Date: February 24th 2012
Temperature: …NOT COLD!
Purpose: To find my Aquatic Edge
Kona, Hawaii, 9 days of sea swimming to grasp my aquatic edge
Here I am in beautiful Kona, Hawaii training for the English Channel, why you might ask? The waters are crystal clear, the water temperature is a balmy 74 degrees and the sunshine, well let’s just say stunning. So back to why, this is a sharp contrast to the snarly locations I have sort out over the last 2 + years, over the past 27 months I have submerged myself in temperatures down to 47.5 degrees F, swum in the snow, embraced cloudy murky waters, big swells and menacing waves and here I am right now in the “Disney World of Open Water Swimming”, the water is a vibrant aqua blue, the entertainment under the surface is endless, as I swim there is an array of brightly colored fish, sea turtles and yesterday and energetic pod of dolphins whipped by me as I swam, they were playful, agile and made me in comparison look cumbersome and slow in the water.
So back to my purpose, I am out here in Kona, Hawaii to…..
” Find my Aquatic Edge”
Who with? The best in the world, Karlyn Pipes Neilson, I am one lucky Channel aspirant to be staying here in Kona with Karlyn, not only does she have over 200 Swimming World Records, she is an outstanding coach and instructor, leading clinics all over the world, and this week I, get to train alongside her. What a treat! Just swimming with her is ” gaining speed by osmosis”, I swim as close as I can…..
Other goals this week:
Sea Swimming
Speed Work in the Pool
Improving my Technique
Not getting Sunburn
Here is the link to the Aquatic Edge Website, there are some great swim clips here and articles to help your stroke http://aquaticedge.org/
Next Up: Sea Swim on the Kona Coast to Captain Cook. Will I spy Dolphins? I’ll keep you posted.
Closing Thought:
Nothing stays the same, nothing remains static, Which way a thing changes depends on you.
– Neale Donald Walsch