Aqua Master Award-winning newsletter of Oregon Masters Swimming “Swimming for Life” Volume 48 • Number 3 Published 10 Times Yearly by OMS, Inc. March • 2021 The One-Hour Swim ePostal: How Far Can You Swim in One Hour? by Bob Bruce As you know, the Oregon LMSC is hosting the 2021 1-Hour Swim ePostal National Championships. Unfortu- nately, many of us have found that our pool access has been limited or completely cut off so far during the pan- demic, making it impossible to participate so far. I have very good news! As Event Director, I recently applied for a one-month extension (through March 31) for us—and the rest of the nation too—to swim this event, and the USMS Long Distance Committee approved It’s just a plain old fitness swim this extension. Hopefully, this extra time and the increas- It’s the best thing that you will do for your heart ing availability of pools as pandemic risks drop will allow that day many of you to swim your Hour! If this isn’t enough, here’s another reason that you For event info, visit: https://www.clubassistant.com/ haven’t thought about. When USMS adopted a unified club/meet_information.cfm?c=1308&smid=13499. registration plan across the nation last year, the Oregon LMSC Board realized that the terms of this plan would Here’s why you should participate in the 1-Hour result in a revenue drop, which could easily lead in a drop Swim, and why it is important for you to do so: in services to OMS members (i.e. YOU). Proactively, the Board decided to bid for the 2021 1-Hour Swim and use It’s a motivation and jump start for swimmers the net revenue from this event to help maintain services now reentering the water without raising event & clinic fees. The good news: we It’s a solid training opportunity won the bid. The bad news: the pandemic is severely lim- It’s a chance to practice consistent pacing iting participation across the nation, and unless we can It’s a great conditioning benchmark boost this participation we will fall far short of the needed It’s great long-range preparation for open water revenue. You can help! By swimming and entering the swimming this summer continued on page 14 Oregon Masters Swimming, Inc. Board Members CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Tim Waud • [email protected] VICE CHAIRMAN Robbert van Andel • [email protected] SECRETARY Kristina Franklin • [email protected] TREASURER Kermit Yensen • [email protected] Regular Articles AQUA MASTER EDITOR Alice Zabudsky • [email protected] 3 Off the Block AWARDS — ANNUAL Sara Shepherd • [email protected] Fit to Swim COACHES CHAIR 4 Kevin Cleary • [email protected] Coaches Chair DATA MANAGER — SWIM MEETS 5 Gary Whitman • [email protected] FITNESS CHAIR Colette Crabbe • [email protected] Articles & Announcements HOST/SOCIAL Michelle Jacobs-Brown • [email protected] 6 Swimmer Spotlight LONG DISTANCE CHAIR Bob Bruce • [email protected] 7 Swim Bits MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION Carolyn DeMarco • [email protected] 8 Columbia River Swim Spots MEMBERSHIP Christina Fox • [email protected] Non-SCUBA Divers Susie Young • [email protected] 10 OFFICIALS — SWIM MEETS Jacki Allender • [email protected] 11 OMS Presents Open Water Webinars OMS EMAIL GROUP MAINTENANCE Susie Young • [email protected] 12 Thank You PAYMENTS ADMINISTRATOR Ginger Pierson • [email protected] 13 Flashback — Spring 2019 PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Marlys Cappaert • [email protected] 16 2019-2020 Open Water Schedule RECORDS Stephen Darnell • [email protected] SAFETY Event Schedule — Back Page Joy Ward • [email protected] OREG CLUB REP Nancy Vincent • [email protected] USMS REP Sandi Rousseau • [email protected] TOP TEN MJ Caswell • [email protected] WEB MASTER Matt Miller • [email protected] PRINCIPAL FOUNDER OF OMS Connie Wilson United States Masters Swimming, Inc. (USMS), can not and does not accept responsibility for the content of any infor- mation or material not authorized by USMS. All opinions stated in any such material are solely those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of USMS or Oregon Masters Swimming. Aqua Master is the official publication of Oregon Masters Swimming (OMS). OMS is a Local Masters Swimming Committee (LMSC) and part of USMS. Information is also available online at www.swimoregon.org. Volume 48 • Number 3• March 2021 Off the Block Since this column is called “Off the Block”, whatever information is deemed of interest, by the editor, is presented Karla: My Asthma Journey inflammation I might respond differently to allergens. Boy, was he right! I have not used any asthma inhalers in close to three years! I also do not have any of the have suffered from asthma since the 5th grade. shaky side effects any more. My lungs are open. It’s a INow, at 50 years of age, I reflect on everything I miracle! endured with asthma: tubes placed in my ears as a kid, missing a semester in my freshman year due to pneu- Currently, I am about 90% – 100% no oil. During a monia, bronchitis and ear infections, and I had been Halloween party I ended up having some food with oil continually struck down with bronchitis about 4 times in it and some candy. Although everything was vegan, per year. Every time bronchitis came knocking, I was I could feel my lungs get tight from the added oil in my placed on prednisone and breathing treatments. My Crossfit orw kout a few days later. I worked through it asthma routine was filled with lbutA erol, rescue inhal- and did not use an inhaler. This made me realize more ers and Symbicort daily. Taking Advair affected my vo- than ever that the “no oil” part is key for me besides, of cal cords. I needed to have vocal physical therapy for a course, no animal products. I feel great every day and year and was placed on vocal rest for a month to help. want to shout from the rooftops: “I don’t have to take my inhalers anymore!!! Yippee!!!” I looked into Dr. McDougall’s way of eating for my mom because she had some heart issues. I had I would not be here telling you my story today if it become a full blown vegan after watching a few docu- was not because of my old work director, Cate Vonder- mentaries: What The Health, Cowspiracy, Eating You haar, who guided me in the right direction. I think the Alive and the one that changed me forever – Earth- ironic thing is that I was wanting to get healthy but I lings! Since becoming vegan 4 years ago, I have not had been seeking a Paleo chef when Cate contacted had bronchitis. I believe it was partly due to the dairy me. That’s what I had heard was a healthy journey. because I can remember my mucus getting thicker She asked what my after consuming milk in high school and college. I had goal was and it was no idea the McDougall program would help me too! to get healthier. That’s when I started When I attended the McDougall 10-day program learning. I am very with my mom, we went 100% no oil. I asked both Dr. grateful she is in my McDougall and Dr. Lim if I would ever be able to stop life. I also want to using my asthma inhalers. Dr. McDougall said that thank Dr. McDougall, time would tell but I might have to continue some Dr. Lim and the rest medications because I am allergic to animals, mold of the McDougall and dust. Dr. Lim believed I could get off the inhalers staff orf all of their if I was strict and did not use any oil. Dr. Lim explained help and encourage- that oil causes inflammation, so by getting rid of the ment. Karla Aqua Master | March 2021 3 Fit to Swim Coach Colette Crabbe OMS Fitness Chair Enjoy the Thrill of Being Back time. Now keep swimming and see if you can hold that send-off time orf the rest of the set. If yes, perfect. in the Water and Experiencing If not, you may have to add 5 or 10 seconds to it. If you Improvements are new to swimming, you may test yourself with 50 yards instead of 100 yards. Do the same with different strokes and with individual medley. For speed, time s most Master swimmers, we all have taken yourself in a 50 or 100 of each stroke and at least a 100 Abreaks from swimming at one time or another IM. Write your current time down. Now design your in our long career. The reasons have been numerous: workout sets based on that up-to-date sendoff time either burnout from the long exhausting practices you just figured out. of our teen years, or to explore new horizons such as studies, jobs, families, pregnancy. As we got older, In addition to those endurance sets, work on your it might have been injuries or health issues which technique: that feel for the water. How is your position sidelined us for a while. But most of us went back to on top of the water? Am I in alignment or am I wig- swimming and experienced the joy of being back in gling around? How is my head position, am I looking the water and loving it. The biggest thrill came from towards the bottom of the pool? How is my catch in seeing improvements in our fitness level and tech- all my strokes, am I really pulling water towards the nique.