1st step!

Can I just say I'm thrilled, yes thrilled with my first 1500m open water swim! I was pretty nervous before starting, as I usually seem to be, until I get in the water and then my nerves ease. We set off on the first lap I started in the back of the wave, it was not that big maybe 50-60 women doing the 1500m. I felt really good staying with part of the group for quite a while and soon the next wave was catching us, men 750m, but it was never to crazy crowded. I just kept swimming and it seemed like the sighting was going well. Around the first buoy and a short distance across and then turn to head back in...and then some of the trouble begins...the goggles are a little fogged, I have issues with my distance vision any way and of course we are swimming in to the sun,and those of you that have been out at Boulder know there isn't much on the shore to use, but still I feel pretty good. Hit the sand and run...ok not really run....jog down the beach to get back in. There were about 3 or 4 people just ahead of me and I see at least one running on the beach but not sure how many behind. Still feeling pretty strong I don't think I ever had to switch to a resting stroke but I did have to get my bearings a couple of time. So as I'm heading back out to the 1st buoy again, I feel like I'm never going to get there, looks like it is right there but never seems to get any closer, finally I'm turning and turning again and heading back in! Still feeling pretty strong and feeling like I'm giving it a little more effort as I know I've got it now. Sighting seems easier but it seems that every time I look up I need to correct, I keep getting off, I don't know if it was just my crazy swimming or what. Finished still feeling pretty strong and amazingly good. I could see there were still people behind me so I was happy about that! You know those people in Boulder are crazy fast! So even though I felt I was giving it more in the 2nd lap it was slower, but it does include the jog down the beach, either way I'm pretty thrilled with my time!

Lap 1 16:59
Lap 2 18:47
Total 35:45

Yes thrilled! I think I may have to give it another go in a couple of weeks and maybe even do the run too. Anyone else think it's harder to go from swimming to running then it is to go from swimming to riding?

2nd step coming up!

Stroke and Stride

So I headed up to Boulder last night and did the Stroke and Stride. It's a really fantastic event. The folks that put it on do a great job. I didn't go last year at all but the crowd sure has grown since 2008. The last time I did it there were only 2 waves, one for the 1500m and one for the 750. This time they had 4 waves one for men and one for women for both distances. The photo above is actually from after and I'm sure many people were gone. Looks like there were around 400 or so total. I was really nervous about the open water swim as it was my first of the year. The wind was blowing and the water was a little choppy. The outside temperature was right around 80 and water temp I believe right around 68, all in all it was a beautiful Colorado evening.

You can kind of see the chop on the lake and the buoys. It always looks so far to me. I gotta tell you it was kind of rough. I took one big gulp of water not to far into the swim and had to stop and choke for awhile and I never seemed to be able to find a groove. I even felt a bit dizzy and almost "sea" sick or something. I'd not practiced any sighting and that was quite obvious but I didn't do to bad until we turned to come back to shore and were swimming into the sun. I had gotten some new goggles (that didn't fog YEA!) and have a grey lens thinking it would help with the sun issues, well not so much, I could not see where I was heading at all. I was trying to follow the crowd but it felt hard not being able to see what I was swimming to. It was with a happy heart that I left the water. :)

swim time 750m 19:32

Transition....slow very slow, for some reason thought I should sit down and try to get my wetsuit off my feet....not smart, knew that...thanks to a nice lady who pulled it off for me. I also have not put any of the speed laces in my shoes yet...I guess I have some things to work on before my tri next weekend.

Transition 3:09

I started out on my run with the idea of sticking to my 2 minute run 1 minute walk and kept it up almost the whole way. I did end up walking just a little more in the last mile. I could really have used a little Gatorade, a gel or a little something besides just water to drink I think. At the start there was this guy that would pass me and then I would pass him we did this three or 4 times at one point he said "are we going to do this the whole time?" "Could be" I said...nope I kept to my schedule and soon left him behind. Hope he didn't mind being "chicked" especially by a slow one. I got passed...a lot... by all those people that swam 2 laps and run way better then I do, but I didn't mind one bit, I knew no matter what I wouldn't be last across the finish. My best times from 2008 were all over 1 hour so I was hoping to get under and I made it but just barely.

Run 36:30 11:47 pace (which is awesome for me!)

Total time 59:10

Surprisingly this gave me 3rd in my age group...now granted there were only 8 in my age group, one I'm convinced actually did 2 laps on the swim as her time was 54:10, and one was DNF but still I may never, ever be able to say I was 3rd in my AG again...so what the heck I'm going to say it! LOL!

After there was tons of pizza and other goodies...can you say brownie bites...YUMM which I ate as I sat looking out at a lake that now looks like glass...why does it always smooth out after the race? I didn't stick around to long as I was on my own but it was sure a beautiful night all that for $20. Who could ask for a better deal.

Not the best picture but you can see how smooth the lake was after.

I'm really glad to have been able to get out there and get a little practice in and I for sure will try to hit up a couple more this summer including trying out the 1500m, I still keep thinking I want to do an Olympic but last night I was just not convinced that I could have done the distance.