I headed out for my first open water swim with my wetsuit yesterday.
Putting on the suit was a cardio workout on its own. I put just the legs part of the suit on and drove to the beach, already baking a bit in the thick suit (it was about 65 degrees outside, pretty hot for the suit.) Once I got to the beach and parked, I put the rest of the suit on and immediately regretted it since I had another half mile walk to the waters. I thought to myself this would only be a small price to pay to be warm in the waters.
Halfway onto the sands I noticed a warning sign on the sand that there was an unusually high level of bacteria in the water today. I stopped and thought about turning back for about five seconds.
"Oh hell no! This (swim) is happening! I did not put on this clown suit just to walk back!" I kept marching towards the water.
It was bliss! Okay, getting hit by waves still no fun, but the cold sting was gone now that I had a wetsuit on, and I was a bit braver and swam further out, actually treading water this time! For the first time I treaded water in the ocean. (Falling off of some rocks into the waves and needing a rescue in the 4th grade does not count XD)
Overall I would say... swimming in the open water is like swimming on a roller coaster, next to a wife beater. I would be swimming and feel myself involuntarily lifted with the oncoming waves, and when I least suspect it, I would get smacked by a wave while trying to take a breath.
I wasn't actually out there for that long, but I was exhausted by the time I got home and took a shower. Running or cycling to exhaustion I understand, but swimming and I are still new acquaintances and it's hard to "read" how I'm doing. I'm so bad at open water swimming that for my progress report to my friend after I finished was "Survived."
More swimming next week! When the days start getting longer, I might be able to swim after work as well!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I Need a Wetsuit?
So last Thursday I went and purchased a closeout Tri Suit for just under 100 dollars. The people at Tri Zone were a good help. I felt like a complete n00b XD I picked the tightest one that would still be a comfortable fit. I was all ready to do open water swimming on Saturday morning, but on Friday night I checked the temperatures... 49 degrees Fahrenheit. I checked what temperatures you started getting hypothermia. 50 degrees.
Well shoot.
So I completed by Saturday swim of... not that many meters in the pool at my gym. I think I'm still going way too fast without realizing it. I need to learn to pace myself in the swim better.
So to swim in open water, I would need a wetsuit. I returned to Tri-Zone on Saturday and another employee helped in selected the fit and style that would fit my price point. A new suit from last year's model turned out to be the winner. Unfortunately they did not have it at the store, so I returned on Monday to pick it up. :3
Holy mackerel, it was TIGHT!
It was literally a cardio workout just to get inside the suit. I was sweating bullets just trying the suits on, but now I know I would be very warm even in the morning temperatures. I'm very excited to go try it out on Saturday morning!
For now, more cycling, and concentrate on weight lifting.
Well shoot.
So I completed by Saturday swim of... not that many meters in the pool at my gym. I think I'm still going way too fast without realizing it. I need to learn to pace myself in the swim better.
So to swim in open water, I would need a wetsuit. I returned to Tri-Zone on Saturday and another employee helped in selected the fit and style that would fit my price point. A new suit from last year's model turned out to be the winner. Unfortunately they did not have it at the store, so I returned on Monday to pick it up. :3
Holy mackerel, it was TIGHT!
It was literally a cardio workout just to get inside the suit. I was sweating bullets just trying the suits on, but now I know I would be very warm even in the morning temperatures. I'm very excited to go try it out on Saturday morning!
For now, more cycling, and concentrate on weight lifting.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
How Far Am I Supposed to Swim Out??
I know how to swim.
More precisely, I know how to swim in a pool, where the water is calm, there's always someone there who can rescue me, and the boundaries are clearly visible. I can propel myself forwards towards the wall and hit it with no problems.
I moved last August and now I live four miles from the beach. My still ailing cuboid bone in my left foot is flaring up again after a random 30 second toe up drill in a bootcamp class. Convinced I need to give it some time off before my next running race (my sport of choice) I decided it was time to face the open waters of Huntington Beach in my many year long quest to do an Ironman triathlon!
All things equal, I was situated pretty close to some of the best beaches of America. Even in winter the temperatures were quite agreeable, there aren't all that many sharks about, and, if I get up early enough, there's free parking half a mile from the beach! So last Sunday I dusted off my old Triathlon suit (purchased solely for the purpose of doing a the Pasadena Sprint Triathlon, a reverse triathlon that has a pool swim.). Sure, I bought it when I was about 35 pounds heavier, but it looked like it fit alright, and it was 150 dollar suit! I should at least try to see if it wears okay. In the back of my mind, I thought of Chrissie Wellington's first race where she started sinking quite badly due to an ill fitting wetsuit, but decided mine was just a Triathlon suit so surely it won't get that packed with water! So I packed up a towel and headed out.
It was only 8:30 in the morning, so the only people out were a couple of surfers eyeballing me strangely. They all disappeared beyond the breakers with their surfboards. I eyeballed the water, set my things down, and headed out.
Water, chilly, but not so cold. Waves were pretty nice. I walked deeper and deeper into the water, feeling slightly better. After getting around waist deep, I decided to swim parallel to the shore for practice.
My head hit the water, and all I could see was murky water past my goggles. This was very very not like the pool. I panicked, and stood back up, only promptly to be hit sideways by a large wave.
D'OH!
So went the rest of the practice. I was too afraid to actually do the forward crawl OUT into the abyss, and walking towards it doesn't work since I just keep getting wacked by the larger waves. I got an unpleasant reminder of how bad salt water tasted. I knew I had to get out further to get to the slightly less wave crashy waters, but going out was scary! How bleeping far am I supposed to swim out, anyway?!
I spent about 45 minutes being battered by the ocean before I discovered I could wade out as far as I could, then when the big wave hits, I would simply swim back towards shore to practice breathing, sighting, and not being so afraid of the dark waters.
Did I mention my wet suit was like an anchor? Turns out it does matter if it was not TIGHT on your body. The suit was 4 sizes too big and held what felt like the 35 pounds of fat I lost from when I first bought the suit.
Ocean + Ill Fitting Tri Suit: 1, Joyce 0
When I first learned to play this arcade dance game called "Dance Dance Revolution", it felt like I was made of five legs with no knees, trying to hit all the right squares without falling over. What's worse, the machine was in our University arcade, so anyone could saunter up, and secretly point and laugh at my bad footwork. But this did not weaken my resolve, I knew as long as I stuck with it I would HAVE to get better (when you sucked as much as I did, skill level could only go up!)
I would do the same with swimming. I know enough not to drown, and I'm well versed in riptide safety, so now all I need is some practice, and I figure I would eventually get advice from some people who know how to swim. I will have my SWIM SWIM REVOLUTION!
First move: Buy a triathlon suit that fits!
More precisely, I know how to swim in a pool, where the water is calm, there's always someone there who can rescue me, and the boundaries are clearly visible. I can propel myself forwards towards the wall and hit it with no problems.
I moved last August and now I live four miles from the beach. My still ailing cuboid bone in my left foot is flaring up again after a random 30 second toe up drill in a bootcamp class. Convinced I need to give it some time off before my next running race (my sport of choice) I decided it was time to face the open waters of Huntington Beach in my many year long quest to do an Ironman triathlon!
All things equal, I was situated pretty close to some of the best beaches of America. Even in winter the temperatures were quite agreeable, there aren't all that many sharks about, and, if I get up early enough, there's free parking half a mile from the beach! So last Sunday I dusted off my old Triathlon suit (purchased solely for the purpose of doing a the Pasadena Sprint Triathlon, a reverse triathlon that has a pool swim.). Sure, I bought it when I was about 35 pounds heavier, but it looked like it fit alright, and it was 150 dollar suit! I should at least try to see if it wears okay. In the back of my mind, I thought of Chrissie Wellington's first race where she started sinking quite badly due to an ill fitting wetsuit, but decided mine was just a Triathlon suit so surely it won't get that packed with water! So I packed up a towel and headed out.
It was only 8:30 in the morning, so the only people out were a couple of surfers eyeballing me strangely. They all disappeared beyond the breakers with their surfboards. I eyeballed the water, set my things down, and headed out.
Water, chilly, but not so cold. Waves were pretty nice. I walked deeper and deeper into the water, feeling slightly better. After getting around waist deep, I decided to swim parallel to the shore for practice.
My head hit the water, and all I could see was murky water past my goggles. This was very very not like the pool. I panicked, and stood back up, only promptly to be hit sideways by a large wave.
D'OH!
So went the rest of the practice. I was too afraid to actually do the forward crawl OUT into the abyss, and walking towards it doesn't work since I just keep getting wacked by the larger waves. I got an unpleasant reminder of how bad salt water tasted. I knew I had to get out further to get to the slightly less wave crashy waters, but going out was scary! How bleeping far am I supposed to swim out, anyway?!
I spent about 45 minutes being battered by the ocean before I discovered I could wade out as far as I could, then when the big wave hits, I would simply swim back towards shore to practice breathing, sighting, and not being so afraid of the dark waters.
Did I mention my wet suit was like an anchor? Turns out it does matter if it was not TIGHT on your body. The suit was 4 sizes too big and held what felt like the 35 pounds of fat I lost from when I first bought the suit.
Ocean + Ill Fitting Tri Suit: 1, Joyce 0
When I first learned to play this arcade dance game called "Dance Dance Revolution", it felt like I was made of five legs with no knees, trying to hit all the right squares without falling over. What's worse, the machine was in our University arcade, so anyone could saunter up, and secretly point and laugh at my bad footwork. But this did not weaken my resolve, I knew as long as I stuck with it I would HAVE to get better (when you sucked as much as I did, skill level could only go up!)
I would do the same with swimming. I know enough not to drown, and I'm well versed in riptide safety, so now all I need is some practice, and I figure I would eventually get advice from some people who know how to swim. I will have my SWIM SWIM REVOLUTION!
First move: Buy a triathlon suit that fits!
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