Open Water Swim

First training open water swim! I like to train after I race for maximum effect.

Drove up with a club buddy to Lake Wilcox for a chilly and drizzly 8am only because someone had a club trisuit for me to try (a bit too big after all). Some keeners were already swimming at 7am, but for me even 8am was brutal. I waved them off on their bikes and started pulling on the wetsuit. This wasn't too bad, and I used Body Glide on shins, forearms, knees, elbows. Double swim cap. New goggles.

At the shore, I met an orienteering friend who is doing triathlons these days too. He was just out of the water, and without a wetsuit, so I figured I'd be fine. The water was quite warm and comfortable. AB's two friends were just finishing up their swim, but another person was going in with me. Unfortunately he turned around at the second buoy; I decided to keep going. And going, and going, and going.

Route Link

Once I got out to the middle of the 1km lake, I thought I should just go to the other side. It's kind of a stupid thing to do by yourself, but I kept calming myself down because I regularly cover this distance in the pool, albeit via intervals. The water was a bit choppy, and I took in some serious water a couple of times, but had to calm myself again. The wetsuit is such a great security blanket.

I got to the other side, and approached the shore, which was a private beach. I was feeling sluggish. But as soon as my foot grazed some invisible slimy weed, I literally corkscrewed a 180 and thrashed my way back out into the deep. Gross! The way back seemed easier physically, even though my goggles were completely foggy (probably due to the temperature) and I kept having to stop and re-sight. My watch ran out of battery, so don't know quite how long this took me.

Taking off the wetsuit was a nightmare and a half. Even before I got it stuck on El Satellite Dish, it was already hard to get over my elbows, greasy as they were. The legs weren't as bad, but still pretty slow. Not race-ready at all. By the time I got back to the lot, my carpool buddy was already back from her ride. Just how long was I in that water?!?

--Distance: 2,000m
--Duration: 1:15 ??

On the way back, we stopped at Running Free, and I got some tri-shoes: Zoot Ultra TT 2.0 (older model, but best one they had). Very thin and light, and a breeze to put on. They make me run on the balls of my feet too. Got an extra-extra discount for the size being mismatched - I didn't even notice when running in them! 8.0 Left, 8.5 Right. Hope it's okay IRL. They match my current Zoot trisuit, but won't match the club gear I'll be racing in. Oh, the fashion!!