Hudson River Swim

Almost 4 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with chronic lympoma. I was completely shocked, devastated, and could not believe that it was true. She is one of the most amazing people in the world, and in my head I needed to do something about it. Then, my stepdad told me about the Hudson River Swim, and I knew that I could do that since I have been swimming since I was 9 years old.

The Hudson River Swim is a 3.5 mile swim across the Hudson River and is a charity event for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. All money raised is given to the LLS Foundation for the cure for these diseases. Our "team" is known as Team Oxygen: myself, my stepfather, some family friends, and some of his co-workers all participate in the event. My first year participating in the swim, I swam the event in 1 hour and 38 minutes. Since there was a storm the night before my second swim, it took me 2 hours and 8 minutes. This year I am aiming for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

To prepare myself for the swim, it takes serious training. Swimming 3 or 4 times a week for 2 months. Although I have to do the drive home this weekend (it is miserable), I have to just relax and take it easy. The night before the swim, I eat anywhere between 2,500 and 3,000 calories in 1 meal; this is also known as carbloading. The night before swimmers must eat as many carbs as possible. Between pastas, 2 pound burgers, and potatoes, everyone gets to have a little bit of everything to prepare for the big swim in the morning.

On September 13th, 2009 I will be swimming across the Hudson River again, and I cannot wait to be able to help raise money for the cure for lympoma and leukemia. Although 3.5 miles seems like a really long swim, it's worth all the effort to try and find a way to help my stepmom defeat this disease.