Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

I have been told it’s when you step out of your comfort zone, that real personal growth can take place. Well this past Saturday I did just that. I swam in a race in the river Lagan which flows outside of the city center of my hometown Laholm in Sweden. I like to push boundaries and see how far I can take things. This has in the past few years allowed me to have some intense experiences, especially in the realms of traveling and fitness. I like to think I say “yes” to life and instead of backing down, stepping up to a challenge. However, I am also a bit wimpy. I know! Not very "Viking-esque" of me! I get cold extremely easily, even in the warmest Caribbean waters, and I have a great fear of sharks. The shark fear was irrational in this setting, although the salmons living in the river can get quite large. But the fear of cold was real. Or so I thought. 

Going in

The race called Lagasimmet was held the first time in 1984. Growing up, my sister and I were members of the local swim team and were decent swimmers. When I was 18 I was signed up to swim in the race. That year it got canceled. The swim team is yet again sponsoring the race. Since I found myself in Sweden at the time of the race I decided to say “yes” and participate. For full disclosure, I should also say I am not just being a promoter of embracing life; I am also defending my honor. My father has completed the race and so has my older sister. I needed to swim. I enlisted two of my best friends to do it with me (in the end a third friend, my “sister in law”, also swam in the race). We did three practice runs at a local pool and it felt okay. 

Race

On the day of the race I covered myself with a thick layer of coconut oil (my favorite type of oil) to combat the cold. The weather was glorious, but again, I get cold even on vacation in the Dominican Republic and Grand Cayman Island. An old swim colleague of mine told me to put Vaseline on my joints and so I did. My dad’s fitness club held the warm up exercises and my dad himself was the Master of Ceremony. He announced it was 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the water (but can you trust that?!) and 53 swimmers signed up for the race. There were two sections of the race, one for the hardcore swimmers and one for the ones who wanted to do it for fun. My friends and I were all part of the last group. 

Enjoying the swim

Getting closer to the start, I was nervous. Not because I thought I couldn’t do it, I know I am in good enough shape. And a relative to me, driving a jet ski, was part of the security team following the swimmers. The team was ready to fish anyone up from the waters if need be. No, I was scared for the imminent coldness of the river water.  I walked down a sand path, onto smaller rocks and finally into the icy, murky waters of Lagan. 

Finish line

Icy?! Haha! Nope! It was great! It was warm and even though the water was brownish it felt like silk on the skin. I can honestly say I enjoyed swimming in the river! Friends and family followed the race from the shore and yelled encouraging words. It was amazing to see my little town from the perspective of being inside the river. The time flew by. The finish line appeared and the crowd gathered there cheered us on. I ran up from the water hand in hand with one of my best friends. Got a medal and something to drink. I am so happy I said “yes” to this experience and it just shows how important it is to fully embrace all kinds of  life experiences. And in addition, I now have the same bragging rights as my father and sister and can always say I have swam in the river.