I have always loved outdoor adventure: as a kid, exploring neighboring swamps and forests; as a runner through middle and high school (with a marathon at age 15) and first year of college; as a college student, I spent most weekends hiking, climbing, back country skiing and winter camping (including a 50 mile overnight trail run/hike). After college, I biked across the US with a gal pal (NH to Seattle), and a couple of years later, with another friend, from NYC to New Orleans. And throughout the years since, biking, running, hiking, cross-country skiing, and swimming have been things I've enjoyed regularly. In 2007, following surgery my arm wanted to tighten up like a contracting rubber band. I found that swimming helped stretch things out and started swimming more frequently and for longer distances. In 2009, I signed up for the Governor's Island swim. I loved the intensity of that experience, and how many variables there were: temperature, chop, current, saline level, and flashes of activity all around (ferries, helicopters, boats, other swimmers) and continued with more open water swim events. It's been a profound way to get to know New York, or any area, and to gain a deeper knowledge of the nuances of bodies of water (how temperatures and currents vary from one moment to the next, what it feels like to move through such a force). When participating in the NYCswim events, I feel like I'm in the pulse of the city, and also like I've found the local wilderness, the NYC equivalent of the forests, trails, and mountains I've always loved, and a community of folks who share an appreciation for how a little challenge outside of the comfort zone can bring great return in terms of depth of experience.