Being A Fish

So ok, the water was a little choppy... but we got through it alright. HA! You couldn't get me out in that!!

This incredible photo is courtesy of TriBoomer. He said it was his worst swim ever! No kidding! I came across it on his blog and just had to share it with you all. (With permission, of course!) Can you believe it??? Never again will I complain about waves or choppy water!

I actually did get in a 4th of July open water swim, a very flat one! I met two new friends, Anita and her boyfriend, Charles. Anita responded to an email I sent out to the bike club looking for swimming partners. Since this would be Anita's first open water swim, Charles came along in a canoe for support.

We met at Medical Lake, the same location as my last two tris. Remember my post about the Trailblazer Triathlon which turned out to be an Ironman warm-up? Well, as it turns out, Anita was at Trailblazer cheering on Charles who, yes indeed, was warming up to complete Ironman Coeur d' Alene the next weekend! He finished Trailblazer in something like :57 minutes!!! That's rocking!! Despite having an asthma attack during the bike leg, he completed Ironman in something like 12 hours! (Sorry Charles, I don't remember your exact time, but it was very impressive!)

The swim was to serve several purposes. Anita had rented a wetsuit and wanted to try it out before Valley Girl Triathlon, which is in a couple of weeks. And... she needed to get her first open water swim under her belt. My goal was to just get into the water and maintain the comfort level I've worked so hard to create over the past several weeks.

We paddled around a little bit and Anita tried swimming both with the wetsuit and without. She liked the safe feeling the wetsuit gave her but it felt uncomfortable around her neck and arms. I think she is going to find a sleeveless to try out next time. I've been really happy with my sleeveless QR and have always been perfectly warm, plus, it allows totally free arm movement.

Anita was using the day as a full triathlon trial run, complete with transitions, bike ride and run. I wimped out and didn't bring my bike since I knew the temperatures would be in the 90's by the time we got done swimming. All worked out just fine. Anita took off on her bike leg and Charles and I got back into the lake for another swim.

He pointed out a dock across the lake that he said was about a half mile away, and off we went. The swim out felt pretty good. I started off drafting off of him, but couldn't keep up. I tried to practice my sighting and focused on not pulling to the right. We probably swam 2/3 of the way to the dock before Charles thought we'd better turn around to go meet Anita.

The swim back was glorious! I focused on my stroke and controlling my breathing. It seems that once my breathing and heartrate is under control, there is very little that my physical body can't do. I swam the whole distance without stopping, just stroking, breathing, sighting... totally comfortable in the water.

I have to wonder if the previous swim had a positive effect on my performance. I've never been one to warm up before a race. When I was less fit, I thought I'd be wasting energy that I would need during the race. I'm discovering that if you get your heart rate up prior to the race, ie: warm up, your heart rate doesn't spike as high when you start the actual race. This allows you to produce a more consistent effort sooner. Hmmm.

It just amazes me how far I've come. Just a few short weeks ago, I was afraid to get into the lake, and now I wish I could swim in the lake every day! I am still apprehensive about swimming alone, so hopefully I'll be able to swim with others a couple more times before my next triathlon.

Swim on little fishes!