I did a stupid thing and lived to blog about it

On Thursday, I had a great race. I decided last minute to do the TCSD Aquathlon that evening. I was nervous all day. My first ocean race at the Air Force ROTC Aquathlon had not gone that well. I had doggy paddled the 800 meter swim and was the last one out of the water. Although I made time up on the run, I tore up my feet with sand and wet shoes. I was happy not to finish last. After that race I did two (800 meter) La Jolla Cove swims. I did not doubt that I could swim 1000 meters at the race. I just did not want to doggy paddle in front of my TCSD friends. As always, I was afraid of coming in last. Nate convinced me to do the race by telling me that he had DNFd the last aquathlon. I figured if someone as dedicated and advanced as him could do that, then I shouldn't be so prideful. Although he had a lot of circumstances stacked up and I didn't really have any that would allow me to DNF without being a complete failure. So, I laughed and said that if I did come in last, then maybe I could look forward to being the most improved next year.

I've gained a lot of weight. So when I got home, I coudn't fit into any of my tri kits without the fat being squeezed out into funky contortions. I ended up getting out of the apartment later than I planned. Then I got stuck in traffic and when I got there I couldn't find parking. After struggling with my chip to find the number for registration, I hit the sand about 5 minutes before the race start. I put my stuff down by the beginner's group. Erika was nice enough to offer to help me. I was so rushed, I couldn't think. I was glad that she was there to help zip me up. I ran to the start and found Nate and Tracy as I put in my ear plugs and swim cap. I hadn't had time to use Foggle and spit normally doesn't work for me, but I didn't have any other choice. Tracy offered to swim with me. I warned her that I was really slow and that if she didn't care about her time, she could swim with me. I told her she could go on ahead if she needed. We were talking when the race started. I struggled getting my goggles on while we ran into the surf.

I normally swim a little before a race to get over the shock of the temperature. I was glad that the water was extremely warm. I had none of the breathing issues I experience in the cold. There was no real surf to speak up, so it was super easy getting past the break. Tracy stayed right next to me. I couldn't hear most of what she was saying, but she encouraged me the whole way. She noticed that I unilaterally breathe on my right, so she swam on that side. The water was so flat that I could actually see the buoys and I wasn't so far behind the group that I was alone. But since Tracy was side and breast stroking, I didn't need to worry about sighting. I was able to swim the whole way without stopping.

Along the way I saw some schools of small silver fish. I usually get distracted by fish or other things in the water, but this time it only caused a slight pause. I hadn't heard the course talk. Nate had told me to go out to the first buoy, turn right and then go out and once I hit the second buoy turn right into shore. I was confused and thought there were only two buoys. So when I go to what I considered the second buoy, I was pretty excited. Then Tracy told me we were halfway there. Although, I wasn't tired or ready to quit, my sense of elation was just deflated. I surged on.

We swam into shore with only one small wave to duck under. Tracy told me when to stand up and when to start kicking up. Then she ran off to finish her race while I searched for my things in transition. Of course it took me a while to find my spot. This time I took the time to rinse off my feet, dry them and put socks on. I didn't want to tear up my feet again.

When I got out to the run course, people were already starting their second lap. Although I hadn't tired during the swim, I felt drained once I got on my feet. I just tried to run steady and wasn't pushing it. When I got to the pier, I ran around the second pillar while everyone ran around the first one. My habit of not cutting corners might not serve me well during a race. Another racer teased me about going the extra mile. :)

When I got to the turn around to start the second lap, I had a couple of women in my sights. I picked up the pace to pass them and maintain my distance. But it was still a slow 5K. On the way back to the finish, I saw a pink jellyfish on the sand. It was a pretty translucent globe with dark striations. Little did I know at the time that I would come into much closer contact with another jellyfish the next day.

I ran into the finish where Tracy was waiting to cheer me in. I don't recall the time, but I know it started with a 5 instead of a 1, so I knew I was under an hour. I had beat my last aquathlon time. I think the clock was closer to 50 than 59. Even though the run was .9 miles less and the swim was .12 more, I know it didn't take me 10 minutes to go the extra mile at the last race. Plus, I had taken considerably more time during transition this race. I can't wait to see my splits. I know for a fact that my swim was awesomely better than last time thanks to Tracy's help.

I was not hungry after the race and only ate a small cinnamon bite that Nate gave me, a few bites of lettuce, and the pineapple off of  a pizza since there was no vegetarian left. (I am not a vegetarian but I am not a big pork eater.) Tracy offered some of her salad, but I didn't want to take her food. I was happy to get a chance to chat with Jaclyn, Rebecca, Susanna, and Linda. After the announcements that we couldn't hear and the raffle that I didn't win, I looked for trash to pick up, but most of it was taken care of. I stopped to chat with Marison, Cathie, Cathy, and Debbie. We were lucky enough to see two dolphins in the surf. I think Vanessa went in to swim with them.

When I finally went to collect my things, I found that someone had taken my Surf City bag. My little lululemon bag had been knocked over and my cell phone was in the sand. Thankfully my wallet and keys were still inside. Earlier I thought I had seen another Surf City bag, so I was hoping that someone had just mistaken mine for theirs. Jaclyn suggested I post something on the group. I walked around to see if they had left theirs. I saw a man carrying a Surf City bag and I was looking at it hard. He asked me if it was mine. I said I think so. He told me that it was just sitting there all by itself and he thought it was a nice bag. He pulled all of his stuff out. I said, I was glad to find it so I didn't have to buy new goggles. He replied, "Oh were those your things too?" I looked at him and his wife incredulously. I noticed he had kids, so I just let it go. But WTF?! My bag was not all by itself, since a handful of the beginner's were still there. My bag had been right next to my towels, small rubbermaid, water bottle, and my little bag. Plus, we do have a lost and found at the races. Who just takes someone else's bag? It only had my goggles and swim cap in it and it looks just like one of those Trader Joe's recyclable bags, but still! Before, I had been happy that my little bag with my valuables had not been taken, but after finding that the guy had tried to jack my bag, I was peeved. Once out in the parking lot, I chatted w/ Joe and Cathy before finally heading home.

I don't know if I hit my foot on one of the rocks in the sand, but the bottom of my left heel is slightly swollen and it hurts when I put pressure on it. I guess it is good that I am focusing more on riding this weekend.

On Friday, I was still high on the great swim I had in Thursday's race. Nate had mentioned that it was half of the swim distance of a 70.3 course. I started looking at the Cove swim distances. It looked like the Cove to the Marine Room was a little more than the 70.3 swim. Then I found out that the new tri kits were finally in and I could pick up my order at the Cove Swim. So I was super STOKED!

I headed out early so I could find parking. I didn't take my wetsuit and I left my wallet and phone in the trunk of my car this time. When I got there I didn't see anyone I knew, I went to pick up my tri kit order, but they only had Todd's. Thomas was awesome enough to go find my size for me. Tim came up to me and we chatted a bit. I asked Brian if there was a sign in sheet. He said he was heading the beginner's swim and I could stay with his group. I told them that I was really slow and that I was heading to the Marine Room. Tim said I would probably find other people around doing the same swim. But there was no sign in sheet.

I headed out to the water. There were a couple of people already heading out. The water was really cold, but I just jumped in. I headed toward the Shores. I'm not very good at heading out in a straight line, so I followed along the cliffs. It was a longer route, but easier to follow since I breathe on my right. I worked on bilateral breathing and trying not to stop and sight all the time. I normally freak out because it feels like I'm not getting anywhere. But I just kept telling myself to concentrate on swimming and not worry about getting there. I kept hearing other swimmers far to my left. I could see the kayakers up ahead and then to my right as they explored the caves. Midway, a man swam right into me. I was startled to say the least. I was just glad that it was a man and not a shark.

I don't know how close I was to the Shores, but I swam through a bunch of seaweed, some of it looked white and then this spiny looking cone hit the inside of my right bicep. I thought it was just a big wad of seaweed. My arm started to sting right after impact. At first I thought maybe it just scratched me. But as the stinging intensified I realized it had been a jellyfish. I started to worry a bit, but there was nothing I could do but keep swimming. I saw a group of kayakers coming up behind me to my left. For some reason I got competitive and tried to swim to keep up with them. Of course I couldn't.

I finally saw a stand up paddler and felt relieved that I was closer to shore. Then there was this awful smell in the water. It still took a while, but I got in. As I was swimming into shore, I saw what I thought was a swimmer keeping up with me on my left. As I stood up, I looked over to see if it was someone I knew. It wasn't, it was a seal. Once on shore, I found Tim with a group. I mentioned to him that I thought I had been stung by a jellyfish and he suggested I go to the Lifeguard to see if they could put something on it.

I ran to the Lifeguard station. The lifeguard took a while to answer the buzzer. I showed him my arm. It had three long welts on it. He told me that they don't really do anything for jellyfish stings. He told me to just let the salt water dry on my arm. I told him I had to swim back to the cove. He said that as long as I wasn't having a hard time breathing, that going back in the water would be good for it.

It took a while getting past the waves. It was definitely harder swimming against the swells on the way back. I think I was able to take a straighter course as I tried to focus on the hotel instead of the cliffs. I practiced bilateral breathing every third stroke. I was stopping to sight a lot more, though. The water got colder the later it got. I was getting that anxious feeling that I wasn't making any progress. I kept telling myself, it just takes time, you'll get there. And then I would freak out whenever I came across seaweed. At one point, I think I saw a stingray underneath me and then I started thinking about sharks. I just wanted to get back to the cove. I could see the buoy up ahead to the right of me, but I didn't feel like I was getting any closer. I finally got to the point where I could see the ocean floor and people on the shore. The awful smell returned. The current seemed to be moving out, so even though I was so close, it took a some time to struggle against the current.

When I got up to the grass, everyone was gone. I started to shake and clench. I wrapped my towel around me and put my jacket on. I couldn't stop shaking. I was glad that the drive home is low speed as I felt that my reflexes were highly reduced. My right hand felt numb. I felt like my whole body was cramping. When I got home I was shaking hard. Even though I knew I wasn't supposed to rinse the sting with fresh water, I had to take a shower to warm up. When I looked at my arm, the welts were gone and there was just a tiny trail of red dots. My right arm felt heavy, I was exhausted and nauseous, I didn't feel like eating, so I took a nap.

I learned from the race that it is okay to ask for help. Then I quickly forgot that lesson as I headed out into the deep blue sea alone. I am thankful that I hit the jellyfish instead of it hitting me. It could have been much worse. Regardless of my stupidity, I am proud that I swam 2 miles, even though I had a long break in between at the Lifeguard station. :D