Throw Me In The Ocean
Training
I Swam Around Manhattan Last August and it was Good
I swam around Manhattan last August, counterclockwise from Battery Park to Battery Park. It was a goal I set for myself, then trained for for the better part of a year, attempted in June unsuccessfully, and then finally met on a bright summer day in August supported by an incredible team of friends and family. … Continue reading
The MIMS 2013 Debacle and a Second Chance #MIMSQuiet
If you read my post from the evening of June 7th, you know I was gearing up to swim the 28.5 miles around Manhattan the next morning. But if that’s the last you heard (I never claimed to be good at posting regularly!) you may not know that I did not make it all the … Continue reading
Swimming the Straight of Juan de Fuca: Andrew’s Account of Preparing for an Unprecedented International Channel Crossing
Tomorrow morning, Andrew Malinak will set off swimming from Vancouver Island (Canada) to a beach on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula (USA). The water will be cold and the conditions challenging, to put it lightly. For some perspective, understand this: crossing the Straight of Juan de Fuca is intimidating to boats, and only 8 swimmers have ever … Continue reading
Preparing to Swim Manhattan; Lessons from a Winter of Chlorine
Tomorrow I will swim around the island of Manhattan. It is 28.5 miles, and if I make it all the way around, it will be the furthest I have ever swum in one go. I am pretty excited about it. I have written about why I am drawn to this swim; I am inspired by … Continue reading
Swimmable NYC; Summer 2012 Digest
With the exception of those joyous, carefree, childhood summers that lasted for years at a stretch, I can’t remember a time in my life when I was happier just going about my business day to day. I loved this summer. And on that note, although the last thing I would ever want to do is … Continue reading
Ocean Swimming Through the Winter
As the ocean water warms, and the winter fades into memory, I reflect on my first winter of ocean swimming… But first… I remember a skiing trip my family took when I was around 10 years old with a bunch of other families from Seattle. At night, while the parents sat together over boring drinks, … Continue reading
on the Shoulders of Swimmers — Boatloads of Advice
I started experiencing shoulder pain in the fall of 2010, and just assumed it was due to stroke mechanics. (You can read more about my personal experience, including my surgery and post-op complications HERE.) When, by August 2011, the pain had gotten significantly worse, I sent out an email requesting advice from my local open water … Continue reading
June 2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Open Water Swimming in NYC
For those who are wondering why… Why swim in the open water in (and around) New York City? This post may help clear things up. June was a month filled with experiences I will not soon forget. Indeed, there was never a dull moment. Most notably, perhaps, is the way my New York changed from … Continue reading
Lake Minnewaska and the “Feeding Station”
My 10-mile swim in July (Kingdom Swim) will be in a lake—Lake Memphremagog, that is— so it occurred to me at some point that it would be important to spend some time training in a lake. So much open water swimming out at Coney Island and Brighton Beach could really give a swimmer a false … Continue reading
May 2011: OPEN WATER SWIM season begins in New York!
This post includes all May open water swims. They are: Jackrabbit Jerseyman Iron swim, beginning of the season with the CIBBOWS, NYC Swim season opener: Great Hudson River Swim, and more CIBBOWS swims. Jackrabbit Jerseyman Iron Swim (race) Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2011 (The day before my 31st birthday!) Location: Clinton, New Jersey Water: Spruce … Continue reading
About Me
I learned to swim as a wee one from my dad, who didn't really swim himself, but was tall enough and encouraging enough to send me back and forth to the side of a pool. There were also the terrifyingly wonderful trips on his shoulders out into crashing ocean surf, which instilled in me a fear and respect for the rising and falling, tempestuous beast, on whom he repeatedly admonished us kids to never, ever turn our backs. Read more...
Throw Me In The Ocean 