We had been looking forward to Leif’s escape from Alcatraz for over a year.
You see, one of the ways we’ve chosen to fight back with joy is by tossing anchors into the future.
It’s the practice of planning events and activities in advance so you can have something to look forward to and talk about other than your current circumstances.
Sometimes it is as simple as scheduling a long-overdue coffee date with a friend. Other times it looks like planning a fun staycation visiting new places around your city.
But one of those anchors fulfilled a lifelong dream of Leif: to swim the great escape from Alcatraz, a 1.5 mile open water swim from Alcatraz prison to the shore in San Francisco.
After much training, he completed the Alcatraz Sharkfest on June 7 and received 3rd in his division—I couldn’t be more proud. Even better, he is already signed up for next year. If you want to join him, sign up early—it sells out fast!
I asked Leif to share tips for anyone interested in swimming the Sharkfest:
1. With a solid training plan, the 1.5 mile distance shouldn’t be an issue. You should be able to swim 1.5 miles in a pool easily. If you get the chance to practice sighting in open water before the race it is really helpful.
2. Practice breathing on either side (if you swim freestyle) that helps when the waves are coming from both sides.
3. Train in cold water. I met a guy on the ferry ride out to the start that had been swimming in 80-degree water, and his face after jumping into the Bay was priceless.
4. A wetsuit is for floatation and warmth – make sure it fits. I didn’t wear one but I saw a lot of people trying to adjust fit on the ferry out to the start and at that point it is a little late.
5. If you aren’t up for swimming without a wetsuit consider getting a wetsuit from BlueSeventy. One of the ladies that I swim with is training for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, and if you order anything from BlueSeventy using the coupon code “bluecrewSA” you’ll save 25% and help support her!
6. Get off the boat quickly. Getting ahead of the herd was the best piece of advice I received.
7. Drink plenty of fluids before you get on the ferry. I was really dehydrated from the salt water by the time I finished the swim.
8. You can get a pretty good price if you stay at the sponsoring hotels, but Margaret and I pricelined a hotel and were able to walk to the registration area easily.
9. Swimmers are friendly. Don’t worry if you go alone to register. Just introduce yourself to the people in line and in the staging areas. I met a number of great people from Texas, Sweden, Canada, and California. If you decide to do the swim, I’m registered for Sharkfest Alcatraz 2015 and drop me an email at leafyoines@gmail.com, and we can meet up before the swim.
10. Have fun! This is the sort of thing that you’ll be able to talk about for a long time.
Leif and I are already looking forward to his next swim from Alcatraz and continue to toss anchors in our future.
