The Swim

On race morning I was amazed that I had slept pretty well, getting about 5 hours of solid sleep. I ate breakfast at 3:30 and lay down on the couch to doze for another hour or so. I finished preparing my nutrition and the other last minute details before driving the two miles to the race site. As I entered the transition area it was already crowded with athletes busy with their preparations.

I completed my last minute preparations with loads of time to spare. As I was finishing up Kate, Patty and the TG volunteers found me and we chatted for a bit and posed for pictures. Everyone looked excited and happy. I spent the time before the swim keeping warm in the lobby. Time went by quickly. At the swim start the crowd of athletes was electric. There was every emotion on the faces in the crowd.

Once the gun went off I held back to avoid the crush. When only the last stragglers were left on the beach I entered the water and began swimming. It didn't take long before I was surrounded by swimmers despite waiting to start. It was difficult finding any open water so I just kept going, sighting often to try to find a clear path.About half way into the first loop I got kicked in the jaw. Luckily this was just a glancing blow and didn't really hurt although it kind of shocked me. As I made the second turn some one grabbed my foot which kind of ticked me off. I also had some crazy guy zigzagging in front me. I am pretty good at sighting but this guy would look up swim furiously for a few minutes, swim into me, correct himself, then do the whole thing over. As we were swimming around the same pace I could not seem to shake him. Finally I stopped for a minute or two to get him out of my line and took off really fast to get away.

The second loop was still crowded. This time I had my goggles dislodged. Because I wear contacts I had to stop and fix them which was harder than you would think because of the swells and constant stream of swimmers. Finally I got to the end of the swim. Looking at my watch I was thrilled to see my time. I had hoped for a 1:30-1:35 swim and I had beaten that goal by 3 minutes. I took my time walking to transition, stopping to rinse off in the shower.

The change tent was packed. I could hardly find a place to sit. Eventually a volunteer took me to a seat by the exit and I proceeded to strip. To hell with modesty. Kate was right next to me finishing up and Patty was just heading out. The volunteer was amazing, helping to dress me, lather me in sunscreen, constantly asking me what I needed and how she could help. Soon enough I was ready as was Kate, we headed out to the the bikes together. TG Cyndi handed me my bike and with quick hugs from Cyndi, Derik and Grandison I walked to the bike mount feeling pretty good.