Lessons from the Lake

1. Dragon flies are incredible insects - Every few breaths I took I would spot a shimmering winged dragonfly skimming the surface with an erratic flight pattern. They usually live for 1-2 weeks with some species living for up to 8. Prehistoric dragonflies had wing spans of over 2 feet. Even with their small wing span today they are one of the strongest insect flyers - reaching speeds up to 60kph, and their eye has around 30.000 lenses compared to a single lens in a human eye. They can also eat hundreds of mosquitoes each day. So please leave them be. 

2. Start slow and try not to slow down - With any endurance event it's best to build into the distance with respect. Even thou I started slow and concentrated on efficient technique I still slowed in the final 3km even with increasing my intensity. We all have a central governor in our brain that will attempt to shut down activity if potential harm is perceived. If you are running, cycling, walking, or in my case swimming further than you ever have then the little voice inside you will get louder trying to make you stop. Overcoming that, and retelling the story that you are safe and to continue is most of the battle in ultra endurance sport. David Goggins suggests our internal safety governor is set far too low and we always have 40% more in reserve. 

3. The water is warm yet I got cold - The real long distance swimmers complete ocean crossings in cold water without a wetsuit. One of the most famous is the English channel where 2778 people have swam the 33km distance between England and France. The water temperature ranges from 14-18 degrees celsius. Swimmers are in the water for between 7-27 hours depending on currents and swim ability. My Rotoma swim was in 21 degree water and took around 3hrs.  I was still shivering when I got out due to the water being colder than my core, drawing heat from my body. The longer you stay in, the greater the thermogenic draining effect. Having past experience with cold water swimming in winter helped me handle the rising feeling of cold. Also understanding the benefits of cold exposure helped me put a positive spin on the discomfort. When you understand and embrace discomfort it allows you to keep moving forward with renewed purpose. Overthinking or catastrophising will stop you in your tracks. It gives more power to the conservative central governor. 

4. My hands and feet went numb often - this was possibly due to getting cold and blood flow being redirected to the core and away from the extremities. Another factor could be the repeated shoulder motion with little rest creating some neural impingement. I got over this with clenching my hands into fists occasionally, and turning over and doing 100m backstroke every 2-3km to break up the continued pattern of movement. 

5. Watermelon and cherries are delicious! When I did my first trail ultra in 2016 I couldn't believe how refreshing watermelon was at the aid stations. Fruit is natures endurance performance enhancer. Having these juicy fruit treats alongside my electrolyte drink, and dark chocolate was just what I felt like. Fruit on it's own doesn't make you fat or create metabolic disease. Poor lifestyle factors does - move more, keep stress under control, spend time with uplifting people, and eat more wholefood plant based. Don't take click bait general titles as fact.

6. Consistency is key - when I signed up for this challenge I made sure I swam 3-4 x a week. Having an external motivating event paired with internal discipline (discipline becomes easy when it develops into a habit) helps achieve results. Planning to swim 6km, then 10km 2 weeks before the event gave me the confidence and belief that I could complete the distance.

7. You don't have to cover the entire distance - With endurance events covering up to 60-70% of the distance 2-4 weeks immediately beforehand is all you need. Don't be fooled into thinking you have to cover the whole distance in one go. 

8. Full body strong - you will never reach your aerobic potential if you are not full body strong. I included push-ups and planks daily in the 8 weeks leading up to this swim. Another exercise I put in my weekly routine was hanging. My hands, shoulders,and forearms got stronger and more resilient with the 1-2 min (broken hangs) 2-3 x a week.

9. Water is life - Our society has to live in a way that better looks after our water ways. Without a thriving, healthy ocean, lake, and river ecosystem we won't have quality of life. We need to change our farming and transport systems on land as this has massive destructive effects on water. Less fossil fuels, synthetic fertiliser, and intensive animal agriculture. Look at cycling more, and becoming less car centric. Support regenerative agriculture. NZ must diversify away from intensive dairy. Drying milk with coal to a low commodity powder after pouring synthenic fertiliser on grass (destroying the microbes in the soil) to feed cows to produce the milk, then taking calves off them and sending them to slaughter as a by product is not compassionate,  or sustainable. 

10. Love is an action - Aotearoa has some of the worst domestic violence statistics in the world. We also have some of the worst youth mental health statistics in the world. Trauma inflicted on a developing child is horrific. We must stop taking our issues out on our children. Sort your own shit out before you pass it on to our most precious resource - our children. Talk to someone, get help. STOP the undercurrent of rot in our society. Love is not fluffy words and Hollywood stories. It's consistent action that allows others to feel cared for, safe, and able to be who they are supposed to be. A safe environment is the platform for improving our holistic health. Thriving eco systems are the platform for life.