Well…it’s mid-January so I am bit tardy in posting this blog for a year end review-oh well. It was completed by the end of January so its-todo bien!
2025 was a good year filled with adventure and fun with family and friends both in and out of the water.
I have been writing this blog now for 12 years with a pretty hard thematic focus on swimming. I feel the blog has evolved over time, in particular over the last 3 years. It now tends to encompass a more broad focus of travel, other activities, and relationships. Yes, there is always an element about the aquatic life; however, at times it may be a stretch. Yes, perhaps I am somewhat more balanced in my outlook and pursuits. Nothing speaks to this more than my swimming stats below.
Aquatic stats for 2025:
- 323 miles swum
- 568,000 yards
- 520,000 meters
- 145 swim sessions
- 185 hours in the water
- 3 new bodies of open water (Lake Atitlan, Sea of Bali, Gulf of Thailand)
- 0 number of new pools (What? Still not sure of that stat!)
- 2 open water swim competitions: Cross Columbia River Swim, Elk Lake Swim 3k & 1.5k
- Swim Trek Bali Shipwreck Coast
I swam 323 miles this year as opposed to 407 miles last year. My goal was to swim 400 miles, so I was only 80% to goal. I didn’t hit my goal—although it is still a B grade on a grading scale 🤷🏼♂️. I generally feel okay about missing the mark as it was compensated by many other joys.
From an aquatic point of view I think I can bucket my year in two categories.
The first bucket would be categorized around competitive swims. Not sure this was an intentional bucket; however, it was one I enjoyed. The Cross Columbia River Swim was a fun milestone, as stated in my blog (Roll On, Columbia Roll On). Swimming across an iconic (well, at least for West Coasters) body of water between two states that I have a strong history with was pretty cool. The icing on the cake is that this was the second time in 90 years that this competition has taken place. Will I do it again? I hope so. Next time, I would like to get some other Bend swimmers there.
Also in the competition category, there was the Elk Lake swim, or as I would prefer to say, the Elk Lake Olympics (Elk Lake Olympics). Despite swimming in Elk Lake many times, this was the first time in the 5 years we have lived here that this annual competition has taken place due to weather. Yup, the track was familiar; however, the “event” status of this swim made it really fun.
The second bucket, I would call “low-key” swims. This year it shaped up to be some swims in some pretty cool and different places that I hadn’t dreamt of swimming in before. First stop was Guatemala on a trip to study Spanish and experience Santa Semana (¡Guate-ever!). Lake Atitlán had never been on the swimming bucket list. It’s a beautiful lake, the deepest lake in Central America, surrounded by volcanoes. With some homework on logistics, it is definitely possible to swim the length. Not many people have done it (at least that I can find). Hmmm…😉
In the same low-key vein, was a Swim Trek trip to Bali (Smiles 2.0). The waters were clear, calm, and warm, maybe even hot. I went solo, and it was awesome meeting new “like-minded” people across an age, swimming ability, and cultural spectrums. I can’t wait to do that again…so fun! It also got me closer to Southeast Asia for a fun trip with a dear friend.
In writing this blog and reflecting on last year at one of my favorite coffee shops, Thump Coffee, I think there is a third bucket—everyday swims. It is an important one. I still receive great pleasure and joy from my regular swim routine at Juniper Park Pool. As a local swimming community, I think we all really, really appreciate the friendships and supportive tribe that has been developed. I think it is unique and provides me with much happiness 😍. It also keeps me fit!
Recently, I was reminded of the phrase: go-go years, slow-go years, and no-go years. We are clearly in our go-go years, and I expect and hope that will be for a long time!
With that in mind for the future, well at least, for 2026 I am going to focus on the following themes.
Swimming—I want to focus on competition versus long slog swims. I have done the long swims, and I suspect I will do more in the future. At this point, I think I want to focus on open water competitions and perhaps swim meets. Open water competitions are generally in cool locations with fun, outgoing people. In my delusional thinking, I am feeling fairly fit and like to think I could be competitive in my age group—we shall see!
Travel & Adventure—There are so many places to go and things to do, and I want to do it all. For a long time, it felt like life has been very swimming-centric, perhaps to the exclusion of other things. I have really enjoyed our recent longer trips to various places where swimming hasn’t been the sole focus. In the future, maybe I will tag a swim on before or after a trip or maybe not at all (there is always a body of water to jump into). I suspect my life will still be more swimming and water-centric relative to others. That’s okay because I enjoy it! Going forward, I hope to approach it in a more balanced fashion.
Mental & Creative Engagement—this is a big bucket that for now holds, at least a couple of interests: Spanish learning and pottery. Both of these activities I really enjoy, and they stimulate me mentally and creatively. I like to think that I have become more proficient at both over time—although there is still a long way to go! Is there something else that can be added to this bucket? I think so. I just need to find the right fit.
Relationships—Cultivating new and nurturing existing relationships help shape us and make us into who we are. They are also a key ingredient of successful aging. I really feel it with the people that I interact with on a daily basis at the pool, the studio, friend and book groups, etc. I want to be more intentional and focused on deepening those relationships and building the right new ones. Under this heading, I think I can add volunteerism and giving back. This is an area of improvement for me. Not sure where to go with it; however, I will be a focus for me going forward.
Sooo…those are my year-end reflections and thoughts going forward. What does that mean for my blog? Well…likely more of the same with less concern or focus, on my part, on trying to make each blog post totally swimming-related. That’s okay…balance!
Goggle Reflections 