Take me down to the sea.

6/17/2006

I felt I should really get in an ocean swim to get a feel for what to expect. I have surfed, bodysurfed, snorkeled and spent time at the beach for years. I also recently added scuba to the list, so I'm no stranger to the ocean environment. Well, my first foray into the waves as a swimmer was an eye-opener.

I brought my surfing spring suit (thin neoprene with short legs and arms) with me, as the water is still a bit chilly in the Ventura area. As I pulled up at the beach, the weather was about mid-70s and sunny, and there were several beach-goers enjoying the day. Waves of 2-4 feet were breaking on the sand. I noticed several other folks that looked like they were practicing for an upcoming triathlon, including a large group of all ages, shapes and sizes preparing to swim. I warmed up a bit, put on my goggles, hit Start on my chronometer, and ran into the water.

HOLY &%*# that's COLD! Wow! I was not ready for the frigid water. I punched through the surf zone, and tried to settle into a nice swim rhythm along the shore, but my breathing was much too fast and hard, due to the cold shock and the exertion of plowing through the waves. I rolled over onto my back to backstroke for a while and try to catch my breath. I finally got my breathing under control, and looking at landmarks on the shore, could tell I was not making much progress. I had tried to estimate a 400-meter triangle to swim, and was only about 100m into it at this point.

I tried once again to get a nice easy freestyle stroke going, but it was hard to breathe efficiently in the rough water. I ended up doing a combination of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and head-out-of-water crawl. I finished my estimated 400m in just under ten minutes.

I was planning to jog out of the surf to simulate running up the beach to T1 (Transition to the bike), but was too tired, so I walked. I got back to my starting point and walked around for a few minutes to rest.

Once I caught my breath, I decided I needed to give it another go. I re-set my watch, hit Start, and ran into the water. This time the temp wasn't as much of a shock, as I had just come out of the water. I made another attempt at a smooth freestyle stroke, which just didn't last very long. I found the most efficient stroke seemed to be head-up freestyle, so I could continue to breathe regularly. I know this will not make me fast, but at least I won't be dying for air when I finish. I completed the second attempt in a little over eight minutes. I look forward to seeing how long the real course is, compared to my estimation.

Lessons learned:

1. A spring suit may be insufficient for the water temp, particularly at 7:15am (it was closer to 10:00 when I hit the water today). I plan to bring my full suit with my Saturday when I pick up my race packet, and see how it is for swimming. I know it's going to be a bear to take off during transition, but if it allows me to start the swim more comfortably, that may be worth it.

2. Get wet before the swim. I've read it suggested in other first-timers' accounts, but it was definitely brought home today. You want to take a dip before your race starts to get past the initial shock of the cold water. Also, it will put the initial layer of water inside your suit that warms up and acts as insulation.

3. It's going to be difficult conserving energy during the swim. I'm going to have to go easy at the beginning of the bike if I want to have anything left in the tank for the run.

4. I thought the run would be the hardest part of this triathlon. Now I'm not so sure the swim won't be worse.

So to recap: My run will be slow, my swim will be slow, I hope I have a good ride! >;-]