MOTIVATIONAL MONDAYS // DEVON CLIFFORD

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAYS // DEVON CLIFFORD

What is your favorite dryland workout? (If you have a specific circuit or Cross Fit workout you like, let us know so we can share): 

I like to change it up with my drylands and cross training/running so I don't have a specific workout, but my favorite exercise are plyometrics and box jumps!

What is your favorite water work out (Masters polo practice, ocean swim, surf session, if you have a specific swim set you like, please share): 

I have so many favorite water workouts! I love night swim training in the Long Island Sound and I love swimming masters practice in new towns and cities while traveling. In the pool when training solo, I have a tendency to make pyramid workouts pretty often which I usually find to be a good challenge. 

What activities do you do in JOLYN:

I do everything in Jolyn! Aside from swimming 240+ miles of just competitive open water swimming in 2016 (not including training distances), I love to hike in Jolyn, I wear Jolyn on beach runs, and to be perfectly honest sometimes I wear a Jolyn Tomcat top as a bra.

What's your favorite JOLYN color:

My favorite Jolyn solid colors are Mango and Black! I have way too many favorite prints.

What's your favorite JOLYN style and why:

I love love love Tomcat tops and Brazil bottoms! Tomcat tops are so great because I love how supportive, breathable, and stylish they are. Guaranteed, I always get compliments when wearing a Tomcat and thats just the bonus to them being comfortable for up to eleven hours of marathon swimming in a race. Brazil cut are my favorite bottoms because, just like my favorite top, the Brazil cut bottoms are so comfortable to wear for hours on end in the water. They are also extremely versatile and I love that I can do anything active in them, or feel good wearing them when just hanging out on the beach. 

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 things, what would they be:

To be practical... I'd probably want to have a hat, a Nalgene bottle, and a knife. I'd just hope I ended up there while wearing my Jolyn! 

What's your favorite beach that you have been to and what beach is on your list to go to:

As much as I love spending time on the beaches of Bermuda, I'd have to say my favorite beach I've been to is Playa South Beach Park in Boca Raton, FL because no matter how many places I go and beautiful beaches I discover, that is the beach I grew up on and it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

I most want to go to the beaches of Palau! Palau has intrigued me for years and has been my number one dream destination to explore!

If you were 60 years old, what would you tell your children:

Live! Take every chance, always say yes to positive opportunity, follow your heart, be present, and do what you love. It is amazing where life can take you when you live this way and open your heart and mind to experiencing the world.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done:

I have trouble choosing just one craziest thing, but I suppose it would be my first ice mile swim. I did a one mile swim on February 3, 2013 in the Long Island Sound under the rules set by the International Winter Swimming Association (one mile swim in under 5C (41F) water temperature, unassisted, in a standard swim suit, cap, and goggles). The water temperature when I did my swim was 34F/35F and the air temperature was 24F/26F, on a very over cast day with a snow covered ground. I had never experienced a pain as aggressive as the feeling in my hands, like knives were repeatedly stabbing them each time they came into the air to take the next stroke. I experienced severe hypothermia that day but thankfully had no permanent damage. It was such an incredible accomplishment both physically and mentally just to even get into that water. Little did I know that was just the start of my winter swimming, and that years later I would end up in Argentina swimming in the glacial waters of Perito Moreno glacier, the largest glacier in the southern hemisphere in the middle of winter!

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

Lots of spinach, almond butter, oranges... and there would be ben & jerry's in the freezer :)

If you had to be an animal, what would you be and why: 

If I were an animal I would be a sea turtle. I admire their grace in the water and I feel I relate to them in that during their life they travel hundreds of miles but always return to the same beaches from which they were born. I travel the world to swim but I love and appreciate going back to my home beaches, too. 

What would you spend your last $10 on:

A margarita pizza with broccoli and a side of butter for the crust. 

What is the hardest thing you've ever experienced: 

I did a 25k swim race July 30th, 2016 in Lake Memphremagog in Vermont. The swim race began at the southern part of the gorgeous lake, then the course went across the Canadian border and looped back. It was a hot summer day, but beautiful nonetheless. I started my swim strong with my favorite kayaker, Lizzy, by my side but after about two hours into the swim I started getting sick. I couldn't hold in any of my feeds (CarboPro every 30 minutes), but I kept powering on. At about six hours into my swim, my right shoulder started hurting and eventually gave out on me. By eight hours into the swim, my stomach was cramped up and sore from vomiting for so many hours and I could barely lift my arm out of the water for a full stroke. I was physically broken and had so little mental strength left to get me through, but I did not want to quit. A swim that I should have finished hours faster ended up taking me nearly eleven hours to complete. Despite my pains and discomforts, I realized my true ability to persevere and I discovered how much inner strength I have. This was one of the hardest things I've ever experienced because the challenge put me face to face with myself and challenged me to be the person I am. 

What is the most important part of a sandwich?

Avocado, hands down. 

Any last words or testimonial?

I am grateful for the role models I have in the sport of swimming and for the strong women role models I grew up with in life. I love being able to live my passion and do what I love, and I only hope I can inspire others the way I've been inspired, in sport and in life. Discovering Jolyn a few years ago changed the way I perform in the water and made my aquatic lifestyle more comfortable and fun, which makes following my passion in swimming that much better!