Gain the comfort and confidence to swim free!
The Beaver State – Oregon’s official title – is aptly named as there are many waterways in this beautifully green region. With special thanks to Cyndi Werhane for commissioning esteemed swimming historian, Elaine K. Howley to document Oregon’s Open Water history.
I never know what to expect when I go for a swim.
Time stops. It hasn’t even been 10 seconds? The clock is frozen. I’m willing it to advance.
A different swim, a different day, time flies. I feel like I’m on top of the water. On top of the world. Flying.
I was taken aback by my last swim. The sensations intoxicating. The swash of the water around my ears. The fluid flowing over my skin. The air descending into my lungs. The gurgle of bubbles as I rhythmically turn my head into the water. Every part of my body knows exactly what to do. Time evaporates.
Next thing I know I had to get out; get onto the next thing.
This is rare.
But I want to swim forever.
I seek to fly as time falls away.
I want to experience all water.
I want to know what it feels like to soar across seas, lakes, rivers, oceans, inlets, and bays around the world.
I want to swim forever.
And I want you to as well!
Be sure that you’re swimming is anatomically correct. You don’t want to get sidelined by an injury! Seeing yourself swim is the best way to connect the dots between what you think you’re doing and what you’re actually doing. Send me some footage for free video analysis. Swim right at the camera for the best angle. But anything is better than nothing!
If you endured my “Tip a Day” November, let me know which one struck a chord!
Next I’d like to entertain your “Why” about swimming questions. Once a week I’ll answer a swimming “why”. Send yours for a chance to win swag!
It’s true! I know it’s been awhile… I’m trying to quit hesitating and post more often… for starters, here are several important updates that I need to share!
Amid the worldwide uprising against racist policing, we at Marathon Swim Stories have been trying to check our privilege and think about how our sport can me more inclusive, in hopes that diversity will follow. We’ll be hosting ‘A Conversation about Inclusion in Marathon Swimming’ in the month of July and would love for you to join us! Please fill out this survey to indicate a date and time that works for you and we’ll send you an invite!
We acknowledge that we are part of an expensive sport that often requires charter boats, crew, and observers, not to mention travel and accommodations for everyone involved; it’s not financially feasible for everyone to swim a channel! But 70% of our earth is water! Maybe you could swim in your own “backyard”?
To support and encourage you to push some distance and love your local water, Intrepid Water in cooperation with Rogue Valley Masters is hosting the Build to Marathon Virtual Open Water Swim Series! The distances include: 2.5K, 5K, and 10K, for just $15 you can start with the 2.5K and build to marathon distance. Category I and II swimwear allowed (ranked separately); you can even swim with and without a wet suit for a total of 6 events! Plus, you’ll be entered to win some awesome raffle prizes over the course of the series, and see how you match up against swimmers around the world! Read about it and register today – we kick off on July 1st!
Are you a seasoned marathon swimmer who isn’t challenged by ‘just a 10K’? Take a newbie under your wing and show them the feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment that you get from marathon swimming – and you’ll be entered in a special raffle just for mentors!
Need a tow float for increased visibility while you’re swimming in the open water? I have many Swim Secure styles in stock: Basic floats, dry bags, dry storage with cell phone windows, or the one that’s fast becoming my favorite, the Hydration Float which keeps a water/feed bottle easily accessible for those swims when you want to push a little distance, but don’t have a support boat. If you are more likely to find yourself in a kayak or on an SUP, you might like the Bum Bag to keep your valuables dry! Always swim with a buddy, #besaferbeseen, @swimsecureuk.
Looking for some tips and tricks to improve your efficiency in what is turning out, for some, to be an “off” year? Sign up for my virtual Efficient Swimming Basics course to build awareness and gain efficiency in the water!
Not sure how to prepare for that marathon swim? Learn methods for creating your own training plan, cover efficient swimming basics, and tips for mental preparedness in my virtual Quickstart for Marathon Swimming course.
Want to hear from swimmers who caught the marathon swim bug? How do they do it? Why? Join us for Marathon Swim Stories on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:30 AM Pacific/12:30 PM GMT. Or subscribe on your favorite podcast provider!
Have another idea? Email me if there’s anyway that I can virtually support you. I hope to hear from you soon!
This is not just another post about “our response to the COVID-19 outbreak”. I need to halt our regularly scheduled programming to freak out for just a minute. I was going to talk about how to rewire your brain to make change; taking the time during a chaotic masters practices to focus on just feeling the water and implementing deliberate practice in your routine.
But chaotic masters practices are a thing of the past. Pools are closed or closing. “Shelter in place” is not a covered picnic table that you can reserve at a local park. Friends and family are self imposing quarantine when it’s not mandated. School is closed indefinitely. Hospitals have cancelled elective surgeries for the foreseeable future. Restaurants are scrambling to advertise pickup and delivery options. And beyond front line doctors, nurses, and grocery store workers, employers are either laying off employees or scrambling to find telework and work from home opportunities.
On a personal level, I’m spending every waking hour with my kids. My husband is in and out of hospitals, teleconferencing follow up care, and trying to figure out what the new reality is for elective orthopedics. I’ve had to cancel my inaugural swim camp and every local event that I just put on the calendar. For financial security I’m contemplating, yet another, return to IT work. So yah, I’m freaking out!
Stepping back…
I am grateful for so much! I live in a beautiful place where social distancing isn’t that hard. I have a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep in, running water, electricity, and food in my cupboards. I have two amazing kids who I love to spend time with. And an amazing and supportive partner.
But when I stop and think about the current state of affairs, it takes my breath away. When I wake up in the morning scrunched between my kids and take a moment to let the new day sink in, I have to remind myself to breathe.
I tell myself everyday that this will all pass, that we’ll get to the other side. But that doesn’t erase the fear of what the other side will look like. How long will it be? Is this the new normal?
In some sense I feel like I’ve been training for this my whole life. My husband is an apocalypse movie junky. We’ve lived in relatively rural towns, a modest distance from convenient services, for the last 11 years. I don’t consider myself a hoarder, but I’ve always maintained a respectable backlog of food and supplies. I’ve worked remotely for the better part of 17 years, so isolation and virtual connection are comfortable to me.
But staring uncertainty in the face is scary.
I’m a planner. I love to create training plans (even more than I like to follow them!) I sit for a few minutes and plan out each day. Even planning for uncertainty, like marathon swims, long hikes, or a vacation with kids; you never know what exactly you’ll need, so you plan for and bring a little bit of everything; I love it!
But in the face of absolute uncertainty, with no parameters, or bounds; I feel paralyzed.
I’m impressed with the amount of free services being offered online. Everything from streaming body weight workouts, free printable education materials, even easy to make recipes in the name of quarantine! This genuine outpouring of support – coming together in isolation – it’s heartwarming. But I still can’t seem to get off my ass.
I finally realized that I’m mourning. Mourning the loss of society as we knew it. I’m somewhere in depression, but on the way to acceptance.
So a new type of rewiring is in order. In the same way that a few times a week I would focus on my stroke and technique to ensure that I was feeling the water and working to break bad habits, I’m committing a few hours each week to connect with people like you – anyone, anywhere, who wants to connect.
It’s early PDT, because I endeavor to meet before my kids are up, but they are early risers, so you might see them. We had three people on the first call and it started my day off just right, the same way swim practice starts your day off; but without having to go anywhere! Join me for Virtual “Swim” Practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30AM PDT: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3890588216
As soon as I’m out of this funk, in place of deliberate swimming practice, I’m going to be deliberate in working on me. I’ll move, strengthen, and complement my swimming muscles in quarantine. Let’s motivate and encourage each other when we connect!
There are an abundance of free (for now) resources, here are a few that I’ve cataloged:
https://swimswam.com/training/at-home-quarantine-training/
https://outdoorswimmer.com/blogs/how-to-keep-swimming-fit-during-corona-virus-pandemic
https://www.liquidtri.com/blog/coronavirus-swimming-improvements
http://www.swimmingspecificyoga.com/
How are you handling the situation? Connect with me on instagram, Facebook, or email – I’d absolutely love to hear from you!
Next time, how to get swimming outside. Now more than ever, is a good time to swim wild!
I crave efficiency. Perhaps this is why, I’ve always thought, “I can do it myself!” Whether it’s moving into a new house, moving across the country, filing taxes, financial planning, buying a house, installing irrigation, designing a logo, setting up a website, getting where I need to go, swim coaching. I’ve always thought: why should I pay someone, why should I take the time to find the right person, why should I trust someone else with my personal information, my idea, my stuff– I can do it myself.
For years, and years… and years, I’ve found my way like this. Sometimes taking two or three or more times as long to do something than if I had just reached out for help.
When I started marathon swimming, I thought I could swim by myself too. But how do you train for long distances? Besides that, it turns out you need a team just to get started. Someone to show you the way. Someone to carry your feeds. Someone to observe and document your swim.
Marathon Swimming opened me up to the idea of people helping people to pursue their dreams. I can’t achieve my goal without a team.
Can I be on your team?
For me it took the time constraints imposed by having kids to realize the power of relinquishing some of my “I can do it myself” responsibilities to experts. And wow, have I learned more about how things should be done and how efficiently they can be done! This is a work in progress, but I have particularly found value in my coaches.
In my journey as a coach, my need for efficiency has driven me to simplify the vast world of swimming tips, tricks, drills, quick fixes, to just four focus areas–posture, pull, rotation, and glide. For new swimmers, these are guideposts: start with good posture by floating, then add a pull, rotate to generate power, ride the glide. For experienced swimmers, these are check ins: how’s my posture, am I pushing water behind me when I pull, am I driving my rotation from my hip, am I gliding.
Can I help you swim more efficiently?
It’s true, I need you. If you didn’t fill out my survey for whatever reason, drop me an email. I love talking to people about what’s holding them back. I want to know how I can make you more comfortable and confident in the water so that you can take on whatever is challenging you. Whether you’re just trying to get your face wet, you want to give your joints a break and take up the life long sport of swimming, you want to steer clear of shoulder injuries, or you want to challenge yourself to swim further than you ever thought possible, I’d love to hear from you!
More than anything, on this Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for being you. If I’ve taught your kids swim lessons; thank you for trusting me with your little ones. If I’ve taught you lessons; thank you for confiding in me. If I’ve coached you to achieving a personal goal; thank you for having faith in me. If you’ve learned to swim more efficiently through one of my virtual programs; thank you for connecting with me through the ether. Thank you for having the courage to seek help and be part of my team!
For years – decades, actually – I thought that I had a pretty good drive to exercise and stay fit. I grew up swimming just about everyday, sometimes twice a day, with dry land training before practice. I rarely missed a practice or a meet. I thought I was internally motivated.
I might have had a clue in college. I quit swimming after high school, but found that I did best if I built exercise classes into my school schedule. I picked up racquetball, jogging, and water polo. This led me to intramural soccer and water polo leagues which continued into my twenties. I was often the first to the pitch or the poolside and never missed a game or tournament. I thought I had a natural inclination to workout.
Another clue might have come when I started signing up for running races and triathlons but couldn’t make myself train on my own. Some times I would stay out the night before an event rather than get a good nights sleep. Then suffer through an event wishing I had trained more and rested up.
I’m finally realizing that I much prefer exercising WITH people and with other people in mind! I have a pool in my backyard, but have the hardest time prioritizing swimming with so much else on my plate. However, when I practice and train with others, I’m accountable. As I have fallen in love with marathon swimming, I’ve realized that I need the people on land and by my side in the water to stay motivated. I don’t want to let my crew down. I don’t want to let my kids down. I don’t want to let my clients down. I want to be part of a tribe!
Here’s your chance to be part of the tribe! Intrepid Water is hosting its first swim camp at Lake Shasta April 22-26, 2020. We’re training for marathon swims! Whether you’ve done one before or you’re just looking to test your metal and see how far you can go, join us! And there are more camps to come! Do you want to learn to swim more efficiently? Are you ready to break through your personal barriers? Were you once a swimmer and you’re intrigued with the idea of getting wet again? Looking to realize the adventure that wild swimming can provide? Whatever your experience, please take a minute to fill out this survey to help me understand what would get you to Southern Oregon to swim with me (if you’re local, what would bring you out to a lake)! We can’t wait to swim with you!