Swimming - The Final Frontier

After careful consideration, I decided to attend the open water swim training at Lake Wenonah, NJ in preparation of the sprint tri in July. 750 meters doesn't sound that horrible of a distance, but I should probably get in the water at least once to make sure I'm all good. I've never swam as a form of exercise so I'm way out of my element in water.

I grudgingly skip my Thursday night training ride to head out to the lake with Flynn. She begins to tell me how hard it was the first time, but that it gets better. Ugh, is this really going to be all that bad?

We get to the lake and the water is the color of mud and the surroundings remind me of set of Friday the 13th. I'm not amused. Murky water freaks me the eff out so I start to lose my nerve to do this. I like being able to see to the bottom or at least see things around me. I contemplate bagging it altogether but then I realize I'm being a huge pussy so I man up, put on my swim cap and start to make the trek to the water's edge. Flynn and I get in and there is some funkiness under my feet. Stay calm. The water is chilly so it's slow going getting in. We go! I start swimming and the thought of putting my face in the water and opening my eyes is downright scary. Who knows what I will see and be creeped out from? I decide to freestyle without going underwater and this is tiring beyond belief. I'm not even a quarter of the way to the far buoy and I already want to die. 2.5 laps is the approximate distance of the sprint tri so I'm sort of figuring out at this point that I'm a little screwed. I'm really struggling as I approach the buoy and I'm now alternating between breaststroke and floating on my back just trying to make it back around so I can rest on the beach.

After what seems like an eternity, I make it back to squishy solid land and pull myself up onto the beach. My lungs are about to explode. Flynn said the 2nd lap will be better. What 2nd lap ?!? Fuck no am I doing that again. I need help with this swimming thing and me flailing around a lake like Michael Phelps having a seizure isn't going to do a damn thing.

Well it's a good thing I didn't decide to wing the swim portion of the try isn't it? I'm so, so screwed and I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do about this or can do at this point. I wish I would have signed up for the duathlon. Or maybe just a bike race. Yeah, a race with just my bike sounds pretty good. Too late now.