Liquid Chalk for Stronger Grip: Tips From My 1 Mile Open Water Swim (first time) [481]

Occasionally I’ll throw a personal story out there and hopefully you can take something from it.

Yesterday I swam in a 1 mile swim event called the “Sharkfest Swim.” It is a mile long course that goes from point A to point B, basically the length of the Coronado Bridge in San Diego.

Other details

I swim regularly in a pool and feel comfortable swimming a mile there, but had never done more than .5 at a time in the open water and that was over 3 years ago

I signed up for the event about a week before it, I realized it was a good time for a new physical and mental challenge and decided to just go for it

It was 74 degrees out and the water was 75, so I didn’t wear a wetsuit

I kinda disregarded the note on the event website, I trusted that I would be more than okay making it across
No, I didn’t have any run-ins with sharks or venomous snakes

My goal?

Since this was my first time and I had no idea what to expect, my goal was to
- a. make it across and
- b. finish hard so that I was wiped coming across the finish line (I figured that when I had about .25 left, then I would push my pace as much as possible to the finish)

My motivations?

To use this physical challenge to continue to grow so that I can better serve others. As we get uncomfortable, we are given the opportunity to uncover more of our strength. To become a little better (mentally and physically) so that I can continue to help others get a little better.

My plan?

To have fun and enjoy the environment. To remind myself of how grateful I am to be able to take on challenges, use my body, and play in the beautiful, natural world.

To break it down by counting up to 12 strokes at a time. I would breathe every 3 strokes (on average) and once I reached 12 I would glance up to see if I was headed in the right direction. Of course, I fell off of this plan numerous times because of focusing on other things (smacking into people, looking for spots of blue in the sky, thinking about form, reminding myself why I’m doing this, staying grateful, wondering far along I was), but always brought my attention right back to the stroke count. Towards the end I looked up every 6 strokes to make sure I was going in a “straightish” line to the beach finish.

Some Strategies Used:

It was an incredible event and I can add it to the list of things I never thought I’d do!

What’s next for you? How are you going to get out there and challenge yourself? Is there an event you can sign up for to push your boundaries?

Comment below with your plan.