anonymous / January 6, 2015
Being a swim instructor at Menlo Swim and Sport sort of implies I like to swim and I do. I also like to run, I especially like to run long distances like half marathons and marathons and I really like ultra marathons. My favorite running event so far this year was a night trail marathon in Marin. My favorite swim this year was the MSS challenge of attempting to swim 50,000 yards in February. Truth is, when I’m swimming, I wish I was nice and dry and running. You of course know what is coming next, when running I think I’d much rather be in the pool. Swimming means not feeling sweaty, experiencing a nice body temperature, feeling clean and hearing underwater bubbles. Swimming also means seeing nothing but the bottom of the pool, having water go up your nose and well, being wet! Running means being outdoors, seeing new and changing scenery and being able to snack at aid stations as the miles pass by. Of course, running means everything being sore after a long run, being wickedly grimy and on occasion, just darn tired. Swimming and running certainly are 2 different experiences for sure and many people would rather do just one or the other.
I find swimming and running to be hugely complementary. Recently, after doing a Death Valley half marathon, as soon as I got back to the hotel at Furnace Creek, I went swimming. After the pounding of running on trails through canyons in the dust and heat being in the pool was exactly the right thing to do. Being wet dropped my body temperature and the feeling of being essentially weightless was beyond soothing. When I’m running I deeply appreciate the steady flow of movement and the feeling of everything in balance. When swimming, I know that I can alter each stroke and experience an alternate movement thru the water.
I really love to run, especially knowing that at the end of a run I can swim. Swimming after running is a wonderful way to work out the kinks and get body parts flowing in the same direction. Think back to your math days and consider swimming and running as a Venn diagram the intersection of which is the joy of moving on land as well as in the water. So the next time you are running think about swimming and the next time you are swimming think about going for a run. Maybe toss in the bike ride and you’ve got a triathlon but that is a future blog.