B2B Pre Race and Swim: This world is mine for the taking

SWIM 2.4 miles in 64 minutes; 23rd out of 27 in AG, 13th of 27 in AG

Yeah, you read that right. 64 minutes! It's quite the story, but let's go back to the beginning first.

PRE RACE: Woke up at 4:30am for my usual one hour of prep: put on my timing chip, drink water, get coffee, then start brekkie. I feel great, awake, clear, and have no nerves whatsoever. I'm surprised I'm so calm. 

The air temps were low 50's so chilly but tolerable. Still no nerves until I make a few realizations. First off, I don't have a disposable pair of shoes to wear to the trolleys for the swim start. No biggie, I can wear my favorite slides and buy more, but I'd rather not have cold feet. Second, my Garmin is LOCKED in the start screen. On. Off. Reset.Multiple button pushes. Try this. Try that. NUTS! I'd thought about doing this race without the Garmin, here' my chance. I leave it in the truck. Minor stomach tumbles over this, but DH reassures me that I'm fine. Then I decide I should wear my headlamp to avoid stepping in a hole, but where did I put it!? DH reminds me, I find it, I'm happy :)

Only the full distance folks need to be at the site early, so it's a quiet and calm scene at TA/body marking. My next anxiety was Frea's front tire, still full, yay! With the set up and gear drop yesterday, all I had to do this morning was drop water bottles and EFS flasks on the bike. It felt really strange to have so little to do. But I wasn't done -- the announcer was repeatedly stressing the need to get on the trolleys now-now-now. I had to put on my wetsuit and get marked yet, and I had less than 30 mins to the last trolley. It seemed a lot of time, but the announcer was persistent.

I find some grass to pull on the suit, and while doing so a woman sherpa'ing a guy near us offers me a pair of flip-flops to wear to the trolley! How did she know?! "OMG Thank you, how did you know it was my birthday?!" I ask. She didn't, of course. Wow!

At body marking a young woman asked my number and age. Usually I have to stop and think...but not today! Today is the first day my current age = my age on Dec 31st! "OMG It's my birthday! I'm 39 this morning!" She smiles, and I keep chattering, and she keeps smiling. I was getting giddy. 

The announcer was getting even more persistent about getting on the trolley's, so a huge hug to DH and I board an open air trolley. I start talking to two women, both doing their first iron distance today. This would be a common theme for this race, so many first timers. The trolley took us past the beach houses with balconies and palm trees, it's still dark, cold, and windy in the trolley, an exotic ride to start the day. In a short turn a tree branch came into the trolley, some laughs about that, then we unload for a short walk to the beach. I stop near a lighted driveway to finish pulling on the wetsuit. A mistake once I realize that I still have one hour until the race start and will need to use a bathroom. But it keeps me warm in the meantime. 

The scene during the wait was also quiet. Small groups of athletes sitting on the curbs and lined up at the port-a-potties. I nibbled my Powerbar, sipped water, used the bathroom, then sat with a small group. I pulled my hoodie close, huddling to keep warm but not wanting to stiffen up. After 20 mins or so, another woman near me asks if I'm from St Louis.  I'm wearing nothing to indicate that...how..."Yes I am". She asks if I'm the bee from Michigan. Holy cow it's the couple we met at the Coldstone after Michigan Titanium! I've been sitting here chatting with them for 20 mins, what a small and wonderful world this is! 

Soon enough, it's time to walk to the beach and I'm very thankful for the gifted shoes - the sand is cold. It's a short but pretty walk past dunes, with the sun slowly rising, and the promise of a great day. I was eager to test the water temps, so my first goal at the beach was to get my toes wet (and let's be honest...I needed to pee again). Oh, it was warm as promised. I wander in knee deep, an athlete near me talks about getting sick after swallowing too much salt water, I get nervous about that. Another athlete reminds me to take off my hoodie before going further, I laugh, but I hang onto the hoodie as long as possible for warmth. 

THE SWIM. 2.4 mile point-to-point in a salt water channel, beach start, mostly a straight swim up the channel with an S-curve pattern of turns near the end. Incoming time, low-to-mid 70's temp. Suggestions from other racers were to sight a white water tower in the long straightaway, then a white apartment complex for the turns, then a red balloon wavey-thingy you often see at mattress sales (those tube shaped things that weave and move as air is pumped through them?). Climb out via ladders at a boat dock.

I knew the swim was about to start when Eminem's Lose Yourself came over the speakers. I seeded myself towards the middle-back of the herd so I could have a minimal-contact and calm start. I didn't do any warm up at all, I would have liked to but I knew that getting wet then standing on the beach a few minutes would chill me. "The soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping; This world is mine for the taking" The crowd starts working through the Start arch, the gun goes off, I start my watch...I start singing along with the song..."So the soap opera is told and unfolds; I suppose it's old partner but the beat goes on; Da da dum da dum da da". 

As feared, I'm surprised by salinity of the water and concerned about swallowing too much. I know I'm not supposed to drink it, but it's a habit I have. I keep my lips loose so I get water in my mouth. Not a good idea for today. After a few breaths I realize it's not just in my mouth, it's in the back of my throat, meaning it was about to be ingested. I devise a plan to close my mouth tight and spit the water back out instead of keeping a neutral and loose mouth. But this throws off my breathing. So I time it to spit when I sight. Still throws off my breathing. I'm calm, but distracted by this. 

Another distraction was sighting. That feeling of being alone and off course is a huge mental problem in my swims, and it takes energy to suppress the fear. The guide buoys are hard to see in the dark. The field of swimmers was thin around me. I stop a few times to look for the water tower and see it, but when I do waves hit my face. Cough, spit, cough, swim The sun is starting to rise to my right, the side I breath on. Another distraction. But I stay calm, take my time, and manage the rise of panic.  I settle on keeping between the line of race support boats on my left and the shore on my right. It's a wide path to swim, and I have no really good idea of where I am until we hit the first turn. 

At one point the water gets choppy. Then we start hitting pockets of icy water. Distraction. But I'm encouraged by the fact that when I do find a buoy and doggie paddle a few seconds to sight the next one, the buoy speeds by me. I can feel the current pushing me, this was going to be fast! A good thing too, because I was getting COLD. Every time I hit an icy pocket, the cold water flooded the suit cooling my core. I worried about leg cramps. Distraction. Salt water is in my nose. Blow it out, lose the rhythm of breathing. Distraction. FOCUS and FINISH THIS!

Soon enough I see the red balloon-thingy waving in the distance -- the finish! The current is really pushing now the finish arch comes up fast. Volunteers call me to the ladders and as expected I struggle a few moments to climb up. But once up, I check my watch. It said 1:02. HOLY SH!T.

Review of swim: I don't think I could have tolerated much more time in this swim, I was getting cold fast and felt my core and leg muscles getting twitchy. To my surprise, I barely kicked. This might have been a combination of the suit and salinity that kept me so buoyant I didn't feel the need? I did great here for me: managed the fear of the OWS, the difficulties sighting in the dark, and the feeling of being too alone or too close to other swimmers. To be honest, my goal is usually to survive the swim so I get to ride my bike! And happily I was not passed by a Doritos bag :)