OK, so up until last weekend, this was my idea of going in the ocean. 1) tip toe in up to my knees or so; 2) stand around and chat with someone...anyone will do...I don't need to know the person; 3) sachet a little further, perhaps up to mid-thigh; 4) splash a little cool water on the top half of my body; 5) pronounce myself refreshed; 6) return to beach chair.
Last weekend, Jackie, Janice and I arrived at Coney Island for my first Aquathlon. There were different distances available. We registered for a half mile swim followed by a 3 mile run. We were there bright and early. Among the first to get into the transition area and set up our things. This gave us lots of time to get the lay of the land and sea. And too much time can be a bad thing. The longer we waited, the more anxious I got about swimming with the waves. And not touching bottom. And not even seeing bottom. And getting swept away, all the way to Europe. And jellyfish. And sharks. And I was just short of claiming to see the Loch Ness Monster when finally the race started.
Two milers went in first. Then one milers. Then us. In our white hats. The water was freezing. 61 degrees, although not technically freezing, sure as heck feels like freezing. We had to swim out straight, get around a buoy, then swim parallel to shore to the next buoy, and return to the first before swimming in to shore. Jackie did great, she got right after it. My hero. And God bless Janice. She had to pep talk me all the way out to that first buoy. I would not put my face in the water. I kept complaining about the cold and the waves making me seasick.
We got around that first buoy and I figured, OK, now I'll be able to work with the waves easier. Ha. I kept trying to put my face in and swim normal...but I couldn't get the hang of breathing with the waves. And every time I took a breath to my right, I thought, "Next stop Europe." This was clearly not helping. So I switched to breathing towards the shore and that made me feel infinitely better. Thank you Amy Taylor for yelling at me for months on end to breathe to both sides! Now it is no big deal and once I calmed down, I was able to get the feel of the water and the waves and lo and behold, the turn-around buoy was just ahead. The swim back to the first buoy was like nothing and we were done before I knew it. In fact, I was going along so much better that I almost swam on the wrong side of the buoy because I got to it more quickly than I anticipated and hadn't sighted in a few breaths.
I was the next to last out of the water. This did not make me happy at all. I was through transition in no time since I had no wetsuit to contend with. And with no watch and no split callers, I just ran as fast as I could for 3 miles. There was no way that I was going to finish last!! Consequently, I ran my fastest 3 miles ever...breaking the 9 minute average pace for the first time. I was so excited!! Pace was 8:56. And get this....I won my age group. There were only 3 people in the age group. But still. Ironically, there were no age group medals though. Doesn't that just figure!?
Fast forward to this morning. We were at Point Lookout with our beloved Excel group. Janice and Jackie were not there...but they would have been proud of me. With minimal fuss, I got in the water, right up to my waist. The temperature was lovely. When swimming into those waves, I still kept my head above water...I need to work on this. But once out far enough, just got moving right along with the pack and was keeping up just fine, swimming at an even, calm pace. Nancy (who will never see this post) was my buddy. We did great until we turned around. Then we had a devil of a time sighting the buoys and/or the other swimmers. We hung together and kept going after a few brief discussions. We exited the water a little early, but were pleased with ourselves none-the-less. And the best part was that I enjoyed it today!!! (I only thought about Europe once or twice. LOL)
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