SWIM: 1.5-ish miles in 72 mins, 2nd swim at NewTown. Plan was 2 loops but it felt too good to stop! Once again water was in the high 60s, but it was also still warmer than the air. I didn't stop my watch when I stopped swimming or walked to the dock. So while the long time gives me concern, I wasn't going for time here.
BIKE: abt 44 miles in 2hrs 25 mins. 2x33 mins at 75%, 3x9 mins at 80+%. RAIN!
The swim! WOW! It felt great! I had a plan to do 2 loops, and each loop is 0.6 miles. The first loop had a rough start with me swimming a little to the left. For the first time, I think ever, I was calm enough to do drills in the open water! So I would try something for 5 strokes, sight, correct course, try something else for 5 strokes, sight, etc. The crooked swimming seems to stem from my over-rotation and delayed catch with my left arm, leaving my right arm to do most of the work. In counterbalancing the over-rotation, my right arm sweeps under me. I do this in the pool as well, but lane lines help for continuous correction. Not so in open water: no lane lines, no wall.
Last year, I would spend a lot of energy worried about swimming crooked and off course. I was to the point of only 2-3 strokes between sighting. When you sight, you pick your head up. Head up = hips down = loss of speed! I was continuously stopping and correcting. It's is hard to believe just how brain-consuming it is to be off course. Combine that with race anxiety, and you have an adrenaline-pulsed panic that is a huge waste of energy and time!
Now I can go 5-15 strokes before sighting, and any course corrections are minor. So instead of wondering if I'm going the right way, I can worry about stroke mechanics and breathing. I've also really improved my sighting technique. Previously lifting my head up would get water up my nose, now I'm calmly exhaling a little to prevent that. So relaxing, so calm, so wonderful!
The first loop I took my time and finished in about 25 mins. I stopped to talk to another swimmer, gave some open water tips (haha, from me of all people!), worked on drills. The second loop I did in 20 mins, still not hurrying but I had all my sighting worked out and I'd found a rhythym. But partway thru the 2nd loop, I felt a twinge in the right calf, and I realized it might cramp. Cramps haven't hit me in years, I've been fortunate. Now by this point I'd been in the water for 50-some minutes with no water to drink. Even though the water was cool, I was probably sweating a bit. Cramps? Not a good thing. Especially in the open water.
I swam back to the dock at the end of the 2nd loop, instead of exiting and walking back. I was having fun, so I decided to swim more. The 3rd lap was meant to be a short trip to the first buoy and then back. A cool down to relax was all. But I ran (swam?) into another club member who was on his 3rd lap and I was inspired to keep going, but cut the corners so as to get out of the water by 10am. It really was feeling good, at one point I swam by a buoy to my right and was thrilled to see it just slide by quickly! Swimming in open water also leaves a swimmer without a reference by which to mark distance covered, unless you stop to look around. All you see is water-sky-water-sky-water-sky...
In the 2nd to last straightaway, I realized I had to pee. I've peed in the wetsuit before, didn't like it but didn't have a choice due to race scheduling. Part of me wanted to just go, telling myself to Buck Up and Get Tough. I had a choice now, so I waited. I rounded the final buoy and headed for the exit. Halfway there, my right calf came through on its promise and cramped. I stopped and let my legs hang in the water, using the suit and my arms to stay afloat. Now what!? Can I swim? Will it get worse? Will the other leg cramp too? Mild panic. I measured my options, I was close to the dock and there were people I knew--right there, very close. I wasn't in trouble, I was just going to be slow. Well, slower, since I don't swim fast anyway.
I flexed my ankle and the calf loosened after only a minute or so. It wasn't a crippling pain, just a pained, tight, squeezing feeling. I've had cramps that took my breath away, this wasn't one of them. So I decided to keep swimming and let the leg drag behind me. When I swim, I let my calves relax for the most part. I don't kick much or hard, but to my understanding it's pointing the toe that can lead to calf cramps in the water. Some people are more susceptible than others, and the real causes are unknown. I took off again heading for the exit. Now I really swam crooked and off-balanced!
While it sounds bad, it was a great training opportunity! Now I know that if it happens again, I just float a bit. But I don't know if I could have continued on a bike or run with this problem. Hours later I could still 'feel' the calf muscle. No pain, no cramp, just a feeling. I let myself dehydrate a bit starting Thursday, mayhaps this led to my problem. It could also be the squeeze of the wetsuit on the muscle. One way to find out--swim again next week better prepared and see what happens.
Question to answer: I think IMWI has a 2 loop swim. Is there a way I can eat a gel or get some water after the 1st loop? I've heard of hiding gels in the swim cap, but gels are supposed to be consumed with water so the concentrated sugar doesn't upset the stomach. What about hiding a small gel bottle (4oz water with gel) in my swim cap. Get on the beach after the 1st loop, drink that, hit the 2nd loop? I'll consult my big brothers in IM. :)
The bike? Indoors due to rain. BORING! But glad I did it.
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