Swimming the Distance: How Do We Get from Here to There?

Swimming the Distance: How Do We Get from Here to There?

2014 Don Macdonald's watchful safety eye looking over Doug McConnell swimming around Manhattan Island

Last summer, 11 intrepid individuals jumped into the Cal-Sag Channel as part of the Cal-Sag Plunge. This monumental occasion signified that the more than 100-year history of the river as a sewage canal is over and recreation in, on, and along the water is here to stay. 

But is the river really safe enough for swimming? Who says so?  And how do they know?

Please join Friends of the Chicago River, along with other water quality experts, policy advocates, and urban swimming champions as we explore these questions and discuss how to make swimming in the Chicago River system a reality.

Speakers include David Barra, New York Open Water; Jessica Dexter, Environmental Law & Policy Center; Willie Levenson, Human Access Project; and David St, Pierre, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. A panel discussion will follow.

Click here for the summit agenda. 

Chicago River Summitt

A Big Fish Tale

Question: Why do tri-athletes wear wet-suits?

Answer: So these fish don't chew on them!

Life is full of Fish tales

One Stroke At A Time Collaborates with 1Vigor.com - dedicated to help people naturally enhance their health, fitness, athletic performance, quality of life and longevity.

One Stroke At A Time (Don Macdonald) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with 1Vigor.com. I will be contributing experience based articles and editorial content on a wide range of topics related to open water swimming pool swimming supporting the mutual vision of health, fitness, athletic performance and quality of life. 

Our collaboration will extend across the many aspects of training - nutrition, mental, physical and emotional as well as races and aquatic 'expeditions'. 

1Vigor is dedicated to help people naturally enhance their health, fitness, athletic performance, quality of life and longevity. 1Vigor provides information, resources and cool tools to achieve its mission.

Ralph Teller, Founder.  Ralph has been a student of Longevity since his studies at Fordham University where he earned his B.A.  Ralph is also an Ironman Triathlete and is a Finisher at the 2004 Ironman California 70.3, 2005 Ironman Canada, 2006 Ironman UK, 2007 Ironman (Germany) European Championship, 2008 Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3, 2008 Longhorn Ironman 70.3, 2009 Ironman Boise 70.3, 2010 Ironman Calgary 70.3 and RAGBRAI 2011.  A Basic Climb graduate from the Mountaineers, he has hiked and climbed many of the peaks in Washington State, including Mount Rainier.

Ralph is the author of Natural Health - Peak Performance - Longevity Lifestyle. A lawyer in Washington State, Ralph received his J.D. from Gonzaga University Law School, and was General Counsel to Shurgard and helped the company establish a national footprint. Ralph was also VP Business Development & General Counsel to software developer Raima Corporation where he played a key role in quadrupling revenues over 17 consecutive profitable quarters that resulted in a successful acquisition by a publicly traded company.

A good Training Day - Lake Michigan

A view of things to come. Although I am a few days from stepping on the beach in Dover, from my experience on the french side at Normandy this short video clip is what I expect to see most of the time. 

Doug and I paddled around for an hour or so with times feeling like we were body surfing. Couldn't see 2 feet in front of your hand extended in the water churned up and all, and spent more time than I cared looking up and forward to make sure I was heading north up the lake parallel to shore and not into one of the big jetties. 

"Get busy living or Get busy Dying"! 

Swimming Calorie Demand Calculator

Here is a pretty good calorie calculator for swimmers that Endless Pools provides. The link is: Calorie Counter for Swimming 

Swimming Calorie Demand Calculator

I have checked this against some a few references from food companies for endurance athletes and it seems to be within the ball park. For my English Channel Swim I plan to feed for about 14 hours and this totals 15,000 calories.

Cold - Taking the Leap of Faith

Not too long along ago (30 years give or take) I remember being chased around the pool deck as a youngster by my coach Bryan Rathke at Goshen High School telling me to get in swimming pool for practice. I thought it was cold, in the 70's! We would run around the deck avoiding him and avoiding jumping in the water until our minds were so distracted we finally took 'The leap of Faith'. Of course the reaction was overblown, filled with screams, shortness of breath and lots of camaraderie building chest pounding but in the end we survived.

Like the 'Little Train that could' fast forward many years, I find myself comfortable in water most consider unbearable. Now my coach Marcia Cleveland has replaced Bryan Rathke but deep down inside I reflect on the annual ritual of the 'first dunk' in the lake the same way. Only now its a bit more subdued  introspective and quite. 

This really has nothing to do with being tough (depending on your perspective), but everything to do with training ones mind and body to let go and accept the condition. Anyone can do this, if you stay focused and take 'One Stroke At a Time'.

This week my training partner, Doug McConnell and I officially opened the outdoor training season at our favorite 'pool' Lake Zurich. Friday we hoped in and the water was below 60f, while swimming around the perimeter of the lake (about 2.5 miles), it took us about an hour. We stopped a few times to confer with each other that we are alive and not having trouble with the cold, turning hypothermic. Of course if we were not sure what we would or could do about this since were now on the other side of the lake. Getting out and walking back in a speedo in 53f air is probably worse. So we keep going, stroke after stroke.

New Year, New Workouts

Hi to all 'One Stroke at a Time' followers...


Finished out 2010 with the traditional swimmers 100 x 100 yards (10,000 yards) back and forth in the local YMCA pool with a great group of folks. Pool swimming this distance after being spoiled in open water lakes and oceans really is a mental test, especially when its a 25 yard pool. What was funny to me was that 10,000 yards is no longer a no-big deal.  I spent my time concentrating on long strokes and being efficient to reduce stress on my neck and shoulders and keep my heart rate around 80. I cruised through each 100 yards at 1:25 on a 1:30 interval so basically touch and go the whole way.

Over the holidays my dad asked me a question. He asked if I had gotten to the point where I felt guilty if I didn't go to practice, I chirped right up and said...nope, love every time. some might be thinking, do I get tired, sore and stiff, yes I do. the body is very different now that I am 49.

Looking forward to 2011 I will be adding some yardage to the training and though I would share one of my coaches 'Top Secret' workouts (OMG some of these are tough!), this is one weeks worth. Because of work, I typically split them in half so early am and lunch time are common.

Will be setting up several ocean training swims 4-6 hours each) early in the year, leading to Tampa Bay Marathon (24 miles) swim is coming in April. After this I am sure 'Da Coach' will have plenty of dreamy lake Michigan swims among others to float around.

For you that know Marcia Cleveland, you appreciate her handy work here.

A	# Repeats	8400
Yardage,	1	800	Warm up Choice
if done as 2 workouts	8	100	Alt Drill/Kick by 50s			:05 Rest
4000 & 5200	20	100	Pull	ALT BREATHE  5 sets of 4
	with each interval in a set descending: leave :60, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25,1:20, & right into the next set
	8	50	Swim	#1-4: breathe choice, #5-8: breathe ev 5.		:45
2x all of	1st time thru: Swim, 2nd time thru: FINS
this:	Do the 200s on 2:50 & the 100s on 1:30 (or comparable for fins.)
	1	4200	1 x 200, 4 x 100, 1 x 200, 3 x 100, 1 x 200, 2 x 100,
			1 x 200, 1 x 100, 1 x 200, 2 x 50
	1	200	EZ
B		8200
5000 & 5200	1	800	(75 sw/25K, continuous)
	12	50	Alt. 50 Drill, 50 Swim
Do this set as 6x200, same pattern but one set only	12	200	Pull 2x thru (2 on 3:00, 2 on 2:55, 2 on 2:45)
	1	100	EZ
	10	100	Kick w/ Fins		Fast Interval that gives you :10
	1	3000	Straight w/ Fins, desc by 1000s, DPS (Distance per Stroke)
	1	300	EZ
C		5500	LONG & STEADY DAY. TAKE 1-2 MINS BETWEEN SETS.
	1	400	(75 sw/25K, continuous)
	16	50	Kick/Drill by 25			Take :05
	8	100	DPS, reduce SC (stroke count) thru set			Take :05
	10	300	Odds: Swim, Evens: Pull; Hold same time for all 10			4:30
	12	25	E/F by 25			:30
	1	200	EZ
D		9200
6000 & 3200	1	800	Swim, every 5th 25 backstroke
	1	200	Drills
	20	100	Pull Hypoxic by 100: 2-3-5-7, & and repeat 5x			1:30
Do this	3	800	Swim	Desc #1-3	Make 1st 800 your Warmup	12:00
all	3	600	Swim	Desc #1-3		9:00
with	3	400	Swim	Desc #1-3		6:00
FINS	3	200	Swim	Desc #1-3		3:00
	1	200	EZ
E		7700
4100 & 4600	1	1000	Warm up Choice
	3	500	Swim, Desc to Moderate speed			7:30
	1	800	Pull Straight
	2 sets of 4	200	Pull  2 sets of this, for a total of 8 x 200s			3:00
		#1:1st 50 Strong, #2:1st 100 Strong, #3:1st 150 str, #4:all strong
	1	100	EZ			2:00
	1	800	Kick with Fins		Gradually build thruout	<:30>
	4	200	Kick with Fins		Desc 1-4	Fast interval (~:10 after #1)
	8	100	Kick with Fins		Desc 1-4, 5-8	Fast interval (~:05 after #1)
	1	300	EZ
F		6100
6100 & 5300	1	800	Warm up as 200Sw, 200K, 200P, 200Sw
	10	150	Swim, Desc 1-3 to Moderate speed, for 3 sets, #10 EZ			2:10
	1	800	Pull Straight  CONTINUE TO BILATERALLY BREATHE AS YOU HAVE DONE ALL WEEK
	1	100	EZ
	6	150	Pull, Desc 1-3 to Fast			2:15
	6	150	Swim, Desc 1-3 to Fast			2:20
	6	150	Pull Easily & Enjoy this, knowing how hard you have worked this week!
	1	200	EZ

Skin on fire ... Water temp drops 65f to 58f

Independence day (july 4th) plus one brought a great swim in a calm lake Michigan this morning with doug McConnell, Marcia Cleveland and cool water. Sun was shinning, water was crystal clear and we had the lake to ourselves.

Walked into the water with my usual smile with what I thought was gonna be a nice casual training swim, the lake had other ideas, it was time for a reality check and lesson. I immediately began to feel my feet burn from the cold water, i splashed water up on my chest to adjust to the cold, kept walking up to my waist. I noticed my heart was beating quickly and breathes were short and shallow reacting to the cold. At this point I was thinking to myself "wow, how does the lake go from 65 to 58f?", two days ago I was swimming in 78 f pool water. Appearently the wind had been blowing across lake Michigan west to east late in the week and this drives the colder middle lake water to shore. Welcome to open water swimming.

To know what this feels like, take a large glass ice water and pour it over your head the next time your outside, at the pool or lake or stick your face in a cooler filled with ice water. The physical shock is something. Imagine putting your whole body in this and swimming for over an hour.

We swam down 1200 yards or so to a large peer and then back, twice. Each length was around 17 minutes. The first was really rough, I was hyperventilating so my strokes were very short and erratic. Length two eased up, the third more so allowing me to relax and work on taking long strokes with better body rotation while breathing on both sides. The last length, coming back in, I was back to my old self stroking away, having navigated the cold was building my confidence, and I could have kept going when we finished up around 1:10 minutes later.

This was a great experience and re-focused me back to how critical cold water accimilation is to this effort. After all the training I realize I have so much more to learn.