A quick pre-New Years video

 I had forgotten to include this link last time I posted, but it is a short movie that someone made of our Thanksgiving Alcatraz from the air! Just click on the link to view. Its pretty neat, especially if you are unfamiliar with what Alcatraz looks like.

Holiday Cheer!

Merry thanksgivmas!

By our little arbolito, missing one of my brothers though

So I am trying to combine several holidays into one post (oops).

As a nod to thanksgiving, I just want to take a moment to reflect on some of the things that I am so very thankful for.  I am so grateful that I have so many supportive people in my life, all of whom have made training possible. To all of my teammates (past and present); thank you for being some of the best company to train with. You all inspire(d) me daily and make it fun to work hard. I miss you all of you who are not swimming with me right now. To all of my friends; many of you are teammates too, but even those of you who aren’t swimmers are still such an important part of my swimming life (although you may not know that). Thanks for eating lots of food with me and generally putting up with me. I appreciate all of the moments we’ve shared, the good the bad and the ugly. To my coaches; I thank you for all the guidance you have given me both in and out of the water. Also I want to acknowledge all of the work that you have put into making me a better swimmer, turns out coaching is hard, as I figured out recently when trying to coach myself. To my family; couldn’t thank you all enough, above all for supporting my goals wholeheartedly and giving so much of your own time to help me get time in the water. Certainly not an exhaustive list of things that I am thankful for, but its always great to keep those things in mind to help motivate me on days when training gets tuff.

One of my oldest swimming buds!! Thanks Katie

Just a mini coach montage

Recently I have been doing some smaller swims with the South End. I have been spending a lot of time adventuring in the wee hours of the morning. A few times I have seen phosphorescence in the water, which is pretty amazing. It One morning I started feeling little fish poking my arms and feet and then one accidentally ended up my suit. I think both the little herring and I were a little bit startled, but it got away free.

On the 11/05/14, I had the joy of jumping off one of the Fort Mason piers as the start of my swim. I walked over to the piers with some of the other lady sunrisers and then took the leap. I am generally vary of piers and didn’t feel great about the height when I got to the edge, but clearly I survived the leap. I really don’t understand how my diving friends do flips off of high things (looking at you Emma Falley and Allison Miller).

All the ladies (minus the photographer) before the big jump. 

Realizing that its really high....

Well I made it off the pier alive.

I was the first overall finisher in the South End’s Anita Rock swim, which came as a total surprise. I was swimming by myself for the most of it, and just assumed that I was behind several other people. The Thanksgiving Day alcatraz was a perfect swim, sunny, warm and flat! It was the first alcatraz I have done since the last time I have trained, although I know that I will be quickly doing many more swims. It was a great day to feel thankful for the opportunity to train in the bay.

Last Sunday, 12/14/14 was the New Years Day Alcatraz Qualifier. During the winter the water temperature begins to drop fairly rapidly, so it is important to be cautious when dropping large groups of swimmers off at alcatraz. The qualifier itself was pretty warm, about 57 degrees, but we shall see how much the temperature drops over the next week. We did an inside-outside lap around the breakwater and then a full cove. The recent rain has been washing a lot of debris into the water so I ran into a plastic bag (icky) and some other floating surprises. This morning I did a round-trip Coughlan Beach swim. We went 2.5 miles and stayed in the water for about 1hr and 20 mins. We just missed a light sprinkling of rain, even though it can be exciting to swim in a drizzle.

A view of the rock from the top deck of the South End

Coming up soon I have the New Years Day alcatraz. I am also beginning to solidify some of my longer swims for the spring time, which is exciting because I’ve got a couple of surprise swims up my sleeve.

As the water gets colder and the days get shorter it is increasingly difficult to jump in the water in the dark. I have found myself doubting my abilities the most during those beginning minutes of swimming. It has taken a lot of mental energy to keep myself going, but luckily the distraction of hitting seaweed or looking out for boat traffic helps to jolt me back into a more positive mindframe. Believing in one’s own ability to withstand the cold is super important to staying warm, so any time you are awake early in the morning I’d appreciate any warm fuzzy vibes, because I need all the warmth that I can get! I’m not sure if its just because I have aged or that I am busy trying to figure out what “i’m supposed to be doing with my life” (haha post-grad) but things certainly feel differently this time around, both in terms of how I feel in the water and how training is going. Training is definitely more difficult, but I am trying to take each day in stride and stay honest with myself, while also being kind. Sometimes it seems  that I am just kind of bobbing generally forward with my training progression while other times the trajectory seems more pointed. I have been spending a lot of time in the pool working on efficiency rather than trying to pile on the yards in a sloppy manner. And when I am in the bay, I’m just trying to have fun.

I am still working on tshirt ideas/production, hoping to get something figured out after the new year (once all of my MFA applications have been submitted :)).

Thank you for all the love thus far, Wishing you happy and healthy holidays!!

Holiday card from the Dolores Huerta House!

Alumni and SERC Tri!

Hey all-

I know it's been awhile, but last weekend I was away at Grinnell College Swimming and Diving Alumni weekend! It was great to see all my buddies and meet some of the new team as well.

Charles Benson Bear called me up because he missed all of us!

The Randall Relays went swimmingly, complete with some silly relays and dives. Fellow alum Cy Mistry '11 held down the fort for Alums everywhere, narrowly touching out a current team-member in a 50 breaststroke swim-off. Grace Gallagher '14 wowed us all with her amazing no google-no cap leg of an 8x25 relay. I also heard that Erin Hurley learned how to make it rain. 

I came home with a sweet sweater!

The highlight of the evening was winning the sweater pictured above, during the auction. There were tons of great items, including a pillow stuffed with hair collected from the men's locker room shower drains (icky). 

Getting fancy with my prospie spawn Maddy Pesch '16 for the alumni dinner and auction. 

Our prospie family! Emily Twedell '15 (to my immediate left) was my first prospie ever!!

View of Main Hall (my first-yr dorm) from the Fairgrounds

Grace, Sara, Sam, Kristina and I after a nice brunch at Choung Garden (haha). 

After the conclusion of alumni weekend, I headed back up to Chicago with some friends to catch my flight back home. We had a nice drive, but were sure to stop by Ben's house in IA city to say hello.

The following weekend...On October 25th, I had the opportunity to represent for the South End Rowing Club and compete in the annual SE vs Dolphin Club Triathlon.

As you can see, the Dolphin Club and South End (right) are very close to eachother. 

This competition is a hotly anticipated event during the year, and each club tries to bring out as many members as possible.

Advertisement for the big day!

I was a little nervous because I had never done that exact swim and I was hoping to place in the top 20 (in order to get more points)

 The swim from Coughlin Beach to the Club is a little technical, because you want to be able to grab the current to push you faster, but you also want angle into the shore at the appropriate time so that you are not having to fight the tide on your finish (which will slow ya down).  The tricker part of the swim sighting-wise is from Fort Mason to the opening of Aquatic Park, but luckily I have done that route many times, so it wasn't too difficult.

We had a beach start, which can be intimidating for a number of reasons, but on our start the surf was dumping right on the beach and jostling the support boats around. After breaking past the surf it was a battle to find your space in the crowd. I like to break away as quickly as possible, and might have gone out a little further than necessary, but I like to have as much open water to myself! I think my line was pretty good and was able to stroll past a few DC girls on my way to the finish line. I managed to nag 16th place, which I was pretty happy about. I am not sure how long it took me, but I was racing hard from start to finish.

In the end, it turned out that we lost the plaque this year...:( so there were a multitude of feelings, but I was most happy about being able to participate. It was really great to find myself back in the midst of a spirited, dedicated, supportive team (especially after my weekend of visiting with past teammates). I am so excited to see what the next year brings with my time at SERC.

I am going to leave you with a mental health fact from Mental Heath. gov to keep in mind for this week....

Myth: Mental health problems don't affect me.

Fact: Mental health problems are actually very common. In 2011, about:

• One in five American adults experienced a mental health issue
• One in 10 young people experienced a period of major depression
• One in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It accounts for the loss of more than 38,000 American lives each year, more than double the number of lives lost to homicide. 

Have a great week! More soon...

Also, right before our jump time I met a guy who had been bitten by a seal. He showed me his scars. It was freaky. Im still not sure if he was just trying psych me out, either way, it didnt work. 

National Day Without Stigma

Happy National Day Without Stigma!

NDWS was actually celebrated on Monday (Oct 6), but we should strive to include these practices in our everyday lives! So I am going to give a quick summary about what NDWS is all about...Active Minds is the organization that sponsors the outreach. This organization was started to help change the way that mental health is talked about on campus in order to reduce stigma about mental health.  They have various chapters in colleges around the US,  including at Grinnell. Here are some tips  from their website on how to Fight Stigma Today!

1. Watch your language: Phrases such as "that's so crazy!" or "he's crazy" attach folks with mental health disorders to all things unbelievable, ridiculous, negative and sometimes dangerous. Remember that a person is not defined by their mental health disorder, so always put that person first. Instead of saying "Suzy is bipolar" try to reframe your language by stating "Suzy has bipolar disorder".

Shameless shark!

2. Show your support by posting/tweeting/blogging/writing (whatever works for you really!) positive and encouraging messages about mental health.

3. Reach out! Are you or someone you know struggling with a mental health disorder? Point your friend (or yourself) towards the nearest local provider by either calling 1-800-273-TALK or doing a quick google search.


I think these three points are useful to keep in mind when working towards shifting our discourse about mental health awareness. I definitely have to be honest here and say that I am constantly working towards staying true to the first point (being aware of the type of language that I am using). I am guilty of calling events/people "crazy", even when talking about myself. I want to work to be more intentional about how I speak about situations that are ridiculous or out of control. As a rule of thumb I trying to remember to speak to myself the way that I would speak to best friend...positive self talk team!! Again, I encourage you to check out the Active Minds webpage to learn more.

As a friendly reminder, in addition to raising money to help me pay for training/other costs associated with me swimming the channel, I am raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illnes-SF. One of my other goals is to help bring positive awareness about Mental Health Disorders, so look out for posts that aren't just swimming themed. Thank you so much for all the support so far!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile back in Delia's Swimming World~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Wednesday, October 1st, I started the new month out right by attending my first ever sunriser swim at the SERC. It is such a great privilege to be a member of a club that is full of other people that love doing what you do! I met some other great swimmers, a special shout-out to Jane, who found me bewildered in the women's locker room at 6 am and introduced me to Fran and Amy.  Amy and I did a roundtrip gas-house swim (which is the third pier at Fort Mason). I have since been back one other time. I need to get lighter googles and dig out my lights so that I will stay safe while swimming in the wee hours of the morning. Strangely enough, the water has been feeling warmer when I have been swimming in the morning.

On October 4th, I participated in Bob Roper's Annual GG Bridge Swim. It was a quick 43mins and 03 seconds from Fort Point to Horseshoe Cove Boat Dock. We had to time it just right between the arrival of two large tankers, which provided a little early morning suspense.

Bob briefing us on the details of the swim. 

Once we had a good window we were ushered off the boat and swam over to Fort Point. The tide was so high at that point that there was just a sliver of sand as "the beach". Looking up towards the bridge was a  humbling experience. Its looming presence was a great reminder of how important it is to have respect for those things that are so much bigger than you (like the ocean..). A horn started us off and away we went. The first 10-15 mins were straight through a potato patch (cool-kid slang for really choppy water), but everything calmed down after that. It was great to look up at the bridge when taking a breath. I wasn't quite sure where we were landing...so I just kind of made it up as I went, but still was able to come in as the first female finisher (of course Bob said it wasn't a race, but he was still glad that "i kicked people's assess". I learned that he isn't afraid to curse in front of me haha!).

A detail of the amazing diagram of the swim course that Bob illustrated. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any actual pictures from the boat ride out to the boat, but, as always, it was magical. There are many things that are different about this Channel Attempt, but perhaps the key difference is my membership status. Now that I am a SERC member I have already been on so many more cool swims than I had last time around!

Swim Across America-Golden Gate Bridge Swim

Good morning bay! One of my favorite things as an open water swimmer, is watching the sun slowly peek up as you swim into sunrise. This morning I was fortunate enough to both watch a lovely bay sunrise and get a swim in! This morning I did a swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to Yacht Harbor with Swim Across America. This organization hosts several events around the country, all of which raise money to support cancer research. These swims are on various days, times and places around the country, and money raised goes to support local beneficiaries.

Watching the sun peek over the Bay Bridge. 

It was a wonderful day on the water to be part of such an amazing event! The conditions were great and the swim went by quick! I first participated in this event in high school at the suggestion of my friend Aly's mother, Susan. A three-time cancer survivor herself, Susan is a fundraising dynamo and a overall powerful organizer. It has always been an honor and a pleasure to swim on her team for 3 years!

Below are some pictures that I think captured the spirit of the event today.

Team Susan Survives at a pre-event gathering to celebrate the amazing amount of money raised to support pediatric cancer treatment and research. The two beneficiaries are UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Oakland. 

Got to hear from some amazing people to today, such as Marisa, and also got to swim alongside them. Here are just a few of the strong, passionate people that I was handing out with this morning. We are all sporting our cute Jolyn suits. LtoR: Me, Marisa (badass cancer survivor!), Aly Levine (future doctor, long-time swim buddy and good friend), Susan Levine( Aly's mom, 3x cancer survivor and event organizer, and Heather Petri (4xOlympic WaterPolo medalist and JolynNorcal Rep). 

In addition to celebrating Susan and all of the other amazing survivors and those currently battling cancer, I swam in honor of Sue "Tudy" Maxwell . At this point we were about five minutes out from our jump. They gave us a few moments to toss a flower  into the water and to reflect on why we were swimming today. 

Aly and I, right before our jump (Keeping my eyes open didnt seem to be a priority at the time). I was so happy to have a final swimming hurrah with her before she leaves to conquer the world of medicine in Boston.  

Jasper, (Ezra) and I after the swim today. Shout out to Jasper for being a volunteer kayaker today. We are always in need of kind souls to keep us safe during any type of swimming event. And of course a million thanks to our amazing momma who is always there to support us via the way of snacks, transportation and water. 

Overall, SAA was a fabulous experience and just wanted to share it with you all. If you are interested in participating next year in a city near you, just check out their website (see link above) and get crackin' on your fundraising.

In other news, I have been connecting with a bunch of Grinnell alums recently, not only in real life but also on our online support communities. I recently posted my blog and fundraising site on our alum page and received awesome support: words of encouragement/good vibes, $ and food. Recently I was able to attend brunch with Karin Sedestrom Wertheim and her crew. It was great to meet of all you, and just wanted to give you all a shout out!!

Selfie with Karin, Brandon and Lily! Thank you sososo much for feeding me, and for all your support!!

Feeling apprehensive about donating??? Scared about making the plunge? Don't want to use GoFundMe? Don't you worry... there are other ways that you can donate...just shoot me a message or leave a comment. ALSO Feel free to ask me about the foundation that I am raising money for, The National Alliance on Mental Illness-SF Consider my swim as one reallllly big ice bucket challenge....without being at risk for receiving a nomination (I'll do all the work for you!!).

Until next time,

Delia

American Idol and A Fundraising Webpage

I got to meet Lynne Cox yesterday!!!

She is one of my biggest idols and it was so amazing to talk to her the other day. She was one of the kindest people that I have ever met. Lynne gave me great training tips and we were able to talk about my past channel experience. It can be hard to relive that for me, because it was frustrating to be told that I couldn't finish due to safety reasons. But as Lynne so wisely reminded me, safety is very important and she assured me that the pilot that I am working with is the best and wouldn't have pulled me out of the water if it wasn't the right call. Always a good reminder and helps me to keep things in perspective!


Also friends- My fundraising page is a go!! I will be using GoFundMe, for ease of payment and use of a straightforward online platform. If you would prefer to give me money in other ways ie: either via my paypal account or by mailing me a check, don't hesitate to contact me. Here is my GoFundMe link http://www.gofundme.com/bx2rv8?utm_medium=wdgt or you can just click the button on the top left of my blog. There is some more information on my webpage about what I am fundraising for..so check that out. I am working on making tshirts (hand screen-printed) that I will be selling as a fundraiser. I made some the last time around and a lot of people really loved them and even wore them on the day of my swim so stayed tuned for that! For now though, don't be shy about donating!!



Lots of fishy love,
Delia

We're a year out!! (Channel Swimming FAQs)

I thought it would be a nice time to update, because in less than a year from now, my tide window will be well in swing (and hopefully I will be swimming in it!!) I'm not sure if i've mentioned this somewhere else but...My tide window is September 4-12, 2015!!

Playing around with my brother, Jasper (kayaker extraordinare) after today's swim. It was 66 degrees!

At this juncture, I thought it would be a good time to provide some information about swimming the channel to those of you who may not be familiar with it or just like knowing cool facts!! So below you will find Delia's FAQ about the swimming the English Channel. 

Here's the Channel! I will be swimming from Dover, England to Calais, France. 

How many people have swum the channel? Fewer people than have climbed Mount Everest! Based on what I have found, there have been a total of 1341 swimmers who have completed a total of 1801 solo crossings. 

How/why did you decide to do this? When I was 15, I read a book called Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox. It was easily the most inspiring book I've ever read and led me to decide that I wanted to try to swim the channel myself. I had been swimming for a number of years (read 17), but only started swimming in open water at age 14. I was immediately drawn to the allure and adventure of swimming in large bodies of water. Conquering the channel seemed like the logical next step. One thing that I love about the Channel is that speed is not the only factor in a successful swim. The preparation is all about building endurance in various capacities: physically, mentally and emotionally. Your success in the Channel is also highly dependent on the wrath (or generosity) of Mother Nature, which was something that was difficult for me to grasp at first. Attempting the Channel is about far more than being a "fast swimmer". 

How many miles is it? In a straight line it is 21 miles, but because of the way the currents move you end up swimming in more of an S curve. Depending on how strong the currents are and how quickly you swim, the shape of the s curve and therefore the number of miles that you end up swimming can vary dramatically from person to person. 

Is this a race? Will you be all by yourself? It is not an organized race, but there may be other people who are swimming the same day, but with different pilots. Each swimmer is responsible for contacting their own pilot and reserving a tide window with them. The pilot then acts as your guide, and will be in charge of navigating you through the channel via their fishing boat. Most of the pilots have years of experience on the channel and are in high demand. You usually have to book a tide window about a year before you plan on swimming. 

What is a tide window? When you coordinate with your pilot you will be reserving a weeks worth of time, which is called a tide window. Within that window, you must be on standby and ready to swim when your pilot calls. Tides move in cycles and the magnitude of the tide varies depending on the cycle. Channel swimmers usually like to reserve neap tides, which have the least amount of tidal movement, thus making it a more ideal time to make a crossing. 

How long does it take? Faster swimmers can do it in as a little as 7 hours, while swimmers on the slower end may take up to 27 hours. The average solo crossing is about 13 hours and 41 minutes. I think I should fall somewhere around the average time, but honestly it doesn't matter how long it takes!

Do you stop and rest? As per Channel Swimming association rules you cannot touch the boat or any person on the boat in order for the swim to be ratified. An official, impartial observer is sent from the Channel Swimming Association in order to verify that this, and other rules are followed appropriately. 

How do you eat?  I am still working on what exactly I will be eating during the swim, as it has changed, and is different for every person, but it will be some sort of liquid nutrition, thrown off the boat to me. People usually have their "food" tied to a pole or rope. 

Will you be wearing a wetsuit? Nope. That's why I gotta train so hard in the Bay. The SF Bay has very comparable water temperatures. Getting acclimated isn't too hard.. it just requires patience, diligence and the mindset that cold water is more fun!! Fun fact: It is tradition to call those who swim without wetsuits in open water, naked swimmers!

So then, how cold is the water? Anywhere from 57-64 degrees. Hopefully it will be on the warmer end! (thx global climate change...)

Are there sharks? 

Swimmers R Friends,  Not Food. 

Naw. Ain't no sharks to worry about, jellyfish on the other hand can sometimes present a problem. They do sting and some people do experience fairly bad reactions to being stung. Last time I was lucky enough to avoid them for the most part. I also just don't like seals, they've crept up on me one too many times. Those aren't really in the Channel though. 

How much does something like this cost? Well...a lot. The total bill, including some training costs will reach about $11,000 dollars. I have been saving up, but unfortunately working in a non-profit this year will not be yielding any huge dividends. I am looking into sponsorship and various other types of fundraising, but I will be relying on the kindness of many to support me in this journey. I also am hoping that I can raise money and awareness about mental health illnesses along the way (still looking for an organization to donate to, open to any suggestions), and would love to donate a little something to that as well. Last time I made and sold shirts as a fundraiser...still debating about doing that, so please comment on whether or not you think that would be a good use of my time. 

Straight from the archives: A much younger Jasper (center), is depicted here wearing one of our handmade Delia fish shirts. My good friend and former pacer Leore (left) and her twin sister Shanni (right) were kind enough to hold Jasper up...and to come all the way to England to support me both in and out of the water!!

Hopefully that has touched on some of the major questions that you all have...but as always feel free to leave me comments and I will get back to you as fast as I can.  I also encourage anyone who is interested in swimming the channel to check out the Channel Swimming Association's website (where I found most of my facts included here). 

Also for all you social media oriented folks, you can follow me on instagram @deliasalomon for more frequent picture uploads!

Gettin' there one step (on Jasper) at a time!