Author: Aerin Bowers

Another Spin Around the Sun…In Slocan Lake

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

I had a birthday this weekend. You just can’t stop them from happening every year. I’m fortunate in that mid-September is often still warm enough for lake swimming in BC, and this weekend was no exception.

I have always enjoyed canoeing and camping on Slocan Lake. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, with gorgeous beaches, clean water, and plenty of variety in terms of campsites, canoe routes, whitewater rafting, and places to explore. I’d never swam across it before though, and the occasion of turning 44 seemed to be the perfect opportunity with the water holding a balmy and refreshing 15 degrees C and the rain holding off (because of my special birthday rights). The lake is approximately 2.7 km across from Silverton to Sandpoint Beach.

I was also very keen to try night swimming. And it did not disappoint.

I set off from the boat launch in Silverton around 7 pm, wearing my thickest, warmest wetsuit – a Blue Seventy Sprint – 2 swim caps, and positive thoughts of warm fleece, hot tub time machines, steaming mugs of Earl Grey tea, and Swedish saunas.  Scarlet had both dogs and all of our camping gear in my big old blue canoe, as well as a bright light to guide her crossing. She’s an experienced, skilled, and capable paddler, and I had no concerns with her ability to guide me safely.  The sun set quickly while I was in the water, and soon I was making my way across in darkness next to the canoe. One word sums up this experience – exhilarating! The combination of the cold, the eerie play of the light on the surface of the water, and the feeling of swimming weightlessly into navy blue nothingness was just awesome. I definitely want to do it again. And again! Read More

Chewing the Scenery in Lake Chelan

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

The Lake Chelan Swim is an annual community event in Manson, Washington, held on the first Saturday after Labour Day.  It’s a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) shoreline race from Willow Point to Manson Bay Park. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend all summer. It’s the second last of my planned 2018 races (although – never say never!) and awesome because it’s a) a road trip, and who doesn’t love a road trip weekend and b) it’s one I hadn’t done since 2014 and I was eager to see how I’d fare with a few years of training under my belt. I should add a c) here – I’ve done such long swims recently (28 k and 12 k in the last month), that I knew a 2.4 k would feel very different!

The lake is one of Washington’s cleanest and most pristine, which is another reason I’ve been craving a return to this race.  The water temperature, at around 18 degrees Celsius is also perfect. Perfect for a bracing wake up if one is a wee bit hungover, which you will be if you really make the most of your Chelan weekend. With dozens of wineries and bars in the region, a visit (even for a sporting event) must include a good sampling of the nightlife and fun stuff. The Shore to Shore Marathon is held the same weekend, just in case you’re particularly hardcore or maybe training for swim run. (Insane. How do you swim with shoes??)

The drive from Rossland to Lake Chelan is spectacular. Washington is a beautiful state, with winding roads that take you alongside the mighty Columbia River and through to the more arid and badlands-esque Okanogan County.

Having secured an amazing VRBO, I was eager to arrive and relax lakeside (and bar-side) before Saturday’s swim. I’m accustomed to events that begin at the crack of dawn, so it was nice to know that a restorative lie-in would be possible. The morning sunrise over the south side of the lake was beautiful and inspiring and the situation of the property was almost like an infinity pool – I could look down and across the water from the deck. If you’re planning to visit the area, you’d be treating yourself with a stay here. Treat yo self! But book early – places fill up fast!

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Eating, Sleeping, Breathing…and Reading

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

If there’s one thing I love as much as open water swimming, it’s reading!

I always have 3-5 books on the go, and my choices run the gamut from fiction to business to personal development – and my current favourite: memoir. I belong to a lively local book club and look forward to our monthly meetings the way other people look forward to Christmas or their Botox appointments. In fact, tonight I am hosting our get together and I have bought lots of chocolate and red wine to help stimulate the discussion. No boys allowed.

I will devour anything related to adventure and exploration (vicarious living?) and have always enjoyed anything about Shackleton, Everest expeditions, and being lost at sea.

Since I’m a keen swimmer, I’ve been adding a few swimming titles to my library. If you’re a reader like me, you might find some of these to be perfect titles to curl up with post-swim, under a blankie with a cup of tea or a snifter of Fireball, smelling of chlorine and feeling like tired magic.

(I haven’t provided a link to purchase these books, because I think you should always check at your local bookstore first!)

Turning: A Year in the Water by Jessica J. Lee (Hamish Hamilton Publishing)

This melancholy memoir recounts Lee’s experience swimming the 52 lakes that surround Berlin. It’s full of rich and beautiful writing, full of emotion and self-exploration. It resonated with me in terms of the time frame Lee sets for her goal, and the personal issues that drive her to depend on swimming to work shit out. I read it in short, small doses and found that allowed me to soak up the lush descriptions and powerful prose.

Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox (Harcourt)

If you’re an open water swimmer and you haven’t heard of Lynne Cox, then we can’t be friends. Ok – maybe we can be friends, but you have to read this first! Cox’s open water story is so inspiring, and so amazing. This accessible book was a page-turner for me as I couldn’t wait to see what challenge she’d conquer next. It also sparked my interested in the arena of cold water endurance, since I’ve been wondering if that’s a future possibility for me. Cox is my patron saint of open water swimming. She’s done the English Channel (setting records!), the sharky Catalina Channel, the Cook Strait, the Strait of Magellan, the Cape of Good Hope, the goddamn Bering Strait, and motherfucking ANTARCTICA. This woman’s excellence knows no bounds and reading about her accomplishments literally has me on the edge of my seat and researching crazy ideas. Lynne Cox is simply a remarkable human. And bonus – there are pictures! I love books with pictures.

Swimming in the Sink: A Memoir by Lynne Cox (Vintage)

I haven’t actually read this one yet but I thought I should add it because LYNNE COX, and it’s sitting on my nightstand right now.

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton (Blue Rider Press)

Canadian author and artist Leanne Shapton captures so much of the experience of growing up as a youth in a swim club, and how those experiences impact the making of a life beyond the practice and the pool. It’s a hard book to describe, both deeply personal and surgically sharp in observation. Shapton’s art is interspersed throughout, and creates a wonderfully sensory reading experience.  Her photo archive of her beautiful bathing suit collection is breathtaking.  A reviewer of this book states, “My talent crush is official and deep.” I have to agree. 

The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou (NeWest Press)

Angie Abdou is a Can-lit goddess, and her first novel perfectly captures the exhilaration of Olympic dreams, the uncomfortable choice architecture of teenage romance, and the mindset of discipline that is so elusive to anyone who’s ever really loved a sport. She writes about pressure so effectively, through characters who are both relatable and inspiring.

Swell: A Waterbiography by Jenny Landreth (Bloomsbury)

First of all, I wish I’d coined the phrase “water biography.” Isn’t it brilliant? I’m halfway through this account of the feminist history of the swimming suffragettes, and I’m enjoying it so much. Landreth tells the stories of groundbreaking and inspiring swimming women with brilliantly cheeky humour and joy. Her own story, woven throughout, is insightful and very fun to read. And again – pictures!

I’m sure there are a zillion other really good swimming books out there. I’d love to hear about them all. All of them! If you’ve read something that inspired you, made you laugh, or challenged you to slip into a Speedo, let me know and maybe you can come to my next book club. I’ll share my Fireball.

The Skaha Lake Ultra Swim…is OVER!!

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

I woke up this morning having achieved something I wasn’t sure I could do.

Yesterday I competed in the Skaha Lake Ultra Swim – an 11.8 km event in Skaha Lake, BC from Penticton to Okanagan Falls.

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I’ve been training for this swim for the last few months. I followed a plan and stuck with it as well as is possible for me to stick to any kind of plan.

I learned so much about myself during the lead up to this event. I learned not only what my body is capable of, but also my mind.

It’s often said that long-distance swimming is more of a mental than a physical game. The long training workouts required for a big distance can be boring, isolating, and frustrating. You are effectively trapped with your thoughts. I’m no stranger to this, especially with the annoying personal issues I am currently working through.

Physically, I knew I was strong enough for the marathon distance after last weekend’s 27.17 km. I had put in the work.

But mentally and emotionally, the work is so different. I have sought to create a positive inside space for myself when swimming. It’s so easy to dwell on what’s not going well because you have so much time alone with your own brain.  My work here has been to learn to focus on breathing, the movement of my arms and legs, and the rotation of my body. And to not focus on the things I can’t solve in that moment.

Sometimes it works for me, and sometimes it doesn’t. The work continues, and that is the whole point of it all, really.

Yesterday it did!

The swim started at Skaha Park in Penticton at 7 am. The weather was cooler than it has been recently, but the smoke of 500 forest fires hung heavily in the air.

The atmosphere was lively and positive, as you can see from the group photo taken before we started.

Swimmers and kayakers assembled on the beach to share last minute strategies and plans. I was so lucky to have my friend Christine as my support kayak. Christine drove all the way from Victoria for this event, and I am so grateful for her support and encouragement before, during, and after the swim.

We talked about my nutrition plan – Clif Bloks every 45 minutes with no dolphin tricks required. We plotted the straightaway to Ponderosa Point, and how we would approach each of the landmarks.

I swam my first 3 km the way I always do, easy and relaxed (unless something is chasing me). I focused on the rhythm of my stroke, my excellent tunes, and getting a feel for the water. At 20 degrees Celsius, it was quite a bit warmer than anything I’ve swam in recently.  I really noticed the smoke in the air, and I was thankful for the fruity flavour of my Bloks to take away some of the bbq-esque palate of the lake. Read More

Here Comes Skaha and I’m Ultra-Excited

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

It’s almost here!

It’s the event I’ve been working toward since the early new year – the Skaha Lake Ultra Swim.

The Skaha Lake Ultra Swim is an 11.8 km event, encompassing the length of the lake from Penticton to Okanagan Falls. It’s one of BC’s longest swims, and it’s the longest swim I have attempted in my short life. I’m confident due to last weekend’s long swims, but also nervous because there has been so much build up to this weekend.

I thought I’d write a post about my preparation for an event such as this, in case it’s helpful to anyone else with a big life-changing swim coming up. Read More

Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 3 (Six Mile to The Prestige)

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

If you want to indulge in a lush, boozy brunch, you’ve gotta earn it!

And earn it we did – with a grand finale swim of 10.6 km from the Six Mile sand bar all the way into Nelson. The original plan had us wading ashore at Lakeside Park, but cooler and hungrier heads and hearts prevailed and we climbed out at the marina just below the patio at the Prestige Hotel. Brunch never tasted better. More than just an extra mile, the additional distance added another 3.17 km to our grand total taking us to 27.17 km swam over 3 epic days. Read More

Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 2 (Kokanee Park to Six Mile sand bar)

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

You might have thought that your intrepid swimming subjects would have faced the darkness of the new day and the prospect of another 8 km with dread and apprehension.

You might have thought that there would be tears, self-doubt, and…chafing.

YOU WOULD BE (mostly) WRONG! (There was some chafing.)

Another 4:45 wake up call, coffee, poops, pep talks, vehicle drop off and a short portage, and we were off! Our team was one less today, since our triathlete decided to save his shoulders for an upcoming event.

Today’s 8.03 km stretch went from the beach at Kokanee Park to the sand bar at Six Mile. The lake was calm and peaceful for our first half, with mild currents for the second.

Without the challenge of yesterday’s chop, everything felt a lot smoother. I had worried about my shoulders, but the only discomfort I felt was in my lower back. This is usually because of the altered position of my body in my wetsuit.

The Steven Boys took an early lead and reported that they both felt amazing. Mark stated that he could have gone all the way into Nelson. Wanker!

Deanne and I gave Barney, our kayaker and food dispenser, a good morning workout as he paddled between us doling out Shock Bloks and encouragement. Read More

Sunshine Bay to Nelson: Day 1

Posted on by Aerin Bowers

At 4:45 am, I grabbed my phone in the darkness to check the time. From my cozy Boler bed, I could see a light on in the cabin and I knew that indeed, my hosts were up early as promised and YES – we would be meeting on the beach at 5:30 to take on the first leg of our 3 day, 24 km swim from Sunshine Bay to Nelson.

I drove out to the fabulous Steven Family cabin late evening yesterday, and even at that point I wasn’t exactly sure that what we’d planned would actually happen. I wasn’t sure that I’d swim all 3 days. I wasn’t sure my shoulders would hold up, or that my nutrition and energy levels would be well prepared enough.

My friends Mark, Deanne, and Bruce Steven dreamed up the crazy idea to swim from their cabin on Kootenay Lake all the way to the City of Nelson, BC. They plotted out a 3 day route that would average around 8.5 km each day, followed by a big breakfast and sweet recovery time at the cabin. And “cabin” doesn’t do the place justice – it’s a gorgeous property with a spacious deck, 2 gazebos, a private beach and an outdoor shower.

I slurped back a cup of coffee, having stuffed my face the night before with my favourite pre-swim feast: peanut butter, bagels, apple slices, and more peanut butter.

After a thorough neck slathering, I slipped into my Orca Alpha suit and headed down to the beach. We were joined by Stephen, a triathlete from Nelson, and our 3 support paddlers who would help to guide us and also carry our all-important hydration and nutrition. I chose a variety of Clif Shock Bloks as they are easy to eat in the water and the caffeine works as an effective analgesic when the joints begin to ache.

We set off just as the sun was starting to rise. The water was beautiful and calm and I started feeling awake and alive. After 2 km though, the wind and chop picked up and for a while I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, just flailing my arms and legs. We swam through the ferry crossing and I had visions of being sawn in half by the underwater cables. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Read More