It's Safe to Go Back in the Water

Last night I attended my first open water swim practice (held in a small lake at a local park). Last year at this time I had probably done at least ten open water swims.

My wetsuit has actually been in water two times this season. The first time? The couple of hours it spent floating in our bathtub, soaking up moisture. (This is recommended prior to putting your wetsuit on for the first time in the new season. The wetsuit tends to dry out over the winter and is more likely to tear as you put in on for the first time if it hasn't been pre-soaked. It seems as though the pre-soak opens up the pores of the wetsuit and makes it more flexible.)

The second time my wetsuit got wet this season? My wetsuit did successfully make it to the transition area of last weekend's Tri-Shark Classic Sprint Triathlon. Draped over the bike rack along with my goggles, the wetsuit was ready to start the swim. I don't think I was as ready as my wetsuit. I hadn't pre-soaked. In other words, I had not yet been in the open water. I wasn't feeling particularly open to the idea of getting back in the open water. I wasn't feeling particularly flexible with my mental approach to my first open water swim taking place in a race. Just one week after running a marathon I was tired.

As it turned out, neither my wetsuit or I, had the opportunity to get in the lake. Thunder, lightning and torrential downpours of rain led to several start delays and the eventual cancellation of the swim portion altogether.

The race was changed to a duathlon - a 1.55 mile run, the planned 13-mile bike course, and another 1.55 mile run. I decided to run the first leg and then make a decision regarding whether to continue with the bike and second run portion. This was not an easy decision and one that I still question.

Reasons not to continue:

• My right knee has been tweaky (medical term) since the Thursday evening before the Sunburst Marathon. In fact, on that very easy little recovery run, my knee was bothering me enough that I limped through the first 1/2 mile. Only after I picked up the turn-over and warmed up, was I able, eventually, to run with a normal stride.
• The knee bothered me during the first couple of miles of the marathon, got better during the middle part, and then bothered me again during the final miles.
• That marathon was only one week prior to Tri-Shark - not really much recovery time
• My two goal races for the year are the Steelhead 1/2 Ironman in August and the St. George, Utah Marathon in October. I'm not willing to compromise either of those races.
• The pavement was still quite wet from the rain which would require caution on corners and some slowing down overall.
• The portion of the tri I most need to practice is the swim - especially to gauge my progress over the winter months of training.

Reasons to continue:

• Everyone else is (actually about 100 people left for one reason or another once the delays started).
• I could place in my age group (and would have since only 2 other females in my age group competed).
• Consider it a training day, not a race day.
• Get a sense of where I am with regards to the bike training over the winter.
• Earn the T-shirt

Things I have to admit to myself whether I want to or not:

• I have a knee problem that is not resolved yet and need to get it checked out (I have an appointment next Monday).
• I am getting older so it is even more important to take care of injuries early on.
• After watching about 12 wipe-outs on the bike (primarily in the transition area, hitting the increasingly wet and muddy timing mat), I'm aware I can't afford a spill on the bike. What might just be road rash or soreness for a few days to a younger competitor, could take me out of my goal races.
• My bike handling skills are not up to the level they were at the end of last year's season. Our spring weather has taken a toll on the number of outdoor rides I've been able to do. I have not ridden in the rain yet this season. Doing so in a race, with a sore knee, doesn't seem like the best plan.

Take-aways for next year:

• Pre-soak! Not just my wetsuit. Pre-soaking for myself consists of getting in the open water prior to the first race, riding the bike course several times before the first race, and mentally feeling open and ready to race.
• "Everyone else is" has always been a poor reason to do something. At a certain point, you need to be able to hear and then listen to that inner voice that is saying something else.

Take-aways for the next race (Naperville Women's Tri):

• I've pre-soaked! I completed two loops (600 yds each) during my open water swim last night. I managed to go straight to each buoy. Even when I picked up my head to sight the next buoy, I was amazed to see I was right where I was supposed to be. This tells me that I have evened my stroke out, I'm no longer pulling more with the right arm than the left. I felt very comfortable in the water right away.
• The water was actually a bit choppy because of the wind and I still had no problems with sighting, swimming straight or fatigue.
• Next week I plan to return and complete 3 loops of the course.
• My swim time for the 600 yd course was at least 1 minute faster than last year.
• I will have the knee checked out before the race, so I'll know exactly what I'm dealing with.
• Already I'm noticing improvement with icing, Motrin, PT exercises that I've used in the past.
• Pre-soaking for me consists of mental preparation so that I'm flexible enough to face whatever the race day conditions might be.