A busy morning and day kept me away from the bay until late afternoon when I finally got to hop into the water. Because I was alone, I opted for the Berkeley Marina where there are always people on the water. Too many people sometimes: I stood on the dock, the wind whipping and watched… Read More Solo Afternoon Swim (Day 268)
A big gang of us went back to Heart’s Desire Beach in Tomales Bay today. As always with this crowd of Albany Bulb Swimmers, it feels like a celebration whenever we gather in any kind of numbers. Last time I swam here, I struggled mightily with the Moon Jellies, but eventually made a kind of… Read More Moon Jelly Madness (Day 267)
Another glassy, warm morning greeted me at the Albany Bulb. I joined a gang of 8 o’clock swimmers and swam hard to keep up with them; the sun blazing down as the calm water seemed to carry me along. The still, warm, friendly water was in sharp contrast to the news story this morning that… Read More Unpredictability (Day 266)
Liquid mirror, silvery light; swimming in the bay this morning was like swimming in the calmest of lakes. I went out with Jim and Nicola and each time I lifted my head to breathe, I could see their image repeated in the water. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the bay so calm–even those underwater… Read More The Bay was a Lake Today (Day 266)
Angie pointed out that today I have 100 days left of my year of swimming. I’ve got mixed feelings about that. I’m proud, of course; to have stuck with it; to be on the easy slide into finish. But I also detected a hint of disappointment in myself when she pointed it out. Like I… Read More One Hundred Days Left (Day 265)
At my 50th birthday swim celebration, a beaming light of a woman I’d never met before handed me a homemade crown. It was delightfully decorated and personalized and if it surprised me that a stranger would make me a 50th birthday crown, five minutes into knowing Edy, it wasn’t a surprise at all. She radiates… Read More Celebrating Edy (Day 264)
At my Lift and Sprint class yesterday Cynthia, who is training for the New York marathon, described a difficult run she’d had at the weekend. “Running sucks 30% of the time,” Amy responded. “30% is okay, 30% is pretty good, and 10% is amazing. We run for that 10%.” That seems like a bad rate… Read More Wild Swimming Doesn’t Suck (Day 263)
Because of the glorious rain yesterday, I took a break from the bay today and swam in the pool. Instead of wracking my brain for something interesting to say about my pool swim, I thought I’d write about bodies. One of the many things I love about swimming is the way it nurtures a comfort… Read More Bodies Swimming (Day 262)
Colleen and I met for a 7:00 AM swim at the bulb in order to beat the rain, or rather, the runoff of pollution from the streets into the bay that occurs with the first rain. It was supposed to start raining around 6 and we figured if we got in by 7 we’d be… Read More Rainbows and Pelicans (Day 261)
By 4:30 a.m. I was wide awake and nervous. I ate a couple of protein-packed muffins I’d baked yesterday, drank my coffee, and worried. At one point Lulu woke up and wanted to go outside and when I opened the front door for her, I was blasted by the wind. Oh no, I thought. It’s… Read More Alcatraz! (Day 260)
Jenny Swimming 