They told me it couldn’t be done, and that was motivation enough.
I’m doing this.
In 10 weeks I’ll be swimming the English Channel with 4 teammates in a relay event. Today, I’m on a mission to prove that by taking the proper steps towards cold-water acclimatization, the skinny bitch can acclimatize!
The thing is, I’ve been “the skinny one” all my life. I’m in the 99 percentile for body fat, meaning I’m classified as having “Essential Fat Only” at 12%. This is not helpful for open water swimming events.
2 years ago when I announced I was going to swim the English Channel (which is often considered a swimmers ‘Mount Everest’) many people responded with disbelief.
“You’re waaaayyyy to thin” they would say, “gain some weight… eat more donuts.”
“Don’t you know you’re not allowed to wear a wetsuit when you swim the Channel?!”
“Yes. I know.”
“When are you going to lose the wetsuit?!” they would ask persistently.
“Soon.” I replied.
This year, on March 15th, I lost my wetsuit. Well, I didn’t actually lose it. I ceremoniously washed my entire collection of wetsuits with my special neoprene soap, I hung them all to dry, and then I said goodbye and packed them away in the depths of my basement closet. That was a tough day. I love my gear.
I’ve been acclimatizing ever since.
As someone with “essential fat only”, I’ve chosen a sport that requires me to swim in cold water without a wetsuit. I’ve already experienced stage 1 and stage 2 hypothermia, and I’ve been dangerously close to stage 3. So it’s time to fatten up.
I’m keeping a fitness log, a food diary, swimming logs, temperature notes… you name it. It’s all very interesting really. And just when you thought it would be easy to pack on a few pounds… it’s actually not.
Now if you’re reading this and you’ve ever been told “No way!”, then stick with me through these next 10 weeks of my journey. I’m going to take you through the highs and the lows of training for something that seems unattainable. And we’ll see if it is.
Peace Out,
Kate
Cast Iron Strength 