What I Learned Swimming Across Lake Tahoe

The first bear arrived around 11:30 p.m. It was the night before my swim, and I was having difficulty sleeping. This bear was loud, hungry, and attempting to open a dumpster next to my cottage. I saw him in the shadows from the single window that was propped open for fresh air. Reassessing, I closed the window after deciding fresh air wasn’t all that important to me now.

Several hours later the bear returned before leaving again. I’m not sleeping, thinking about my swim, and how I can safely exit the cottage. All this training to come this far and I get eaten by a bear before my swim? I don’t think so! I recognize how silly this all sounds, but I assure you it felt very real in that moment.

I decided to keep myself busy and start my day with a light breakfast, some stretches, and then pre-mix all my nutrition in labeled bottles. Eventually, I’d have to leave the cottage with my gear and take a 5-minute walk towards the dock where I’d pick up my boat. I received a text from Sylvia, my captain. She was navigating from South Tahoe and running a bit behind. I hung out in my small room, finally leaving and passing a buffet of trash next to the dumpster. I arrived at the marina; it was 4:15 a.m.

Lesson One

 I need to continue to train my brain and not let my thoughts get away from me. Open water swimming, like other endurance events, is very much a mental game. It requires clarity, calmness, and positive self-talk. I need to remain present and be relaxed as stressing out burns unnecessary calories that would be better used during my swim. I visualized my swim thousands of times before arriving, but never expected a bear as part of the picture. Surprise. I have more work to do here which makes these events purposeful and challenging. Training the brain is everything.

At the dock I met Julia. She’d be my official observer and crew person for my swim attempt. As an observer, Julia would ensure I followed all the rules so my swim would be approved. As a crew person, she would follow my feed schedule and toss bottles to me that would be retrieved via a rope. Swimmers are not allowed to touch the boat or crew throughout their swim. She’d also document what and how much I consumed, noting water temperature, winds, and my time.

Why so early?  Most Tahoe swims begin before sunrise to get a jump on boat traffic. Sylvia arrived in the boat snapping glow sticks to illuminate the starboard side. I’m a left side breather so this would assist with visibility before the sun appeared over the mountains. We signed some documents, stored some gear, and reviewed safety protocols before motoring to the start 10 minutes away.

At the start, I applied Desitin as sunblock and Vaseline to avoid chaffing. Activating a flashing blue light attached to my goggle straps I positioned my ear plugs before sliding into the cool water.  Surprisingly, the water was 65.9 degrees; I thought it might be colder but am glad it wasn’t. Instructions were straightforward; I’d swim 75 yards to shore and exit the water completely. Once the captain and crew were ready, they would flash a strobe light and my timer and tracker would begin. I could then re-enter the water and start swimming an easy 12 miles to the other side!

Lesson Two

Don’t eat the elephant in one bite. Breaking down my swim into manageable chunks helped me train my brain while managing my energy, stroke technique, and mood. My plan was to swim for an hour and then take my first feed. This was in liquid form for efficiency, 8.5 oz to chug in under 30 seconds. The plan was then to feed every 30 minutes until I arrived on terra firma.  So, in my mind it was just swimming from feed to feed with a focus on a clean stroke.

What I’ve learned from marathon swimming is you’re always burning more calories than you’re taking in. The key is balancing the right nutrition and testing everything in advance before a big swim. Nothing new or untested on a swim like this. That doesn’t guarantee success, but it does focus energy on inputs somewhat in your control.

The water was pancake flat and sky blue, it was simply breathtaking. It’s fun swimming in a new environment with no distractions. Some marathon swims, like the one I’m attempting this weekend, can include as many as 30 swimmers, kayakers, and lots of volunteers. Other events like Tahoe are solo, one swimmer, one boat with captain and crew. They are all different, but the theme stays the same—have fun and swim.

A fellow swimmer from Annapolis was also attempting a true width crossing the same morning I was. He had his own boat and crew, leaving just before I did. Sharing these adventures with likeminded friends is awesome. I’ve written before about the openness and welcoming vibe of open water swimming. Getting outside of the pool and “swimming wild” is a worthwhile experience everyone should try.

Around the four hour mark I took a different feed that had worked previously in my training but did not work that day—it didn’t sit well! Perhaps it was the altitude, or the gas fumes from the boat, but mixing it all together was turning my stomach. These things happen, the key is not being surprised. Part of my training was just accepting the fact that at some point, things may go sideways for a bit, or some unknown adversity would arrive. The key was not reacting, going with the flow, and to just keep swimming. This is life and there’s not much I can do. On the positive side, it’s a clear and sunny Wednesday morning, I’m swimming in a surreal environment, and just need to stay focused.

Lesson Three

Adversity happens, just deal with it. Consistency in open water swimming can be measured by your stroke count. I was consistently hitting 60 strokes a minute which was great. Slowly, I could begin to see stones beneath me at the bottom of the lake, the water I’m guessing was 75 feet +/- deep. Unreal clarity and I was getting closer to the finish. The shape of lake front homes dotting the shore in various colors was coming into focus, maybe a mile or so more?

My crew announced that it was my last feed, translation 30 minutes plus or minus and I’d be on land. I continued to keep my thoughts away from my stomach and watch the ground beneath me slowly rise. Rocks turned to sand and my boat got as close to the shore as possible, I had another several hundred yards to swim before arriving on the beach. I raised my hands once my feet were in the sand and my timer stopped, 5 hours 43 minutes.

On the return boat ride, I was chatting with Sylvia and Julia, capturing their perspectives as I organized my thoughts. Back in my cottage I recorded my experience in my swim journal. What did I learn?  What went well, what didn’t? How did I manage adversity, how did my stroke feel, and when was my energy waning?

Lesson Four

By taking the time to record notes from my swims I can begin to piece things together and learn from each event.

I was beyond happy with my time given the elevation and water temps. This is very encouraging as I believe I can swim further. There is still work to do, always is, but I’m making progress and that’s what matters. Stay tuned.

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