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AROUND THE NE-LMSC
JULY / AUGUST 2016
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Please join our NE-LMSC Facebook group for regular updates, photos and member news! You can also follow us on Twitter: @NewEnglandLMSC.
Continue sending anything you would like to see highlighted here and remember to bookmark nelmsc.org to get easy access to regular updates from around the region.
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SWIM ACROSS AMERICA BOSTON HARBOR RAISES $180,000
FOR DANA FARBER
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More than 60 swimmers and 15 volunteers participated in this year's 22-mile Boston Harbor relay.
This year's top fundraising team was
Team Goldman & Friends
with almost $60,000 raised. Following closely behind were
Kitty's Kats
and
Team Festivus
raising another $55,000 combined!
There are more opportunities to "Make Waves to Fight Cancer" with SAA events in Nantucket and Rhode Island later this summer. See details in the calendar boxes below.
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MEMBER PROFILE: "GO THE DISTANCE" SWIMMER
BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN
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Thanks to NEM member Kim Donovan for this look at marathon swimmer Brian McLaughlin.
Brian McLaughlin has been participating in "Go The Distance" (GTD) since 2009. GTD, started by USMS in 2007, is a self-directed swim-tracking program in which swimmers track their daily yardage and post them to their "FLOG" - a fitness tracker offered through the USMS website.
Brian has placed in the Top 12 in GTD since he began swimming and recording his yardage. In 2015 he recorded his highest total to date: 1,357.93 miles. That placed him 7th overall in the country and 3rd in his age group. As a long time member of USMS and NEM, Brian swims with the Acton Boxborough Concord (ABC) Gray Sharks. He does the majority of his training at the Atkinson Pool in Sudbury, MA; though he has several training partners, he does just as much training on his own because, hey, there are not a lot of folks like him!
What motivates Brian to do this?
He says he started swimming again for exercise after a ten-year break from high school swimming. He had a chance meeting with Jim Doty who was one of New England's great open water swimmers and was inspired to sign up for NEMSA (New England Marathon Swimming Association). This is when he started going long.
Why the distance?
"The wise guy answer is that I am not very fast. The real reason is I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes with going long." He enjoys the solitude and gets into a zone. Brian says he tries to think about his stroke mechanics. Brian usually spends the first hour of his training sessions with with friends, but after they've packed it in and he continues on alone, he relaxes and spends more time thinking about his technique.
What keeps him fueled during long swims?
Brian used to use honey, but now uses Cytomax and Accel Gel. During long swim training session, Brian will have three 24 oz. containers of water, another with Cytomax and a Gatorade as well as a couple of gels. Brian stresses that it's important to be careful with artificial fuels - experiment to see what works best for you.
What advice would you offer someone who wants to partake in long distance swimming?
"Start with reasonable distance and build it up from there incrementally. Don't think you are just going to triple your mileage. Phases where you get sore you have to push through. For me it's around the seven-mile mark. I push through it and then I get a second wind. So much of the training is mentally preparing yourself - getting mentally tough, training your mind as much as your body." Sometimes Brian has to play mind tricks with himself to get through the final distance of his workouts. When he wants to accomplish one more mile of a long swim but his mind isn't along for the ride, Brian will mix it up by switching to a pattern where he alternates a 50 freestyle and 25-breaststroke.
Some fun facts about Brian's distance swimming:
- In summer he drives to Walden from Nashua, NH, to swim at 5:00 a.m. on Saturdays and then heads over to Atkinson to swim for a couple more hours.
- Brian rotates three suits at time and annually goes through five suits and four pairs of goggles. Vanquisher Opticals are where it's at for him.
- His usual Saturday morning workouts consist of 16,300 yards, which takes him about five hours to complete (depending on how much talking he does during refueling breaks).
- One of his favorite and longest open water swims is the Kingdom Swim at Lake Memphremagog in Newport, VT. This will be his sixth year competing in the 10-mile distance.
By going the distance Brian has met some great people, has a community he enjoys, experiences some interesting places, keeps him feeling young and healthy and helps him move peacefully through life.
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AUGUST 2016
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August 6 - 5th Annual Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame Swim (1.2 miles)
George's of Galilee Beach,
Narragansett, RI
August 6 - Wild Fish Open Water Swim Festival (0.5, 1, or 2 miles)
Collins Cove Beach,
Salem, MA
August 7 - Sebago Challenge (1k, 2.5k, 5k)
Sebago Lake State Park,
Casco, ME
August 12 - 1-Mile Open Water National Championship
Lake Lure, NC
August 13 - 38th Annual Celebrate the Clean Harbor Swim
Niles Beach, Glouceter, MA
August 13 - David's Old Silver Swim (0.5, 1 mile)
Old Silver Beach
,
North Falmouth, MA
August 13 - 1-3 Mile Open Water National Championship
Truckee, CA
Event information & registration
August 14 - Mighty Merrimack Swim (1 or 2-mile)
Lowell Heritage Park, Lowell, MA
August 13 - 3-6 Mile Open Water National Championship (5K)
Lake Lure, NC
August 13 - 21 - Swim the Kingdom Week
9 Days -8 Lakes - 45 Miles - 4 Marathons
Swim one day or up to all eight. Registration is open.
Click here
t
o learn more and secure your spot.
August 17 - 21 USMS LCM Nationals
Mt Hood Community College Gresham, OR
August 20 - Against the Tide Swim & Aquathon (1 mile)
Nickerson State Park, Brewster, MA
August 21 - Swim & Fin Race for Salem Sound (.5, 1 or 4 miles)
Forest River Park, Salem, MA
August 27 & 28 - CT Long Course Masters Championship (Sanctioned LCM)
Wesleyan University,
Middletown, CT
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SEPTEMBER 2016
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September 10 - Swim Across America Rhode island (0.5 or 1 mile)
Roger Wheeler Beach, Naragansett, RI
September 10 - New England Open Water Swimming Association Shark Swim (500 meter, 1 mile & 2-mile)
Mackerel Cove, Beverly, MA
September 17 - 5th Annual Boston Sharkfest Swim (1500m)
Boston Harbor, Boston,
MA
September 18 - Newport Sharkfest Swim (1500m)
Perrotti Park,
Newport, RI
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Contact Information
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To include your news and events, email
Christina Smith
Communications Chair,
New England LMSC
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