Friday, July 20, 2012

The Wet Suit Comes Out of the Package At Last


Today I:


  • Opened the package my wet suit came in.  It arrived in April.  You can tell I wasn't one bit nervous to open it and think about putting it on.
  • Went to the lake and put it on even though it looked like it was intended for a small ten year old to wear.  I got in mostly on by myself with some help from my friend.
  • Swam in it even though it was "choky."  And man people aren't kidding when they say it makes you more buoyant.  Keep my feet in the water for kicking. Maybe not.
  • Got it off - myself - when I came out of the water.
Whew!  That was a lot accomplished right there.

My goggles didn't fog up.  Thanks everyone for all the advice after my last OWS.  I did better with the sighting although I think some of that was luck.  I was surprised when I came out of the water that  I had only been in there for 20 minutes. I am either gauging the distance wrong (very likely) or I may be a tiny bit faster than I think.  It was kind of hard to swim on top of the water. I had a hard time keeping my legs in the water. And I definitely went back to my original way of swimming - no rolling side to side - although  I did okay with the whole breathing thing.  I could see the bottom which I often read people like. I am thinking I would like to be ignorant about what is in the lake with me. It was a bit weedier than I expected - maybe because everything is lower this year.  I did feel quite tired but overall did more freestyle swimming than last time.  It was actually kind of awkward to do the breast stroke in the wet suit.  I did roll over on my back once just to get the feel of it. When I needed to get water out of my goggles -  a few annoying times - I treaded water as suggested to me. That seemed to work fine. When I went in to shore I think I stood up too soon to walk in as it seemed to take forever.  Should I swim for as long as I can?
I'm choking!


Headed right for that buoy - amazing!

I can't keep those feet in the water.

Not sure what I'm doing here. Sighting?  Treading water to get rid
of water in my goggles? Taking a break?


Once I struggled out of my wet suit I went and changed out of my bathing suit so we could ride the course of my late August triathlon.  Today I wore a bathing suit as it seemed easier but next time I will wear my tri top and bottoms.  I wasn't simulating the transition today at all.  Another time for that too. 
The course was much hillier than I expected although I had heard someone talking about it the day I watched the tri.  I was actually pleased with my time. When we started out we were just casually going down the road. When it got hillier I started going more for time.  I was figuring an hour would be good the day of the race but today was a little less. I plan to ride this a couple more times so hopefully I can get this down.  I have no idea how long the transitions will take.  My friend is going to come back next week and I am going to add running to the mix.  Might as well do all three. I am going to play a bit with the transitions too.
Actually not on the bike course - a little scenic side trip.



Then I headed home but stopped to run some errands. When I returned to my car my bike was unhooked on my rack and askew.  Someone must have tried to take my bike but the lock stopped them!  Scary!  It was in a public parking lot that was packed with cars.


Overall ........this represents best how I felt about today!



17 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

Yea!! You are going to be Soooo ready! :)

Scary about your bike. Thank goodness you had it locked on there! I'm paranoid about mine, and lately I've been putting it in the car w/the back seats down. Of course, that's mostly bc my bike rack is missing a bolt, but it also makes me feel safer. :)

Average Woman Runner said...

Good for you getting out! I need to do it but the thought gives me butterflies. I have enough anxiety about pool swimming - open water is way worse! Can you please come here & conquer my demon for me? Ok, thanks.

Ransick said...

Woohoo on the successful OWS! Scary about the bike almost being stolen. Don't forget the lock (like I did on this trip so I put my bike in the car whenever we park )

Michael said...

Trust me, it's far better being able to see than not :)

As far as how far to swim in, you should swim until one of your hands touches the bottom of the sand. Then it's time to get out and walk/run in.

Glad you had a lock on your bike, that would have really sucked!!

HappyTrails said...

Oh happy day, all the way around! Glad the suit fit. I'm with you, though, in that I think I might rather NOT see what is lurking in the water or at the bottom. Eeewww!!! And again - such a beautiful area. Happy day, too, that the bike thief was foiled by the lock. Can you fold down the seats in your car and throw the bike in the back so it is locked inside the car when you do errands, have lunch, etc? We never leave our bikes attached outside our cars, even if they are locked. Too much temptation for the dishonest folks.....

Michelle said...

Yeah for you getting out in the water again! I decided to wait on buying a wet suit until next spring. Lots of money and the water here is GROSS now. I'll stick to the Y! Love this journey you are on! keep it up!

Unknown said...

I've worn a wetsuit for surfing and diving, but never a swim type. The water is here in the islands are warm so there hasn't been opportunity for me to try one. One day I would like to do a tri in the mainland U.S. I guess that will be the time I will have to give it a try. Must be kind of neat to have so much flotation. It would be like swimming with a pull buoy... i guess.

Paul said...

the first pic says it all

SUPER HERO(INE) :

"AQUA LADY"!

Unknown said...

Great job!!!!!

If you can see the bottom, I think that's good. I couldn't even see my own arms in front of me the first time I swam in a lake (it was that murky...yuck).

I wonder if my wetsuit even fits anymore. I haven't worn it in a few years.

p.s. I actually swam yesterday. Go me!

Unknown said...

Great job!!!!!

If you can see the bottom, I think that's good. I couldn't even see my own arms in front of me the first time I swam in a lake (it was that murky...yuck).

I wonder if my wetsuit even fits anymore. I haven't worn it in a few years.

p.s. I actually swam yesterday. Go me!

Kandi said...

Awesome!! My mom got a wetsuit once to water ski with but she said it chocked her so she returned it. Glad you overcame the chockiness and were able to swim.

Johann said...

Awesome you in the wet suite! I think you will have a lot more confidence for the swimming now. Scary about your bike. I always worry about my car when I'm on the trails for training. Some scar people around us.

Char said...

That training session was a huge success. Your confidence must be growing.

middleagedrunner said...

Nice! You look badass in that wetsuit!
I really wish we lived closer together because I'd ask you to teach me to swim (you're awesome so I think you could reform my pathetic doggie-paddle...)

Giorgio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Giorgio said...

What a great training session ... Nice photo with of the wetsuit :)

Sorry to hear about the bike :(
Have a nice Sunday!

Lindsay said...

I think I need to get one of these for everyday wear - they make you look so tiny! Glad the Tri stuff is improving - you sound like you're handling it well to me. I think I've read on other Tri blogs that they swim as long as possible on the swim exit, but don't take my word for it. :)