I’ve been enamored with the idea of deliberate practice since being introduced to it in Angela Duckworth’s book ‘Grit’. I wrote about my revelations on Grit after my 25 mile swim from Newport, Vermont to Magog, Quebec in 2019: Deliberate Practice – Intrepid Water. What I focus on with my swimmers and in my own…
I am half way through swimming the length of Loch Ness – a swim that I have been planning for 4 years – when my crew waves me down for a regular feed. They toss me a plastic bottle tied to a piece of line so that I can drink, drop the bottle and the…
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.
Have you ever had a crazy idea? And then a piece falls in place that makes it seem possible. And then another piece. And another. So you keep moving forward… More pieces fall in place. It seems improbable. You’re not even sure it’s a good idea. But you’re curious… Here’s my story of following curiosity:…
On March 28th I jumped in the crisp, mid 50F’s waters at Glorietta Bay and cruised around Coronado Island. After the corner that would never end turned into the jetty that would never end, we finally passed the fog horn. My pace slowed down in the lumpy, bumpy ocean bit, but I didn’t want to…
Have you heard of the benefits of cold water swimming? Brightening mood. Increased stress tolerance. Decreased inflammation. Improved immunity. To name a few. Eight years ago someone was introduced to me as a certified ice swimmer – really, this was a thing? Sure enough, I read the International Ice Swimming Associations website. This piqued my…
If you read my last post about Minimalist Training, it may not surprise you to hear that I’m the least fit that I’ve been in my entire life! After all, I’ve only been swimming, on average, one day a week this last year — and much less as of late. Beyond swimming, I have done…
Here is my high level training plan by month for the 25 mile In Search of Memphre: In short, my goal was to peak at swimming 11 miles over 4 days per week, which is less than fifty percent of the marathon swimming rule of thumb–you can swim in a day what you train in…
The waxing moon is captivating… hanging low on the horizon, glowing orange. I load my car with bags full of water, hot water in insulated thermoses, a half gallon of pure Vermont maple syrup, pre made coffee, premixed feeds, extra food stuffs, post Desitin clothes, after swim clothes, parka, etc. I stop and stare at…
The other day my training partner and I were reminiscing about a time when we signed up for open water swims the week before the event or even day of, and now we find ourselves planning swims 8-10 months in advance! If you’re looking to try a marathon swim in 2019, consider that for safety…
While the sun keeps shining on October, Todd and I planned another yeti swim. This time we decided to save the trip to the gorgeous, clear waters of Lake of the Woods and took a dip in our local puddle, Emigrant lake. What we hoped to be a beautiful, sunny day turned out to be…
I rarely have time for such things, but this was a unique weekend, and I uniquely had time to compose a weekend swim recap for you. Fair warning, it’s a long one: I turned around from a border busting swim and family vacation in Vermont to take a personal escape for a little more swimming…