And How Embracing a Renaissance Swimmer Approach Could Transform Your Swimming Life
After writing “Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 Days a Year”, I wanted to create something to help people with a wider range of swimming activities.
My interests in swimming range from 50m pool sprints to marathon swims, and from leisurely summer wild dips to exhilarating winter plunges. I swim all four competitive strokes and enjoy swimming as part of multisport challenges such as triathlon and swimrun.
I encourage other swimmers to adopt a similar diverse approach. Not only does doing a bit of everything sustain your interest in swimming, but it’s the easiest way to maximise the benefits you get from it. Plus, you’ll find that when you practice in one area, it often strengthens your abilities in others.
From racing to recreation
While elite swimmers need to specialise and focus on their key events, we recreational swimmers have the luxury of being able to do anything we want. We can sprint or do marathons or anything in between – and with a balanced approach to training, we have the potential to perform well in a wide variety of circumstances.
But racing is only a small part of swimming. You can also swim to relax, stay fit, maintain your strength, go on an adventures, witness amazing sunrises, and catch up with friends.
Moreover, swimming, combined with a few well-chosen other activities, can help us stay active, mobile and mentally agile into older age.
Swimming is like a wonder drug with lots of benefits and very few downsides – but different swimming activities have different benefits. In general, the more variety you have in your swimming, the bigger the impact.
Where the name came from
My friend, training partner and occasional swimrun race partner Lucy, who is also a history teacher, once described my approach to swimming as very “Renaissance”, inspiring the name Renaissance Swimmer.
But it wasn’t just the actual swimming she was referring to. She was talking about my curiosity, desire to learn, willingness to experiment and passion to share my swimming knowledge, which aligns with Renaissance ideals.
She then helped me plan the content, suggested topics I had overlooked and assisted with the development of the ideas for everything on the Renaissance Swimmer website.
Lucy is a strong swimmer in both the pool and open water. Recently she’s been racing the 400m Individual Medley, which is 100m each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. It’s a demanding event and a brave choice – and also, I think, a very Renaissance Swimmer one.
For those of you in the Renaissance Swimmer Club, Lucy is part of our WhatsApp chat group and will join our Zoom events when she can.
Holistic approach
Whatever your starting point, my hope with Renaissance Swimmer is to inspire you to look more widely at what you can do in swimming, and what swimming can do for you. I encourage you to approach swimming mindfully, whether you’re training or relaxing. Even a casual dip done mindfully becomes more meaningful and beneficial.
Three ways to add some Renaissance flair to your swimming
- Sign up for Reflections, our free weekly email newsletter for ideas and inspiration
- Buy Renaissance Swimmer Original – our complete guide to developing your swimming across a wide range of areas
- Join the Renaissance Swimmer Club – our supportive community to explore the opportunities swimming offers us
