The Queen

A propos of nothing, I happened to turn on the telly last night and got sucked into the annual Kennedy Center Honors.  I always enjoy the tributes, but I wasn't prepared for Aretha Franklin to blow the roof off the house with her rendition of this Carol King classic:



 As my brother put it, she could rock that mink at a PETA rally and still get a standing ovation.

It has nothing to do with the water, but - to some extent - this blog is about channeling inner strength, finding my voice and authenticity, and the Queen of Soul is my inspiration as 2015 draws to a close and 2016 brings a milestone birthday for me.  I listened to this 5 times this morning and then sang along to RESPECT as I did some work.  Silver lining -- my singing kept the cat clear of the computer keyboard...

Health and happiness (and hopefully some new aquatic antics) in 2016!

- MM

And One Time, At Mermaid Camp...

So, I have really been neglecting the blog.  The day job has been requiring a lot of time and mental energy this year.  Working on some fun stuff but putting in a lot of hours.  I REALLY need to clean my house today (edging toward a cameo on "Hoarders" at this point), in preparation for my Thanksgiving Prequel party next weekend.  Perfect opportunity to procrastinate and do a little blogging.

Mermaid Camp!!

In early October, I finally made it to mermaid mecca -- Sirens of the Deep Camp at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida.  I almost didn't get there -- Hurricane Joaquin was threatening the east coast and there was a nor'easter the day I was scheduled to fly down to Tampa.  Everything worked out and I had a really fun weekend.

Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park in Florida, about an hour north of Tampa.  "Weeki Wachee" means "little spring" or "winding river" in Seminole.  We swam in a spring that goes into the Weeki Wachee river, which eventually flows out to the Gulf of Mexico.  The water was a chilly 74 degrees, and we shared the spring with some fish and turtles, as well as the professional performers who swim in shows several times daily.  In cooler weather, there are manatees (sadly, we didn't see any during our camp weekend).

The park was started in 1947 by Newton Perry, a former Navy diver, who developed a method of breathing underwater using an air hose. Perry built the original underwater theater and the park was a popular tourist destination in the 1950s.  The park was purchased by American Broadcasting Company, in 1959.  ABC build a 500-seat theater, embedded in the side of the spring, 16 feet below the surface (ABC no longer owns the park).  During its heyday, the Weeki Wachee mermaids were local celebrities -- our teachers told us amazing stories of their days as performers.  Mermaid Vicky (now in her 70s and looking amazing) even performed with Elvis at one point.

Weeki Wachee offers the adult camp several weekends per year.  Our teachers were the "Legends" -- former professional mermaids who volunteer to teach the camp.  They were fabulous and definitely made me want to keep swimming (they were all in GREAT shape).

We assembled for the camp on a cool Saturday morning in October.  There were 8 campers from across the country -- a nurse from Oregon, a NASA engineer, two fabulous sisters from Georgia on a girls weekend with a friend (they even had official mermaid names), an aquarium diver, a veterinary tech, and me (lawyer by day, mermaid at heart).  A great group of women.  We put on our tails when we first arrived, and posed for some photos.  Putting on the tail is difficult.  There are fins wedged into the bottom, and the tails are basically like giant Spanx.  You kind of pull them up from the ankles like panty hose.  Once you're in, you can either shuffle like Morticia Adams or hop around.

Here I am, in all my mermaid glory (breaking the Internet):

Here are a couple of group photos of the campers and our teachers.

This is our "graduation" photo with the "Legendary Sirens of the Deep"

The spring is pretty chilly (74 degrees) and there are professional mermaid shows every hour during the day, so we would go in for approximately 30-45 minutes at a time.  We did a preliminary swim without the tails, to get our bearing.  The "stage" and theater are about 15 feet down.  There are speakers underwater, so when the performers were practicing beneath us, we'd dive down and catch random stage instructions -- at one point I dipped under water and heard someone shouting "kiss the prince."  Too funny.

Here I am, learning some mermaid moves.  

No photos

Diving

More diving...

Doing the "mermaid crawl" is kind of hard -- requires core strength.  It's basically like trying to swim with your legs tied together.  It was a great workout.  My one big mistake was not bringing nose clips ... I kept getting water up my nose which made it a little challenging to dive and pose under water.

Once we got the hang of swimming in the spring, we put on our tails.  Here is one of the only photos of me actually wearing the tail in the water.  My teacher, Mermaid Rita, basically dragged me out to the middle of the spring by my fins.  Our great mermaid camp photographer, Andrew Brusso, perched on the roof of the theater to take the overhead shots.

So, my attempt to swim in the tail was fairly disastrous.  After these photos, I managed to flip over, get tangled up in my fins, twist my knee (in a bad way), and inhale a ton of water.  I grabbed onto a floatation device, gave it one more try and then ditched the tail for the rest of the weekend.  Most of the other campers were more successful.  I still had a lot of fun.

In addition to swimming in a tail, I mastered the art of posing for underwater photos without looking like a chipmunk, by the end of the weekend.

We learned some formations (or attempted to):  

Organized chaos

Demonstration by our teachers

I think this one was called the "flower" -- it was like being in an Esther Williams film

We watched a couple of professional shows (here are some of the current performers):

 

Here are three of our teachers showing us their moves:

And here is Mermaid Susie drinking a Coke under water.

I am really glad I went to the camp.  I got to hang out with a lovely and interesting group of women, I learned a lot about the park from our fabulous teachers, I got to see the secrets of how the mermaid shows are produced, and I got some great exercise.  So I met one of my goals for the year.  I also decided I don't really want to do an open water swim at this point (I got a little panicky, even swimming around in the spring) but I am going to sign up for synchronized swimming class after the new year.  I forgot how much I enjoy swimming, and the underwater ballet moves are a great workout.

Weeki Wachee offers adult camps approximately nine weekends per year.  You can get additional information here.  You need to watch their site and Facebook page in early January.  The camp sells out really fast (I was too late to sign up last year).

- MM

The Mermaid Resurfaces

I've been on a slight hiatus from the blog ... mainly due to the demands of my day job (all good, just super busy).  I'll be back soon with some great information from the AEA conference in May and in preparation for my upcoming trip to Mermaid Camp.  My knees have been behaving (thankfully).

I am enjoying my summer -- here I am sampling the official beverage of Metropolitan Mermaid during a trip to Coney Island with London friends.  Nice of the city to name an avenue after me :-).

-MM

Little Mermaid

Sorry to have been a bit MIA.  The freezing winter was a little much for the Mermaid this year, but spring has sprung.  I have some new activities coming up, including a trip to the upcoming International Aquatic Fitness Conference (IAFC 2015) in May, where I look forward to meeting aqua fitness experts from around the world.

In the meantime, I am happy to report my good influence on the White Rabbit's daughter (the Pink Rabbit) -- who is following in the fins of her Auntie Metro Mermaid!

She is rocking that tail!

Happy Easter and Passover!

-MM

Guest Mermaid -- Jackie Blue (Part 2)

Thanks to Jackie Blue for her guest mermaid posts. This week, in Part 2 of our virtual interview, Jackie shares some practical advice for open water swimmers.

I know that you had thought about doing a marathon and instead decided to focus on swimming.  What is your training routine to prepare for a 1 mile swim (how much time does it take to prepare)?  

I didn’t really “train” much to do my first one mile race. I was already swimming fairly regularly in the pool, for at least 30 minutes at a time, and I nearly hit a mile in that 30. So even though open water is harder, I didn’t feel like it took that much more effort. I did train more for my first 5K, since I don’t often get that much pool time (my gym limits time if there’s a wait) - so that meant putting in some 2-3 mile swims on the weekends at the beach.

What kind of cross training do you need to do?  What is the time commitment?

Honestly, I didn’t really cross train. I stopped running last May to focus on swimming, and although I should add a weight routine, I haven’t found time yet. Time commitment for a one miler wasn’t much - about 3-4 hours a week perhaps.

What advice would you give to someone who is a good swimmer but has little experience with open water swimming — what is the best way to start, and what are the critical things to do (i.e., how do you learn how to orient yourself, etc.)?

First off, find someone to swim with. I don’t recommend that someone who hasn’t done open water go out alone. Start close to shore - if you’re at a beach with jetties, like Coney Island, do laps between jetties before venturing out further and doing distance.

Sighting is VERY important out there - to make sure you aren’t heading too far out, to avoid hitting jetties, and to keep boats and jet skis in your vision. I recommend using landmarks - like a particular building, to keep in your sight and make sure you’re heading the right direction. Learn to look up without lifting your head out of water, assuming you’re doing freestyle stroke. It’s usually just a glance up in the direction of your landmark. Also - practice bilateral breathing. I’m still terrible at that - but you want to be able to breathe on either side to avoid waves crashing into your face.

Do you have any recommendations for resources in the NY area (swim groups, good races/swims for beginners, equipment/good places to buy equipment, nice pools to train in)?

There are many good resources around NYC for swimmers - a lot of Masters teams where you can get really good coaching and team workouts - I plan to join a Masters team in January. It’s going to take my pool swimming to the next level. I haven’t found a great pool in Manhattan yet. Asphalt Green is probably the best, but it’s expensive and not at all convenient to where I live.

For open water swimmers - there is CIBBOWS, which I have already mentioned - and NYC Swim holds a lot of swim races - unfortunately they are cutting down on all the short distance swims and focusing mainly on marathon distance swims.

A great race for beginners is Grimaldo’s Mile - it’s short (just a mile) and a lot of fun. That’s a CIBBOWS race.

I buy most of my swim gear online - swimoutlet.com is my favorite - but there’s a good shop near me (Leisure Pro, on 18th St.) that has a lot of gear. Paragon Sports is good for swimsuits and goggles.

What events have you done this year or plan to do next?

This past October I traveled to Bermuda with several CIBBOWS friends to swim the 24th Annual Round The Sound swim. It’s varied distances from 0.8K to 10K - I was going to do the 4K - but for the first time ever the race was CANCELLED because we had a hurricane that day! It was a huge bummer, but I did learn that nothing keeps swimmers down - we swam in the bay by our hotel in the midst of 50mph winds. Crazy? Yes. Tons of fun? Definitely. It’s an experience I won’t forget - and yes, I do plan to return to Bermuda this year to try again. This time I might go for the 10K!

In January I will do my first indoor event - a Masters swim - called the One Hour Postal Swim. Basically you swim for an hour and see how far you can go. The results are compared nationally with other Masters swimmers.

The one shorter distance NYC Swim is keeping is called the Little Red Lighthouse swim which is a 10K in the Hudson - I plan to do that in 2015. Looks like I have some training ahead of me!

Thanks, Jackie!

- MM

Snowpocalypse 2015

Gearing up for the first major storm of the season in NYC - no swimming for me today.  Instead I'm channeling my Winnipeg roots ....

Arctic Mermaid

.... and my inner Elsa!

Stay warm!

-MM

Guest Mermaid: Jackie Blue Swims in Open Water (Part 1)

One of my goals this year is to complete an open water swim.  I have a ways to go, but luckily I have lots of people to turn to for advice, including my aqua fitness coaches and friends who have completed triathlons.

In trying to figure out where to start, I turned to my friend "Jackie Blue."  Jackie is a graphic designer, foodie and nascent guitar impresario.  She is also a lifelong swimmer and completed several open water swims in 2014.   In addition, she is my inaugural guest mermaid.  We sat down for a virtual interview.  Here is Part 1.

When did you first start swimming?  

I can’t remember when I first got in the water.  It was probably as an infant with my parents, but I was certainly playing the pool when I was as young as 2 or 3.  The building I grew up in in Coney Island has an Olympic sized pool, but also a kiddie pool that is no more than 2 feet deep. I was always in the water in summer.

When did you decide to start doing open water distance swims/races?

I didn't decide to be a serious open water swimmer until I started doing some races last year, actually. I swam out in the ocean at Coney every weekend for a very long time, but it was short distances, and only recreationally. Sometime a couple of years ago, I realized I wanted to pursue this as a sport, and looked into open water groups.

How often do you swim (in the pool and the ocean)?  

Life has been a bit hectic lately, and I am lucky if I get to swim more than once a week.  I went 3 times last week and it was fabulous.  In the summer I usually swim both Saturday and Sunday in open water, and at least one pool evening during the week.  I hope to up that in 2015.

Do you swim year round?

I do swim year round. It used to be I stopped going to the beach on Labor Day - no more lifeguards, the beach officially closed, and the Parks department used to kick people out of the water off season. A couple of years ago I joined a gym with a pool so I could continue swimming in the “off season.” Now, as a member of CIBBOWS, I know there really isn’t an off season.  These people swim in the winter all the time.

Why do you love swimming?

I don’t know.  I’m not even a water sign.  I just grew up near the water, and it has always made me happy.  Also, I’m fairly good at it.  It feels effortless - something running never felt like.  That was work.

What is your favorite place in New York to swim?

Coney Island/Brighton Beach, of course! I love the ocean, it’s my happy place. When life is getting me down for whatever reason, I just have to get in that water, and I feel so much better.  My “home base” used to be Bay 9 in Coney - I now swim mostly at Bay 4 in Brighton because that’s where my peeps (CIBBOWS) call home.

Tell me a little more about the group you swim with -- the CIBBOWS.  What is the benefit of training with a group?

I wish I knew about the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers ("CIBBOWS" -- www.cibbows.org) years ago.  I found out about them at the tail end of summer 2013, and vowed to join them the following year - which I did.  They are started out as just a small group of friends who would meet at the same lifeguard chair every weekend.  The lifeguard there at the time, whose name was Grimaldo, was very instrumental in getting the other lifeguards to accept that there was this group of swimmers who swam past the jetties (it used to be prohibited) and would hold races there. Grimaldo unfortunately passed away a few years ago at a very young age - but the chair will always be “Grimaldo’s Chair” and there’s a race named in his honor.

It’s an amazing group of people. All ages - 20s to probably 70s. Many of the members are seasoned marathon swimmers who have done epic swims like the English Channel, Catalina Island, and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS) - those 3 make up the triple crown of marathon swimming. Some people are relative beginners to open water. The benefits are comradery, and tons of inspiration. It isn’t really an organized training group - although members do get the benefit of some organized training workshops - mostly it’s a “meet on the beach and jump in” kind of thing. You can swim alone and come back and hang with the group, or you tend to bond to a few people who swim your speed and then you go out together. There’s always someone to watch your stuff, and to push you to go farther.

For you, what is the best thing about open water swimming?  What is the worst?

The best thing is the feeling of freedom, like it’s just you and nature and you can accomplish anything. It’s serenity. The worst? Maybe it’s the various sea life that can wreak havoc on your swimming. It’s their ocean, we are just borrowing it, but it’s still no fun being stung by jellyfish or various sea lice type critters. I spent a good portion of last summer being VERY itchy.

In Part 2 (coming up next week), Jackie Blue offers some practical advice for open water swimming.

-MM

Branching Out

Mermaid Beer, who knew?

-MM

Workin' the Pole

The holidays have flown by.  This has not been my favorite year, between a tidal wave of year-end work (thankfully completed, with a day to spare) and Christmas week emergency root canal (thankfully now finished but it lived up to its reputation - bleh).  I feel better, the work's done and I finally have a little time off to catch up with friends and family.  I've fallen off the nutrition/exercise wagon a little.  I guess it's good to remember that I'm not perfect.  I will get back to better habits after New Year's Day - I think I've earned a cocktail or three this week.  I'm working on a post on open water swimming, but in the meantime I came across a couple of fun aqua tidbits.

Aqua Pole

I have been fairly obsessed with the Acqua Pole, since I first heard about it.  I confess that I've been fascinated by pole dancing since watching the Sopranos.  Yes pole dancing is kinda (very) exploitative, but it seems like a great workout.  Several gyms in NYC offer classes, but I would never have the nerve to try it on dry land.  The water is another story.

An Italian company developed the Acqua Pole but it hasn't been available in the US until recently.  So I was really amused when I came across this video from USA Today, of all publications, promoting aqua pole dancing as exercise for seniors ("you want me to do WHAT?").  

Right now, aqua pole classes are only available in two locations in the US:

• Ashbridge Manor in Downington, PA (winter schedule and information available here); and
• Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatics Center in Glenarden, MD (my friends DP and Miss C have agreed to check it out with me on my next jaunt to Washington, DC).

Hopefully it will catch on -- it looks like a really fun workout.

S'WET

I've blogged about the fabulous Jenni Lynn's S'WET class (see The Mermaid S'Wets with the Boys (December 2013).  Jenni has had a great year, growing her fitness empire and getting engaged to her lovely boyfriend along the way.  She updated her website with an online booking system for her S'WET classes, which are held at a great pool on East 86th Street in Manhattan.  Her class is one of the few I've taken that has a lot of male students, and Jenni has even written an article on motivating men to get interested in aquatics.  She put together a really fun video of the S'WET experience, which is available below and on her Facebook page, S'WET by Jenni Lynn Fitness.

Happy New Year!  I'll be back with more adventures in 2015.

-MM

Giving Thanks and Resolutions

The holiday season is flying by.  December is my busiest month at work -- I have been getting to the pool at least a couple of times a week, but have been neglecting the blog.  Mea culpa.

Thanksgiving(s)

I hosted my annual pre-Thanksgiving "prequel" for my friends the weekend before actual Thanksgiving.  I have it down to a science at this point.  The food was ready, my apartment was clean (ish) and I had a full 30 minutes to put my feet up before the mob descended.

We had quite a feast.

I remained relatively calm amidst the chaos.

The Angel (who normally makes the Mac and Cheese) had temporarily fled the country.  My friend Ah Q stepped into the breach to make the Mac and Cheese and got a rave review.

I was especially chuffed that my friend Magnolia came in from London and my friend Hulu brought her family up from Virginia for the party.  Everyone had fun.

I seemed to have used up my culinary good karma on the Thanksgiving prequel.  My attempt to make a bourbon pumpkin pecan pie for my family's Thanksgiving was uncharacteristically disastrous.  I used an untried recipe and managed to blow out the motor on my food processor on my first attempt at the pie crust (and the actual crust fell apart when I tried to roll it out -- the proportions were out of whack).  I almost caved and considered pulling the Pillsbury crust out of the freezer, but I was determined.  I consulted my baking go-tos (Rose Levy Bernbaum, Dorie Greenspan and the Barefoot Contessa).  My second attempt blew out the food processor again (I bought a new one on Cyber Monday) but the crust held together.  By this point it was fairly late on Thanksgiving Eve and I was covered with flour and somewhat rattled, so I abandoned the pie and cracked open the bourbon -- a smart call.  I made the pie the next morning -- not my best effort but my family enjoyed it.  The filling was tasty - bourbon is a nice accent to pumpkin.

I am thankful for good friends, my family (2-legged and 4-legged), good food, and my health.  I hope you all have many reasons to be thankful.

Resolutions

So, a few of my friends are swimmers/triathletes, and we had a good discussion about open water swimming after the crowd thinned out at the prequel.  My friend Jackie Blue has done a number of open water swims this year, and I'm going to interview her for an upcoming blog post - she had lots of helpful information.  I decided to get a head start on my mermaid-related resolutions for 2015, as follows:

• Train for and complete an open water swim next summer (my knee has been behaving so I am determined to do a one-mile swim);
• Start training to become a certified aqua fitness instructor -- I want to have a little more information for the blog and I might actually do some part time teaching.  The training involves courses and an exam, so it will take a little time; and 
• Go to mermaid camp at Weeki Wachee in Florida.

Mermaid school is apparently becoming quite trendy.  In addition to Weeki Wachee, there are apparently programs in the Philippines, and Germany (as reported by NBC News):





Who knew?  Perhaps I'm onto a trend.


-MM

Sale -- Aqua Studio

Just a quickie -- Gilt City NY is having a sale on Aqua Studio NY classes.  You can get three classes for $89, seven for $189 or fifteen for $375 (the 7 and 15 class deals are only for new Aqua Studio clients; the 3 class pass is open to new and existing clients).  Plus Gilt is having a 25% off friends and family sale if you use the code FORYOU25 (Friends and Family ends on November 6).  It is a good deal if you are an Aqua Studio fan or just want to try it.  Terms and conditions are available on the Gilt Website.  You need to redeem the voucher at Aqua Studio by Dec. 31, and take the classes by March 31, 2015.

- MM

Underwater PKP

I haven't blogged in awhile.   My knees are happy and I've been sticking to my exercise (more or less).  For better or worse, my day job has required more of my attention in the past few months (again, all good, just insanely busy).  I am working on some new posts.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and one of the highlights is the annual pumpkin carving party (or "PKP") organized by the Gerples.  They have a fun group of friends, and -- being me -- rather than sticking to the commercial stencils, I always end up designing my own pumpkin.  One year I carved George W. Bush.  Another, I carved Obama.  And then there was 2010 (after attending the fantastic Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity), when I attempted to etch Stephen Colbert's face into a pumpkin using GKH's (Mr. Gerples') Dremel rotary tool.  Alcohol must have been involved.  In the process, I sprayed a fine mist of pumpkin pulp all over their kitchen, the windows, and myself.  Here is my attempt to clean the crime scene.

They must love me because they invited me back.

I was watching the news this week and stumbled across this story about an underwater pumpkin carving contest in Vermont. 

Underwater pumpkin carving is apparently a thing, as evidenced by these stories from South Carolina and London.

I will have to try it sometime.  In the meantime, Happy Halloween from the Mermaid.

-MM

Pool Gizmos

Summer arrived in September this year in New York.  July and August were pleasantly mild.  It was 90 degrees and humid earlier today and it's still quite sultry this Saturday night.  I'm staying cool in the air con, watching Notre Dame trounce University of Michigan (the Fighting Irish are leading 21-0 at halftime).  It seems a little wrong to be eating a kale salad while I watch the game -- sigh.  Will work on my couch tailgate next time.  I like Notre Dame's gold helmets.

I finally went to see the brain doc this week.  My MRI was not the touchdown I had hoped for.  Nothing terrible/alarming (no recurrence and my brain is in great shape) but I have to go back for another scan in 6 months (rather than 3 years, as hoped).  They just want to keep a closer eye on things.  I am trying to think of it as the Fantastic Voyage (a favorite film from the 1960s -- I'll just pretend I'm Raquel Welch).

I'm grateful for my conscientious and menschy doctor (and for scans), and I always enjoy talking with him, but I had hoped not to see him for awhile.  At least I feel like I am in great hands.  Trying not to worry about it.  

Pool Toys

Once we got past the medical stuff, we talked swimming -- the brain doc is a fellow mer-man.  He had two cool pool technology recommendations.  Since he does laps regularly (and he likes to keep track of his distance, speed, etc.), he recommended the Garmin Swim, which keeps track of swim strokes, distance, time, etc.  So far, I have been using my Shine to keep track of my swimming, but I might invest in a Garmin as I continue to do laps and work toward my goal of doing an open water swim.  It would be helpful to have more detailed information as I train.  Garmin also makes fancier models that have heart monitors, GPS and other bells and whistles.  

I was more excited about the other gadget -- a waterproof iPod Shuffle from a company called Water Fi. 

I cherish my pool time because I can focus on my breathing and swim strokes.  But let's face it -- lap swimming can be a bit tedious and some music would make the workout more fun.  Water Fi has a process for waterproofing various electronics (including an Amazon Kindle -- not sure if I am going to read in the pool but it would be handy at the beach or on a boat -- or if you like to read in the shower).  The Shuffle clips onto your swim goggles and comes with waterproof head phones.  I might try it -- although I'm concerned I might start singing along (which could be a little dangerous).  I'll keep you posted.

Baby Aqua Spa

On a cheerier note, I came across this article about a Houston, Texas aqua spa for babies.  It's never to early to be fabulous in a pool. The photos are adorable.  

Notre Dame just scored again -- 28-0 as I am about to hit Publish.  Go Irish!

-MM

Mermaid Update -- Dramatic ending to the game -- Notre Dame shellacked Michigan 31-0 (dramatic ending with a touchdown and a defensive penalty).  

The Mermaid Dumps Ice Water on Her Head

I've had brains on the brain this week.  I had my three-year follow up MRI on my brain a few days ago.  It's been 3 and a half years since my surgery.  In all honesty, I don't think about the surgery too often, but I was a bit stressed to be back in the MRI tube (and relieved when it was over).  I get the results next week -- fingers crossed.  And I get to visit my awesome brain doc (surgical genius and all-around mensch).

I thought I had escaped the ubiquitous Ice Bucket Challenge for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, but my friend Peggy Moss nominated me.  Peggy is a brilliant author and a good egg, and it's for a good cause, so here is my video (with gratitude to Ellis Peters for his camera work):

ALS claimed one of my father's friends nearly 20 years ago (one of the kindest people I've ever known).  Two of my friends also lost parents to ALS.  It's an awful disease.  If dumping some ice water on my head raises awareness, it's the least I can do.  You can also donate to the ALS Association  here.   

Deep Water Running at the Y

On a cheerier note, my fabulous teacher Robert Valentin will continue to teach Deep Water Running at the 92nd Street Y this fall.   Starting September 10, Robert will offer deep water running classes on Wednesday mornings from 6:30-7:30 and Friday evenings from 6:30-7:30.  The class is not on the 92nd Street Y website, so email Robert at blueoceanswimming@gmail.com for more information (you can pay by the class).  It's doubtful I'll make it to the Y for the morning class, unless the pool is filled with coffee.  The Friday evening class sounds like a healthy way to start the weekend -- and the Y pool is very nice.  

Labor Day Special at Aqua Studio

Aqua Studio is offering a special on classes over Labor Day weekend.  Classes are $36.  On Monday morning at 10, Ed (great teacher) is offering a Boy Band special interval class.  At 11 and 12 they are offering Interval Sing Along classes (my chance to combine my enthusiasm for aqua fitness with my secret guilty pleasure -- karaoke).  I will let you know how it is.  

Aqua Boot Camp in the News

Final tidbit ... Ellis Peters' Aqua Boot Camp class got a good writeup in the New York Times Urban Athlete column.  Ellis is an awesome teacher -- I'm very happy that he is getting good press.  The photo in the article is of the 92nd Street Y (I recognize one of my classmates from last summer's class, in the foreground).

- MM

Mermaid at Riverbank State Park

The summer is winding down, and I've been a little delinquent on my blogging.  I had grand plans to do an open water swim at the end of the summer.  I did manage one swim in a lake.  Unfortunately, my meniscus-challenged left knee remains uncooperative and I've taken a brief hiatus from the pool to let it calm down (and I squeezed in a trip to Calgary, Canada to catch up with the White Rabbit, the Pink Rabbit, and the Rabbit Grandparents -- lots of fun in the Canadian Rockies).  I'm on the mend and headed back to Deep Water Running and Boot Camp in the coming week.  In the meantime, here is some information about Riverbank State Park.

Riverbank State Park

I may have mentioned my fabulous neighbor M on previous occasions.  She is in her 70s and is a good role model for how to enjoy retirement.  She takes tons of classes (fitness, sculpture, music) and has a great lively group of friends and an incredible joie de vivre.  I took a day off for my birthday last month, and M invited me to come to her water exercise class at Riverbank State Park on the Upper West Side.  Riverbank was a bit controversial when it was built (it's built on top of a sewage plant) and I had never been inside.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  There is an ice skating rink, a nice gymnasium/fitness center, an outdoor track, a restaurant and -- of course -- a beautiful Olympic sized pool (as well as an outdoor pool).

The pool was huge and clean with beautiful views of the river (I could see the Palisades and George Washington Bridge as we exercised).  M treated me to the Senior/Adaptive Water Exercise Class, which meets several days a week (it's very affordable -- $10 for drop in and $2 for Seniors).  Our teacher, David, took us through a variety of exercises and stretches using noodles, buoyancy bells and kickboards.  Overall, the 45 minute class was a fairly gentle workout, but I loved the arm exercises using the kickboard for resistance.  There were about 50-60 students in the class, but the pool wasn't crowded.  I loved the people in the class -- I was one of the younger ones (which is a nice thing as I teeter towards 50).  There is a real sense of community at Riverbank (lots of chitchatting in the locker room after class).  My fellow students were lively and welcoming.  The locker and shower facilities are clean but I did see one roach in the locker room -- but hey, it's New York.  

Riverbank is easily reached by the M11 bus (which goes right to the park) and the 1 train.  Most of the aqua fitness classes are held in the morning, but the pool might be a good option for lap swimming later in the day.

What Not to Wear

I was flipping through New York Magazine and stumbled across this article on the latest swim fashion craze from China -- the facekini.

For once, I am speechless.  Suntans are not considered fashionable in China.  It is supposed to provide UV protection, but -- as one of my friends pointed out -- you would be rocking a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer tan-line.  There really is no way to "Make it Work."

- MM

Team Fox Update: Bret Completes a Triathlon

A couple of months ago, I wrote about my friend Bret Parker, who was training for his first open water swim.  While I was lolling around like a sloth this morning, drinking coffee and doing the New York Times Crossword, Bret (and his lovely wife Katharine) completed the Mighty North Fork Triathlon.  Katharine came in 8th overall for women in her age group.  

Katharine and Bret, and a mystery photo-bomber

Congrats to both of them.  Bret remarked, "Parts were harder than I expected, others easier. But I did it and never in my life imagined I could. Another upside to Parkinson's Disease."

Bret and Coach Lyon Marcus

Bret and Lyon in the home stretch

Bret is training for the Mighty Hamptons Triathlon in September. He is already well on his way to reaching his goal of raising $50,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  Click here to support his efforts and donate to Team Fox.

Rock on, Bret!!

-MM

Deep Water Running at the 92nd Street Y

Metro Mermaid devotees -- apologies for the brief hiatus from the blog.  Having made peace with my right knee, my left knee got jealous and wanted in on the action.  An MRI revealed that I did -- in fact -- tear my left meniscus.  Not a fun experience but I learned a valuable lesson -- don't overdo it when you have a sports injury.  The other valuable lesson was that it illustrated how much the water exercise helps (physically and mentally).  I had to take a break from my classes for a couple of weeks, and my knees became a bit stiff and achy (and the Mermaid became uncharacteristically grumpy).  After a little recovery time (and thankfully no surgery), I am back in the pool and back in action -- and my knees and I are feeling happier, just in time for my upcoming birthday.  It's all about the water exercise.

Deep Water Running at the 92nd Street Y

To celebrate the return of the blog, I have great news.  For those of you on the Upper East Side, my wonderful Deep Water Running teacher Robert Valentin is teaching at the 92nd Street Y this summer.  A six-week session started on July 9 (I only just found out or I would have let you know earlier).  Although it is too late to sign up for the series, you can drop in.  Classes are offered at the following times:

Monday 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Tuesday 6-7 p.m.
Wednesday 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Robert was recently featured in an article in the Examiner about the benefits of Deep Water Running.  I have been taking Robert's classes since the beginning of last year, and reviewed them here.  They have been a godsend for my knees.  Seriously.  The Y has a gorgeous large swimming pool and spacious/immaculate locker facilities.  I am going to try Robert's class at the Y, both for the class and to check out the latest towel art creations in the locker room.

The classes at the 92nd Street Y run through mid-August.  Hopefully they will continue to offer them in the fall.  Drop-in classes are $20 for Y Fitness Center members and $30 for non-members.  For more information, see the Y website.  

Some new open water adventures are still in the works.

-MM

Queen Tunafish and Team Fox

I am relieved that winter is finally over.   It's still a little cool, but summer is on the way.  The cold weather took its toll on me this year -- at the end of March, I ended up with a prolonged case of flu and I appear to have torn a meniscus retrieving a cute (but really uncomfortable) pair of shoes from under my desk when we moved offices.  I rebounded from the flu and the favvulous knee doc appears to have sorted out the achy knee so I am back in the pool (and back to the blog and my lap swimming/training for an open water swim in September).  So it's all good (and summer is coming).

This past weekend, we had a mini family reunion with my cousins in Connecticut.  We hadn't gotten together in years.  My cousin "Ablets" and my sister-in-law came up with the idea for "Cousins Day" -- we hope to make it a regular event.  My dad and his cousin were both only children, so my brothers and I spent a lot of time with these cousins when we were younger.  I was the youngest kid of our generation (and am the only one still in my 40s).  With this crew, I will forever be known as Queen Tunafish.  At some point, when I was 4 or 5 years old, my much older brothers and slightly older girl cousins tied me to a tree in my cousins' back yard (don't ask) and I apparently declared myself "Queen Tunafish" -- because I loved tuna sandwiches.  I'm not sure if they tied me up before or after I declared myself the queen.  My cousin Risa also reminded me that I liked to read the encyclopedia as a kid (so I was a sea creature and a geek).  My nieces thought it was hilarious.  Ah, childhood memories.  I realized this weekend that I started as a tuna and grew up to be a Mermaid (and I'm still a geek).  It all makes sense now.

Team Fox

This trip down memory lane reminded me that I was afraid of swimming as a young kid, which brings me to Team Fox.  My law school friend Bret Parker was also afraid of the water when he was a child.  Bret is one of the most amazing and courageous people I know (he's simultaneously a mensch and a bad-ass).  We went to law school together and he was always smart, witty and supportive when I worked with him on our law journal.   He still is.

Several years ago, Bret was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (he wrote an amazing article about it in Forbes).  Rather than letting it slow him down, since his diagnosis he has run marathons, taken up skydiving, gone on safari, and is a one-man fund raising machine for Parkinson's research.  Bret set out to conquer his fear of the water this past year and -- in typical Bret style -- is doing a triathlon this summer.  He is attempting to raise $50,000 for Team Fox by completing the Mighty Hamptons Triathlon.  You can contribute to Team Fox and read about his inspiring journey here.  And I know he'll ace that swim -- go Bret!!

-MM

Return to Aqua Studio -- Restorative Cycling

After a long cold winter, spring has arrived (once we survive the predicted nor-easter/snow-bomb next week).  I generally enjoy winter, but I am really craving some warm weather and sunshine.  I started my lap swimming and I decided to do a more reasonable open water swim on the East Coast in September (slightly shorter and sans hypothermia, rip currents and sharks).  Details of my training will follow in future posts.  In the meantime, I decided to give aqua cycling another try.

Last September, I tried an interval class at Aqua Studio in Lower Manhattan (and blogged about it here).  I really liked the pool at Aqua Studio, and I felt great after that class, but standing up and pedaling on the bike kind of aggravated my knee.  I loved the idea of Aqua Studio, but I was a bit ambivalent to return (note -- if you enjoy spinning, you will love the interval classes).  I was really excited to see that Aqua Studio added some new classes, including a "Restorative" class.  According to their website:

The RESTORATIVE CLASS objectives are to restore physical and mental well-being by releasing stress, strengthening and realigning the body, as well as connecting it to the mind. This class combines aerobic endurance training with deep breathing, stretching and yoga. You will leave this class feeling calmer and rejuvenated.

I continue to be a little stressed out (for various reasons - mainly work-related) so I thought I'd give it a spin.  I loved it!  Since I work downtown, I opted for the Thursday 8 pm class.  I arrived a bit early, so I chatted with some of the other ladies in the class, some of whom were recovering from sports injuries.  

Ed, the teacher, appears to have a devoted following.  The Interval class before our class was packed with a lively bunch of students.  Ed is in great shape (very muscular) and very calm with a good sense of humor (he described the Restorative class as classical music, as compared to the "rock 'n roll" Interval class).  After he adjusted our cycles, we were off.  

I really liked two elements of this class:

• No standing up -- We cycled the whole time but we didn't have to stand up.  We did do the vault-backwards-over-the-bike move a few times (which is apparently called "position 4").  If you watch this video news report, they do position 4 about 1 minute in.  Kudos to Ed for adjusting the foot straps on the bike so I didn't fly out of the pedals this time.  And I managed to let go of the seat for long stretches of time.  

• Lots of arm movement -- Although we were sitting on the bike, we moved our arms for the entire class -- sweeping through the water, freestyle swimming, figure 8s, treading water, etc.

Ed was extremely attentive and walked around the pool making sure we were doing the exercises properly.  After the class, they put out a tray of lovely herbal tea in the locker room.  It was a really good class -- a decent amount of aerobic exercise, some good yoga and Pilates-like movement, and a total body workout.  As we were stretching after the class, I really felt like I had worked my thighs.  Later that night, I was acutely aware of EVERY muscle in my body -- I was a bit sore.  And once again, I slept like a rock after the class.  I felt calm and rejuvenated.  

I will definitely go back - I enjoyed the class and I felt GREAT afterwards, and it was a really nice group of women -- covering a good range of ages.

Aqua Studio is at 78 Franklin Street, between Broadway and Church.  You can register for classes on their website.

-MM

The Mermaid Prepares to Swim With Sharks (literally...)

Over the holidays, I had a chance to reconnect with my high school friend the SF South Ender ("SFSE").  She and her family live on the west coast.  SFSE is a big fan of the blog.  We were talking about water exercise -- her dad is a fellow mer-man -- and she came up with a great challenge, an open water swim!

As I've dived into the aqua exercise scene, I've noticed the tension between the lap swimmers and the water exercise classes.  Many of the folks who swim at Equinox are training for triathlons, so there is always some friction when the club closes the pool for an hour for an aqua fitness class.  Years ago, I was one of the lap swimmers.  I conquered my fear of the deep water when I was about 12, and I swam laps intermittently until I was in my late 20s.  It was great exercise and it's very calming to swim back and forth in the pool.  I gave it up because I kept getting ear infections and my life got a little too busy.

So I've been sticking to my aqua fitness regime for more than a year, and I feel like I need a challenge.  My knee feels great.  The year I turned 40, I completed a marathon.  50 is looming on the (distant) horizon.  Since I don't think I can do another race on land just yet, I am going to train for an open water swim in September.  The first step was to purchase ear plugs and a good pair of goggles (blue, to match my eyes).

I just started swimming laps again, and I'm optimistic I will be able to do 1.5 miles by September (I have plenty of time to train), and then I have to psych myself up to put on a wetsuit (!) and deal with sharks (seriously), cross currents and possible hypothermia.  As much as I love the water, I am scared of swimming a long distance in open water, so this will be the real challenge for me.   Luckily I have the SFSE and all my friends to support me and cheer me on.  I'll keep you posted on my training as well as other aqua crimes against fashion.  I have some good swim coaches on hand to give me advice and I'm sure I'll have some adventures along the way.  And don't worry -- I will still devote equal blog time to other aqua fitness endeavors.

For inspiration, I recommend this New Yorker profile of Diana Nyad.  You need a subscription to read the whole article.  I was stuck in a tunnel on the #2 train for an hour last week so I had a chance to read the print version (as well as most of the magazine).

-MM