68 - Ali Meeks and Conquering Your Fear of Open Water

What this episode covers

Endurance Innovation is now on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/enduranceinnovation]! Have a peek at our page and show us some love. * 2:15 meet swim and triathlon coach Ali Meeks * 4:30 the motivation behind Ali's new book: Conquer Your Fear of the Triathlon Swim [https://www.amazon.ca/Conquer-Your-Fear-Triathlon-Swim/dp/173420494X/] * 6:30 the fear of open water * 10:30 the two aspects of swimming * Safety * Choreography  * 13:15 the 'not seeing the bottom' fear and the source of our own safety * 15:30 the 'friends in the water' fear * 17:45 the 5 circles: 1 - calm, 2 - nervous, 3 - afraid, 4 - terrified, 5 - panicked * Awareness of mental state is first step, always trying to come back to that first circle * Retain connection to the physical body through mindfulness practice * 20:45 the 'non-wetsuit' fear * 23:00 sinkers vs floaters  * 28:00 the discomfort of wetsuits * 37:00 the role of intensity * Warmup is key * 39:00 the difference between nervousness and excitement is expectation of outcome * 40:30 the Conquer Your Fear Process * Agree not to push your limits in the water * Follow the process as slowly as necessary to increase comfort while staying in that first circle * Face in water > floating and feeling the buoyancy > propulsion added to floating > back float for safety > open water in the shallows > open water in deeper water with easy access to shallow water  * Allow natural curiosity to drive progression * 47:15 the 'other people' factor * 48:45 the psychological impact of a death in the water on other swimmers  * 53:00 self-aware risk acceptance Learn more about Ali at Ready Set Sweat [https://readysetsweat.net/index.html]. More info on the book is here [https://conqueryourfearofthetriathlonswim.com/index.html]. Conquer Your Fear of the Triathlon Swim can be purchased on Amazon [https://www.amazon.ca/Conquer-Your-Fear-Triathlon-Swim/dp/173420494X/].