don't worry, it's all mental

So I realize lately that most of my posts have focused on swimming, but that is what I am having the most trouble with.  It’s (relatively) easy to just power through things on a bike or running, but not so much with swimming.  The big difference, in my opinion, is the whole ‘not being able to breathe freely’ factor.  With swimming and running air is abundant and always free for the taking.  Swimming takes such a conscious effort to breathe (and not breathe), which is challenging.  Over the past week I am really beginning to think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this whole International Distance triathlon thing.

There are two reasons why I feel this way.  The first, like I said in my last post, is just the sheer distance.  When you look out over the lake and can barely see the half-mile turnaround buoy from shore and realize that it’s only the half-way turn around point it is incredibly intimidating.  Second, I am having a really hard time in the lake.  

The Chicago Triathlon puts on several open water clinics throughout the summer and I decided to attend the one they had on Tuesday.  It was an aquathon (750M or 1500M swim followed by 5k run) + swim clinic (general training) and I opted for the swim clinic portion thinking I’d get some more open water swimming tips.  I opted to go with the intermediate swimmers group instead of the beginners group because this wasn’t my first time in the water.  

Our lesson consisted of about a ten minute talk on sighting and then a 750M swim practicing what we learned.  I came in expecting we were going to be doing some drills or just short swims back and forth, so the 750M swim caught me off guard.  But not wanting to say no to a challenge I set out with the rest of the group.  I was out of breath and tired almost instantly, but was not having the same wetsuit issues I’d been having previously.  I think being in my wetsuit for a considerable time before even getting in the water (let alone just being in the water with it on) really helped with that front.  I didn’t feel so restricted by it, and was better to able to control my breathing in that regard.

On the swim, one of the coordinators noticed I was struggling (although in my mind I was not struggling, just taking my time and getting used to the feeling of the lake) politely suggested that next time I might go with the beginners instead (not going to complete an Olympic distance triathlon by going with the beginners, but thank you for the advice) before asking me to swim for him.  I did a couple of strokes and he suggested I might breathe more often than I was.  I think I was breathing every fifth stroke, but he suggested every third.  I gave it a try and it did seem to be easier on the way back.  I noticed I was going further and was not as out of breath.  Hooray!

However, my other problem that I noticed was that I would swim for a bit and then just stop.  I don’t think there was any reason I stopped other than I just stopped.  I used to do this when I ran and got even the least bit uncomfortable, and finally realized it was unnecessary and I could just keep going and the uncomfortable feeling would go away.  Hopefully it is similar with my swimming and simply time will help me get over this – and hopefully that amount of time required is about four weeks.  

So my takeaways from the swim clinic were to breathe more often and stop less.  Easy-enough, right?

I wanted to test out my learnings and mostly prove to myself that I could do this, so I went back in the water Thursday after work and dragged Mark with me (it's also my goal to swim in the lake every Tuesday and Thursday until race day, and maybe Sunday mornings as well - like I said, I think time in the water is the only thing that will keep me from stopping constantly).  Mark hadn't been in the water yet and he wanted to see what it was like, so he obliged. 

It was a chilly swim in Lake Michigan.  At least the last couple of times I have been in my wetsuit it has been relatively hot outside (hottest days of the year up here, actually) so jumping in an ice cold lake in a suit of rubber felt good, but the temperature today maxed out at a cool 70 (cool in that there didn’t really seem to be any humidity in the air).  Imagine taking a dip in 64 degree water in weather that felt closer to Fall than to Summer.  Like I said, a bit chilly. 

Needless to say, we didn't last very long out there.  I think we may have spent as much time suiting up as we did in the water.  We just swam back and forth by the buoys given the water was pretty choppy (and FRIGID!).  But I practiced keeping my head down.  So for the ten minutes we were out there I felt pretty good.  I think my corrections might actually work.

Now I just need to fix my goggle issues I have been having, which is another reason I stop so much.  Time to try out a third pair.  Third time is a charm, right?  I certainly hope so!