[LabRat]

HA!!! Here is an exerpt from an email I sent to a friend telling them about the swim portion of my first tri:

... so you will definitely want to spend a lot of time in the water. As much as possible in actual open water, not a pool. Unfortunately, at the time of my first tri, open water swims were out of the question. Of course I had swam in lakes and rivers before, so I figured it would be not that big of a deal. I was able to swim 550 meters continuously in the pool, and feel pretty good at the end. So I figured I was OK. OMG, not.

Because you are swimming with X amount of other people hanging and clawing on you, it is freaking terrifying. Other swimmers will be kicking you in the head, shoulders, sides, pulling on your arms and feet.... Most of this will be accidental due to everyone being packed so close together, but some won't be. Even if you are used to physical contact during sports, this is so different. Even though I had read and I thought, prepared myself for all the crashing and practical drowning, I had a small panic attack about 1/3 way to the bouy, (it was an out and back around a buoy) and had to mentally calm myself even though I was 100% comfortable in a lake when alone. The waves and splashing from the other swimmers are going to cause you to aspirate a lot more water, even when you exaggerate your body roll to get your head up to breathe. Then, you have to keep lifting up your head to see where the fuck you are, so you don't end up swimming too far off course. That screws with your rhythm, and costs energy in the long run. Not to mention how it fucks with your head to find out somehow you are waaayy out too far and now technically have to swim further that the required distance I ended up having to switch to backstroke once the field had thinned enough after the turnaround so I could catch my breath and calm down. I couldn't swim freestyle anymore, I. was. done.

You know how at the end of the swim, you see the participants running up the beach, pulling off their wet suits, looking all cool as they head off to T1? I could barely *walk*. Honest to god, I thought my heart was going to explode it was pounding so hard. I have never been that physically drained in my LIFE.

Um. I guess what I am trying to say is swim. A lot. In a bacon flavored wet suit surrounded by a pack of wild hyenas if possible to give yourself some realistic practice.