Why I love open water swimming
There is a scene in a movie with Charlize Theron (Cider House Rules) where a woman dives into a lake and swims far out. Her athleticism impresses the children on the beach as she presents an image of power and beauty. She looks, to put it bluntly, “bad ass.”
I have issues with diving (something about putting my head below my body), and don’t think I’ve impressed a beach full of children with my swimming, but I have come a long way with it. Growing up in New England I definitely swam during the hot summers — in pools, lakes, ponds, and my favorite: the ocean. But I never thought of myself as a swimmer.
Fast forward to my move to San Francisco 7 years ago. I decided to try lap swimming at the local pool where my husband had regular workouts. One reason I wanted to swim is because it has the least impact on your body since you are almost weightless when you’re in the water. I didn’t know how to swim properly, however, and wasn’t sure I could swim in a lane with other people, so I signed up for my first official swimming class.
The lessons went well, but doing laps was very difficult for me in the beginning. I could do the backstroke and breaststroke well enough, but the crawl, or freestyle, where you are face down and breathe to the sides took a lot of getting used to. I would get panicky and run out of breath and have to rest after each lap. That would limit how much freestyle I could do. Around the same time I was starting to swim I took a class on anxiety and depression. One of the in-class exercises had us simulate different physical sensations that people feel when they are anxious. We did things like spin around in our chairs to get dizzy or breathe through a straw. Anxiety manifests itself in common physical ways and we all have our worst one. I discovered that the most traumatic cause of anxiety for me is strained breathing. When I was having issues breathing in the pool I was reacting badly because it felt like how I feel when I get anxious. I think recognizing this helped me to get past it, or maybe I just got used to it — either way I can do freestyle for over half a mile without stopping now! Over the last few months I have challenged myself in the pool by swimming for longer distances, including ¾ of a mile and one mile.
Last summer when visiting my family in my hometown I noticed they have an annual triathlon. It had taken place before I arrived but I made a mental note of it. I had just completed my first marathon and was looking for a new challenge. This year I decided to go for it, particularly after I discovered that it is a “sprint” triathlon which means it is a shorter version, encompassing a half-mile swim, 14 miles cycling and 3 miles running. It was totally doable for me. I booked my trip to coincide with the triathlon and made a training plan. Like I did for the marathon I found a lot of information online, including a training plan and other tips. I hired a coach to teach me about open water swimming, particularly in the San Francisco Bay where I would need to practice. Suzie was an excellent coach and gave me the confidence boost I needed to conquer the swim portion. The first few times I swam on my own in Aquatic Park were a bit daunting, but as I got more used to it I grew to love it. I wore a wetsuit, which was good for getting started, though I now prefer to swim without one. A wetsuit gives you added buoyancy and warmth, but is a bit awkward and can trigger feelings of claustrophobia.
So what do I love about open water swimming? I love that it puts me out in nature. Even at Aquatic Park with its close proximity to Ghirardelli Square and many tourists, when I’m swimming I mostly hear the sound of the water and my breathing. I prefer it to swimming in a pool because I don’t have to stop every so often to turn around, and I have more of a sense of accomplishment from having traveled a visible distance. It’s a meditative experience as you focus on rhythm, form, and where you are going physically. The cold water is exhilarating and I feel refreshed for hours afterwards. I feel like a “bad ass” when I’m done and I walk out of the water, sans wetsuit, having swam a half mile or so. I owe some thanks to my dad for having encouraged me to swim in the ocean even when it was early or late in season and the water was uncomfortably cold. “It feels great once you get used to it,” he’d say, and he is right. When I told my dad I would be one of the few people not wearing a wetsuit in my triathlon, he said if anyone asked about it to tell them my dad didn’t raise any sissies.
