It was a small crowd for a Sunday 8 o’clock swim at the Albany Bulb; just myself, Rosemary, Caz, Sheila, Angie, and Arwen. We’ve had a gorgeous abundance of rain in the last twenty-four hours and many swimmers are opting to stay out of the water for a few more days. This question of how… Read More Rain and Risk (Day 345)
Sheila and I met for a 6:30 swim this morning in the middle of a crazy storm. There was so much wind that branches were falling from trees on my drive down to the Albany Bulb. When I saw Sheila’s lone car in the dark parking lot I couldn’t decide whether I was glad she’d… Read More Stormy Swim (Day 344)
It was lightly drizzling when I woke up this morning and I wasn’t sure whether swimming in the bay was the right thing to do. Technically, we are advised to stay away for 72 hours after the first big rain to let the runoff from the streets flush out with the tides. It hasn’t been… Read More Drizzly (Day 337)
Today marked my thirteenth swim in a pool this year. So in 336 days of swimming, I’ve only swum in a pool thirteen times. I was surprised when I checked my blog and saw this number. In some senses, it made me happy; I’m glad I’ve enjoyed so many open-water swims. While I knew I’d… Read More Joan Brown, Drought, and a Pool Swim (Day 336)
Sheila had an early meeting and so we met at the Albany Bulb for a 6:30 swim, which worked out well because it started raining this morning, and getting in early meant we were least likely to be swimming through runoff. But arriving at the parking lot in the dark with the rain splattering and… Read More Beautiful Storm (Day 335)
This morning started off hectic when my car wouldn’t start and then, after jumping into Kevin’s car to head down to the Albany Bulb, I realized I forgot (lost?) the strap to my buoy and had also forgotten a towel. Once I got into the water, the chaos continued. Hoping to beat the runoff from… Read More Hectic (Day 305)
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)
I spent all morning thinking I should go for a swim before it starts thunder storming, but I waited and waited until the clouds were at their most gray and forbidding. By the time I changed into my bathing suit and slipped into the water, the storm was heavy in the air, imminent. I stayed… Read More Calm before the Storm (Day 199)
It was another rainy Adult Swim. Promised thunderstorms didn’t manifest, just misty drippy skies and the repetition of swimming from one dock to the next over and over until I’ve done it 80 times. My mind goes through many stages in an hour of lap swimming. First, I’m so glad to be there. The water… Read More Repetition (Day 193)
There are a few ways in which my daily swimming has changed my relationship to getting into the water. One of them is my willingness—eagerness—to jump in whatever the weather. I woke up this morning to gray, wet skies and felt a little thrill that I would get to swim in the rain today. Rain… Read More Swimming in the Rain (Day 186)
Jenny Swimming 