Today we completed our one and only wet BRICK....putting the swim and the bike together, without the run. I set my alarm for 5:45 so I could get some oatmeal down with enough time to digest. I also drank a cup of tea and a warm electrolyte drink on the drive. We met at Frenchman's Bar at 7:30 am. We set up our transition zone on a concrete jetty that met the sand about 200 yds from the water's edge. It was a very windy day, and there were swells on the water. Our swim was going to be short of the race day distance, mostly because there is a significant current in the Columbia which makes it feel just as far. We warmed up for about 2-3 minutes and then lined up on the sand. I am finding it to be more comfortable to be in the front of the pack than near the back, even if people end up passing me fairly soon into the swim. I don't like the feeling of entering the water in the middle of a huge crowd. The gun went off at about 8:15.
Almost immediately upon entering the water I could tell it was going to be a challenging swim for me. The swells were big and coming toward us as we swam out. I felt really anxious trying to get through them, and swallowed water a couple of times. It was really hard for me to catch my breath, and I felt as though I must be doing something wrong because I was having to breath every other stroke. We had to get out of the water near the turn around point and run around a sign on the beach (this is to simulate the situation at Pac Grove where we do two laps, and get out of the water between them and run around a rock on the beach). I did a little bit better on the way back but I was still feeling very anxious, having to breath with every second stroke, and generally felt exhausted. I came out of the water about in the middle of the pack which is not usual for me.
My transition was alright although I forgot to put my goggles up right away so they fogged and I had a hard time seeing where I was going initially. I felt pretty shaky getting out of my wetsuit and into my shoes, and then when I mounted the bike I must not have had good control initially because I ended up running into a small pole as I was riding out of the parking lot and fell off my bike....I think it was as I was pushing the timer button on my bike so I only had one hand on the bars. I jumped up quickly and got back on my bike and took off out of the parking lot with nothing but my pride hurt and feeling very lucky that no one appeared to have seen me fall!
I rode really hard from the very beginning...I was pretty frustrated with my swim and wanted to make up some time. It took me about five minutes to feel like my breathing was under control (I guess from the swim???), but soon enough I felt myself letting go of the frustration and felt my confidence coming back. I just kept telling myself...."you can do this part, you are fast on the bike". I spent most of the time down on the aero bars, and that felt really comfortable. My cadence was above 90 for most of the ride, and my speed was around 20 mph. The wind was tough, but the aero bar position really helps me under those circumstances. I was able to drink a bottle and a half (but I really had to force the second bottle) and about three shot blocks. Its getting harder for me to eat on the bike as I push myself faster, so I may need to experiment with some gels even though they taste disgusting to me. I came in just a couple minutes behind Craig, and Deb was a few minutes behind me.
Although the swim really sucked today, I felt great about my bike and glad that I was able to move past the frustration and make up time on the bike portion. After the workout Glen talked with me about my experience in the water. He said it was really clear that I was struggling and asked me what I thought had happened. After I shared my thoughts, he reassured me that it was totally reasonable and normal to find that you have to breath more often in open water, especially when racing. He shared that he consistently breathes every other stroke during races, and he assured me that it doesn't need to slow me down. He recommended that I just expect this to be my normal breathing pattern for now and to practice staying in a rhythm breathing this frequently. His words helped me a lot.
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