Today, the hero of my blog is Artem
Ismagilov. He wasn't known to have any prior professional swimming experience,
however, on the 8th day of the 8th month of 2015 (2+0+1+5 also equals 8) he
managed to swim eight kilometers in open water in several hours!
Artem encourages everyone with his
improvement and way of life. I watched him become a sports snowboarder from a
professional one, and then he moved to stock photography. Both times were
vastly successful. At the same time, Artem came third in the Russian
Wakeboarding Championship, met his beautiful wife and became a father of two
lovely kids. He chose to quit photography, started shooting video and again
succeeded as an art-director of the company's new direction as a video studio.
This year he tried something new - the
first in his life swim in open water from shore to shore. Artem accepted this
challenge thrown down by his friend Andrei Shishkin. Andrei is also an athlete,
who thoroughly prepares for sports events with professional coaches using all the
latest technologies. He was sure that it's impossible to swim 8 kilometers
across the lake without the help of a coach. Artem decided to prove that
motivation and self-preparation are more important. They had a bet. Andrei has
put his fancy sports bike at stake, and Artem has promised to get a tattoo if
he loses.
Eight is the lucky number for the entire
project: besides being the symbol of infinity, and the fact that the swim
happened on the 8th day of the 8th month, even a bicycle is similar to number 8
in shape.
Artem had six months to get
prepared. The task was to swim 8 kilometers in open water. In fact, the active
phase of his preparation began three months before the event. His job and
errands caused the delay. However, the time came when Artem realized that if he
doesn't start now, he won't succeed. And so he began.
Eight rules for his preparation:
1. Perform the most difficult swim for
the first time to check your capabilities and set a starting point;
2. Look through thematic forums and talk
with people who did long swims in open water before. Define the goal based on
the test swim and draw up the training program;
3. Draw up a weekly training schedule:
one training session in the pool, 2-3 workouts in open water for a few hours
each (the lakes are 100 km away) as well as running, skipping rope, and
stretching;
4. Continually estimate your time limits
of being in open water and work to increase them (interval endurance swims,
alternating rhythm and speed);
5. Perform strength swims (swim with the same
rhythm and speed as long as possible);
6. A buoy attached to you should contain
a running uniform, a phone for navigation and training tracking, as well as
Isostar sports nutrition;
7. Listen to your body and adjust the
training on the go;
8. Watch your breath and
learn to breathe correctly.
Uvildy lake in Chelyabinsk region has
been chosen for the swim. The swimmer could stay in the water as long as he
wanted, have a rest and eat. The swimmer loses if he grabs the buoy, touches
the boat or admits that he lost.
Eight rules for the swim:
1. Form a support team in the boat and on
the shore near the finish line;
2. Attach the same sports nutrition to
the buoy that was used during the training;
3. Create a playlist with favorite music,
which gives an emotional charge during the swim;
4. Find the right rhythm and get into it,
which helps to move with ease for a long time;
5. Be mentally and physically prepared
for different weather: head tide and waves;
6. Be familiar with the lake for the swim
(Artem admitted that he made a mistake not having a single training session in
Uvildy lake);
7. The buoy should contain only an
essential number of items and food to avoid its weight collecting seaweed and
creating unneeded obstacles for the swim;
8. Always remember the
goal: to feel the shore and land underfoot. This helps to swim up to the very
end.
This summer wasn't particularly hot.
Artem trained 4-5 times a week, regularly traveling to the lakes in any
weather. His wetsuit, movement, family and friends' support helped to not get
cold. Dedication helped, too. Three months of training have passed quickly. The
big day has come. Artem puts on his wetsuit, hat and goes into the water. He
swam longer than he expected. There was one time when Artem was swimming but he
wasn't moving towards the shore for nearly an hour. As soon as he realized
this, he immediately changed his technique, and began to approach the finish
line again. The last two kilometers were the most difficult. He was ready to
quit several times, to get out and get a tattoo. But he didn't give up. Artem
swam for four and a half hours to cover more than eight kilometers and won the
bet. When he reached the shore, people applauded him, while he hardly remembered
his name. He could barely speak. But he did it!
"It's hard to imagine that I started
with one kilometer three months ago!" - Artem says, looking back at that
day. "I've done what matters most - I've changed myself. Although, I must
say that when you freak out in the water for several hours straight, all the
tattoos, bikes, and all the numbers, including eight, become insignificant. I
distinctly remember that the best thing for me that day was to feel solid
ground under my feet."
