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)
I had a plan to swim over at the St. Francis Yacht Club midday today in order to suss out the waters there; it’s where we swim to from Alcatraz tomorrow. But, as 8:00 approached, I felt I couldn’t wait until midday and so I popped down to the Albany Bulb for a quick dip.… Read More Jenny Two Swims (Day 259)
This summer, Eliza bought herself a 1997 manual Rav 4. It needed some fixing up, so for a few weeks, it lived at her friend Ben’s house, where they tinkered with it. On our family road trip back up from Southern California in June, Eliza got word from Ben that the car was ready to… Read More Confidence (Day 258)
With our Alcatraz swim a couple of days away, our nerves are getting jangly. Sheila, Angie, and I met up at the bulb for another longish swim to remind ourselves (again) that we can do it. The conditions were friendlier today; rolling waves that washed over us in easy, predictable patterns. The sky overhead was… Read More Preparing (Day 257)
The wind was whipping as Angie and I arrived at the Albany Bulb this morning; white caps dotted the bay and waves churned to the shore. We reluctantly unlayered and made our way to the water. I jumped in fast, even though I didn’t really want to. The morning felt like a good practice for… Read More Slapped Around (Day 256)
I made the questionable decision to swim at the pool today. Questionable because all day I felt a gaping hole in my life having not frolicked in the open water. I felt anxious and unsettled—two feelings that melt away when I swim in the bay (or lake, or ocean, or river). In 2014, the marine… Read More Blue Mind (Day 255)
It was Wendy’s (one of the regular 8 o’clock swimmers) last day today and a big crowd showed up to see her off. The conditions were lovely—one of those days when I arrive at the Albany Bulb and am immediately shot through with gratitude that I get to swim here. Silky calm water and overcast,… Read More Swimming, Food, and Community (Day 254)