What an experience !

What an experience ! It was shocking and wierd all rolled into one !! I'd never experienced anything like it in my life. This was the first time i'd been genuinely scared of something that appeared so harmless. Yes, it was my first Open water swim session last saturday !!

Nothing can adequately prepare you for OW. Some first-timers simply wade in without any issues, but others like myself need a little more pep than that. I've lurked on this forum long enough to expect the three gotchas - your feet can't touch the surface,  you won't be able to see a thing in the water, and there are no pool edges to hang onto in case you need a break. And that wetsuit, was i really sure it'll keep me afloat ?

Wetsuit on, i waded slowly into the water making funny faces at the murky seaweed that swarmed around my ankles. Then I dived in. "Whooah !!" I shrieked, as i scurried back to land. I was horribly scared.  It took me about twenty good minutes to re-compose.  Thankfully others saw me lingering by the side and knew it was my first time.  Occassionally people would come up to me offering words of encouragement - that was so confidence building. Thanks guys and gals !

So i adopted another tack - every now and then as a fellow swimmer got in, I quietly drafted behind, paddling along for about 25 yards or so before turning back towards the shore. I did this about five or six times, before I finally sauntered in and navigated a 400m loop all by myself.

My first Tri is five days away. In my heart of hearts I know there is no way I could have been able to start the swim portion without that OW session. Oh btw, got into the indoor pool today, and my front crawl technique improved dramatically. Where did that come from ? The lake, I suppose.

I know its been said hundreds of times already on this board, and I'm only adding my 'beginner triathlete' words to it - If you're preparing for an OW event, you need to firstly train a few times in OW. It is a massive difference from an indoor pool !!