The following is a link to the newspaper article in the Daily Herald.  I will post pictures and videos of the swim for my dad as soon as I can!

(Kate ;)

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=308455

Time to swim!

7/20/09

Well, the time is here! The decision has been made! I will be doing a night swim staring around 9:30 p.m. Dover time. That will be 2:30 p.m. Central time. The wind is 10 miles an hour and I'm hoping for calm waters. I decided having favorable conditions out weighs having the sun and possibly waiting forever for an opportunity to swim.

I'm going in with the fact that I have been swimming in cold water with clowdy days and am able to handle the cold. Thank you for your support and I will make it.

JM

7/19/09

The weather isn't cooperating at all. The waves are 6-10 feet the last couple of days. The #1 slot swimmer ended up not making it Thursday. She fell 1/2 mile short. It was disappointing that I didn't get to go. Mo, a swimmer from Ireland did make it and the conditions were ideal. The worst part of it was the swimmer was from London and could have come to Dover anytime to swim the Channel. I really wish she would have given me the slot since I came such a long distance.

Mo was in the forth slot but her captain moved her up because she came from a longer distance. Enough of that because it's over and done with. I'm looking at a possible swim Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. That would be 2 a.m. Chicago time. If that doesn't happen then the next possible window moves to the weekend. The weather really is bad. I was prepared for cold water, the distance, etc. but not in the fact I may not get a chance.

I've spoken to numerous swimmers who have had the same thing happen. Chris from Ireland didn't get a chance last year and here he sits in the same position again. Several swimmers are leaving Tuesday because they can't stay. Mary and Ray, along with Mike will return and I will stay. This is a real test mentally to stay focused and not get to down. On top of waiting, I don't have my office here so working is quite tough to do.

Well, that's the update. Pray Tuesday opens up and I get my chance.

JM

The waiting game

7/15/09

Today is Thursday and still no chance to go. As I type right now my boat pilot is a third of the way across the English Channel with the number 1 slot swimmer. The way it works is there are four slots. When a window of opportunity presents itself the captain calls the first swimmer and asks if they want to go. If they say no then the 2nd swimmer is called and so on. I'm in the number 2 slot so now I move to #1. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't look good until Saturday or Sunday. If the conditions aren't what I want then I will stay next week and leave on the Spring tide. The Neap tide is preferred but I'm a strong enough swimmer to go on the Spring Tide.

All that is happening right now is I'm swimming 1.5-2 hours easy in Dover Harbor. Trying to prevent soreness in my shoulders and lower back from laying around and waiting. This swim is a mind game for sure! So, I'm hoping for the weekend. Thanks to my supporters and keep well.

John

Today is Monday the 13th. I've been here for three days and it has already been an experience. Dover is quite old with much history. The Catholic church dates back to the 1200's. Unbelievable, this church was built 250+ years before Columbus discovered America. The Fort on top of the Cliffs of Dover is amazing. It has defended the area against many threats to include the possible invasion by Napoleon. Dover and the harbor were bombed by Germany during WW II. There is still evidence from that yet today.

The first night I arrived I went down to the Dover Harbor. There wasn't anyone there and I entered the water- intimidated. The water is dark and the salt heavy. Just outside the breaker wall the waves were 4-5 feet. It was a real wake up call to the fact the Channel is a powerful body of water. After an hour, I completed the training swim and felt very comfortable with the water temp. Intimidated no longer!

Saturday and Sunday I swam with Maureen (from Ireland) and Mark (from San Diego). They are staying at the Victoria House as well. Bill and Audry(0wners of the Victoria House) have made our stay comfortable and are really nice people. They have seen quite a few English Channel Swimmers through the years stay at their Guest House. The History on the walls motivates you to want to have your successful crossing displayed on the wall. We swam with the Channel association swimmers on Saturday and Sunday. A nice group of people. Many of them have crossed the Channel. One interesting and nice lady is Freda Streeter. Her daughter Allison is the queen of the English Channel, doing over 40 singles, a double and triple. Freda offers sound advise as well as the other successful swimmers. It's really nice that they offer advise and really do want to see you make your crossing.

Mike Carson who is going to be on board with me arrived Saturday and he is ready to go. All supplies are packed and I'm now waiting for the phone call to tell me LETS GO! After two training days I know that I'm ready physically, mentally and above all comfortable with the water temperature. The one fact I've come to realize is that great swimmers have come here to swim the English Channel and failed. The English Channel has an inviting appeal to it but the power of the English Channel and the weather conditions are key to one's successful completion.

Mary and little Ray are here as well. Mary has been very supportive and Ray has been a gem. He traveled on the plane like a pro and has been excellent throughout the day and night. Kate, Joe, Caroline, Beth, Dan and Mike are with me in my heart. They couldn't come because of their activities, school, work, etc. that they have going on. I wish they were here.

I've met 8 swimmers( all very capable to swim the distance) here from all around the world. We all have our windows of opportunity over the next 7-8 days. We are all facing one realization. We most likely aren't going to get favorable conditions this week. The water temp isn't the problem. It's the wind and the waves created. It now looks like Thursday night or the weekend will be my best opportunity. By the weekend I will know if I will stay on next week trying to still get a chance. I hope I get to swim while Mary, Mike and Ray are here. I've trained very hard and I really want the chance to succeed. No matter what, once my Boat pilot and I decide it's the best window of opportunity I have, I will give it my all. Having the time to rest and know before hand about the upcoming weather has been a good thing. The more I think about it the more I can prepare myself for the conditions. The English Channel is going to test me for sure. What an interesting time it will be! I will update the Blog when I get further information from my Boat Captain.

JM

July 9th is Closing Fast!!!

This week (June 29th-July 5th) went well as far as training. Total mileage was 25 miles. On Saturday I was able to train with Marcia Cleveland and get my final marching orders. The lake was a warm 64 degrees and smooth. As I finish my final week of training and taper I really am feeling strong in the water.

I don't know when I will start the swim but as soon as I do I will post it on the Blog. Additionally, there will be updates during the swim on my blog via Twitter. For everyone who has supported my efforts I want to thank you very much.

John

The training has been going well. In the last two weeks I've done a six hour and eight hour swim in Lake Michigan with the water temperature between 55 and 59 degrees. Last week my mileage peeked at 47 miles. This week June 22nd I completed 30 miles of training. I leave on July 9th and my window of opportunity is between July 13th and the 20th.

My boat captain is Mr. Foreman. I've had numerous phone conversations with him and we are confident in our skills and what we need to do individually to succeed on the crossing. I believe I'm ready for the 59-60 degree water. I've been training in 48-60 degree water since May 1st.

The training for this week June 29th-July 5th will be 23 miles. I'm looking forward to beginning my taper. The shoulders are quite sore and tired. Today I mentally could see that I've trained hard and well for the swim. There is no doubt that I will swim the English Channel. My prediction is under ten hours. That being said, I'm well aware of mother nature and have a deep respect for the English Channel. I will have the mind set that time does not matter, making it does. So if it takes me 15, 20, etc. hours then so be it.

I will be posting pictures and a you tube clip on the blog tomorrow. I will have more frequent updates as the time approaches. To my friends and family, thank you for your support.

Six hour Lake Michigan swim 5/24/09

The English Channel swim is fast approaching. I've been doing 30-35 miles per week and working on getting used to the cold water. Mike and I have been swimming 2-3 times per week and have had temperatures between 49 and 58. I found out that a one degree change in water temperature is significant. If the English Channel is 59-60 degrees it will be like bathwater!

The memorial day weekend was a real blast. Boris and Ramses came up from Florida to do their six hour qualifying swim. Both Boris and Ramses are going to swim the channel in late June to early July. Ramses and Boris took 1st and 2nd place in the Whiskey Joes 24 mile Tampa Bay swim. Both are exceptional athletes and no doubt will cross the channel.

Being from Miami the water temperature in the ocean is already in the 70's. So they came up for four days of cold water training and the six hour qualifying swim. The weather conditions were less than favorable. The water temp was 54-56 and the waves were pushing 2-5 feet. Air temp was around 60. Boris was able to make the swim but Ramses was not feeling well. You can see actual footage of the beginning and end of the swim by going to you tube and typing in Cuban swimmers.

Elias came with them. He is their good friend who will also be the support person on the boat when each of them do their solo English Channel swim. We had a blast and a strong bond of friendship was developed with them and my family.

The great news is they are returning this coming Friday, June 5th so Ramses can do his 6 hour qualifying swim. Boris will be doing another 6 hour swim as will Mike. I will be doing an 8 hour and this will be the peak of my training. This week, the first of June will be my highest mileage week. I plan on doing 50 miles. Then I will begin to bring the mileage down as my target date of July 9th approaches.

One note, Ramses family is coming with him so this weekend will be a great time!! I know with Ramses wife here he will no doubt do the swim!!!

Tampa 24 mile swim

The Tampa Bay 24 mile swim certainly lived up to its billing. The conditions were challenging to say the least. The first three to four miles were in a slight chop but on the whole not bad. The swimmers were expecting a tidal push north once we rounded the point. However, mother nature had a joke waiting for us.

We had 3-5 foot waves for the next 3-4 hours. I became sick at the three hour mark and with the conditions so poor I made a decision to slow my stroke count down from 55 per minute to 35. I figured with the waves knocking back some of my strokes I had to conserve energy and buy time for the conditions to improve. At the fourth hour I was quite sick and had the dry heaves. This was a real low point and I considered stopping. However, I knew that if I quit it would plant that seed in my mind that I may not be able to do the Channel. My Sister-in-Law Elizabeth was great. She kept a positive attitude and let me complain! Ironically, I had a craving for potato chips and I remembered she had a bag on the boat for her to eat during lunch. I ate some chips and it calmed my stomach. I actually ate chips on most of my breaks.

My diet on the channel will be Orange Gatorade, Water, Bananas, Fig Newtons and Chips! After the next 10 miles the waves began to decrease and when I turned the next bend I found the water in great shape. At this point I was actually able to swim at a decent pace. Getting through the first bridge was ok. It was the next three miles between the first and second bridge that I began to get tired. The waves really beat the heck out of me and I didn't really recover to well. Once I was able to get through the second bridge and was roughly two miles from the finish I knew I could make it.

The shoulder did well but a real pain had developed on my right forearm. It felt like the muscle was being riped of the bone on every stroke. It was like a bad shin splint. The last mile was extremely painful. I had hoped to do the swim in nine hours or better. Going 12 was a real test. No question this swim will gain in its status and is a must for serious long distance swimmers. If you plan on doing the English Channel then you need to do this swim first.

I met some great new friends and all of them had experience doing this type of swim. Their feedback and the support was really neat. Truly a great group of people in this sport. The best news of all is my training partner Mike Tschantzhahn made it as well. Both of us did this swim to test ourselves and see where we were in our preparation to swim the Channel in July. We agreed we left Tampa with many questions answered. The most important thing is we know we can do the Channel now. We just need to condition ourselves to the cold water. We will be in Lake Michigan very soon.

One last thing, we saw dolphins, stingrays and a lot of waves. No Bull Sharks. Only the picture of the one caught the week before at one of the bridges!

The Twelfth Annual 24 mile Tampa Bay Swim

Up until this point, the two tests I've had have been a seven hour English Channel qualifying swim and a straight five hour pool swim. The qualifying swim was this past October in Lake Michigan. The water temperature was 59 degrees. It was really the beginning of my training. The five hour pool swim was on April 4th and I held 4,700 yards for each hour.

My coach Marcia Cleveland has done an excellent job teaching me on how to train properly for the English Channel. The Tampa Bay race is going to be a real test. I hope to do it in nine hours or less. Obviously, the weather conditions will play a part in my goal time.

The race begins at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida. The finish line is located at Ben T. Davis beach on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. The water temperature will be 70 degrees or higher so the water temperature won't be a factor. The hard part will be completing the 24 miles in my goal time. My boat Captain is John Rose and I'm looking forward to working with him.

Since I'm simulating the English Channel my Sister-in-Law Elizabeth will be on board taking notes and doing the feedings. I plan on taking a 60 second break for each of the first two hours and then 30 second breaks every half an hour.

My friend Mike Tschantzhahn is doing the race as well. He is doing the English Channel several weeks after me. We are training together and having a partner in Lake Michigan is a real advantage. I will post the results of the race and my goal is to have a strong swim.

Hello

Hello everyone! I've decided to start a blog so that I can keep my family and friends updated on my quest to swim The English Channel. If you do check my blog it will give you updates on my progress and a feel for what it takes to take on the Channel. For my swim team buddies I hope you will get a kick out of the types of practices I'm doing as well as additional situations that I'm experiencing throughout the training process.

As many of you know I swam Lake Erie two decades ago from Point Pelee, Canada to Cedar Point, Ohio, a distance of 36 miles. I always wanted to do the English Channel and have decided that I would exit retirement and jump back in the water. Although I've stayed close to my swimming roots over time, I've begun to realize how demanding a swim of this type entails. Hopefully you will be able to share through this blog the training process, mental preparation and above all the funny situations that occur.

My motto is: Don't take yourself to seriously!


John