Our “Why She Swims” blog posts feature interviews with real-life swimmers, just like you.
Lianne gets her laps in with “a group of enthusiastic swimmers” at the Claremont Club in Berkeley, CA. A database developer in her 50s, she swims in the pool three times a week to feel good and catch up with friends.
What inspired you to start swimming?
I’ve been swimming since I was 8 years old. What inspires me to keep swimming? It’s my dopamine generator. After I swim I feel calm, relaxed, and able to sit at my desk and computer program happily for hours. Swimming makes my sleep better, too.
What do you love about swimming?
I love that swimming is simultaneously social and quiet. I swim with a sampling of the same group of people each day and we talk between sets. I’m lucky to swim at a pool that has a hot-tub nearby so we talk after practice, too.
I also love that swimming involves my whole body and combines exertion with near meditation. On days I don’t swim, I hike with my dogs so I’m still getting fresh air and exercise, but somehow it’s not the same. My legs are tired, but not my whole body.
What do you find challenging about swimming?
It’s hard to wake up at 5:15am to swim before work. I reward myself with a delicious cappuccino! It also helps knowing that if I swim at six am, I’ll be swimming with my lane mates. As a result, I’ll swim faster, harder and the workout will go by more quickly.
Where’s your favorite place to swim?
This is a bit boring, but my favorite place is any pool with fun lane mates of similar speed.
A fun lane mate is funny, competitive, and willing to race when they are one lane over. I swim with females and males aged 28 – 70 and even the young people are friendly to the old people, not just polite. Like actually friendly. In my experience as an almost-60-year-old, that’s not always the case. I work from home, so these interactions at the start of my day are meaningful.
What is your favorite See Her Swim swimsuit?The I.M.! After years of swimming in a high-neck suit, I love the feel of the water on the top of my chest. And the low neck doesn’t catch water! Lastly, the adjustable straps are set wide enough that they don’t rub my neck.