Transcript of Episode Five: 21 Hours in the Water: Becca Mann on Open Water, Writing, and Pushing Limits
Summer Finke
00:08 - 00:37
Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of Lane 1 Making Waves. This week on the podcast we have swimming superstar Becca Mann. Within this conversation we touch on her early success in the pool qualifying for Olympic trials at the age of 13 and finaling in multiple events at the young age of 13 to discovering her love for open water where she took her open water journeys to that 21 hour long swim in the ocean where she covered 40 miles.
Summer Finke
00:38 - 01:05
She has a new book coming out April 1st so be sure to pre-order and order and stay tuned for more. So today with me, as I said, I have Becca Mann. Becca has such a great and extensive history in the sport. And I know we're going to have a lot of fun and answer a lot of questions that will help age group swimmers, open water swimmers, and anyone really interested in the sport.
Summer Finke
01:06 - 01:17
So first off, I'd just like to start with your journey in swimming. I know everyone kind of gets started at a different age. So how did you first get involved in the sport and what made you fall in love with it?
Becca Mann
01:18 - 01:33
Okay. My entrance into the sport was very, it was kind of out of spite. My older sister, Rachel was joining the swim team and I like, I had to do everything that she did. And she was joining it because my parents like would do triathlons for fun.
Becca Mann
01:33 - 01:42
They weren't good. They would just do them for fun. And they needed somebody to watch us like during the triathlons. So like the second that we were old enough, they're like, okay, we're just going to put them in the triathlons.
Becca Mann
01:42 - 01:54
So like they can race while we're racing. So I was like, time for my sister to go do the triathlons with them. And I didn't want to be left out. So she joined the swim team so she could like, you know, swim.
Becca Mann
01:55 - 02:07
And I didn't know how to swim, but I asked my parents, I'm like, can I join the swim team with Rachel? Because I have to do everything that she does. They were like, you don't know how to like, you can, I could survive, but that was it. They're like, you don't know how to do freestyle.
Becca Mann
02:07 - 02:21
Like, no. So I was dropping her off at the pool, and I just packed my swim bag and didn't tell anyone. And then when she went in, I waited until no one was watching, and I snuck in behind her. And then that was kind of just my entrance into swimming.
Becca Mann
02:21 - 02:52
And then they put her in my group because I refused to be alone. But then two days later, they were like, OK, Rachel, we're moving you into the group of people who actually knows how to swim, not these people who are like these four-year-olds who are learning how to swim. Yeah, and they took her away from me, and I like started screaming bloody murder, and I, but like no one, nobody budged they were like no like you're gonna be here she's gonna be over there like that's just the way it's going to be. So I'm like, in that moment I vowed to be good enough to swim in her lane.
Becca Mann
02:52 - 03:09
Yeah, I just kind of loved like the challenge of trying to get into Rachel's Lane. And I think it took me like over a year, but I eventually made my way there. And that was like, honestly, like the best moment of my life. That was my biggest accomplishment, me getting into Rachel's Lane.
Summer Finke
03:11 - 03:28
I think a lot of like siblings have similar stories with that. I know. I it's crazy that you say that because I remember the moment that my sister switched age groups. I bawled my eyes out every single day before practice to the point where I refused to swim for a really long time.
Summer Finke
03:28 - 03:34
I said I was sick. I didn't want anything to do with it until they're like, Okay. Like you're kind of good. Like we'll move you up.
Summer Finke
03:34 - 03:49
And all of a sudden I was like, yep, I'm fine. And this is where I belong. Um, but you kind of touched on something in there where you said you liked the challenge. And I mean, you can kind of see that throughout your history in the sport of swimming throughout the open water and all the same distances that you've covered.
Summer Finke
03:49 - 04:05
Um, you made a name for yourself very early on in your swimming career from the age of 10, when you, did the swim in Maui for, I think you said it was six hours? Yeah, six hours. Absolutely insane. As a 10-year-old, I didn't even want to swim more than 500 yards.
Summer Finke
04:06 - 04:11
So what were some of those breakthrough moments that helped you kind of establish your world in competitive swimming?
Becca Mann
04:13 - 04:48
I think that, I would say that the Maui channel from Lanai to Maui, that was one of them, just because that was another thing where my mom wanted to swim that channel and I was like, no, I'm the swimmer of the family, it has to be me. And that was a very pivotal moment because when I finished that, I was like, oh, I can do these difficult things that other people are telling me I can't do. When people tell me I can't do something that's Like that's a challenge that's that means that I should try to do it and I should try to prove these people wrong. And from there, like, I kind of just set my sights on like the national age group records.
Becca Mann
04:48 - 05:01
And from there, it was always small goals it was like big, big goals but small goals within those big goals. Yeah, so I was like okay. why shouldn't I be the fastest 11, 12 year old ever? Why shouldn't I be the fastest 13, 14 year old ever?
Becca Mann
05:01 - 05:11
And I think that like looking at it that way, I like would reach these milestones and not realize how much ground I was covering until like I was suddenly an elite swimmer.
Summer Finke
05:12 - 05:35
Yeah, no, and it's, it's crazy that you say that because like, we have very similar backgrounds in the sport of swimming to where I used to study those national age group records. I used to study the top 100 list because I, I wanted to be up there and I wanted to be the first one up there. And I wanted everyone else to see that I was going to be the first one up there. Um, and it's so important.
Summer Finke
05:35 - 05:47
Mortal enemies. Yes. It's so important mentally to have that mindset to where, you know, nothing is impossible. Like you said, if someone says something is difficult, you're like, nope, it's not.
Summer Finke
05:47 - 06:02
I'm going to do it. Getting thrown into the mile from such a young age and being successful with it. You know, we didn't really look at that as being, you know, this lighthearted swim. We took everything that we did seriously.
Summer Finke
06:03 - 06:19
And so I know, kind of touching on your history in the sport, you were homeschooled up until you went to college. So what was the most challenging part about balancing, you know, school, training, and staying focused and motivated in the sport?
Becca Mann
06:20 - 06:48
I think that I would say that swimming came before school for me. And I know this sounds terrible, but I was like I love learning things and my parents were very aware that I love learning things so like every time I'd gone a national team trip, they'd have my teachers like teach me about the country that I was going to. or like whenever I told them that I wanted to write a book. So they were like, okay, like we're gonna make that one of your classes, like just keep, and they knew that I would write for like two or three hours every day.
Becca Mann
06:48 - 07:04
So they were like, okay, just keep doing that. And like, that will be like a class. And then you learning about these like different cultures that you're going to be experiencing, that will like be a class. And then I had to take Spanish too, which I didn't love because I didn't love my Spanish teacher.
Becca Mann
07:04 - 07:26
That's another story. And then like, I kind of, I tried to get math done as soon as possible because I didn't like that. So like by the time I was done with freshman year, like I had all the NCAA math things checked off. So it was kind of an untraditional school, like schooling path, but I'm really, I feel like I learned everything that I needed to know.
Becca Mann
07:26 - 07:50
So I was prepared for college. Oh, except I didn't know how to like write college essays. So when I went to, Yeah, I like I had this class and they were like okay like write an essay about, I don't even remember what it was it was like history of international cinema or something. And I just wrote like a short story, and I turned it in and like the professor was like, Becca, come here, like yeah, he was like what is this.
Becca Mann
07:50 - 07:57
I was like, oh, it's okay. He was like, no, it's not. This is a story. I was like, what, what do you mean?
Becca Mann
07:57 - 08:09
Um, so yeah, I had to, I had to have someone teach me how to do that. But like, I feel like I was well prepared in that, like, I just kind of looked at life as a learning experience. And then by the time I got to college, I was like, okay, I feel prepared for this.
Summer Finke
08:10 - 08:33
Yeah, and I mean swimming kind of teaches you so much I mean it teaches you the things that you need to be successful in college or even in a career setting so like time management discipline. I know we touched on the mental aspect of it if something comes your way and it's challenging, you're just going to do it. Um, so you eventually went on to swim at USC for two years. And as I touched on, you had a amazing career as a young athlete.
Summer Finke
08:33 - 08:49
You went to Olympic trials, I think when you were 13 and multiple events and finaled in multiple events, which is unheard of. Um, what was it like navigating the transition from, you know, age group swimming when you were swimming with your sister, um, to elite level competition?
Becca Mann
08:50 - 09:04
Well, I think there was one really big transition when I was 13, and that was when I moved to Florida. So my family is from Chicago. My parents still live there. And I asked my parents if I can move and convince them that it was a good idea.
Becca Mann
09:04 - 09:12
So they let me. And I always had a parent or a family friend or my grandma. Someone was always with me. But it was my first time out on my own.
Becca Mann
09:14 - 09:37
It was actually like much harder than I realized it was going to be. Um, so then like swimming I, there was this pressure, where I was like okay I sacrificed my family for this goal. I need to make sure that I achieve this goal. Yeah, so that was like kind of, it was a lot but also like I'm generally pretty good with pressure so I was like okay like I will make sure that this was worth it.
Becca Mann
09:38 - 09:54
Um, so I would say that that was like the first big pivot where I was like okay I'm an elite swimmer I need to act like an elite swimmer I need to make sure that like I don't waste a single practice, and then I kind of like obsessed with swimming, probably to an unhealthy degree like during that time because I need to sacrifice. Yeah. worth it.
Becca Mann
09:54 - 10:14
Um, so that was like, I would say that that was when I considered myself like okay like I'm an elite professional swimmer, and then college so like going on to college. I was actually coming off of getting really over trained in 2016. So I like, I went the summer before I didn't swim at all. I like, I needed some rest.
Becca Mann
10:14 - 10:51
And then, uh, you know, like, you know, when you get into college season and it's kind of easy, like the first few months where it's just like, and everyone's just like not really doing anything that was perfect for me because I like needed time to recover and like get back to my normal self. Um, but then, college swimming, it was, it was a sprint based program which I generally thrive in distance based programs. So, um, I didn't exactly achieve what I wanted to achieve and also like I was seeing the world for the first time because like everything in my life had been so one dimensionally focused on swimming before that, that I was like, oh, Like, I'm back in school for
Becca Mann
10:51 - 11:04
the first time since sixth grade like this. I'm learning new things like I'm meeting people who haven't just stared at this black line all day. And I love that part of it like I loved learning. I loved school I loved like.
Becca Mann
11:05 - 11:17
I took the most random classes, which was so much fun. Like I was in painting, piano, hip hop. Like I was in all of these weird classes and I was just like learning what I liked. I was like learning who I was outside of swimming.
Becca Mann
11:17 - 11:38
So that part was fantastic. But in doing that, like my swimming suffered because I wasn't like, okay, I will swim, I will nap, I will swim, I will eat, I will sleep. And also like I wasn't doing the training that I was doing before. So yeah, college swimming was definitely like, an interesting time of my life but a great my personal life.
Summer Finke
11:38 - 12:10
Yeah I mean you touched on something really important and that's the aspect of overtraining. I think as distance swimmers there's always a point in your career where you kind of either hit a plateau or you hit a point where you don't truly love it and it's really difficult to give something your full focus if you're no longer in love with it. And especially with college, you know, you're coming to this new environment. As you said, there's people from all over the world, all different spectrums, all different interests that you're making friends with and you're learning about for the first time.
Summer Finke
12:10 - 12:21
So it's a very overwhelming but rewarding experience at the same time. How would you say college training differed from what you were typically used to in your age group years?
Becca Mann
12:22 - 12:40
Okay, this is going to sound so small and ridiculous, but they didn't write out the whole practice before. I need to see the whole practice before. I hate not being able to see what the main set is before I get in the water. I want to know what I'm warming up for.
Becca Mann
12:41 - 12:54
And I had always had a practice written out before I would jump in the pool. So that was like a big mental hurdle that I never got over. Like I would ask the coaches, I'd be like, what's the main set? And they're like, we don't, like, don't worry about it.
Becca Mann
12:54 - 12:59
Like, you'll get there when you get there. I'm like, no, I need to know now. I have to know now. I need to know like what I'm warming.
Becca Mann
13:00 - 13:05
Am I, should I be warming up my fly? Should I be warming up my free? Should I be doing backstroke? Like what should I be doing?
Becca Mann
13:07 - 13:22
So that was like a really weird mental hurdle that like kind of would set the scene of every practice where I would feel unprepared. which I know is ridiculous. And like, I probably could have learned the tools to deal with that. But instead of doing that, I was like, just flustered the whole time about like what I was doing.
Summer Finke
13:22 - 13:32
No, I completely get it because I come like my club coaches. We always had a printed workout. We'd put it on the wall. It had warm up all the way until warm down.
Summer Finke
13:32 - 13:47
It had your rest. So you knew exactly what you're going to be doing when you're going to be doing it. And when you were getting out of the water and I was the same way. I liked to know everything, probably to an unhealthy degree that it's also like kind of transitioned into my personal life as well.
Summer Finke
13:47 - 13:49
Like I need to know the plan. I need to know what we're doing.
Becca Mann
13:49 - 13:50
I'm still with you. Yes.
Summer Finke
13:50 - 14:08
Like anxiety attacks will happen if I don't know what's going on. So I completely get it. We had a couple of practices where my coach also wouldn't tell us what we needed to be doing. And they always say that it's because they want you to give everything your all while you're doing it because you don't know if it's your last one.
Summer Finke
14:08 - 14:11
But I need to know if it's my last one or not.
Becca Mann
14:11 - 14:17
I will be giving my all regardless. Just let me know what I'm giving my all in preparation for.
Summer Finke
14:18 - 14:23
You'll get a happier summer. You'll get a faster summer. I promise it'll be worth it. Just please let me in on a secret.
Becca Mann
14:24 - 14:28
I even want to know if I'm getting a minute between each round or like seconds.
Summer Finke
14:29 - 14:37
Yes. No, it matters, especially in distance swimming when practices can range from anywhere from 5,000 yards all the way up to 10 to 12. You're like, which one are we getting today? Please.
Summer Finke
14:39 - 14:47
So kind of transitioning from pool to open water swimming. When did you first discover open water swimming and discover your love for it?
Becca Mann
14:48 - 15:07
Um, I would say that that was kind of like because when Rachel joined the swim team like it was kind of just for to have a babysitter during triathlons. It was always there because like open water is the triathlon, you do. Why did I just I don't know what I was saying. Because triathlon, you know, the swim is in open water.
Becca Mann
15:08 - 15:41
Yeah. So, um, my family was always like, we loved open water, we would like, we were always in the ocean growing up, we like, it's just so much more fun than pools to me, like I love the adventure of it so I always kind of knew that it existed and then. it had like it's so much more suited to my personality than pool swimming because I love that there are variables like you need to adapt you need to you need to be good with not having a plan and uh it's really like beautiful that you can end up
Becca Mann
15:41 - 16:06
you could be in a very still ocean with no waves no conditions you could be in like 20 foot waves with rain pouring down. I think that the swimmers who are really great at open water are generally the people who are really good at life because they can take anything that's thrown their way and just adapt to it and learn to thrive in it.
Summer Finke
16:06 - 16:41
Yeah and I mean even within open water swimming like I know I've done a couple of 10ks but that's nothing compared to the types of open water environments that you've been in touching from like the 25k that whirls to the 21 hour swim that you completed which is something that I cannot even fathom swimming for 21 hours and I read a few articles that you wrote about it, how like your mindset shifted from the start and the middle and the end, you kind of go through a whole whirlwind of emotions. Can you kind of touch on that swim a little bit?
Becca Mann
16:42 - 16:58
Yes. So I wanted to do it because I knew that like I was planning on not swimming for a while and I like, I wanted to do something that no one had done before. Yeah. And I, and I also wanted to do something that I wasn't completely sure that I could do.
Becca Mann
16:58 - 17:14
So I found the swim. I talked to Steve Munoz, who's, uh, he was the head of the world open water swimming association. And I was like, what's something that you think that I can do that like either hasn't been done before that you like think I could do a record in that will, that I can get a record in that will be really hard. For me to do.
Becca Mann
17:14 - 17:27
And he was like, I have the perfect thing and it's set up in a triangle. So like one of the legs at least was going to have a really tough current. So I needed to have both speed and endurance. And then, so I like love the idea of this.
Becca Mann
17:27 - 17:32
And I loved the idea that maybe I wasn't going to be able to do it.
Summer Finke
17:32 - 17:32
Yeah.
Becca Mann
17:33 - 18:27
But then as I got in, it was really interesting because it was kind of, it was definitely an emotional roller coaster, I think I felt every single emotion, ever in those 21 hours. um but yeah like people ask me like what it meant to me and for a while I was like I don't know because like my life didn't change afterwards and expected that I would be able to do it and then I was like okay yeah like I did do it and that's cool um but then like the more cool yeah and the more I thought about it I was like it was just fun like it was fun to see if I could overcome this challenge it was fun to see if I could like keep going even when my brain was like trying to convince me that like I had died and gone to hell and was like eternal suffering that I could like just keep swimming through that or like that I could keep swimming when my brain was like your god like you you
Becca Mann
18:27 - 18:43
you're the ruler of the world and that like I could just keep going and then suddenly like be in a downward spiral and then like be back on top of the mountain and that like I could have decide in my brain that like, okay, once you get to our 12, you're allowed to have a mental breakdown.
Summer Finke
18:44 - 18:47
Yeah. It was just like spacing it out.
Becca Mann
18:48 - 19:00
Yeah. It was just really interesting to me that like, I could control, like I could and couldn't control my emotional state. Um, and I, I, let me, let me reword that. Yeah.
Becca Mann
19:00 - 19:07
The fact that I couldn't always control my emotional state. Um, but despite that I could control the fact that like I could keep swimming.
Summer Finke
19:09 - 19:15
So train for it at all, like beforehand, or was it just something you decided on a whim? Oh my goodness.
Becca Mann
19:15 - 19:29
I just decided, I was like, okay, I've, I've been training for this my whole life. I'll be fine. So. I think that, like, it was mostly mental, because, like, the physical part, I was like, okay, five hours of swimming for, like, most of my life every day, I'll be okay.
Becca Mann
19:29 - 19:41
Like, I know that I could physically do it, and it's just one day in my life. That's what I kept on telling myself. I was like, one day in my life, I just need to be able to, like, mentally take this on.
Summer Finke
19:41 - 19:59
Yeah, no, that's absolutely incredible. Cause I've always wondered kind of like the training that goes behind it. And sometimes it makes you wonder, like if you do end up training for something that long, if almost you will get into that overtraining cycle to when you start the race, it's not as. you don't love it as much as you did before.
Summer Finke
19:59 - 20:09
Yeah. I'm really happy with my lack of training. It turned out well. I mean, it's how many miles was it total?
Summer Finke
20:10 - 20:13
It was 40 miles. Oh my goodness. It was
Becca Mann
20:14 - 20:33
crazy because like during parts of it, I'd like, I'd feed every 20 minutes. So like every 20 minutes I'd talk to the boat, like while my feed was thrown to me. And I thought that I was probably covering like, I'm like, okay, I must be covering like a 1200 at least, like during these 20 minute increments. And finally halfway through, I was like, okay, how much did I cover during those 20 minutes?
Becca Mann
20:33 - 20:35
And they were like a 400.
Summer Finke
20:35 - 20:53
I was like, are you kidding me? I've gone 400 in these 20 minutes? No, I mean, that would be I'd be almost scared to ask me like, how are now, like, I'm not gonna ask for like another three or four hours. Yeah, no, and I mean, I read a 6k.
Summer Finke
20:57 - 21:04
I read that the kayaks had like lasers or like shocking for sharks.
Becca Mann
21:04 - 21:12
Yeah they had like shark shocker things. It was like this long like rope like thing that like hung off the back of the kayak. I guess it like created a force field for sharks.
Summer Finke
21:13 - 21:14
Oh my goodness.
Becca Mann
21:14 - 21:18
if they work or not. I was just like, whatever, they'll, if a shark comes, like, they'll deal with it.
Summer Finke
21:19 - 21:25
Like they'll do their job. Yeah. You had your job and everyone else had theirs. That's absolutely insane.
Summer Finke
21:25 - 21:26
What was it like swimming at night?
Becca Mann
21:27 - 21:29
I loved swimming at night.
Summer Finke
21:29 - 21:30
It was so much fun.
Becca Mann
21:30 - 21:43
Yeah. When the sun, cause I, I'd never swum at night before. And when the sun set, I like, I had like my own little Moana moment where I was like, okay, I'm going to sing like how far I'll go and look at the sunset. And like, it was, it was so much fun.
Becca Mann
21:43 - 21:54
It's like, this is amazing. I've never swum at night. I'm going to be swimming at night, like new experience. And then when things started getting hard, I like, I remember I like turned on to my back because it was like, okay, I need to like recollect myself.
Becca Mann
21:55 - 22:12
And I looked and the moon hadn't risen yet. And it was like pitch black outside. And all of the stars, since there was no light pollution, were shining so brilliantly that I felt like I could see the entire galaxy. And it was one of the best moments of my life.
Becca Mann
22:12 - 22:18
Like, I felt like I could reach out and touch them. You're making me want to try it. You should. OK.
Becca Mann
22:19 - 22:24
totally could do it.
Summer Finke
22:24 - 22:33
You'll be able to do it. I'll need you as my guide. We'll start with something small, just like an hour swim like at midnight. OK, perfect.
Summer Finke
22:33 - 22:34
That's crazy.
Becca Mann
22:35 - 22:43
Yeah, it was really like and then after that, I was kind of like in a sensory deprivation tank because then I had like 12 hours of just darkness.
Summer Finke
22:43 - 22:45
Yeah. Also, like very
Becca Mann
22:46 - 23:01
It was both peaceful and at points terrifying when I thought I had died. Yeah. Yeah. When a great a great experience that I'm so like, I feel very grateful to have done that.
Summer Finke
23:02 - 23:10
Yeah. What were the emotions when you finally finished, when you finally saw the shoreline and you got to stand up for the first time in hours?
Becca Mann
23:10 - 23:30
It was funny because I got there and I was just like okay like I'm really happy I don't have to get back in the water. True story. Yeah it's like and I like looked at the water and I was like oh I did that like that's that's really cool but I was too exhausted to like feel like positive emotion. It was more like just I was content.
Becca Mann
23:31 - 23:34
I felt very content and I felt like alive in that contentment. Yeah.
Summer Finke
23:35 - 23:54
Sometimes I feel like as like swimmers and especially like swimmers at the high level, we have a hard time celebrating our accomplishments just because we know that we can always achieve more. Or even when we do something that we set out to do, we're like, OK, I wish I would have done it faster to the point where it's like, oh, what's the next thing? Yeah. Yeah.
Summer Finke
23:54 - 24:01
And so like just looking back on it, do you have a different take on it now than when you just touched?
Becca Mann
24:02 - 24:16
Well, it's interesting because after I did it, I was like, I would definitely do that again. I like thought that immediately after, and I was like, okay, that means that I will be doing something like that again. Yeah. I do sort of feel the itch coming back a little bit.
Becca Mann
24:16 - 24:24
So I think that there will be more long distance, like long channel swims in my future. I don't know when yet, but yeah.
Summer Finke
24:24 - 24:36
I know it's in six days notice. Yeah. Exactly. What are the biggest differences between open water and pool swimming, both physically and mentally?
Becca Mann
24:37 - 24:50
I think that pool swimming is very precise. You are down to the hundredth of a second. Everything has to be very precise, perfect. It's all very contained.
Becca Mann
24:51 - 25:02
There's a lot of perfection that goes into it. Open water, I think, is a little messier. It's messier, dirtier. it's it's about grit rather than precision.
Becca Mann
25:02 - 25:20
Yeah. And because like if you're in a 10K with like a field of international competitors, like everybody wants to be in the same spot. There's going to be like they're going to be elbows in your face. There's going to be like lots of strategy, lots of like lots of swearing, lots of like interesting.
Becca Mann
25:20 - 25:39
There's just so much distance somewhere. Yeah, exactly. And even with the channel swims, that's all about grit, too. And it's about adjusting your stroke for the waves and making sure that you conserve at the right times and sprint at the right times and that you have a strategy and that you're not being stupid.
Becca Mann
25:40 - 25:45
While pool swimming is just like, OK, I just have to go and I have to hold on for as long as I can.
Summer Finke
25:46 - 25:58
Yeah. So yeah, it's they're very like they're two, they're two sides of the same coin, but very different at the same time. Yeah. It's funny that you mentioned that because I remember when you're like, I need to know the set, I need to know exactly what's going on.
Summer Finke
25:58 - 26:01
And then you kind of touched on open water, Becca, and you're like.
Becca Mann
26:02 - 26:05
I love how anything can happen, like throw me in there.
Summer Finke
26:05 - 26:10
Do you find that it is kind of two different versions of you that approach those events?
Becca Mann
26:10 - 26:32
You know, that's really interesting. I haven't thought about that before, but I would say definitely because there is a side of me that's like very, you know, like the perfectionist side of me. And that's the part of me that loves pool swimming. And then there's the messy side of me where I'm just like, I want to just be thrown in there and I want to see what I can do with like just like my my will.
Summer Finke
26:32 - 26:36
Yeah. Yeah. And you've done quite a lot with it.
Becca Mann
26:38 - 26:48
Thank you. But yeah, I always I love open water. I love I think open water is like my true love of swimming. I think that like represents what I love about swimming.
Becca Mann
26:48 - 27:02
I love the grit. I love like, I love that. that form of swimming more so. And I think that it's like a reminder to lean into the messy, to like lean into the like perfection's overrated.
Becca Mann
27:03 - 27:12
And sometimes you just have to like throw yourself into the ocean and be like, okay, like, let's, let's see how long I can swim for. To keep going. No sharks eating.
Summer Finke
27:13 - 27:39
I feel like open water swimming over the past couple of years has definitely grown. I know when I was younger, it was kind of where we had a couple of 10ks, but it wasn't really anything that was prominent or anything that club, like whole clubs went to. Now we have open water junior nationals, which has always been a thing, but we see whole clubs going to it. What advice would you give to young swimmers who are kind of wanting to make a name for themselves in the open water world?
Becca Mann
27:41 - 28:08
I would say don't shy away from it like embrace the 10k embrace the fact that it's going to be really hard that you're going to learn things about yourself that you're going to be challenged and see what happens at the end. I would say also like don't let your first impression of it like when you climb out of the 10k a lot of the times you're like I never want to do that again. Give yourself a few days to think about everything that happened during that 10K. And I have a feeling that you'll be thinking, OK, actually, I would try that again.
Becca Mann
28:08 - 28:18
And maybe if I do this thing differently, I won't experience this one thing that happened that made me hate that 10K. And I might have a better time, perform better. I might learn to love it. Yeah.
Summer Finke
28:19 - 28:41
And there's so many learning opportunities within open water swimming just because of how long it is. You're trying to eat right the day before to make sure that you're not having stomach issues. You're making sure that you're getting enough carbs before, during and after making sure you're hydrated. So I, like, I personally love how many elements go into it that pool swimming doesn't necessarily have.
Summer Finke
28:41 - 29:00
I mean, yes, you still have the nutritional aspect of it, but like you touched on just the mental grit, getting yourself from point A to point B is, is something that I think a lot of pool swimmers until they try open water swimming, don't really understand. Yeah, for sure. And that's another fun part of it, I think. Yeah.
Summer Finke
29:00 - 29:08
No, like I said, it's giving me the itch to get back in the pool. It's been a little bit, but now I'm like, I should do open water. I should try it.
Becca Mann
29:09 - 29:19
The other thing is that Endurance doesn't peak for like for athletes until their mid thirties. Yeah. Summer now is the time for you to get into open water swimming.
Summer Finke
29:19 - 29:22
Oh boy. I might make a trip out to North Carolina.
Becca Mann
29:23 - 29:25
Come train with us. We have a lane for you.
Summer Finke
29:25 - 29:36
Oh boy. Already a lane. I need to buy a new seat. You've had a lot of success, obviously, as you touched on in the pool, in the ocean and channels.
Summer Finke
29:37 - 29:46
I know outside of swimming, you've also found a passion for writing. Can you tell me a little bit about that journey and how you discovered that creative outlet?
Becca Mann
29:46 - 29:54
So I loved reading growing up, like anything, any fantasy novel I could get my hands on, like it was, I was going to devour it.
Summer Finke
29:55 - 29:58
And then as I was reading, I was like, wait, I could do this too.
Becca Mann
29:59 - 30:04
Like, this is my way to, all I wanted was to like be a warrior with like a sword and a fantasy land and like a dragon.
Summer Finke
30:05 - 30:07
Yeah, I love dragons.
Becca Mann
30:07 - 30:15
Yes. I was like, okay, this is not a viable career path, but I can make, I can create these worlds. Like I can do it through writing.
Summer Finke
30:15 - 30:16
Yeah.
Becca Mann
30:16 - 30:34
And So then through all these books, I was like, OK, maybe I'll try doing this. And I just loved it so much. I loved making my own stories because I hated when I'd read a book and then it would end in some way that I didn't like or a character would do something that I didn't agree with. I was like, OK, I just need to make my own.
Becca Mann
30:34 - 30:54
I need to have full control over this. Yeah. So then yeah, I just started writing and I knew that I was supposed to do it. I like just knew that it was for me because my mind, like as it would wander, like regardless of what I was doing, it would always be like to these different like scenarios of different characters that like, let me rephrase this too.
Becca Mann
30:56 - 31:21
Mind would wander and create fantasy worlds and like create different characters and like different situations and like relationships. And that's just kind of how like my brain functions as I move through the world, like random little things will just remind me of like or will give me ideas of things that I could like put into a story. Yeah. That was just that's kind of always been there.
Becca Mann
31:21 - 31:45
And I'm really grateful that I have that, too, because when I was done swimming, that I was like able to instead of like struggling with my identity, I was like, OK, I know that there's this other thing that I love doing and I'm going to latch onto this as I figure out like what the rest of the world looks like. I know that I'll always have writing. So it kind of was like my, it was the thing that I grounded myself in as I like stepped into this new world that I hadn't, that I'd never seen before.
Summer Finke
31:45 - 32:03
Yeah. Do you find that since you discovered your love for writing and swimming at very young age, that it's kind of helped you balance the worlds of the two and make sure that you're not kind of putting all of your effort into one so that you have this kind of holistic lifestyle at the end? Definitely.
Becca Mann
32:03 - 32:30
Because like, Yeah, I think that I would have poured too much into swimming like I would have had a much harder time retiring from swimming without writing. I know that I mean it was hard enough like several years actually like the first two years after I retired. I was pretty good because I was like finishing college, I like I was seeing everything for the first time everything was new everything was fun. And then after that, I was like, wait, what is my day-to-day?
Becca Mann
32:30 - 32:53
Right now, I'm just seeing new things. I'm experiencing new things, but what happens when all the newness has worn off? And if I didn't have writing, I think that that would have been a lot more difficult because I was just like, okay, well, I can hold onto this thing and I can find a career path with this thing that I love doing. But yeah, if I didn't have that, I think that it would have been a lot harder.
Summer Finke
32:54 - 33:16
Yeah, and I mean you talked on something really really important. And that's like identity. So, a lot of athletes and I know myself included when I stopped so many you kind of go through this crisis of like, all of a sudden you touch the wall and you're like wait. 20, 25 years of just everything that you've put your whole effort and your whole life into is kind of just over.
Summer Finke
33:16 - 33:36
And you go through a period of time where you're discovering who you are and you realize that it's not over. But it does take a long time to kind of come to that conclusion that just because you touch the wall doesn't mean that your whole character, your whole identity, all of that is over. you can still always come back to it or pour it into a different outlet.
Becca Mann
33:36 - 34:10
For sure. And it's hard to see because swimming too, you get so much more than just the discipline and all those skills. You also get this inherent drama that's built within it where it's like, okay, every month I'm going to be at a swim meet where I will face off with these people that I want to be. Like, I have to see these same people every day like some of whom hate me because I'm faster than them which means that I have to like there it's so dramatic the lifestyle that like you kind of get, but not an unhealthy way in a way that's like.
Becca Mann
34:11 - 34:54
very almost fulfilling because it's like competition of it all you're like yeah it's not like a toxic drama it's a it's like a drama in which you're trying to succeed yeah it gives you that drive and that motivation to keep going forward month after month after month Yeah, and then in the real world you don't really have that like you don't have like objective like, oh, this is how I become the best instead like everything is subjective and you don't have a ranking anymore and it's just kind of like the path, like the goals, the path towards your goals is much less clear. Yeah, I think that was like probably the thing that I struggled with the most actually.
Summer Finke
34:54 - 35:27
Yeah, I mean you come from a place where almost your every move is kind of dictated by your sport and or what you're studying in college to having full autonomy over your day to day to what time you wake up to what time you go to bed, I mean, It's crazy kind of trying to readjust and become, quote unquote, a normal person. But I don't think swimmers can ever become a normal person because it's just engraved so deeply into us to have those big goals and to have those desires that we want to achieve well past the sport and even in our lives. Yeah.
Becca Mann
35:28 - 35:53
But the good thing is that like you learn so many like fantastic traits as a swimmer that you can take and like bring with you to other things. And like once you find, and there's so much to do in the world, like the world is so vast and beautiful that you will find like what you're meant to do. And then once you do, you've learned all of these skills, like regardless of if you reached your goals or not, that you can like take to build something out of this new life.
Summer Finke
35:53 - 36:10
Yeah, which is just like incredible. And I know, kind of going back into your writing journey, you've written a new book, being released April 1st. So could you share a little bit about the book and what inspired you to write it? Yeah, absolutely.
Becca Mann
36:10 - 36:28
So it's about Okay, you know how people are always like telling you, okay, if you just believe in yourself, you'll succeed. Like you'll, you'll make it, you'll do it. A lot of the time that doesn't happen. Like if you're telling like 50 girls who are all vying for two spots that if they just believe in themselves, they'll succeed.
Becca Mann
36:28 - 36:58
Only two of them are going to succeed. Like the rest of them aren't going to get that. So it's a story of what it means to quote unquote not succeed, but to go on a journey that makes you into a person that you're proud of and that you can view as that you're proud of so that you can view all of this as a success. It's also like a story of what goes on behind the scenes, like all of the struggles that elite athletes go through.
Becca Mann
36:58 - 37:35
So for me, a lot of it's about like having undiagnosed OCD and thinking that like I was kind of crazy and like having like this mental illness that I didn't know how to deal with while trying to be the best swimmer in the world and like how those two kind of like how I dealt with both of those and how swimming ultimately did help with my OCD but also like made my OCD worse Yeah, it's a story of the behind the scenes of an elite of an elite athlete and like the struggles that you don't always necessarily see. Yeah, because all the time we only see like the glamor and like the glitz and the glory.
Becca Mann
37:35 - 37:45
And we don't see the struggle and like the work and the blood, sweat and tears. So it's a story of that. And it's a story for all the people who almost make it but don't quite.
Summer Finke
37:45 - 38:32
I mean, that stuff is, I think, rarely talked about and we're now finally coming into a place where it was more normalized to embrace the struggle and to talk about everything that's gone into those experiences. As you said, I know so many people. look at athletes who are on the highest stage and kind of degrade them if they don't quote unquote do the standards that they think they should and it's so easy to do that if you don't know the person behind the sport and so I can't wait to read your book because I'm so excited to learn the person behind the sport and also I know that it's going to help so many young athletes and so many athletes who are done with their career kind of have these epiphany moments and just lead a happier life knowing that
Summer Finke
38:32 - 38:37
all the hard work and all the struggles, even if you don't come out on top, are still worth it. Yeah.
Becca Mann
38:38 - 38:59
Thank you. I like, I'm really excited for people to read it too. I think that it's, I had a lot of fun writing it, especially like, I kind of, I feel like it reads more like a fiction book than a memoir, just because like, I go into my mindset so often that like, I kind of had to look at myself as a character and was like, okay, these are my flaws.
Becca Mann
38:59 - 39:10
These are my wants. These are my needs. How do I look at Becca as a character and put her on this like journey without being attached to how I want to be perceived.
Summer Finke
39:11 - 39:17
Yeah, were there any challenges or moments kind of of self-discovery while writing the book that you didn't expect?
Becca Mann
39:18 - 39:47
Um, yes, I like as I was reading, or as I was writing it, I, well first I had to rewrite chapters one and two, like, a hundred times, because chapter one in particular, I like needed to set things up and like set up the character, set up the goals and the stakes, all like in a chapter that was introducing you to the character and like the world. So that just like wasn't, that just wasn't easy. It took me forever.
Becca Mann
39:47 - 40:00
I'm finally like, I finally got into a place that I was happy with. So that was an interesting challenge. And then what I learned, so chapter two, that was like, that was right when I moved. Chapter two is about me moving away from my family.
Becca Mann
40:00 - 40:13
It was a really hard chapter to write. And I started out like just kind of glossing over the whole thing where I was like, okay, this part of my life was hard, so anyways. And then I was like, I can't do that. That had to go into it.
Becca Mann
40:13 - 40:22
The book, not satisfactory at the end. The ending wasn't satisfying. The book didn't make sense. I was like, okay, fine.
Becca Mann
40:22 - 40:54
So every time I'd go back, I'd go a little bit deeper, and then I'd realize I didn't go deep enough, so I'd go a little bit deeper again. But then through doing that, I feel like it healed something in me to where I was like, whoa, okay yeah like this was a hard thing that I like had that I went through but it like by the end of it I was like okay I'm I still got so many great things out of this move like out of this part of my life and I was able to like look at that part of my life without just seeing like the bad.
Summer Finke
40:54 - 41:18
Yeah. When you started writing the book and kind of touching back on your swimming career, do you find any parallels between the mindset required for swimming and writing? I know you kind of touched on how you needed to go a little bit deeper with regards to your move and how when you did your open water swimming, how you need to kind of go to this uncomfortable place. Do you find any parallels between the two?
Summer Finke
41:19 - 41:20
Oh, that's interesting.
Becca Mann
41:20 - 41:26
Um, I would say yes, like now, I haven't thought about that before. But yeah.
Summer Finke
41:28 - 41:30
Thanks, Summer. No worries, I gotcha.
Becca Mann
41:32 - 41:44
Yeah, like the, I feel like the uncomfortable places are often the places where we grow the most, and where we like become the person that we're meant to be. Yeah. Yeah, you can you definitely get both those in writing and swimming.
Summer Finke
41:45 - 41:45
Yeah.
Becca Mann
41:45 - 42:06
I also feel like writing and swimming for me like they're the perfect companions because the swimming, like swimming challenges the body and then writing challenges the mind. Yes. you can do one, like after doing one, I am like, it's like, I want to do the other because I'm like, okay, my body is now tired. Now let me like tire out my mind.
Becca Mann
42:06 - 42:06
Yeah.
Summer Finke
42:07 - 42:19
Yeah. Awesome. Looking back at your writing career so far, um, and even just your swimming career, what advice would you give to young swimmers and young writers starting out on their journey?
Becca Mann
42:20 - 42:38
I would say have fun, like the fun is don't let the phone get lost. Yeah, that's something that like I'm also really grateful for in my swimming career. I never lost the fun, except maybe in college in college I lost the fun a little bit but the rest of it I'm like this is. This is supposed to be fun.
Becca Mann
42:38 - 42:53
We're just seeing who can swim the fastest across a pool, or who can cross this body of water the fastest. It's just a fun challenge. It's supposed to be gratifying. It's supposed to be rewarding.
Becca Mann
42:53 - 43:01
It's supposed to be just a little bit ridiculous. And don't let it be like anything more serious than that.
Summer Finke
43:01 - 43:01
Yeah.
Becca Mann
43:01 - 43:08
Like your goals and you can like work hard and all of that. But remember that you're just seeing who can swim fastest across the pool.
Summer Finke
43:08 - 43:24
Yeah. No, my coach always said in college, a happy summer is a fast summer. And it's really fine that that's the best advice for swimming and also for life. I mean, you go into practice and if You have this attitude or this mindset that you're unhappy or you don't want to do it.
Summer Finke
43:24 - 43:47
Oftentimes those aren't going to be the practices that you succeed at. Sometimes they might, and you might surprise yourself. But oftentimes when I show up on the pool deck with a big smile on my face, music in my ears, that's when I swam the best and that's when I had the most fun. To kind of go into a little bit of a wrap up, if you had to choose one swimming moment to really relive, what would it be and why?
Becca Mann
43:48 - 44:05
Okay, so there's this one moment, this isn't even a race. This is just like a moment where I was in the water. I was in Perth, Australia for this event called the super, well, it was like the hashtag was called super serious fun. I don't remember what it was actually called.
Becca Mann
44:05 - 44:21
I just call it super serious fun in my head. So I was swimming with like the team USA open water team. And I was next to Eva Fabian, who was on the national team for a long time. And we were in like the clearest blue water, like I had ever seen in my life.
Becca Mann
44:22 - 44:31
And I was just like, the day was perfect. And we were like, both had them breathing and like looking at each other. And like, I could tell that we were both so happy. Yeah.
Becca Mann
44:31 - 44:45
And Eva stopped me and she was like, Becca, can you believe that this is our life? Like that this is what we get to do every day. And I was like, no, I can't. Like we're in Australia swimming in the Indian Ocean on this perfect day.
Becca Mann
44:46 - 45:04
And I would like, it was just this feeling where I was of immense gratitude where I was like, this is my life. Like what a cool life that I get to live. And then I remember after it, like Haley Anderson, like dove down to the bottom and found like this pair of heart sunglasses that she gave to me. And then we went and got ice cream.
Becca Mann
45:04 - 45:14
And I was just like that whole day, I was like, this is my life. Like I get to travel and swim all day. Like how cool is that? And that's something that like, I really like, I think about that moment a lot.
Becca Mann
45:15 - 45:34
I'm like, I anchor myself to that moment. Like, whenever I think about, like, the bad parts of swimming or, like, anything where I'm, like, not feeling, like, whenever I feel like swimming did me wrong or something, I think about that moment and I'm like, it didn't. That, like, I got to swim every day and just have fun. Yeah.
Summer Finke
45:34 - 46:07
And I mean, so many people don't have the opportunity to swim every day or to compete in college or to compete at the national level or even swim as an age grouper and so reminding yourself of those moments and the gratitude and love that you have for the sport like I'm getting chills just thinking about it because I have my moments like that where you look back on it and you're like I absolutely love everything about it and everything that it's provided me. I want to hear your moment. So my moment was a pool moment.
Summer Finke
46:08 - 46:20
It was nationals in between transferring. So I was in the process of transferring from FSU to NC State. And I had been on a very, very long plateau. Transferring was very, very tough for me.
Summer Finke
46:20 - 46:51
I went home and I swam with my club coach with a bunch of 17-year-old boys for a whole semester, went to community college and it was just a period of my life where I kind of blacked everything out and I don't even really remember that much from it. But then I got to NC State and I trained there over the summer and I finally had my kind of like aha moment and this epiphany that I love this sport again. And I was swimming the 800. It was my first race of the meet.
Summer Finke
46:52 - 47:13
And if you know swimming, you know the first race can really kind of set the tone for the whole meet. I had no idea what to expect. I was like, this can either be really good or it could go the other way. But I just, I had this feeling and I was so happy to finally be racing again and to be surrounded by a team and by a coach.
Summer Finke
47:14 - 47:30
that I like I dropped 10 seconds for the first time in five years my coach was alongside screaming like this like I got the whole like you did that and like that moment is something that I'll always remember. That's amazing. I love that. My moment.
Becca Mann
47:31 - 47:34
It's such a good moment. And it's like the same feeling.
Summer Finke
47:34 - 47:51
Yeah. It's also the camaraderie of it. So I know your moment involved Haley Anderson and Eva Fabian, but it's also just the camaraderie that swimming provides you that you might not see at the moment, but you have so many friends and you have so many people that are rooting for you, even if they're competing against you.
Summer Finke
47:51 - 48:04
And yeah, for sure. So outside of swimming and writing, what are some things that you love to do in your free time? I have so many random hobbies.
Becca Mann
48:04 - 48:21
I love that. Okay, so I've recently gotten into like backpack hiking trips where like I'll go into the wilderness for four days or five days and like camp and like hike 60 miles. Oh, wow. That's been my new thing.
Becca Mann
48:21 - 48:30
I recently did Mount Rainier. I did Olympic National Park. I did the Holy Cross Wilderness in Colorado. I did Catalina Island.
Becca Mann
48:31 - 48:46
So yeah, I just like love I love that. I love hiking. Um, I got into longboarding too, which, yeah, like back when I lived in LA, I would just like skateboard down like the beach in Santa Monica for miles. And it was the best feeling ever.
Becca Mann
48:46 - 48:47
Like very, very freeing.
Summer Finke
48:48 - 49:04
Um, I wish I could do that. I actually tried longboarding for the first time, like three years ago. And I kid you not, I'm probably the worst longboarder in history of longboarding because every crack in the sidewalk, I would fall. So I don't know how you do it.
Becca Mann
49:05 - 49:14
Terribly unbalanced. Like I'm, you can ask anybody who has ever seen me do dry land. I'm terrible at dry land. Like I'm actually terrible.
Becca Mann
49:15 - 49:26
You can definitely pick up longboarding. You just need to find a place where there are no cracks and then like get your balance and then go to like the sidewalk where there are cracks and you'll be fine. Okay, I have a longboard. So I'll put that on my list.
Summer Finke
49:26 - 49:27
Terrain.
Becca Mann
49:29 - 49:45
Yeah. My other hobbies are like, I just love traveling, honestly. Like any new place that I go to, I like, I want to see everything. Like I want to, I want to see every random street of every city that I go to.
Becca Mann
49:46 - 49:58
Like I just love exploring and wandering and like learning about different places and the people who live there, like learning about the culture. Um, I brewed kombucha for like a second.
Summer Finke
49:59 - 49:59
Oh, wow.
Becca Mann
50:00 - 50:22
Yeah, I got shut down by my sisters. They came to visit me and they said that it smelled so bad that well, then they told my parents about like how bad this like kombucha farm that I had in my kitchen smelled that my parents told me that they would pay for me to shut down the kombucha. Like they're like, if you shut down your kombucha factory, we will buy all of your kombucha.
Becca Mann
50:23 - 50:40
I don't think they don't need more, which I should remind them about that. That was fun. Yeah, I just like, I just like learning new things and finding like new adventures. I also got into cycling for a second, but then my back, I have some herniated discs in my back so that.
Becca Mann
50:41 - 50:42
shut it down to.
Summer Finke
50:42 - 50:50
It was like triathlon, you know, you never know what's in the future. I wanted to do an Ironman. So 70.3 or 140.6?
Becca Mann
50:50 - 51:00
I wanted to do the like the full. The full, yeah. I started running, my first day of running, my back started bothering me and I was like, okay, this one, this is not in my future.
Summer Finke
51:01 - 51:19
I can't say it does take a long time to get used to running. I wasn't used to being able to breathe all the time because we're so regulated by our breaths and swimming. You know when you're getting oxygen, when you're not. I was like, I would almost hyperventilate because I had too much oxygen while I was running.
Becca Mann
51:19 - 51:21
Wait, that's so weird.
Summer Finke
51:22 - 51:40
Do you have a breathing pattern now? Yes and no. Now it's kind of like muscle memory, but at first I was trying to breathe like every like three or four steps to try to compare it to swimming. I found the more that I compared it to swimming, the easier it became.
Summer Finke
51:40 - 51:42
That's fascinating.
Becca Mann
51:43 - 51:52
Fun fact. I'm the first person to ever say, I breathe too much when I run. I was like, I'm not used to this influx.
Summer Finke
51:53 - 52:03
Yeah. And just lastly, I mean, we know your journey is far from over, both within the water and with your writing. So what do you have going on next?
Becca Mann
52:04 - 52:18
OK, so I've been training for three months swimming again. I have no. OK, so I qualified for Open Water Nationals like three weeks ago. Yeah, so I will be going to Open Water Nationals.
Becca Mann
52:19 - 52:31
I don't know if I'll be getting first or last. It could be anywhere in between there because I have no like gauge of what it's like to not swim for five years and then suddenly start training again. But. Yeah.
Becca Mann
52:31 - 52:43
I've been dropping time, like an age grouper, which has been so much fun and kind of just don't have any pressure expectations. I'm just like going into it, going to see how I do. Um, so that's been really fun. I just missed it so much.
Becca Mann
52:43 - 52:50
And I was like, okay. I was thinking more and more about like how distance swimmers peak in their thirties. And I was like, this seems like the right time. Like I had my little break.
Becca Mann
52:50 - 52:59
I had my fun. Yeah. I'm ready to go back to swimming all the time and seeing what I could do. So that's the future in the pool.
Becca Mann
53:00 - 53:17
And then in terms of writing, I think I might be having another book dropping this year at some point. It will be fiction, so that's on the radar. Yeah, I'm still working on some other projects. Yeah, just stay tuned on my writing projects.
Summer Finke
53:18 - 53:28
Awesome. Well, I'm excited. I can't wait to see everything that you have going on. I know it's been an absolute pleasure to get to talk to you and learn more about your history in the sport.
Becca Mann
53:29 - 53:41
So I'm going to be doing I'm going to be doing an interview with you on one of the next episodes. Reverse reverse the script to everyone. I mean, I need every single question you ask me. I was like, I need to know the answer for summer.
Summer Finke
53:44 - 54:00
No, I'm so excited to just like keep in touch with you and stay up to date on things that you're doing. Like you said, like taking a break from the sport after you're done swimming is so needed. And I'm starting to get a little bit of the itch again. I don't know if I'd ever do it like competitively competitively because of the scars.
Summer Finke
54:00 - 54:10
But. I mean, it's so important to take time for yourself and I'm so excited that you've kind of found that love again and to see what you have next.
Becca Mann
54:10 - 54:21
Yeah, well, we do have a lane for you in North Carolina. I'm telling you. We always have the whole pool when we train and there are only four of us, so. Everyone wants to see that.
Summer Finke
54:22 - 54:39
I want to see that. So I just wanted to thank you again for coming on today, sharing your background and your journey in the sport. I know it's going to help so many and It's helped me and I can't wait to get back in the water because I know your story is truly inspiring and so many are going to learn from listening to this. So thank you.
Summer Finke
54:40 - 54:59
Thank you, Summer. I've had such a good time. All right, everybody, I hope you had a great time listening to Becca and I's conversation. I know I learned a lot about her history in the sport of swimming and all of the incredible things she's done for open water swimming.
Summer Finke
54:59 - 55:21
Be sure to pre-order her book. I know I am super, super excited for it to come out and to learn even more about her history in the sport of swimming. This podcast would not be possible without the International Swim Coaches Association, as well as Swimming World. Please, please, please like, subscribe, and follow along to stay up to date on all things lane one making waves.
Summer Finke
55:21 - 55:27
You can find us at these links here. Thank you and catch you next time.