Angie Swims

Occasionally, I get asked about my swim kit and rewarming practices. I've been pointing folks to www.loneswimmer.com for a while now, but hey, why not actually take the time and write up my own post? So here we go! (If you haven't checked out lone swimmer- do it now! Or after you finish here 😉) A note on the timing of this post: it is late January and the river is pretty chilly at this point, between 42-39, so these are the things and practices I use at ice swimming temperatures (below 41 F/5 C). I use most of these things on warmer swims too, but wanted to speak to the context of this post.  Additionally, I want to preface this by saying that everyone's physiology is different and it's taken me years of trial and error to figure out what works for my body in the conditions I swim in. Depending on the conditions and how my body feels I'll use different combinations of my gear. Things I take into consideration when packing for a swim include: the combined air and w...

Wow! Where to begin December is over and January is halfway through and the holidays have come and gone. This time of the year is always been the toughest for me. So many people find joy and comfort and the holidays and they always make me feel disconnected, mournful, and insufficient. For the last 3 years, cold water swimming is the one thing that gets me through the December/January seasonal depression I've battled since childhood. This year the pandemic has added an extra layer of stress and anxiety particularly in deciding who to socialize/swim with and who not to. It's hard to reconcile risk and the desires of one's heart to be near the people that matter. I am thankful for the Pandemic Pod and the swims we've had. I'll let the photos from the last month or so speak for themselves. ;) Getting in for my first ice km.  Starting at the beginning of December- I very nearly did a thing! I swam just over a km on December 3rd when the water temp was between 40.8 and 4...