I'm training for a triathlon in August. It's fair to say it's my first triathlon. I did a DUathlon, that I had also done 2 years ago, this past weekend - run, bike, run. For the tri, the addition of the swimming is an added dynamic that makes for an extremely challenging event. Don't get me wrong - the duathlon is challenging. They say that the DU is actually more physically demanding because it's basically all leg strength and endurance; but running and biking... I can push on through that. Swimming... swimming just freaks me out.
It's not that I don't know how to swim - I just stink at it. I'm the girl who in college where all students must pass a very short swim test in order to graduate, waited until senior week to complete it. Yes, I was stressed but luckily I survived and passed.
But, I have been training, albeit in the comforts of a chlorinated but clean swimming pool at my gym, with a large black stripe that guides me across the pool. But today, I went with some of my girlfriends who are also doing the tri with me to a local lake in New Jersey where the USAT hosts weekly open water swims there, and can I just tell you how absolutely disgusted I was? What was I thinking!? Swimming in a lake... I don't even like swimming in the ocean - at least the ones along the east coast of the US. So my friend Jenny, as we step into this lovely murky water, comments, questioning why this other lady next to us has so many freckles all over her body.... then the next thing Jenny says... oh my gosh, why are they wiping off? it was algae!!! It was all over her... and well, it would soon be all over us. I WAS HORRIFIED.
Anyways, we sucked it up, did 3 laps... felt like I was going to die from my inability to swim and the fear and disgust over the algae, but it was great. Really glad to get in that practice swim, and really need more of it! Sort of wish I had a picture of us after the fact, but I think it might make me vomit. :)
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