For starters, you all have NO IDEA how great it feels to be back on deck, back in the weight room, and back to kicking some of your butts! The best part that came from that long stay-at-home order was I had plenty of time to find new ways to make athletes better (which definitely just means more pain!).
As I’m sure we all know, finding pool time has been a constant uphill struggle for both teams and individuals, myself included. I still have not locked down a consistent location to run in-water training sessions, but I have loved some of your ingenuity for training locations. One specifically, swimming Devil’s Lake.
Devil’s Lake is a beautiful lake surrounded by large bluffs located in Baraboo, WI. The water is a great temperature, fairly clean, and the bluffs make for some of the best hiking in Wisconsin.
One of my athletes wanted to swim the lake as an Excel Training Session and as excited as I was to tackle some open water coaching, I simultaneously realized in order to open water coach, I’d have to open water swim. Keep in mind the last time I took a stroke in water was the 400 free relay at short course state back in March of 2019…yikes.
But I wasn’t too worried. My Stepfather, Brad Horner (a pretty big deal in the swim community of Madison, look him up!) and I used to swim two laps of the lake, 2.4 miles in total, while my mom hiked the bluffs. And I must say, there is something extremely rewarding about swimming across a lake. Now, 2.4 miles isn’t anything to applaud for since many competitive swimmers are cranking out nearly 4 miles in a single practice, but without the straight lines, the addition of environmental elements, and not to mention the beautiful views, swimming a lake just feels more accomplishing.
Traversing that lake brought back some great memories and feelings, and I want to share those feelings with my Excel Athletes. So, I am announcing that I will be hosting a few Open Water Group Sessions to swim Devil’s Lake. Here’s how I see it in my head…
· At 10:00am, up to 10 athletes meet on the beach of the North Shore at Devil’s Lake
· The athletes suit up to swim, while I and another “lifeguard” board our kayaks
· Two laps are swum in total (2.4 miles) with a short break after completing one lap
· The swimming consists of open water techniques, fun open water sets, and training drills that require teamwork
· After the two laps, some time is spent hanging at the beach, playing games, and who knows?! Maybe even the parents grilled some food while the athletes were swimming?!
Sounds pretty great, right? I would love to have the first swim be on:
· Sunday, 7/12 – meeting at the North Shore at 10:00am
If this shows good interest, I would schedule more throughout the summer. I’ve even considered running a small “Triathlon” at the end of the summer for all who are interested.
If you are interested, please reach out to me! The more feedback I get, the better I’ll be able to plan it. Can’t wait to see you all at Devil’s Lake sometime soon!
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