Heidi on Vashon

We have a family curse not unfamiliar to millions of Americans: alcoholism. Especially for the males on both sides of my family, the drink has really challenged the men. My maternal uncles came through it using the 12-step program. My father quit at age 76, cold turkey, after a cascade of serious health problems delivered the final ultimatum: quit or die soon. One aunt by marriage somewhat recently had and survived a liver transplant—which is fantastic. But my brother, Brion, is on a different and heartbreaking journey.  As I write this, I’m at home in the PNW while my mom is at Brion’s bedside in a San Diego hospital based (inpatient) hospice. Things are so fragile. Time is short. I’m still processing what I’ve witnessed in the last few months and the progression to this present-day byproduct of alcoholism: hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) at end-stage liver disease from alcohol-related cirrhosis. Our family members got a crash course in all the processes, medications, terminology, treatmen

There's that expression "the only things certain in life are death and taxes." I'd like to add AGING. The only things certain in life are death, taxes and aging. Now, into my 55th year, I have met the medical threshold for menopause. Friggin finally! Groveling to my doctor for HRT has been a two year beg fest, and after the latest round of labs there is no argument that I'm fresh outta estrogen. So bring it! Adding to my fine lineup of care experts we now have pulmonologist in addition to endocrinologist and neurologist.  All last year (2023) I kept getting knocked down with respiratory illnesses--for weeks at a time basically every other month. I spent a lot of time in the guest basement bedroom hacking goobers and coughing to exhaustion. I lost work. I lost weight. I lost a lot of confidence in my swimming despite a Catalina relay in Aug 2023 and marathon swim plan for Oct 2023.  The Oct Pt. Loma to Ocean Beach tandem swim (The PLOB!) with Becky proved successfu

La Jolla Shores from the water, 3.23.23. Not the nicest conditions, but great training!  This winter I'd blocked time to zip down to San Diego and complete an English Channel relay qualifier with Dan Simonelli (Open Water Swim Academy). Initially I was on a 2023 relay but excused myself after this qualifier had been arranged, but I decided to keep the CA date. I figured if nothing else this is always a nice way to set the tone for early-season training ahead. Then, swim buddy Mary S. checked in on 2024 dates and secured an early-season relay on SUVA--16 months out from now. She is swimming a solo in 2025, and a relay is always a nice appetizer to the main course. For EC, I'm only interested as an appetizer! The hope is now we can build a Vashon team, but it's a tough sell. Mary R. was intrigued at the notion and decided she and Mary S. would come down with me and knock out a qualifier this year (They are good for 18 months, so why not?). Initially, Becky my fall tandem b

Look up from the stump at the white spot high in the Madrona tree: bald eagle! I write this as I hum from endorphins, fresh from weight training. At no time do my neurological deficits show more than when I fatigue! Today was: Rowing warmup 1k meters Plank shoulder touches (20), trx for traps (10), and then trx shoulders (10) - 3 sets of all Bench press builds of increased weight swapped with less reps 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and a 2 encore for better form - did to 77.5 pounds.  Next was core. And then things really fell apart on my right side!  3 sets of 10 Ab rollouts, side plank each side :30 - left side, no problem; right side....DISASTER I was like a little kid trying to climb a tree like a big kid and FAILING. Like, I failed so so so badly only on my right side. This is when I really recognize the neurological struggle between what my brain is asking and what my body can deliver under fatigue. UGH. It gives me some direction on needed tune-ups, although there isn't a ton to be done, o

There are these feelings that happen in March: ambition, hope, optimism, excitement, hunger? It's something about the days getting brighter and longer in the Pacific NW, and the dawning of the coldest salt water of the year, that an awakening takes place. Essentially, it's pre-spring. Swim event emails go out with all your favorite event lineups. Friends start encouraging each other to swim outside, or to swim longer, or with no wetsuit. More meetups occur. I personally get the swimsuit-shopping bug (although I must also PURGE the suits that have worn out, or never properly fit in the first place...looking at YOU, Jolyn one-piece!).  This month I'll be looking carefully at West Coast open water events--to hold myself to goals and as a forced way to keep working out in a vigorous way! The Monday 1:1 crossfit is an indelible part of this routine. It's an appointment I do not miss, and I feel the hurt for about two days after, but good protein eases the lactic acid punis

  Jersey UK, Summer 2022 MV Lionheart, our pilot boat It has begun: Another year of training this middle-aged bod to be athletic for a long San Diego swim.   I say that in relative terms. “Long” isn’t doing the entire English Channel, but it’s not a 5k goal either. In 2013, I had yet to swim a straight 5k! In 2021 I finally edged up to 18.6 to swim around Coronado. I thought I was sated on marathon swimming until I signed up for another route in San Diego that intrigued me: Pt Loma to Ocean Beach, aka The 15k PLOB. October will bring this adventure, with swim pal Becky tandem-ing the entire route alongside. I’m thrilled (awed!) to swim this very cliff-lined coastal route and see a part of San Diego from an angle I’ve yet to see. Since mid-December I’ve been grunting it out at weekly CrossFit p/t, sprinkling in swims and additional gym workouts, and focusing in on nutrition. The ravages of perimenopause are sucky! It takes all the interventions to feel normal, let alone athletic . Two

For about 12 years  I have dealt with odd pains, spasms, headaches and horrible leg cramps that have their on and off seasons. Sometimes these require visits to neurology. At this moment it's so bad that I'm "beached" and getting all the care with conservative treatments such as nerve pain meds, acupuncture, massage, warm neck wraps, PT/stretching, strict upright posture, and I'm continuing a no-arms version of personal dryland training at Vashon Strong. Last week I did make a quick bikini jaunt into Puget Sound, because the cold actually feels really good on this pain. Doctors encourage warmth, or a combo of hot/ice changeups. I miss long swims like I've been doing each weekend--and my swim buddies most of all. What's happened (the Dr. believes) is that one of my neck disc herniations has imposed upon my nerve root, likely C6--where I have known damage anyway. I am not sleeping through the night (for weeks), the pain is intense from neck to wrist day and

The Xcel Drylock 8mm bootie: a winter essential! There are open water skin swimmers, and then there are wimps like me who, 95% of the time, suit up in all the neoprene. I'm not ashamed to suit up; it's cold cold cold in the water and I like to stay out longer than my body would let me in skin. Trust me, I've tried.  I am good for 30 minutes in 40-something-degree water before all functions start to stiffen and slow with bitter cold.  For this post, I'm going to share what wetsuits mitts booties and caps have worked for me. I've kissed a lot of frogs, meaning, I've learned through trial what seems to work really well out here in Puget Sound.  WETSUITS -Get yourself a swimming wetsuit if all you're planning is to swim in it. If you surf and swim, sure, try swimming in your surf suit, but the stitching may cause chafe, and the extra padding can result in drag. I started by swimming in my Hotline 5/4mm surf suit and while it kept me toasty, it's a pain in th

In mid-December I had one of those days. We all have ‘em. Initially I held big goals for a big swim, which is kind of counterintuitive for winter time. There are winds that hit from either the north or south, you have to time your route with the currents (unless you just love extra punishment), and you need to feel rested and nourished. The goal of the day was a 10k, but I ended my journey at 6k yards after numerous gear failures and missteps; it was actually kind of funny—I had unwittingly popped my swim buoy by sliding in a thermos of hot cider, my nourishment for the feed breaks. It deflated early on and for more than three miles I’d been dragging this dead weight in a deflated sac, twisting and bobbing behind me. I also had a neoprene glove that was not on properly so it filled with water and performed like a lead weight with each stroke. In some ways, for THAT swim, I did pretty damn good. Joe Yarkin and Mary Singer, my island swim buddies and new members of the BlueSeventy Ra

You had me at "current assist." Yeah the distance between the Golden Gate Bridge and the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge is 10k/6.4 miles-ish, but timed to swim inland on a moderate flood tide you get a nice little ride. For bigger tidal exchanges you get an even faster ride!  The COVID-19 scare was just setting in when we did this swim--March 8, 2020. Initially it was to be four Seattle swimmers on a charter with SF's The Pacific Open Water Swim Co. Fees were paid, flights were purchased and hotels were booked. The very swimmer who initiated this idea ended no going on the swim and stayed in Seattle with concerns about the pandemic. The other three of wanted to jump on the chance to do this swim before we were mandated to quarantine, which is exactly what would follow weeks later.  Swimmers Clare O'Connell, Mitchel Schoenfeld and I piled into an Uber and made our way from the wharf to Sausalito in still dark morning. We had our flight carry-ons and the boat crew protested it w

Race recap - What a fantastic, supportive group of swimmers we have in masters here in the Pacific Northwest. It takes a certain breed of human to slog through 1500m nonstop, staring down at a black line in the pool. But we turned out, we churned through it, and we are humbled by the effort made between volunteers and athletes to make complex meets like these flow successfully. Today was extra special because our Notorious Alki Swimmers lady squad showed up in force to swim this event! It was amazing to have so many friends surrounding each other, counting laps, calming nerves and cheering. Even though I kind of don't want to be cheered (I zen out).  This was my second EVER pool event at the ripe age of 51. It was my very first event yesterday starting off the block; I had practiced with a local coach and swimmer Susan Parsons just the day prior and she had me leaping in no time. The thing is, Bellevue's blocks are nearly hip high! Nothing like the knee-high ones I pra

A month or so ago, a friend encouraged me to join their 10k swim wayyyy down in Centralia. I had reservations, it being on New Year's Day, being a hell of a lot of yards, and all in a pool I'd never seen before. I have a habit of quickly overheating in pools. I was leary. I went anyway. The southern half of the island was cloaked in a blackout from winds knocking out power. It was a creepy load onto the ferry with the first made waving us on in silhouette, back lighted by the boat. By the crossing's end, daylight was breaking. Off I went to a pool, really knowing only a couple people. Once at the facility, I checked in and met my lane mates; two of five I knew...one I just met already had profiled my mile time from my one and only recorded pool event last year. Egads! Pressure was on. I learned that the pool was actual meters but for some reason I had it in my mind it was yards. This meant having to swim faster than my cruiser pace. I learned a few things: 1- At 7

It's a great treat to have my dad visiting from San Diego for the holidays, but an even greater blessing he and my husband David were willing to witness my 51st birthday swim at Alki Beach. Shannon, a sister mermaid from our nutty open water group had been knocking out an open water skin swim in sub 50-degree water every day in December, and I intended to join her on the 27th. What a gift to be surrounded by kindred spirits and the brisk, beautiful sea, family in tow! David brought his infrared zapper and measured the water temps, reading 43.5 to 47 (deep to shallow!) so it was a proper cold water swim for sure. Shannon, Dad, Mary Sue, me, Kate, Scott and Tricia A leisurely brunch followed right across the street with MarySue joining us. My toes were still frozen an hour later. Grateful!

Three years ago, nearly to the day, I awakened to centripetal forces swirling behind my eyes. I sat up, flopped back down to the pillow and told my husband, “something is very wrong: I’m spinning!” I developed a form of severe vertigo presumably through a latent cold or flu virus that decided to take a wrong turn into my inner ear. The imbalance, the puking, the helplessness and lack of appetite—ugh! It was several weeks before I could read the text on a computer (magnified a lot I could), or drive again, and months before the visual effects subsided, also about six weeks of no swimming (I tried at three weeks out and that was a disaster); even at two months the “internal gyroscope” was not quite right. To this day, the lighting in large grocery and big box stores will make me nauseous if I’m in them for too long (bring a visor). Vesitbular neuronitis is no joke!  Sometimes I wonder if open water swimming exposes us to more viruses; at the same time I know the brisk water—bas

I worked hard for this in 2019, and now I know my capabilities. Thank you to BlueSeventy for sponsoring this series of open water competitions. You made me work for it!

It’s been a while since I ventured to the part of Vashon Island known simply as “Cove” on the west part of the rock. In late 2005 to early 2007 I lived on the very point at Colvos Passage in an apartment that was once the Cove Motel back in the Mosquito Fleet days. Looking out from this point across to Fragaria, it is one of the most peaceful, soul-settling places I have ever known. An otter family frolicked out my window. Cormorants did their little Karate Kid open-winged stance on the Northern pilings every winter. Barges pulled by tugs slowly trudged through the channel. It was the perfect place for me to live while going through a divorce, a place to reflect on next steps from the balcony, and to skip rocks on the shore with my little boys. This day, though, three intrepid friends and I arrived to put in at Cove and set about on new swim territory for us toward Fern Cove. We had an approximation of distance from maps and kayaker Robert Teagardin, whom I trust implicitly. 2.5-

Recently the gang at BlueSeventy, maker of the best swim wetsuits and accessories around, put out a call for swimmers of all sorts to join its 2020 racing team. What I lack in speed I more than make up for in enthusiasm, joy and real effort (I also don’t suck at swimming and did well enough to scoop up age-group top-three wins in all my local USMS open water races this summer.) So I applied, and was welcomed to the elite tribe of swimmers on the BlueSeventy Racing 2020 squad. Some of us are pool swimmers, others are open water swimmers, or triathletes. Some are young lifelong athletes, middle age mermaids (like me), Ironmen and women, across all sizes and ages and nationalities. The common thread, we are told, is we all enjoy getting out of our comfort zones and challenging ourselves. For me, this is a privilege to represent a great brand in competition and while training. Last year, the company give our Vashon swim group an exclusive discount on gear which we definitely

My written record of swimming a four-person relay across the English Channel last year vaporized with a bad computer, so I’m going to log a few memories here and now before they fade into faint recollections. Let’s just say right here I am not—nor have I any desire to be—a marathon swimmer. I am a perfectly happy middle distance open water swimmer, not the fastest and not the slowest but always up for an adventure and the challenge of working through tough tides. My friend Kate had originally signed up for a solo EC swim, until she realized she wasn’t up for a solo. She invited her best friend Curtis, and my swim buddy, as well as Randy, another Alki swim buddy (who’d had to abort his EC solo swim the prior season). With team secured with a “special” relay of four people since six swimmers are standard for a relay, we commenced several months of cold water training in the Pacific Northwest. Our boat was Sea Satin with pilot Lance Oram, three crew and observer Irene. We

There’s nothing better than finally taking the trip you’ve been waiting for all year long. Tickets were purchased months ago, our excursion The Big Blue Swim had the Santorini (Greece) hotel, swim routes and other goodies sorted out and the rest was for David, me and our 12 mostly-Seattle swim friends to get there. David and I went by way of a nonstop red eye on BA from Seattle to London Heathrow. We had an overnight stopover at Hilton T4 London Heathrow. The stopover has the double benefit of allowing us to go explore the city and allows one lag day to adjust to the time change…a little, anyway. We dumped our bags, hopped the Paddington express train into town and met my friend Melanie at Victoria Pub. Mel, who lives in Norwich UK, came to Catalina in August for her victorious triple-crown swim that I helped crew. What a wonderful short visit: Guinness toasts, a lovely dinner in an historic pub and upstairs restaurant called Fuller’s, and a little night stroll where she showe