Waterlogged (Updated Version)
I decided to expand a bit more on my experience from the Steelman Racing OWS Classic 3 Miler that I completed back in August. A bit more detail as I wrote more words and some more thoughts from the original Waterlogged recap published in mid-September.
On Sunday August 18th I was able to accomplish a
goal that I had planted in my head during the summer of 2010. I completed my first ever 5k
open water swim race at Steelman Racing Open Water Classic 3 Miler up in
Quakertown PA. I had only done open water swimming as part of multi-sport
races; with a bike and mostly run after the swim so it was nice to only do an
event where I swam. I had come to love swimming in the open water because of
triathlon and having completed 4 Ironman distance swim (roughly 2.4 miles) I
thought this swim distance would be perfect for me. I had signed up for this
open water swim event in April thinking I would have all summer to train properly;
but that wasn’t the case. Going into this open water swim event on race day I
knew I could accomplish this goal I had set 14 years previously even with all
the twists and turns the actual swim brought.
Steelman Racing also offered a 1 and 2 mile open water
options; which brought chaos to the later stages of my swim. The weather was
iffy that morning and with a 6 loop swim; the safety things were told at the
pre swim meeting. Me and the other 50 3 mile swimmers weren’t sure we’d get the
full distance in hearing storms were about 10 miles away. I didn’t let looking
at the dark and scary skies above get to my brain too much. Each loop was
supposed to be about 800 yards in total and even with the 10 buoys marked. I
knew which buoys to sight off of, which buoys to turn at, and which one meant I
was done; I had my Garmin beep every 1000 yards knowing I’d be swimming around
5000 yards knowing swim math as well as who in the world could keep count of 6
times around Buoys 1 to 10. My first and second loop was to get comfortable
with getting acclimated with the buoys, the third loop was to see where I was
at time wise and how my body felt halfway through. It was only the pink caps
(3-mile swimmers) through my third loop and the water was calm. The fourth loop and fifth loop I dealt with
the green (2-mile swimmers) and yellow caps (1-mile swimmers) starting their
swim; making for choppy waters and chaos that open water swimming is. The sixth
and final loop I dealt with dehydration, cramping and thoughts of being water
logged.
I was honestly grateful to have finished what amounted to be
5,750 yards or 3.27 miles in just a shade over 2 hours. This was the toughest
event I have ever completed. I will go back and do this exact open water swim
race in the future when I’m better trained as I found a new respect and love
for swimming that day in which it never rained or even stormed.
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