I was going through the heat sheet from Nationals and noticed an ad for a new book by Hodding Carter called "Off the Deep End." Check out the reviews on the Barnes & Noble site: search.barnesandnoble.com/.../isbnInquiry.asp
It comes out in June. Sounds pretty entertaining to me!
P.S. I hope this isn't construed as an ad for the book. I don't know Carter and have no commercial interest in this book.
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I picked up Carter's book Friday and finished reading it Saturday. It's quick and fun. I found it to be interesting and funny, particularly the part where he goes back to college to train with his old coach and live in the dorm for a week. We're the same age, graduated from college the same year, and his efforts to balance family, work and swimming resonated. Of course, my swimming goals are A LOT different than his. I started swimming two years ago at age 43 by joining a masters team, having been a land-animal growing up (soccer, mostly). Thanks to a new coach who has more patience for new masters swimmers (that sounds like an oxymoron) than my first coach, I've just learned all four strokes and am now up to 5 x 90-minute practices a week, about 15,000 -18,000 meters total. My goal is to someday compete in a 400-IM and to one day do a 1:10 100-yd swim. I guess I relate to Carter's drive and persistence. And to his most humiliating moments -- for me, learning to swim at this age when surrounded by super fit athletes who have been doing it forever (and have the world and national masters records to prove it) has been the most humbling experience and has taught me a lot about myself (the value of just working hard at something, how to not give up when you feel like such a loser, appreciating incremental, unexpected successes that in other areas of your life you would just take for granted). I bet Carter would say the same thing, and that's a gift no matter the how, why or what of your goal.
Congrats on the book! :wine:
I picked up Carter's book Friday and finished reading it Saturday. It's quick and fun. I found it to be interesting and funny, particularly the part where he goes back to college to train with his old coach and live in the dorm for a week. We're the same age, graduated from college the same year, and his efforts to balance family, work and swimming resonated. Of course, my swimming goals are A LOT different than his. I started swimming two years ago at age 43 by joining a masters team, having been a land-animal growing up (soccer, mostly). Thanks to a new coach who has more patience for new masters swimmers (that sounds like an oxymoron) than my first coach, I've just learned all four strokes and am now up to 5 x 90-minute practices a week, about 15,000 -18,000 meters total. My goal is to someday compete in a 400-IM and to one day do a 1:10 100-yd swim. I guess I relate to Carter's drive and persistence. And to his most humiliating moments -- for me, learning to swim at this age when surrounded by super fit athletes who have been doing it forever (and have the world and national masters records to prove it) has been the most humbling experience and has taught me a lot about myself (the value of just working hard at something, how to not give up when you feel like such a loser, appreciating incremental, unexpected successes that in other areas of your life you would just take for granted). I bet Carter would say the same thing, and that's a gift no matter the how, why or what of your goal.
Congrats on the book! :wine:
