Shanghai Running Magazine Shanghai Running Q2 2014. Volume 2 | Page 28

Run and Swim
By Tori Widdowson

bite down the urge to fight your ground
as in general these things are accidents.
Sight where you are, put your head down
and find your normal swimming rhythm.
Then … if you are being held back, move
into space and enjoy your own pace. If
people are trying to swim over you, pull
over a little. Think of the space like single
track – but without the ability to shout a
‘coming through’ or other such nicety.

I often say I run like a swimmer. And,
with respect, I’ve seen some people who
swim like runners. Can you have it all?
I believe if you tackle swimming the same
way you do a trail run, full of bio-mechanical feedback, continuous brain
activity, and sheer doggedness on those
hills, then you are in with a chance.

speech, and even pose as hot shots.
But none of the work is done by
their own hands and minds. The
real doers, the guy who plans and
executes the amazing campaign,
the girl who pitches the project
and writes the insightful report,
the developer who builds the
beautiful and intuitive website…
are oftentimes buried behind their
own work because they simply
do not have the time to engage in
self-promotion.

diligently. It doesn’t give a medal to people who only talk about
running. It is mile after mile, lap
after lap, step after step. It only
makes the true doers feel good and
receive the respect they deserve,
and most of the time, the rewards
are non-material. Yet these rewards
- self-confidence, actualization and
sense of empowerment - are usually what make people happy and
fulfilled in their lives, better than a
big paycheck and a glamorous title.

But running is fair. It rewards only
the people who train smartly and

Now even the most unlikely people
are running now: people with

disabilities, chronic diseases, in
hostile environments (e.g. polluted air, congested urban streets),
after chemo therapies, with active
military duty, etc.… They defy
their physical and immediate environment to discipline their bodies
and chase the dreams of their own.
Because they believe if they can
run, they can accomplish anything
in their lives. And so can we.

I started thinking about this because I
had always said I would launch an event
concept that did not involve running –
swimming and biking, swimming and
kayaking, biking and juggling and sword
throwing … just for once avoiding that
pesky running part. In truth, running is
rather popular and accessible, and even I
am won over to the joys of (short) trails.
So we will have an Aquathon on the same
weekend as our Open Swim, the last
weekend of April.
Runners will definitely have the upper
hand, as they do in many triathlons and
adventure races, since in general slower
swimmers never lose as much time as
slower runners. Therefore it is a good
opportunity to try out multi-sports if you
have not tried it before.
For the swim it is more fun and fulfilling
if you engage your brain, and it can also
help distract you from the thought that
you are swimming in open (deep) water.

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© Shanghai Running 2014

Firstly, start at a controlled pace. F