Chapter 16 Your Friends Are Waiting (“Who Can I Swim With? And Where?”)

Though long-distance running is supposedly the sport of loneliness—at least the short-story title tells us so—a good case could also be made for swimming. Think about it. You can’t hear much but your own breathing, conversation is out of the question, and the view is pretty much limited to the pool walls and bottom. Hard to imagine a more solitary way to exercise.

Or a more friendly one, either. Perhaps it’s a reaction to that private little cocoon we do all our laps in, but swimmers as a group are wonderfully congenial. And that’s a good thing, because it’s often easier to become truly proficient as a member of a group than alone. Thanks to the extensive network of local, regional, and national groups, nearly anyone can join.

Even if you’re not a “joiner,” you may want to rethink a purely solo practice schedule. I swim alone most of the time too, but when I can practice with friends, I swim faster and enjoy the camaraderie. Faster because even friendly competition gives you a push—it’s just good, healthy instinct to race a little when someone’s in the lane next to yours. Enjoyable because no matter how blissful my solo practices are, I also enjoy the company of like-minded swimmers. And though joining Masters swimming is a good way of finding them, you can assure the maximum compatibility and congeniality by simply gathering a group of friends. As your Total Immersion skills grow, you’re going to enjoy swimming more and more—probably for a long time to come. You’ll grow faster, and enjoy the journey more, with the company of those who like to practice in a similarly purposeful and mindful way.