I missed my little shadow on this swim, but I’m sure grateful for the experience. It’s always special being back in North Idaho, on the waters of my youth. It was a quick and dirty dash back to the panhandle for the Long Bridge Swim. I had three simple goals: 1) finish (put in a big effort) 2) go under the 1 hour 15-minute average 3)—stretch goal—go below 60 minutes.
This was my longest open water swim to date. I’m not a fast swimmer. I didn’t enter to compete, or to win, I entered for the experience, to put my training to the test, to see if I could do it. Hitting my stretch goal was cool, but sharing this spur of the moment trip (I asked Amanda to pack a bag for a 6+ hour drive to Sandpoint, seven hours before late registration closed) with my bountiful bride was everything I hoped it would be, and then some.
Being an athlete with spondy and migraines has always posed some unique challenges. Training with spondy is all about customization, putting the blinders on. It’s not a social thing, it’s a very solitary journey. I never really know for sure how the body is going to recover from one training sesh (one swim, one ride, one weight session) to the next, so, I put these experiences on my radar, and if they pan out, they pan out. One thing about training with spondy, migraines, and a clotting disorder, is that you have to be creative and adaptable, learning to accept the frequent disappointments and let downs as an opportunity to grow.
People often ask me in the pool and at the gym what I’m training for. That’s a complicated one to answer. I train each day to give spondy the middle finger, I train so I can stay active with my daughter and wife, I train because I need to, because training is my anti-depressant, because I love how it makes me feel, because I need to push myself, because I want demonstrate the importance of health and fitness to my daughter, because being outside, riding a trail on my mountain bike, pedaling a fire-road, or swimming in open water, quiets my mind, brings me joy, and connects me to environments that inspire me. And every once in a while, my training allows me to do something really meaningful and memorable, and humbling like this.
I’m grateful my body allowed me to be a part an awesome event with such good people and vibes. And to my beautiful bride, thank you for always being so game to do crazy shit, on the fly, and thank you for always believing. Oh, and I promise we’ll never pitch a tent at a gas station, on the highway, across the train tracks, at midnight, ever again. I pinky swear!
With nothin’ but love, MWL