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t 5:30 a.m. inRochester, Minn., thetemperature hoversaround zero andan icy wind whis-

tles. Inside the Olmsted-Rochester Recreation Center,Vince Herring is churningthrough the water with stop-

watch in check.AlthoughJanuary temper-atures are typi-cally in the sin-gle digits inMinnesota,Herring is unde-terred. When he

finishes, he will log in hisworkout times and rewardhimself with a hot shower.

“It’s not unusual to have 20below or 30 below weather.When it’s that cold, the hairsin my nostrils freeze,” saysHerring, who clicks through5,000 yards in a typical workout.

Rather than drilling deeperinto bed when Arctic windsblow, Herring steps up thelaps. “It’s much easier onceyou’re in that routine of

always coming,” says the 63-year-old. “I feel invigoratedversus if I got up and I didn’tswim—I’d feel like a road killand death warmed over.”

To keep swimming throughMinnesota’s infamous winters,this hardcore member ofRochester Swim Club OrcasMasters uses different tactics:setting multiple alarm clocks,setting specific goals, check-ing in with his swim mates tokeep each other motivated andfocusing on training for futurecompetitions. One of the raretimes he missed a winterworkout at his regular poolwas when a tree fell across hisdriveway. “I happen to own anexcavator,” he says. “I waiteduntil it was light enough tosee, moved the tree, and wentto a different pool to workout.”

Herring is far from alone.The many swimmers andcoaches interviewed for thisarticle said that their passionfor the pool doesn’t plummetwith winter’s arrival. Sleet orsnow, nor’easter or icy down-pour, they find ways to keep

training despite winter’s capri-ciousness.

Fitness experts point outthat swimming is a sport inwhich the environment doesn’tdramatically vary with the sea-sons. Unlike running or biking,swimming is often doneindoor even during summer.Alaska, for example, doesn’thave outdoor pools. And manyswimmers are used to the pre-dawn workouts and waking upin darkness.

“My first thought is [swim-ming] would be one sport thatdoesn’t change very much inthe winter,” says Aynsley M.Smith, a sport and exercise psy-chology consultant at the MayoClinic Sports Medicine Centerin Rochester, Minn. “They[swimmers] get to the pool, andthen they are in a pool swim-ming lengths. The environmenthasn’t changed much.”

Nonetheless winter doespresent greater challenges toeven the most serious swim-mers. Hurdles include shorterdays, slipping temperaturesand in cold-climate places

such as Rochester, Minn., itcan mean significant ice andsnowstorms that make ittough to get to the pool.Swimmers must get up earlier,pack their gear and often cleartheir car and driveway beforetackling harsh road condi-tions. Shorter days and frigidtemperatures can throw eventhe most upbeat people intothe occasional funk, triggeringthe urge to sleep and eat more.

Starting the engines can betwice as hard with fewer day-light hours during wintermonths. Physicians say thatdarkness often confuses thebody’s internal time clock also

Swimming Through the Winter Blues Takes Creativity

by Amy Wu

AFreelance writer Amy Wu recently

relocated to New York City

and is looking for anew Masters home.

She comes highlyrecommended by

Rochester AreaMasters, part of

Niagara Masters.

DO NOT HIT SNOOZE

“It’s hard to get up in the dark because your body has not had the light cuesit needs to activate the hormonal system to your own ‘artificial’ daytime,”

says Hap Davis, sports psychologist for the Canadian National Swim Team. “It’s not ‘day’ yet but you have to go to train; so you tell your body

to act as though it is daytime. You will get going as soon as you are active, but just getting active is hard.”

Die

go

Cer

vo

w w w. u sm s s w i m m e r. c om | january - february 2007 | USMS SWIMMER 31

known as the circadianrhythm. This internal clockmakes a person want to sleepwhen it is dark, and be up andmoving when it’s light.Humans follow in the foot-steps of animals that tend tohibernate more in the winter.

With cold, darkness and thestress that typically comesaround the holidays, “peoplego into hibernation mode,”says Carol Watkins, a clinicalpsychiatrist in Baltimore, Md.,who specializes in seasonalaffective disorder (SAD), alsoreferred to as “ winter blues”or “holiday blues.”

“It’s hard to get up in the

dark because your body hasnot had the light cues it needsto activate the hormonal sys-tem to your own ‘artificial’daytime,” says Hap Davis,sports psychologist for theCanadian National Swim Team.“It’s not ‘day’ yet but you haveto go to train; so you tell yourbody to act as though it is day-time. You will get going assoon as you are active, butjust getting active is hard.”

Although there are no defin-itive studies that show thatswimmers in cold climates aremore prone to the blues, stud-ies do show that the fartheryou live from the equator the

more at risk you are to melan-choly. For example, about 1percent of Floridians get SAD,compared to nearly 10 percentin New Hampshire, accordingto a still-cited seminal studypublished by PsychiatryResearch in 1990.

Those who suffer from SADsee their first symptoms set induring late fall or winter as aresult of light deprivation.Watkins describes SAD as abiochemical imbalance wherelack of light increases mela-tonin production, resulting insymptoms such as consistentfatigue, loss of appetite, inabil-ity to focus and changes in

sleep patterns. It is importantto get evaluated by a physiciansince the symptoms can beeasily mistaken for other ill-nesses, she says.

Many swimmers cope withthe occasional winter blueswith creativity. Back inRochester, Minn., Herringsteps up his training by settingspecific goals. In December,he begins upping his yardageto prepare for the FebruaryFitness Challenge, a postalevent hosted by the TualatinHills Barracudas in Oregon,which challenges swimmers tolog as much yardage as theycan during February.

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“It’s a great motivator; ifyou’re going to do it you haveto be in shape,” says Herring.His goal this February is to hitthe 500,000-yard mark. Anothermotivator is to choose a sum-mer event in which to compete.For Herring, who has crossedthe English Channel numeroustimes in relays, this often meanspicking an open water swim.

Swimming helps combat theblues during winter andbeyond. Mayo Clinic’s Smithpoints to the “iceberg profileof psychological mood statesin successful athletes” (origi-nally published by William P.Morgan, University ofWisconsin), which shows thatwith aerobic exercise, “vigor”skyrockets while tension,depression, anger, fatigue andconfusion remain flat.

Other ways to combat thewinter doldrums includeinvesting in a sunlight alarmclock that gently wakes youwith light, finding a swim/exercise buddy, buying morebright light fixtures for thehome, trying to avoid overeat-ing (especially carbohydrates),getting enough hours of sleepand exercising at least 30 to 40minutes four times a week.

For the 191 registeredMasters swimmers in Alaska,swimming can be a safeguardagainst depression. When win-ter temps drop to minus 13,accompanied by averagecumulative snowfall of 70inches, membership actuallyhits an all-time high.

“We lose people like crazyin the summer,” says Paula

Smith a member of AlaskaMasters in Anchorage. “Wecan lose as much as two-thirdsof people in the summer.”Swimmers often swap swim-ming for other activities whenthe weather is nice. But whentemperatures begin to fall,swimmers congregate at thepool once again.

The biggest challenge forAlaskan swimmers is the lossof daylight. In January,Anchorage’s daylight canshrink to five and a half hours.“Seasonal affective disorder isa real thing up here and swim-ming really helps that,” saysJoanne Wainwright, who addsthat swimming helps with herdepression. “I want to sleepmore when it’s dark than whenit’s light,” says Wainwright,who moved to Anchoragefrom Delaware 17 years ago.

To combat the blues, sheforces herself to get to thepool, rallied by the encourage-ment of fellow swimmers. Shemakes swimming into an eventby carefully preparing for eachworkout and routinely lami-nating workouts that’s sheclipped from magazines ordownloaded from the web.And she competes in eventssuch as February fitness chal-lenge to keep herself motivated.

“Even though it’s the shortestmonth, it just seems like thelongest month up here. TheFebruary fitness challenge is ablessing,” Wainwright says,adding that she feels fortunatecompared to Masters swim-mers in Fairbanks who get ananemic two and a half hours

of sunlight on winter days andhave to contend with 40 belowwinters (and, yes, there areMasters swimmers there).

As it is, the Anchorage swim-mers have a lot to contendwith. Alaska reportedly has thehighest number of people whosuffer from depression andSAD, as high as 9 percent com-pared to 2 to 5 percent for thegeneral population in affectedclimates, according to DouglasGeorge Jacobs, president andCEO of Screening for MentalHealth in Wellesley Hills, Mass.

In addition, sleep expertssay that swimmers in sunlight-deprived places like Alaskacontinue to stay active eventhough it’s dark, so it’s harderto keep track of how muchsleep they get.

Members of Alaska Masterssay that the challenging weath-er often draws them closer.Swimmers routinely check inwith teammates, using phoneand e-mail chains. “Once Ibreak the surface and feel thewater, I am motivated.

Knowing that my lane mateswill give me grief if I startskipping practices is anothermotivation,” says Ruth Carter.

Across the country in NewYork City, seasoned swimmerJane Katz says that a big get-to-the-pool motivator is thesocial aspect of the sport,especially during the winter.Katz, who swims with AsphaltGreen Masters, notes that theteam makes it a point to go outfor dinner after night practices.

To keep things fun duringthe gray months, Katz alsomixes and matches workouttimes, often slipping in a mid-day workout for a moodboost. “I call it my liquidlunch,” Katz jokes. “Being inthe water helps me get out thekinks in my body and mind...Ifeel sharper.” Keeping the holi-day pounds off is anotherworkout driver. In addition,Katz points out that manyteams make the winter fun byhosting Christmas, New Year’sor Valentine’s Day swims.

Most important, it’s OK to

>>>Bluesbusters••• Find a swim friend. Designate a swim buddy who canhelp motivate you to get to practice and stick with it. ••• Set several alarms. For the pre-dawn swimmers, setfour alarm clocks or have a good friend and fellow swimmergive you a wake-up call. ••• Keep a journal. Create a winter swimming journal, log-ging your workouts, writing down specific goals and keepingtabs on how you feel. ••• Choose an event. Sign up early for specific events andcompetitions, such as a local meet, the USMS One HourPostal swim, fitness challenges or Short Course Nationals.An upcoming competition can be a great motivator (and youmay get to travel!) ••• Take a swim vacation. If you have the time andfinances, consider a swim vacation— preferably to a warmdestination that will reinvigorate your mood and motivation. ••• Turn lemons into lemonade. Try a polar bear plunge or aholiday swim. Join your teammates for fun events such asNew Year’s Eve swims. ••• Throw a party. January is a great time for a winter swimparty after practice. ••• Laugh. Get to know your teammates and share somejokes. It’s OK to miss an occasional practice or swim feweryards. Just plan to show up and enjoy yourself.••• Engage in positive self-talk. Think of winter as a time toprepare mentally and physically for the meets and eventsupcoming in the spring and summer.

The biggest challenge for Alaskan swimmers is the loss of daylight. In January,

Anchorage’s daylight can shrink to five and a half hours. “Seasonal affective disorder

is a real thing up here and swimming really helpsthat,” says Joanne Wainwright, who adds that

swimming helps with her depression. “I want tosleep more when it’s dark than when it’s light.”

occasionally cut yourself someslack. One solution is to try anew exercise such as yoga,belly dancing or Tai Chi. Wateraerobics or Pilates can actual-ly help with swimming too.

In Portland, Maine, DavidBright has marked winter ashis “off season” because of thelack of indoor pool space. TheNew England Masters memberused to quit swimming coldturkey in the winter, but hasnow decided to take a morepositive approach. He trimsdown on the swimming, andblends in more drills andweight training.

“I made a few changes inmy approach and expectations,”says Bright. “Instead of saying‘there’s not enough time for areal workout so I won’t bother,’I try to get in [the pool] even ifit’s only 20 to 30 minutes. Igave up worrying aboutyardage totals, repeat timesand intervals. I try to ignorethe clock and focus more ontechnique and feel for the water.”

Fitness experts say beingkind to the body is the bestway to avoid burnout. “I thinkyou do need a little break. Youcan have the best food, butyou can get tired of that,” saysPhil Hasebro, executive direc-tor with the NationalAssociation for Health andFitness, based in Buffalo, N.Y.

And, yes, winter blues doaffect swimmers in warm-weather states envied for theiryear-round sun and surf.Swimmers in Hawaii, California,Florida and Texas say one ofthe toughest parts of the wintermonths is making the dreadedicy dash from the locker roomto the outdoor pools, eventhough the pools are heated.

They often combat the coldwith parkas, shedding theirwinter gear right before takingthe plunge.

“You run, you jump in andyou’re fine. I drop the towelon the bleachers...and grab mytowel and dart back in,” saysJill Gellatly of WoodlandsMasters, noting that tempera-tures in Texas drop to as lowas 28 degrees in the earlymorning. “The weather haskept me in bed plenty of times.”

On Hawaii’s island of Maui,Masters swimmers, who oftentrain in the ocean, face winterchallenges including danger-ously high surf. When the oceangets rough, USMS member JanetRenner says she and her team-mates ask themselves, “Whatwould Lynne Cox [the famouslong distance swimmer] do?”

In Southern California, win-ter is often marked by heavyrains. “I have to be more moti-vated when it’s raining thanwhen it’s cold,” says JulieHeather, an avid member ofSouthern California Masterswho admits that she sometimesfeels like slacking when it’sgray and rainy. On a brightnote? “It doesn’t really affectwhat I do at the pool,” she says.

Back in Anchorage,Wainwright and her team-mates continue to fend offdarkness and cold by stickingwith the swimming with awhen-there’s-a-will-there’s-a-way attitude. And come Marchor April, daylight lengthensand temperatures begin rising.After 17 winters of swimmingin Alaska, Wainwright puts itsimply: “You just have to getyourself to the pool and takethe plunge.” And that goes forall swimmers. <<<

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>>>More Information OnlineVisit www.usmsswimmer.com for bonus content associatedwith this article. You’ll find: ••• A Q&A with Harvard Medical School Professor DouglasGeorge Jacobs, addressing seasonal affective disorder. ••• Favorite “winter workouts” from warm and cold climateswimmers. Feel free to top off the workouts with hot choco-late or apple cider!