Mermaid Freak Out

Today I completed the Emily Schindler Memorial Triathlon

(800 yd swim, 9 mile bike, 3 mile run)

1:24:03 by my own calculations

Was a great, great, morning.  Lots of friendly volunteers...from the county cops making the trail intersections safe, to the young teenagers timing the lap swimmers.  All volunteers in pink.  If you are interested in Emily Schindlers story please click here:

http://www.spyswimming.org/triathlon.htm

Many of Emily's youth swimming records still stand as evidenced on the pool record wall.

So, okay, I must report on the Mermaid Freak Out.  The first leg of the race was the 800yd swim, 16 laps or 32 lengths.  No problem for me as I have been consistently training over the last year at 2000m to 4000m.  I registered with a swim time of 15:30 for 800yd.  This was a truthful and attainable goal as I have done so successfully on more than one occasion. 

When I registered at 6 am this morning, I was put in a lane with 4 other swimmers of "about" the same ability.  Uh, no, this was not the case. Twas the young whippersnapper, the seasoned veteran, the fit newbie, and me.  The young whippersnapper takes off as we knew he would, the veteran is next at a comfortable pace, the newbie heads out more reserved.  Then me.  For some unknown reason I feel the need to keep up with the newbie, which has me sucking air after the first length.  By the third length, I am crawling with my head above water.  By the fourth length, I am looking at the lifeguard hoping he is watching me and the young whippersnapper is trying to pass me, followed by the veteran.  We reach the wall and water is everywhere, feet in my face, elbows in my side.  By the fifth length I cannot even put my head in the water.  I AM PANICKING.  Seriously.  This is what it feels like to think you are drowning even though I can swim quite strongly.  Lengths six, seven, and eight I breast stroke in an attempt to calm down, catch my breath, and start over.  By the 9th length, I am able to put my head back in the water and get into a groove. I swim the rest of the way at my pace.  Whippersnapper is out of the water and I have 6 lengths to go, Veteran out 4 lengths to go, Newbie out 2 lengths to go.  OUT.  Wow, I have never, ever experienced this kind of Panic in the water, even in open water which is my nemesis.  This would have made the perfect scene for a lifeguard training video on swimmer distress. Sheesh! 

I don't know what my swim time was yet, and I am very curious.  I know that whippersnapper was finished in 10 minutes or so.  As terrible as this panic was,  I am thankful for the learning experience of swimming around, under, and beside other swimmers.  Usually, I am the only one in my lane when I swim.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. 

 That is the last time I tell the truth for my swim time.

I really could have used the help of Tasha and Uniqua and their Mermaid Freak Out.