Intermediate Swimmer

I couldn't make my usual weekend swim at Alki, but a stranger had posted on Facebook that she wanted to swim at Greenlake, so we arranged a meet-up. Turns out although she's a really experienced open water swimmer, this was her first time in water under 60 degrees.

Her desire and instinct was to run in and run out, so she never warmed up. I encouraged her to stay in and use her motion to generate heat to warm up.  She wasn't wearing ear plugs, and I suggested that they would help keep her warmer.  We had other chats about acclimatization and how to increase your cold water endurance and how to rewarm after (bath not shower, get the wet suit off as fast as possible, etc).

At the end, her spouse thanked me for sharing my wisdom on the topic.

Two years of experience with Puget Sound meas I've learned enough to teach others. I think this makes me a solid, intermediate, swimmer. I still have a lot to learn to be "expert" but it is fun to feel out of the "novice" category.

Making Movies at Crescent Lake.

I'm back out on the Olympic Peninsula for work. A beautiful place that I am so lucky to get the State of Washington to pay for me to visit.  For some reason I totally miscalculated the amount of time it would take me to do the drive, so I arrived a good 2.5 hours before my meeting.  Luckily, I'd stashed my swimsuit in the car.  So I took off for Crescent Lake.

The area was quiet, but I parked and walked over to the lodge to change.  Oblivious as I am, I passed a sign that said "C1osed Set" [sic].  I didn't know what it meant, so I just walked on.  The front porch of the lodge looked like a rest stop on some long hiking trip. Tons of packs and food and a few rugged looking people.  The weather was wet, so most people were wearing fleece and rain jackets (this is the Pacific Northwest, so people wear that in the city too).

I didn't think much of it, figuring it was a place that backpackers used when needing to come into civilization or something. The Lodge clearly was closed as a restaurant and shop, unlike in the high season.

I walked in and changed into my suit.  I put my gear out on the porch among all the disarray, and went to get into the water.

As I approached, this was the scene on the dock.

A woman approached me and said "we are filming a movie and really can't have anyone on the dock."  I was unfazed, and went to enter the water from the rocky shore. Another person approached to say something similar, and I assured him that I wouldn't interfere with the shot.

He said their actor was a little wary of the temperature of the water, and he asked if I was going to wear a wetsuit.  I said no, but that I knew my body was acclimatized to cold water. I said I thought it was about 46, which is the same as Puget Sound, so I was fine.  Then I joked that if they needed a stunt double for the actor, I could fill in.

And off I sawm.  Boy was it glorious.

The first two minutes were the hardest. I just wanted to turn back. But the film crew watching me kept me going.  And I'm glad I did.  I warmed up. And I loved it.  The water was so still that I was the only creature making ripples, and I could watch them go across the whole lake.

I stayed in about 22 min, which was perfect.  I got a bit cold after getting dressed, but since I had no shower and the Lodge was not heated, I'd say that wasn't too big of a deal.

I talked to the movie staff again on my way out.  They said that technically this was a closed set, so no one not affiliated with the movie was supposed to be there.  OH, that's what that sign had meant!! I guess I don't have movie set cultural competence to know what it meant. However, they also welcomed me to watch from a distance. But I needed to get warm.  So I changed and left.

I'm really glad I made the trip out for a swim in my favorite Olympic National Park lake! And I'll look for the swim scene in "Light Me Up" if it ever comes to Seattle!

Will training ruin my love of swimming?

For the past two years, and many summers prior, I've swum for fun.  I swim when I want. Stop when I'm tired. Skip it if the weather is bad or there is some other tempting event to go to. My swimming was purely recreational.  Although I often did a "race" or two each summer, I never worried about my finish time and my longest event was 1.4 miles.  Since my typical Lake Washington swim was 1 mile, it wasn't hard to push on that day.

Now I'm contemplating putting together a summer swim "season" with two events that will challenge me-- a 1.5 mile swim in salt water and a 5k swim in the lake.  The first will challenge me in conditions, the second in distance.

The idea of doing a 5k swim is a bit daunting. I would actually have to focus on training for that. As I've been researching what the training would look like, I realize I'll have to commit to a lot more time in the water. This may mean earlier mornings or swimming later in the day, neither of which are ideal.

So this raises the question-- is training going to suck the fun out of swimming? And if so, do I not even want to sign on?

The plan right now is to ease into the training, and see how I feel, before signing up for any event. If I continue to like the ramp up and formal training in about a month, I will pay my fees for the "big" events.

San Francisco Bay Swim

I did it. I got to swim in San Francisco Bay.  It was all I had dreamed it would be and it has opened me up to wanting more.

My conference ended at 11am, and my flight from SFO was at 5, so I knew I had to move efficiently to get the maximum time in the water. I took an UBER from the hotel to the Aquatic Park. The UBER driver was really friendly and also disbelieving that I was going to swim in that water!

I went in to the Dolphin Club and paid there $10 fee to use the facilities.  Changed in the locker room and was out on the beach in no time!

The water was a warm 51.7 degrees.  Or at least it felt warm in comparison to the 46ish degree Puget Sound.

The water was also VERY murky. I could barely see my hand in front of my face. But the water had barely any taste of salt.  That may be because of recent storms.

Swimming in the middle of a city I love was such a pleasure.

I stayed parallel to shore.  Swam one loop, got out and checked the time, then swam another. The hot shower and sauna after were great.

And I got to warm up with a family tradition--- Ice Cream at Ghirardelli square! (notice how many spoons they gave me!!)

Growth Mindset and Learning to be an Open Water Swimmer

I'm at a conference for community college leaders in San Francisco.  As soon as the meeting ends, before I race to the airport, I plan to go down to the Aquatic Park and swim.  By myself.  In the ocean (granted in a protected bay).  How did I get to the point that this is even possible?

It is about a growth mindset.  I've been reading Carol Dweck and attending conference sessions on how we can teach students to have a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that your brain can change and you can learn new things even as an adult.

In education we talk about cultivating a students' ability to learn, and even more importantly, their belief that they can learn. This is the growth mindset.  Instead of saying "this is hard so I can't do this" we encourage students to say "this is hard and struggling is part of learning, so I will persist in learning this.  Students often try once, fail, and drop out.  We discuss how we can grow persistence and the ability to learn how to learn in a specific discipline.

What does this have to do with my desire to swim at the aquatic park? Over the past few years I have taught myself, with the help of a lot of friends (thank you Notorious Alki Swimmers) and the internet, how to be an open water swimmer. How to read the water. How to know when it is safe. How to know if it is warm enough. What to do if I'm in distress. This was a struggle for me. At times scary. At times I failed.  But I persisted in figuring it out, due to a growth mindset. I set out to learn how to be a swimmer and what that means.  It was a new discipline for me.

This blog has chronicled my going from a novice to a solid intermediate swimmer.  I'm still not and expert, and will enjoy continuing to learn. I did it because I believed I could.  I'll post my swim in the Aquatic Park when I can!

Healing Power of Water

I have been sitting on a post for more than a month now, and it is keeping me from posting other things.  The post is about how I used swimming to help me feel ok when my world collapsed this fall.  But it is too personal.  Too close to home.  So I sit on it, and can't publish it.

During my swim yesterday, in the pool, at the gym.  I again saw a little old man who is there probably daily (I don't know, because I'm not there daily, but he is there every time I am). He walks into the pool with a cane.  Then water walks for 10 min or so and does some other exercises and stretches. Then gets out.

When he gets out his gait is noticeably improved. He carries the cane instead of using it.  He stands up straighter. He walks more evenly.

Water is powerful.  While this fall it healed my world, it also, clearly, heals this man's body.

Best Hanukah Present Ever!

I've posted here about my love of Orcas and how my reflection on them this year has helped me with my fear of flying. Between that and my love of open water swimming, was delighted to open my hanukah present from my spouse and find this:

That's me. Swimming with an orca!! It is beautiful and perfect and inspires me every day.

It is from Etsy seller Trail and Tide. She handmakes silver jewelry that features animals and women in her studio on Hawaii.