, Lori and I figured out a feeding plan and a basic ideas for the swim. My plan was to go as long as I could go, but no less than 1.5 hours. We procrastinated as much as possible, but at 6:30 Lori and I were in the water! 

It felt amazing! Cold, but as usual, I stopped feeling it after a while and was just able to focus on my swimming and enjoying the gift that is the ocean. I did my first "feed" alone about 40 minutes in. It was a delicious salted caramel GU gel that I had tucked into my cap. I have done several of these feeds before, but this one was particularly hard because I lost a lot of my dexterity and ended up tearing it open with my teeth. Another 40 minutes went by, and I met Bonnie closer to shore. I had some water and applesauce, and was able to "keep everything down" (no puking). Bonnie also told me that I was holding a great stroke rate of 70 strokes per minute. 

A special shout out here to the fabulous Barbara Held (who I observed during her amazing Ederle Swim last summer). Barbara, when Bonnie told me my stroke rate, the first words out of my mouth were "Are you kidding?! That is Barbara Held high!" Thought you would like to know.

Just that little bit of encouragement and knowledge that I did not look like an uncoordinated duck was able to keep me going. My stroke rate dropped slightly in the next set...but that was due to some fear. A huge flock of seagulls were swarming really close to me. I know enough about marine biology to know that means there is something really tasty right underneath the surface of the water. My question was what was exactly chasing those fish UP to the surface?? Not cool! Luckily, they stopped and I regained some focus. 

After another feed, I was able to get my stroke rate back up. 2.5 hours later, I was still going, but getting kind of cold and tired. The main way to make sure your body is not too cold yet is to see if you can move your pinkie to your thumb. I was able to on my right hand, but my left pinkie just wanted to stay extended. I have an amazing coach who knows exactly where to draw the line between a tough workout and hurting myself, so she told me to come on out. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to keep going towards 4 hours sub 60, but I also would rather not hurt myself this close to my swim. It was an indescribable experience! I had successful feeds, remained strong, and most of all, thoroughly enjoyed myself!

After the swim, the three mermaids went and did what all good swimmers do: EAT WAFFLES...and talk about swimming! A swim family is really crucial since it is such a lonely sport day to day, so what better way to bond than over waffles and swapping "my worst swim" or "my best swim" stories.

Bonnie and I then went to the New York Aquarium where we saw penguins sunning themselves, seals swimming through the water with grace,  and the most adorable sea otter ever taking a nice little snooze right at the glass. These sea creatures are a big source of inspiration.

I named him Bill.

Now, there was one big instance of pain. But it is not what you think... I forgot to put body glide on my neck and that combined with a suit that was a too loose led to this "suit hickey" for the record books.

Kraken-1. Laura-0.

Wish I could say that I got in a fight with the kraken, but no. It hurt a lot. Plus, I had to go to work the next day, and did not want this showing. I busted out that concealer brush and his it the best I could. Slightly embarrassing sharing this oh so beautiful picture, but it will ensure that I never make this mistake again! Several applications of Aquaphor and Desatin later and it is almost completely healed!

Big thanks to Coach Bonnie and Lori King for being the best big swim sisters a lady could ask for. I am amped and feeling really ready to tackle this and any challenge, all thanks to an early morning, friends, some cold water, and waffles.

Hold Fast, 
Laura

Two Big Milestones!

Stage 6 is quickly creeping up on me! Time certainly seemed to stall this winter, but suddenly, green buds began to appear on the trees in Central Park AND it suddenly became lighter at 5:30 when I am getting to the pool. Just that little bit of extra light really makes the 5 AM wake ups much easier to deal with. 

I have been keeping up with the same sets, and noticed that I was coming in much earlier on the pace clocks. I am now able to hold a 1:20-1:25 pace per 100 meters! This is really big. I was holding an average of 1:40 in February. Difference of 20 seconds from my time trial in February. It is really hard to see if I am making progress during the day to day grind, which is why recording my times is absolutely crucial. I really can't believe that I was able to shave that much off! 

Another big milestone involves temperatures! On Saturday, I went down to Brighton Beach with Coach Bonnie, another awesome swimmer named Caroline, and of course, Raven the Puppy! The water temperature was finally in the 50's, and it was time to do some cold water immersion. I have swam in low 60 degree water before, but temperatures in the 50's seemed really daunting so I avoided going to the beach. This is something I have to get used to in order to become a better open water swimmer. But as Elsa sings in Frozen "the cold never bothered me anyway"! We met up with a very brave swimmer named Lori who is training for Stage 7 and the Catalina Channel. After a lot of chatter, apprehension, and perfecting the "The Flamingo" (where you are standing one foot while the other is out of the water), I dove in. It felt amazing!! Pain at first, but eventually I went numb, and it felt really good. I understand now why people swim in colder water. I was also pretty proud of myself for being the first in the water. My mom was not surprised, as that happened basically every time we were at the beach when I was a kid. The endorphins in cold water are pretty amazing.  I lasted close to 100 strokes, the goal of the morning. As is common in open water, the mental challenge was  tougher than the physical. I think I could have stayed in longer, but some fear and apprehension I got out. Official water temperature was 52 degrees, a heat wave compared to what the Coney Island Polar Bears and Winter CIBBOWS swimmers encounter! The key to warming back up is getting that suit off as quickly as possible. Luckily, I have the amazing No Flash Towel (pictured below) that my coach invented which makes it really easy to change quickly, without being arrested for public nudity.  I can't wait to get back out there this coming weekend! Defiantly ready to get out of the chlorine and into the salt water. Staring at the black line in the pool is driving me banannas.

Hold Fast, 
Laura

Easter Basket

Happy Belated Easter!

Easter has always been my favorite holiday. I always liked little things (buttons, beads, Polly Pockets, Beanie Babies, etc.) and anything colorful as a kid, so a holiday where everything was small and in bright colors really spoke to a young me.

Instead of doing anything big for Valentine's Day, Francis and I decided to do Easter baskets. He came up with an amazing basket stuffer: a bunny shaped hot/cold pack! Pain comes with the territory of training, so this gift is not only adorable, but really functional. We saw it at the Container Store (of all places!) a few weeks before Easter, and he went back to get it right before Easter. The bunny is named Barry, and he has already come in handy! For the record, I got him a cool action figure of Leonardo from Ninja Turtles and a Guinness pouring spoon :)

Hold Fast,
Laura

Barry the Soothing Bunny

So, What Is This Stage 6 You Keep Talking About?

On June 24th, 2014, I will be attempting my first marathon swim. 

A marathon swim is considered to be any swim over 10K (6 miles). I completed my first 10K in September, The Little Red Lighthouse Swim (72nd Street Boat Basin in Manhattan to 207th Street). I swam it in an awesome time and felt really good afterwards, so I decided that this was the year to really start to go for my longer swimming goals. 

My first marathon swim will be Stage 6 of the 8 Bridges Swim. 8 Bridges is an event put on by my swim team CIBBOWS (Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers). The swim strings together the Rip Van Winkle, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Mid-Hudson, Newburgh-Beacon, Bear Mountain, Tappan Zee, George Washington, and Verrazano Narrows Bridges (Credit: 8 Bridges).

My stage is Stage 6: The Tappan Zee Bridge to the George Washington Bridge. I selected this stage for a few reasons:

1. When I was 10, my mom took me to an awesome science enrichment program (aka nerd camp) sponsored by Johns Hopkins at the Maritime Aquarium in Connecticut. We went over the Tappan Zee Bridge on our way there, and I was completely mesmerized! It is the widest area of the Hudson River, and therefore, one of the most scenic.

2. In terms of distance, it is close to the Ederle Swim (15 miles compared to 17.5)

3. It is the easiest stage to to get to, and offers a great tidal assist

4. My first apartment in Manhattan was right by the GW in Washington Heights. It is also awesome to end up right where my longer distance swimming career really began, since the LRL Swim ends about a mile north of the GW.

Coach Bonnie will be in a kayak right next to me, and Francis will be on a safety support vessel. I also know many of the swimmers in this leg, so there will be no shortage of safety and emotional support on this one!

Stage 6 Info

Stage 6 Map

It is going to be a challenge, but I like to think of a great line from "A League of Their Own" when I contemplate this distance: 'If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Hold Fast,

Laura

New Sets

Here are the sets I am currently working on. I usually mix up the main sets to keep myself from getting bored.

400 Warm Up
6 x 50 kick (with a board) after warm up before your main set. (Work up to 10 of these)
Main Set
 *Work with 1:45 per 100m pace.

1.  10 x 100 on 1:45
And/Or

2.  5 x 400

        1.  400 swim on  7:00
        2.  2 x 200  on  3:30
        3.  4 x 100  on  1:45
        4.  8 x 50    on :50 
        5  16 x 25   on :30  (desc* 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16)
*Descend = get faster on each 25 in groups of 4.  so, if you go :25 on the first one, then you should go :24, :23, :22 on the next 3.  You can drop more time on each one, but you must drop each time.  Number 5 could go back  to around a 25, and repeat.

3.  500 on 8:45
400 on  7:00  1 x 100 FAST on  1:55
300 on  5:15  2 x 100 FAST on  1:50
200 on  3:30  3 x 100 FAST on  1:45
100 on  1:45  4 x 100 FAST on  1:40 ("touch and go" is ok)

Finish with some hypoxic:  either breathing patterns, no breathers, etc)

Pretty fun! 

Also, this is the number of bananas Francis and I went through last week alone. Not a single banana went bad! This is what happens when a girl training for a 15 mile swim and a boy training for an Olympic triathlon cohabitate. 

Hold Fast, 
Laura