
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos, Swimming Unworried In The Oceans Seven

Already, the top channel swimmer from Central America has crossed the Strait of Gibraltar at the age of 37 in 2010 in 4 hours 39 minutes (2010), the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (2007), the English Channel (2008), the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim (2009), and the Catalina Channel (2011). We asked the top open water swimmer from Central America what she thinks about on her marathon journey.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What is it that you think about when you train and when you race or attempt a solo swim?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: I think about work, problems that have in my job, duties that have to do during the day, and I really want to sing songs which is the last song that I listened to on the radio when i was driving before came to the pool.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Are you thinking about people onshore, at home, or in your escort boat?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: Not really, I try to disconnet my brain to the reality. I only try to pray and talk with my father because he died thirteen years ago and sometimes feel like he is with me and he helps me to continue swimming.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Are you thinking about your stroke, your pace, and your position as you deal with other matters in your head?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: In the beginning [of my swims], I am thinking about my stroke, but during the race I try to separate my brain to the body and sings or pray.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: If you feel good in a race or a swim, what are you thinking about at that time? Are you thinking about yourself, other things, or other people?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: I always think about the people who are not with me right now: my grandmother, my father and really all the friends who died a long time ago.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: In a swim, do you ever become worried that others are worried about you?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: No, the last race that my mother and my sister were in the boat for the first time, I never thought about them. I always focus on swimming.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: If you think about food during a swim, do you think about making something (a chocolate cake or a pasta dinner) or do you think about just buying it (hamburger or sandwich)?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: In the beginning, I don´t think about eating anything delicious, but during the next 6 or 10 hours of swimming, I really need something sweet like chocolate or cocoa. And after these hours, then I wish all the time for chocolate ice cream.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: During those long hours without chocolate ice cream, what do you do: sing, pray, zone out, think about work?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: All the time, I sing, pray, and think about the problems that I will face during the day.
Daily News of Open Water Swimming: And finally what do you NOT think about?
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos: I do not think about the currents and its speed because never I felt them. All the times when people who were in the boat telling me about the problems with the currents, I never felt anything. I really don´t need to know or worry about.
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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