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)
I met up with Arwen at Keller Beach this morning. We were greeted by a turkey vulture eating the carcass of something (we didn’t investigate what) that had washed up on the beach. It was a creepy way to start the swim, but once we got into the water (and past the eelgrass), things improved… Read More White Rocks (Day 253)
I’m posting this late because right after my swim, Angie and I had to make Shepard’s pie for a hundred people. It was hard work and there wasn’t a second to sit down until after the dinner, at which point I was drinking wine and celebrating our accomplishment. Now, yesterday’s swim seems like a long… Read More Unplanned Distance (Day 252)
Today’s takeaway is that two miles is a lot of miles. Simple math would tell you that two miles is twice as far as one mile, but today that did not seem true. Angie, Gabe, Kim, and I set off from the Albany Bulb at 7 this morning with the aim of swimming the two… Read More Two Miles is a Long Time (Day 251)
This morning I did my Lift and Sprint class before my swim. I’ve extolled the virtues of this class here before. I love it. It’s fun (an adjective I rarely use to describe exercise unless it’s swimming) and the time flies by even though I’m working hard. But there is one part I don’t love:… Read More Meat-Suit Meet Water (Day 250)
Jenny Swimming 