English Channel

A friend of mine uses anhydrous lanolin. That stuff is extremely durable. Goes on thick, sticky and not exactly smooth. After 15hours in the water he still had a thick layer and no rubs or war wounds. However removing the stuff is a nightmare. A baker's scraper removes some, then it either rubbing alcohol or dishwashing detergent. I felt like I could make a great ad for "cuts the grease". But make sure you do this outside as this stuff will definately clog drains. I am still trying to get it off the blanket we wrapped him up in at the completion of the marathon. I agree, Ron's rubs look like a stubble rub. At least he's a bilateral breather. Or if he wasn't he became one to give the other shoulder some relief. Imagine what a bilateral breather's one shoulder would look like. One of my training partners uses bodyglide stuff to prevent this, as he too gets nasty war wounds. Congratulations Rob. That was some ordeal. I admire your focus and determination to complete despite the 'moving' shore line. Well Done. You are an inspiration. Kiwi

Lesson #4. Your team gets the same number of points for the 50 back as the 1500.

Lesson #5: The scoring system was devised by ADHD sprinter types.

What were we talking about?

Originally posted by Rob Copeland The injuries on Ron’s neck and shoulders appear to be salt water rubs. Swimming in salt water for extended periods typically rubs raw certain areas of the body where the repetitive motions of the stroke and the associated skin on skin rubbing (with added salt) will rub right through the skin. It looks like Ron missed a couple of spots when he greased up before the race. In his pre-race photos you’ll see he has channel grease under the arms and a little on the neck, but none where he was rubbed raw. Although the fronts of the shoulders seems a bit odd??? It usually takes one big swim (6+ hours) to really find our where you rub. Most people who have done ocean marathons, have 1 or 2 experiences of missing a spot or not keeping a spot properly lubricated. For me, in my first Tampa Bay marathon, I missed a spot on my neck, and after 10 1/2 hours of swimming it was a bloody mess. Fortunately I’ve learned from that 1 bad experience and from the wisdom of others. Lesson 1 – Learn where to apply grease (under arms, between thighs, around neck, …) Lesson 2 – Learn where NOT to apply grease (keep it away from goggles and eyes) You are right Rob if you don't apply lubricant to your chin and neck even the back of your neck you get rubbed raw. It appears to me the front of the neck and shoulder injuries are caused by friction. If you did not apply Vaseline or, (it looks like he used Lanolin) properly these marks appear. This also happens in fresh water. George www.swimdownhill.com