Only Someone Crazy Would Swim in the Cold

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been called ‘crazy’, I would be rich and it would be easy to write a check to Trust In Education ;-) Then I might relish knowing that I made a difference in the lives of kids who live in despair without asking for help from others.

But, I firmly believe in the saying ‘together we are one’ and doing this alone wouldn’t be gratifying at all to me, even if I had collected $1 for each mention of the word.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a community of support while reaching the goal of $100,000 for Trust In Education since I do need help.   Please take a moment to watch the video and share it.   Hopefully, we can cast a wide net to help make a difference in the lives of kids who live in desperate circumstances and have little to hope for.  Together we can make a difference no matter what amount of support is given.  I'm grateful for a donation of any amount and your support of this 'crazy' Loch Ness swim.

From Dublin (CA) to Loch Ness to Kabul

As I was training for my Lake Tahoe swim in 2009, I was also tutoring 3 Afghan refugee kids whose family was resettled in the San Francisco bay area.  It was through a string of coincidences that I learned of Budd KcKenzie and his non-profit organization called Trust in Education.

He and a small staff have provides education and health services to women and children in Afghanistan.  Its one of the poorest countries after 35+ years of war.  Afghan kids live in desperate circumstances, especially girls.

Over the past ten years, Trust in Education has expanded from one school of 120 children, to supporting classes in 10 villages that by 2017 helped educate more than 1,300 children, 50% are girls.

Budd McKenzie just published a book about his journey from the couch to Kabul.  He has inspired so many folks along the way to help in the struggle against suffering, repression and hopelessness. Im blown away by the number of elementary and middle school kids who are helping.

Im one of the many people who Budd has touched and I use my swims as a way to try to make a difference.  I know that there is suffering in my own backyard.  The level of desperation in Afghanistan far exceeds anything we have in the US or most wealthy countries. It is acute for kids, especially girls.  It was through the tutoring of local Afghan refugee kids that I realized how the brutality and suffering within Afghanistan robes kids of the opportunity to fulfill their potential, let alone find hope.

What I face during  hours of training or swimming 22+ miles  is nothing compared to the dire conditions Afghan children face every day.  I’m inspired by the tenacity of the kids to navigate their hardships and to learn when given a chance.

Budd is fond of saying, “we can’t be short distance runners” when injecting hope into the lives of those who have so little.  And that goes for this swimmer as well.

Training to A Plan While Having a Plan B

Something that I hear from a lot of athletes is ‘the event isn’t as hard as the training’.  This resonates with me since training takes up a good bit of time and can be fatiguing.

My typical training (Plan A) is a progressive and hold approach.  I usually train for 38+ weeks for an ultra-swim (22+ miles).  I progressively add more yardage each week to build to 40k yards in a week and I hold that amount for 3 – 4 weeks. Then, I will dip down from 40K for 2-3 weeks and then go back up and hold at that yardage.  I will do 2 very long swims; 15K+ and a 30K during peak weeks.  Like marathon running, I will not swim the entire distance which in the case of Loch Ness is 35k. 

This training model is something that I’ve refined from my early swims and have solidified through a great long distance coach.  When I started doing ultra-swims, I peaked at 60K per week on top of a full time, fast paced job.  I suffered from overtraining.   It took the wisdom of a coach, and the loss of sleep and appetite (a “canary” for an athlete) for me to realize that peaking at 40K per week is enough for me. Also, I learned the importance of recovery - - naps and days off.  My swim week is training Monday through Sat morning.  This way, I get almost 48 hours of recovery after my long Sat am swim.

Best formed plans can go sideways and its important to be flexible.  Plan B for me can mean jamming all my training into 3 -4 days.  Its not ideal but it can be useful for challenging my system as long as I get good recover afterwards.

The other thing that I’ve learned is to shake up where I swim and who I swim with. Variety is the spice of ultra training! Im very grateful for everyone that I train with, all the great training advice and places to swim.

Here's a shot of my training program

Finding Courage By Swimming with Heart

I get asked a lot “what has been your hardest swim?”  Its really hard to answer that question since each swim is different and has its own unique challenge (s).

What I do know is that Loch Ness will be the coldest swim 22 mile swim I’ll do and that makes it a top contender for the hardest swim.  Every once in awhile during a quiet moment, I feel angst about the swim. What works for me to lessen the fear is to think about who I’m trying to help and how grateful I am for everyone who has, in any way, helped and supported me.

These eloquent words from John O’Donohue are a poetic version of finding courage for my swim across Loch Ness.  

Maybe this will resonate with others no matter the challenge.

“When the light around you lessens, and your thoughts darken until your body feels fear, turn cold as a stone inside, when you find yourself bereft of any belief in yourself, and all you unknowingly learned has fallen, when one voice commands your whole heart, it is a raven dark.

Steady yourself and see that it's your own thinking that darkens your world. Search and you will find a diamond thought of light. Know that you are not alone and that this darkness has purpose. Gradually it will school your eyes to find the one gift your life requires hidden within this night corner. Invoke learning of every suffering you have suffered. Close your eyes. Gather all the kindling about your heart to create one spark.”

My kindling is a school full of Afghan kids.  

From: To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Swimming Loch Ness by Way of Alcatraz

It all started with the 2006 SERC International Alcatraz swim. My compulsion to swim in open water progressed to a full fledged addiction in which I am unable to look at a body of water and not wonder what it would be like to swim in it or to swim across it.  My mother told me that she used to do this too when she was younger...it's generic :-)

Even though I haven’t seen Loch Ness in person, it captured my imagination and I signed up to swim the length in August, 2017. The photos of Loch Ness show glassy, dark water nestled in the beautiful Scottish highlands with an ancient castle on its banks.  The thought of a friendly creature added to the mystique.  It sank into my psyche the way Monterey Bay did in 2011 when I decided to swim across that bay. 

I love the challenge open water swimming and completing marathon swims.  Loch Ness will be about 54 degrees (if I’m lucky) and I’ll be swimming in black water.  No dancing light like you find in Tahoe, Donner or Monterey Bay. This will pose a bit of a mental challenge on top of swimming 22 miles without a tidal push. My crew is already acquiring hats and costumes to keep us all laughing across the loch.  There is no shortage of Nessie wear for them to choose from.

Everyone has their own passion and drive to do a major swim.  My drive is to help others while I complete the swim adventure. Swimming the length of Loch Ness is an opportunity to raise funds for Trust in Education, an organization that I’m passionate about.  

Trust in Education has made education a high priority in war torn Afghanistan by developing schools, building community learning centers, sponsoring street children to attend school, and providing after school classes.  My goal is to raise $100,000 for Trust in Education.   I have tutored refugee kids in the bay area and know of the dire circumstances kids face in Afghanistan.

Education is the best course for these kids and the best chance for stability and peace.  Nothing I experience during a swim compares to difficulty they face. The thought of helping them and providing hope gets me through the dark moments on my swims.  There is always a dark moment or two, so I think about them a lot.

I’ve had the good fortune of being born into a family that emphasized and invested in my education and I feel compelled to play that forward.  100% of donations goes to Trust in Education.

Swimming with Sharks: Marathon Swimming & Salesforce

This is a presentation that I given a few times at work.  It reflects the culture and work envirnment there but maybe there are some themes that resonate with others.

Swimming With Sharks: Ultra Marathon Swimming & Salesforce from Salesforce