2017 English Channel swim

Monday, May 18, 2015

Peak training season for the North Channel swim

In two months I will be in Ireland to swim the twenty-one mile North Channel. My last two months of training before this grueling swim will be intense.  I plan to train six days per week until I board the plane to Ireland. The days that I work as a nurse and care for my young grandchildren (ages 7, 4, and 3), I will cross train after I have tucked them in bed.  I believe family always comes first.... So, I will enjoy every moment caring for my grandchildren. After they have fallen to sleep, I will workout on a stationary bike and treadmill for a couple of hours.  On my days off from work and babysitting, I plan to have long endurance swims and cross train.  I will take one day off as a rest day.  From past experience, I know that mental preparation is crucial. I have prepared myself for all the challenges that I will face during one of the most difficult swims in the world. Let the countdown begin... 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mother's Day 2015

Today I took the day off from work and swim training to enjoy a wonderful Mother's Day. I taught my young grandchildren to sing "You Raise Me Up" as a special surprise for their mom (my daughter Sarah). It was a very heartfelt moment....many happy tears.  My daughter Sarah is a single mom who works fulltime as a nurse and trains for triathlons. Today she ran a marathon.  And, her three young children greeted her at the finish line by running with her the last 100 feet of her 26.2 mile run. I'm so proud of her.