August Swimming

August is one of my favorite months for swimming. The lakes are warm while the air is getting chillier during my early morning swims. It seems more calm. I really appreciate being able to be outside to swim as opposed to being at an indoor pool. The lake seems to have no limits. I can go in any direction and, though I like to do flipturns, I don’t miss doing them after every 25 yards or meters. We will revisit each other soon enough, the pool, the wall and the turns. Last year I really pushed the swim season and made it into October before coming out of chilly Echo Lake in the mountains of NH. This year will be different. I will continue to swim as long as I can, but it will be different because I have moved south from the mountains where it is noticeably warmer. My expectation is that I will be able to go longer, just because the water temps will keep the swims inviting. There was a point last year where I felt so “bundled” to go swimming that I wasn’t really even in the water. None the less, still seemed adventerous. The adventure was prolonging

TriathlonSwimmer

The end of the triathlon season is drawing to a close for those of us in the northeast.  It is a sad time for me as I enjoy summer and swimming in the lakes around New Hampshire.  Last year I swam into the beginning of October before the work and time of putting on a wetsuit was taking longer than the swim itself.  Plus, I was so bundled to stay warm I no longer felt like I was actually in the water.  But I am not there yet.  It is only the beginning of September.  I have one more race of the season, the Pumpkin Man in Berwick, ME this weekend.

It has been a great swim season for me.  With the traveling I do for work, I have many lakes to slip into for a swim when time allows.  I have also had some of my fastest swims of the my triathlon career this summer, 2007.  I would attribute that to all the mindful, slow swimming I always do.  My stroke feels so tuned in when going slow that when I add speed, the muscle memory is there.  My arms move in harmony with my body rythm and roll, it feels so effortless and fun!  A few years ago I did not have that relaxed sensation when going fast.  Fast meant tension and fatigue.  Now it is a very different sensation.  The beauty of all this is that anyone with patience and persistence can learn this provided one is willing to slow down long enough to tune in with body.  Slow, is not a word many triathletes are familiar with, in my experience.  HOw does one get faster by first going slow…I will write about that next time.

Cheers for now,

Celeste

US Swim Coach, Pilates instructor, Total Immersion Coach, USA Triathlon Coach, Athlete