Training is almost complete

Training update:
I did the 75% of the distance swim 3 weeks ago and the split swim this weekend. Both are on track for a 15 to 17 hours Lake Tahoe swim.
The best news is that my 60 year old joints seem to have held up OK.
Now I start winding down the training and start packing.

Publicity news

Exciting news. Sashbear has been sending out my press release. The Hamilton Spectator just published an article July 24 about me and Sashbear
https://www.thespec.com/living-story/7463360-hamilton-psychiatrist-marilyn-korzekwa-to-swim-lake-tahoe/?s=e

And Lynn Courey and I will be filmed by CHCH TV today, July 25, for the 6 pm news.
The link is http://www.chch.com/swimming-lake-tahoe/

A month to departure

   In addition to putting in the most mileage per week of the season in the last 4 weeks before departure, I am busy with a lot of swim organization. There is a lot to do.
   First of all, I am working on the fundraising by sending out my flyer and blog address far and wide and helping Sashbear with the publicity.
   I have been ordering swim suits from a variety of places. I finally found the perfect suit - the Speedo aquablade record breaker. It is made of a durable polyester lycra blend that is slicker than skin and significantly reduces drag and it has water-channeling stripes that streamline water away from your body. The best part is the fit.
   I am helping my crew understand their roles and get organized for the trip.
   I am ordering my high tech feeds from a variety of places. I have to have new sealed containers for the border. (You wouldn't want them trying to guess the identity of the mystery white powder in the baggie). This year I am going with Waxy Maize for calories, Maxim electrolyte-maltodextrin for electrolytes, Hammer's Perpetuem for energy and electrolytes, and Boost, which has more nutrition than I need but never upsets my stomach. I also have to order a special easily absorbed Magesium supplement to prevent muscle cramping.
   I am updating the maps on my GPS and getting road maps from CAA.
   I am searching the websites for Walgreens and Rite Aid, which are drugstores that are nearby, to make sure they have the medications my crew and I need for emergencies, so I don't have to pack them. This includes nausea, pain, acid reflux, sunburn, and skin abrasion remedies. Fortunately I don't have to shop for jellyfish remedies this time.
   Oh, and I forgot to mention that the physiotherapist and my trainer have given me a total of 15 different exercises to do daily to keep my joints balanced and pain-free.
   Finally, I am updating my packing list.

Lake Tahoe information

On August 20 or 21, 2017 I am planning on swimming the length of Lake Tahoe from Camp Richardson, California in the south to Hyatt Beach, Nevada in the north a distance of 34 kilometers. The major challenge is the altitude of the lake, at 6200 feet or 1897 m. The water will be cool at 15.5 to 20 degrees Celsius because the lake is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and it is 500 m deep. Only the top 3 to 10 m warm up and a strong wind can cause 4 degree water to well up. The mountain winds can also be quite strong and have been known to push swimmers backwards. But there are no sharks! The length of Lake Tahoe has been swum 43 times, which includes 2 double crossings, 39 crossings by Americans and one each from the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Serbia. It has never been swum by a Canadian!
 I will be swimming with Tom, nicknamed "Reptile" and his boat, Ghostrider.

There is also a new link with updates about this year's Lake Tahoe swims:
http://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/1582/lake-tahoe-swims-2017/p1