The Pull of the Current: A Sensory Life Beneath the Surface
Trail Voices starts this coming Friday, 21st of August. Although the first edition isn't about trail running at all: Sina and I met with a long-distance swimmer instead. So, we started off bias-free, even though we do swim ourselves, mainly in the pool, and rather for recreational purposes on our "days off." Still, I began on a clean slate, but have since become intrigued by the similarities we may share: embodiment and the lived experience of the elements. McNarry[1] et al. researched competitive pool swimmers and how they extend the "classic five" sensorium by a thermal element.
The term "sensory sociology" describes the way we experience the world around us through our senses. Most sociological research is limited to the "traditional five" (vision, audition, olfaction, gustation, tactile perception), which is why McNarry et al. suggest we consider other elements that can be sensed. In their case: temperature. They draw on the same theoretical foundation I wrote about in my first post on Lozania Lifestyle (see >>here): the sociological phenomenology of Allen-Collinson[2], and how we live and experience our senses.
Over three years, the researchers collected data from an ethnographic study on the lived, embodied experience of temperature among competitive pool swimmers. Swimmers appeared to be highly sensitive to temperature changes; it altered their experience and the way they interacted with their main element, water.
Swimming competitions range from 50-metre sprints to 10km open-water endurance events, and training load can be anywhere between 25 and over 100km per week; a huge variety, quite similar to running or cycling. Additional strength, flexibility, or even mental training sessions are commonly used to improve performance. So, it can be argued that competitive swimmers invest a lot of time in their sport and develop a strong connection to water, emotionally and physically, which makes them an interesting subculture to study sociologically.
Depending on the group being studied, the mind and body develop a dynamic relationship with the world we embed ourselves in. While this might be the forest for trail runners, it is water for swimmers. Leaning on Leder[3] and Zeiler[4], whom I discussed in previous posts (see >>here and >>here), it appears that swimmers develop a stronger relationship to temperature, with a heightened somatic awareness compared to the general population.
Practice and exposure appeared to reshape swimmers' kinaesthetic consciousness—the body's awareness of its own movement, weight, and position—particularly in relation to water temperature. Participants reported discomfort when the water was even one degree Celsius colder than usual, suggesting a state of dys-appearance in which bodily sensations became obtrusive and disruptive. Conversely, water that was one degree Celsius warmer tended to foster a state of eu-appearance, where bodily awareness was experienced as comfortable and enabling. These responses were not without limits, however. Beyond certain thermal thresholds, swimmers described increasing fatigue and discomfort, leading toward what Leder terms dys-ease, accompanied by weariness and reduced performance.
Something very similar happens to trail runners: when the outside temperature climbs above body temperature, running becomes gruelling. Runners can cool down by sweating, though that mechanism feels almost redundant for a swimmer already immersed in water. Nevertheless, the body reacts regardless, even if the effect isn't visible, and thirst sets in no matter how much water surrounds you. Whether on land or at sea, heart rate will rise as body heat increases, whether from movement or from the external environment. Speed will slow, effort will increase, and performance will suffer, no matter if running or swimming.
Jonathon, our first Trail Voice, used to swim long distances, including a relay crossing of the English Channel between Dover and the coast of France. In open water, temperature fluctuates far more, and climbing on and off the boat during a relay repeatedly resets a swimmer's baseline, cycling between dis-appearance, eu-appearance, and dys-appearance, and ultimately producing dys-ease. A constant negotiation between mind, body, and water, where sensation shifts from something felt externally to something lived and embodied. It will be interesting to learn how Jonathan describes this constant battle with the senses and the element: water. Stay tuned!
Note: that picture was my first swim of 2025 on 1st Jan, in Malaga, Spain. And, yes, the temperature had quite an impact on my 20 meter performance ;-)
Written by Ingo@Lozania-Lifestyle.de
[1] McNarry, G., Allen-Collinson, J., & Evans, A. B. (2021). Sensory sociological phenomenology, somatic learning and ‘lived’ temperature in competitive pool swimming. The Sociological Review, 69(1), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026120915149
[2] Allen-Collinson, J. (2009). Sporting embodiment: Sports studies and the (continuing) promise of phenomenology. Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, 1 2.2.5, 279–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/19398440903192340
[3] Leder, D. (1990). The absent body. University of Chicago Press
[4] Zeiler, K. (2010). A phenomenological analysis of bodily self-awareness in the experience of pain and pleasure: On dys-appearance and eu-appearance. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 13(4), 333–342.