I have a goal of participating in a Triathlon. So, I have been busy swimming, biking, and running. I only took up swimming around April of this year. Before I started swimming seriously, I could keep myself from drowning, but that was about it. I didn’t know how to really swim correctly. So, I joined the YMCA so I would have access to a pool where I could swim laps. I now meet up with the Tri-Team on Friday mornings to join them in swim practice. I have improved very much and feel much more comfortable in the water now. However, to do the swim portion of a Triathlon you have to swim in open water. I had never done an open water swim before, so about a month ago I decided to go out to Lucky’s Lake with the Tri Team to practice before doing my first Tri.
When you swim Lucky’s Lake, you get to sign the Wall of Fame if you successfully make it across and back. However, you swim at your own risk because there are no life-guards on duty. You also enter the food chain as there are live animals in that lake. My first attempt was not successful. I freaked out when I realized the water was muddy and you couldn’t see when you had your face in the water. I also was not very good at sighting. I sort of “got lost” in the middle of the lake and couldn’t figure out which direction I needed to go to get to the other side. Seems like I just kept swimming in circles. That was easy to do since I ended up swimming on my back most of the time because I wasn’t comfortable doing free-style or breast-stroke. I ended up being in the water for about half an hour, and finally managed to get out where I had started, but couldn’t sign the wall because I never made it to the other side.
After my first experience, I was not too eager to try the swim again. But, a fellow Tri Team member promised me that she would stay with me the whole way if I would try the swim again. So, a few weeks after my first attempt I went back out to Lucky’s Lake and made a second attempt. I decided that this time I was going to take a snorkling vest with me that I could blow up “just in case”. This time my friend stayed with me and guided me across. I ended up swimming on my back a lot of the time because I am still not comfortable swimming in the muddy water free-style. But, I made it to the other side, and I didn’t use the snorkling vest! However, when I thought about the fact that now I had to turn around and swim back over to the other side, I decided to blow up my snorkling vest “just a little” to make it easier for me to make the swim back. So, that is what I did. With my friend at my side, I made it back over to the other side. I was so excited – I could now sign the Wall of Fame – Yay!
I want to try the swim again sometime without the snorkling vest. I haven’t done my first Tri yet because I’m still a little afraid of the swim. I am hoping I will be ready for my Tri next month. Wish me luck. Here are a couple of pics of me signing the wall.
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