Answering Readers' Questions

Dear Jwolf, thanks for your question about how swimming in a pool is different from swimming in a lake or river. The big difference is enjoying the outdoors. It is also so much more interesting than just swimming back and forth in a lane. You swim with the fishes! I find that the time goes by faster since I am not looking at a clock and wondering how fast I am swimming. It is just more natural. I like to look at what is on the bottom of the river or lake, what the shore looks like from the water and all in all, enjoy the outdoors.

Dear KrisO, you asked about how will I know when I should get out of the water due to safety concerns. Without a crew I probably wouldn't know when to get out of the water. But I do rely on the paddlers to be aware of the time, air and water conditions as well as keeping an eagle on the river for any obstructions or dangerous debris in the river. The crew will be doing everything in their power to keep us all safe as we wend our way through the mighty Huron.

Certainly if there is an electrical storm in the area, we will leave the river. If there is a rain event I will not be able to swim for the following two days, due to the higher level of E coli and debris that flows into the river from all of its creeks and other non-point pollution sites.

Dear Fike, you asked about how many calories are need to swim long distances such as we will be doing on the Huron River. The daily swims range from 6-10 miles, depending upon where we can safely and publicly put in and take out canoes and kayaks. I believe that calorie wise, I'll use fewer calories than I did in my 2001 swim in Lake Michigan. The Huron is warmer and has a current. Both will affect the amount of nutrients I'll need. What I did before is stay hydrated and fueled by alternating 8 oz of Gatorade and water every half hour, with a couple of short stops to munch an MFit bar or a peanut butter sandwich. My daughter is actually working right now to refine the plan. When I get a full-fledged plan in hand, I'll write another blog.

Thanks for your questions. If anyone has other questions please feel free to ask!