Dear fellow swimmers
The advantages of aging
As we get older, it’s common to worry about slowing down, injury risk, losing strength and whether we need to adapt the way we approach swimming.
It was therefore refreshing to listen to Deborah Gardner on our Zoom event last Thursday speak about some of the benefits of getting older.
Last year, Deborah became the oldest woman to swim the Catalina Channel, at the age of 66 and 72 days. In a talk full of energy, optimism and enthusiasm, she told us that dreams don’t age, and with age you become more curious and less obedient.
In other words, age gives us the experience and the wisdom to trust our own judgements and carve our own paths. We can listen to advice, but be more selective about what we choose to follow.
When preparing for a big swimming challenge, she recommended doing lots of smaller challenges along the way. She writes down her goals every day to keep them fresh in her mind.
She also had good advice for when you start to struggle on a tough swim. On the night of her Catalina swim, there was a 'super moon'. At one point, she was battling choppy conditions, but rather than bemoan the waves, she focussed on appreciating the moon and her good fortune in being where she was at that moment.
We also talked about sharks. Deborah shared her belief that if you enter the sea
respectfully, as you would entering someone else’s home, then they will sense that and leave you unharmed. But she also mentioned that she was so focused on the swim that she didn’t even think about them while swimming.
We will be sharing the full recording of our talk with Deborah on our YouTube channel shortly, so follow us there to be notified when it’s available.
Future events
Our Virtual Events are free to members. Look out for our talk in February about getting ready for the Great North Swim with Vassos Alexander, and in March where we explore how to flourish through swimming.
