Untitled - Quintessential Barrington Magazine

QB: Is this the hardest swim in the world?
MC: Actually not. Lynne Cox swam the Bering Straight and there was her
swim to Antarctica. And the Irish Sea is really hard, 55 degree water and huge
jelly fish. Most humans can’t do that. So K2 is a harder to climb than Everest.
But not nearly as famous. It’s just that the Channel is the most famous swim.
QB: You were a great kid swimmer in high school (her school was undefeated
her junior and senior years) and college. So was this long distance swimming
the obvious next thing for you? Were you built for this?
MC: I think when I was a kid, I “left a lot of money on the table” as they say.
I did OK. I never had much speed; sort of the ball and chain. I never really
blossomed. Coaches then just had a high decibel level. But when I swam my
last race for Yale, I was more interested in how good the glass of beer was
going to taste. I didn’t have the right approach. So when I started swimming
Masters level, I did eight lifetime bests in 10 years. That’s a lot.
QB: But you prepared as a kid by swimming in the ocean off Connecticut?
MC: Not really. I saw the movie “Jaws” when I was 11. And I didn’t go into
the ocean for 12 years. It had really scared me to death. I didn’t even start this
open water swimming until I was 23. I was suddenly around older swimmers
who were brave and they just tugged me into the water. And before I
knew it, I was doing marathons around New York. It makes me a little more
understanding of swimmers’ fears now (as a teacher) and how they can have
a thousand fears and phobias in the open water. Like a blade of grass touches
you, and you think it’s a jelly fish. Then you gradually start to learn that you
are going to get through this.
QB: So, besides being physically prepared for open water, how did you
change your mental approach?
MC: When I got out of college, lots of things started to go wrong and get
complicated. I was having to be a grownup. And swimming became my security
blanket. When you have a good day or a bad day, you get into the water
and let out your joys and sorrows. It was better than the drugs of choice others
had. That is very typical of swimmers. You can always say to yourself: I
swam today and everything is OK. So I moved to New York, got a job in six
days and decided to go swimming at a YMCA on the Upper West Side. I just
happened to walk into a Masters Class. I started to realize I was on my own.
My own boss. I was in charge and it was all on my own terms. I was both the
prisoner and the warden.
QB: Is long distance swimming a human athletic talent, or is a question of
mostly consuming will power?
MC: It’s the first option. You have to be good swimmer to do this.
QB: In your book, you describe the level of repetitive work required to be
fit enough for these open water events as if you were describing a recipe for
lemon meringue pie. But I would guess not a lot of people can do that work
– 40,000 yards of swimming in a week for two years – or would even want
to do it.
MC: When it comes to preparing to swim the Channel, the road to hell is
paved with good intentions. In this society, everybody wants to be the red
race car. Some weekend warriors may do really well against the cold once, but
then the next day they don’t want to get out of bed. When I started working
with Don Macdonald and Doug McConnell (in Barrington), I sent them the
workouts for every day, and they are expected to do it. I’m not forcing anyone.
But they both know what’s at stake. The fact they have many other things
going on in their lives is OK. These workouts are designed for real people.
QB: Doug McConnell and Don Macdonald seem serious about this. I would
guess there’s no other way to make this swim than to be serious about preparing
for it.
MC: Yes, as teacher and coach I have to know what your real story is. But I
can smoke out people quickly. Don and Doug have yet to give me any excuse.
Like, “Ooo, I broke my toenail.” But they are in it for the real reasons. I’ve
had people who are not committed. Some want the dream and the ideal, like
a knight on a white horse. But real life doesn’t go that smoothly. If I decide
you’re not able to do this, I’ll say you need to think about it and then call me
when you decide what to do.
QB: Do your children know what swimming the English Channel means? Do
they want to “beat mom?”
MC: I think my daughter has read “Dover Solo” but I don’t know if Sam has.
My husband hasn’t read it because he lived through it. It’s not exactly required
reading in the house. (Chuckling). Sam swims for the Michigan Shore
team. Julia swims for the New Trier club, and she’s doing very well. We did
a swim together last summer off Long Island Sound. She is in the middle of
this group of my friends who are like her extra moms. She has a lot of people
in swimming who care about her. I’ve told them that if they ever want to stop,
it’s fine with me. It was not to be mean. They aren’t swimming for me. But
there isn’t much pressure to “show up mom.” She’s already beaten 11 of my
lifetime bests.
QB: How does that make you feel?
MC: She takes delight in that, and so do I. It’s fun to see her kick my butt. Of
course, if she wants to inherit Aunt Mildred’s couch pillow, that’s OK with
me, too.
QB: What’s your best estimate of how ready McConnell and Macdonald are
for the swim?
MC: Good as long as they do the training. But there are no guarantees, and I
would be a fool to give any. They know that totally.
QB: What happens when swimmers don’t succeed?
WC: It’s a lack of preparation obviously. Or the weather deteriorates. Or the
swimmer gets sick from what they eat when they swim. You get tired. You get
cold. Or some just give up. That’s a bad omen in life. Sometimes the pilot does
call off the swim because he has the final say. Obviously when this happens,
everyone is tremendously disappointed. Not so much the swimmer right
away. Because when you get out of the water because of hypothermia, the
boat has been looking really good to you for a long time.
QB: Do they fit the training experience model of your other students who
have made it?
110 • Quintessential Barrington | QBarrington.com