2013 Fundraiser

Emily von Jentzen is an Ultra Marathon Swimmer who completes lengthy endurance swims to raise money for children with special medical conditions.


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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Waves

I feel I could have slept an extra 4 hours this morning for sure!  :)  Yesterday I just did an hour swim at Ashley Lake, but it was a tougher hour.  When I'm alone I usually do out and backs (keeps me honest)...and yesterday I did a mile out and a mile back.  The wind picked up a bit on the way back, so I had to work to get back to shore.



One of the things I have dramatically improved upon from my last training for Lake Chelan is less pool swimming and almost exclusively open water swimming.  It seems like it shouldn't matter, swimming is swimming after all, however I've found that even in calm water, open water swimming is harder than pool swimming.  But the waves....those are my favorite part.  I wish I could control them....ramp them up for harder workouts.  However, even with no control of the waves, it seems like at least two workouts a week I get a good bit of wind gust during my workouts...which brings the waves.

I've always really embraced the training philosophy that if you can learn to love the things you hate...you become a better, tougher athlete.  One of my least favorite parts about my Lake Chelan swim was the waves...they were big...and the worst at night.  But now on my training swims, when my mind starts to wander back to that cold night back in 2011, when the waves were crashing me into the boat...I can think things to myself like "at least I'm warm," or "at least its not night time."  The waves don't scare me anymore...I welcome them into my swims like an old friend.

I also love feeling sore the day after battling waves.  :)

Well...its off to work for me...have a great day!

~Emily




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