Video courtesy of Ingemar Patiño Macarine. Photo courtesy of Phil White.

Imagine a spouse living with a husband or wife in their second half of their lives (e.g., over 50 years old).

Imagine one spouse wants to break into a difficult sport (e.g., ice swimming, marathon swimming, channel swimming) with all kinds of inherent risks (hypothermia, marine life encounters, failure to complete a solo swim).

Imagine that one husband or wife achieves their initial goals, despite all the obvious obstacles, and still wants to set their individual athletic goals even bigger.

“This dichotomy is difficult for both partners to accept,” observes Steven Munatones.

“The non-swimming spouse may think the swimming spouse is over-extending himself or herself. They believe the swimmer may risk injury or spend an inordinate amount of time training and a significant amount of money traveling to distant places.

Conversely, the swimmer is excited to meet new friends, visit new places, and explore their athletic, physiological and psychological potential. The fear of not trying is greater than the fear of failure. Plus, a successful swim feeds the soul. Success enables dreams to be realized – and many times these dreams had been percolating for decades. Other times, the dreams of swimming across a channel or across a lake, or simply going beyond the shoreline is a new goal, a new passion for the aging Baby Boomer.

And once they enjoy the sense of freedom and the feeling of accomplishment, it is hard for them to stop.”

Please share your interesting spousal stories at headcoach@openwatersource.com for inclusion in the Daily News of Open Water Swimming.

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