08.12.2019 Miss me on Monday

1600m done in the pool.

Easy 15 miler on the trainer. Got back later than expected from an appointment so I was happy just to get something in.

Rather exciting swim tonight--I headed over to the lake and was most of the way there before realizing I'd forgotten my fins. No time to go back and get them (about 25 minute drive) before what was supposed to be a 6 PM group workout. Resigned myself to probably just flapping between the shore and the first buoy (about 50 yards out) five or six times and calling it a night. Showed up and for another week no one from the club showed up, although a few random people were out swimming in pairs and solos, most with those personal buoy thingies (which, of course, I've already packed for the move). Was putting on my wetsuit when one swimmer arrived. She'd just moved to town and was hoping to join the group workout. She said she wasn't very confident in open water so I offered to show her as much of the lake course as she was comfortable with and we could keep an eye on each other, assuming she wasn't too fast.

Anyway, we started swimming and for some unfathomable reason it wasn't any harder than with the fins. It IS a new wetsuit--maybe it fits better or has better buoyancy or something. (Though it is sleeveless and my old one is a full--I'd think it would be less buoyant.) As recently as 3-4 weeks ago, I had a hard time with my old (sleeved) wetsuit even making it to the first buoy and back without fins; in the pool, sans wetsuit and fins, I haven't done more than 150 yards, and that's a struggle. Made it out 500 yards and then back (she hooked up with a kayaker midway and I followed them back), made sure she was safely back to shore, and then took off for a solo lap (about 1K) with no problem.

A huge morale boost for me. Fins aren't legal in races, but in most of the events I'm likely to do in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, wetsuits are. And that was HIM distance. Not fast, and not totally pain-free, but it was something approaching actual swimming at race distances and with permitted equipment. I was afraid I would never get there! But OMG, now I am one of those triathletes who will panic if the swim doesn't allow wetsuits. Hope this improves with time.

Edited by Hot Runner 2019-08-12 9:59 PM