Exercising to the Beat of the Street

I thought of swimming as a solitary activity. The rhythmic breathing, 18-20 strokes to the wall, flip turn, repeat, blocking out all sound and sights and just following the black line. Other than being a part of my high school swim team, which I had joined because my friend Tara encouraged me, I’ve been swimming laps by myself for more than 20 years.  Coach Rick I was in the pool at Rocky Run Y several years ago, when Rick Field walked over and told me my right hand was entering the water too far to the side. I had met Rick in 2011, when he first started as a swim coach and teacher at the Y. I didn’t know what to make of him at first, he seemed loud and maybe a bit pushy, but he grew on me and I saw how much he cared for his swimmers to succeed. The Cedar Island 5K So in November 2019, after many years of asking me to join his swim workouts, I broke away from the solitary swim life to be part of a team again. Every Sunday from 7-8:30 a.m., our swim group would try our best follow...

One positive about the multiple jellyfish stings to my neck, back and arms? The burning sensation pulsating from the stings helped me to forget how the air was a brisk 49 degrees & water was 71 degrees.  This was my first time participating in The Maryland Swim for Life, a U.S. Masters Swimming-sanctioned event in the Chester River in Chestertown, Md., on Sept. 24. Sponsored by the District of Columbia Aquatic Club (DCAC), a USMS swim team for the LGBTQ community & their allies, over 200 swimmers took part in this 31st annual event. Friends of mine had recommended this race, it was only 90-minutes away & the weather looked pleasant for the upcoming weekend. So with less than a week until race day, I was looking forward to this river swim which benefits the non-profits ShoreRivers & Quality of Life Retreats .     By race day, the forecasted temperature had dipped, the water had dropped from a comfortable 77 degrees & it was cloudy. But that was no...

The warm, pink hue of the rising sun glowed above the Ocean City, N.J., boardwalk as I met with my fellow relay swimmers for the inaugural OCSC Coastal Challenge. Waking up at 4 a.m. for the drive to shore was painful, and I did question my sanity, but the opportunity to enjoy the open water was definitely worth the loss of sleep. My friend Kari recruited her fellow Rocky Run Creek Rats, Meghan and I, to be part of a relay team for this 10K race sponsored by the Ocean City Swim Club . Compared to the Cape May race I swam last month with hundreds of people, this event featured only three solo swimmers and three relay teams.  Thankfully, the ocean conditions were near perfect! The unseasonable cold water temperature had risen to 72 degrees, the wind was non-existent and the ocean was as smooth as a pane of glass. At 6:30 a.m., before the sun broke through the clouds, our Meghan bravely ran out into the ocean to start the first leg of our relay team from the 12th Street beach.  S...

First ocean swim