Claudia Rose - coldwater swimmer

Good Luck Claudia!!! - Have a great swim

2011-08-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

RSDSA Fundraising

2010-09-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

For my last swim this year I’m trying something in my Dad’s backyard. Although its familiar and close to him it appears to be something that’s not been done before, maybe its not glamorous or not what everyone else does and that’s why? I’m using it to raise funds for chronic pain research. This is applied research, the RSDSA is holding a conference for researchers and practitioners in the field who are using non-narcotic approaches (specifically glial nerve support). They face an uphill battle introducing approaches that may actually make patients like me healthier as well as relieving pain. The approaches work for some with RSD, MS, and chronic pain but the drugs are often off patent and the approach is not being picked up by major drug companies. So it’s a bit do-it-yourself and go against the common path just like my swim! Your contribution will help bring these researchers together to share their knowledge on treatment of many complex patients including me! It should help with understanding some of the mechanisms of pain, inflammation and perhaps even aging. It will result in a more productive population, many of the sufferers now must be drugged and can’t work or raise a family or contribute to society. So it’s a cause I am proud and happy to support. My “practitioner” is Dr. Nancy Sajben and contributions can be made through her website (link here- if the link does not work paste it into your browser) see the sidebar for more information!

Tide predictions for Sitka, Baronof Island, Sitka Sound, Alaska

2010-04-15T20:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.tides.info/?command=onmypage&locid=11776

Brand New Historic Sitka Challenges

2010-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Its been a long winter since my last post. I’ve been working with Dave Nevins on organizing the Sitka Sound Adventure swim (http://www.sitkaadventureracing.org/AdventureSwim/AdventureSwim.html). This will be a fun 10 km (6 mile ) swim in the protected waters of the sound near Sitka (not a crossing like my Aug swim but a nice adventure for all).

For anyone who has a chance to work in cooler water and enjoys this distance, consider this swim in historic sitka with some great activities such as a harbor tour also planned. Sitka is a great place to start your Alaska adventure, then head over to Ketchikan for the 8^th annual Pennock Island Challenge (8.2 miles of fun swimming or create a relay team).

This winter I also helped form a virtual swim team-Team Rogue but the wave has stirred up lots of muck and we’re waiting for clearer water to swim on! Also since Jan 1 I’ve been seeing lots of dolphins, more on that soon!

Sitka Sound and Stealth Swims

2009-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

I see the Sitka Sound swim news is starting to make the news circles all over the world except right here in California . Here I’m still a “stealth swimmer”. So in my stealthy fashion I went out with a fellow swimmer for the San Diego coastal swim mission. The theme of this swim is to swim new places with friends. I started in November 2007 with people training for the George Young Memorial Relay that we were organizing. We started near the middle of the county. I studied the map and selected different areas of the coast for different training swims depending on my needs and the tides and currents (I was sometimes wrong about those). At least 10 different swimmers from all over the US have joined me on these swims and we’ve covered the county coast now from Oceanside Harbor to Silver Strand state beach. I did not swim across the channel mouths as I was told by the lifeguards that this is illegal and they were not happy about people trying. Instead I swam as close as possible to each side (usually tagging the jetty) and if possible swam in or out of the mouth (eg San Diego Harbor its legal seaward of ballast pt so I swam from OB to there). This swim is not a purist swim, if one swimmer is faster the other uses fins, when it was cold we sometimes wore neoprene caps but we didn’t wear wetsuits or other types of wimpy contraband.

Last weekend I picked off a little piece from N beach in Coronado to the Zuniga pt jetty, I had been south of there but missed that bit. So we headed off to pick it off. The water was hot (the hot down here had been hard to take after the Alaska swims) but we managed. We confirmed that we must stay 100 yards off the navy beach so we headed out and out finally crossing to the breakwater . No one seemed to be in the water although the beach was mobbed. We fought the current out but had a nice ride for the two miles back, the dolphins didn’t’ show until we got back on the beach! With that down its only the very ends of the county left!

Claudia Rose