Chlorine Convert

Member and former marathoner Steve Morse on the rewards of swapping running shoes for swim goggles.

It wasn’t until I was in my mid-30s that I started marathon running. Over beers with my buddy, he said, “Hey, how about you do this half marathon with me down in San Antonio? But you’ve got to train.”

It sounded really good over a couple of beers, but I wouldn’t say I felt great after my 13 miles. But it gives you a sense of accomplishment, and I like that. I ran my first marathon, Dallas White Rock, about a year and a half later, and I trained for six months for that.

I got relocated from Texas up to Minnesota, and I moved into a neighborhood where there was a bunch of guys who were endurance athletes. That’s when I really became a runner. With them, my first marathon was the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis. I ran around 13 marathons with that group.

I learned how to train and diet, but then I became manic about it. I would run all the time but not stretch enough, and that’s probably how I beat myself up.

My wife once asked me, “Why do you do this?” And I said, “I like the suck.” I liked the pain and pushing through it. I got addicted to that.

I ran a marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, and it was my first race under 3 hours and 20 minutes. That’s where I picked up the goal to run Boston. The race I used to qualify was Grandma’s Marathon in northern Minnesota in 2014. But that was the race where I injured myself and decided that Boston would be my last. Leading up to the race, I felt like I had hip tightness. After the race, it was really sore, and I found out it was hip labral tear.

I had options, but I realized I needed a sport that I could do into old age and not beat up my body. I started to turn to swimming. It was the same kind of rhythmic, cardiovascular workout you get with running. I could swim up to a mile, but I knew my form wasn’t very good.

It wasn’t until I came to Japan five years ago that I started thinking about taking a swim class. One day last August, I received a Club mail and saw the message about the E3 swim class. It seemed more intermediate level, so I signed up.

I don’t think [instructor] Lisa [Miyasugi] realizes how much she has helped me. Before, if I swam too far, I might have to go to the chiropractor because it hurt my back and neck. She has me much more relaxed in the water, and I am doing strokes I had never done before. She has taught me better form and a better variety of exercises to help me stay healthy.

The class is every Friday morning, and we start with flexibility and strengthening exercises in the gym for about 20 minutes, then we go to the pool and swim for an hour. There are people of all levels in there.

In just a few months, Lisa has transformed my swimming and has given me an exercise I can do for life.

As told to INTOUCH’s Nick Jones.
Top image of Steve Morse and Lisa Miyasugi: Yuuki Ide