I Swam 2.4 Miles and I Didn't Perish

I was getting sick again. Riding my bike to the Monona Terrace, I kept looking out the water, craning my neck back and forth. I believed that varying degrees of vision will help me better understand the water or what was going on out there. Today was the Dairyland Open Water Swim Clinic. 

The Ironman Wisconsin swim course was set up and registrants could swim whatever they liked. You could swim 1.2 miles or 2.4 miles or just swim out and back onto shore. My choice was 2.4 miles because I had to swim this distance next weekend for the Madison Open Water Swim race (aka "MOWS"). More importantly, I needed to swim that distance on Ironman day.

Biking along that bike path into Monona Terrace and Law Park, I was sick again like I was going one of those first classes in swimming. I was nervous and wanted nothing less than to throw up. I saw the far buoys and my stomach deepened in sickness.

After I got my wetsuit on and I was standing next to two men who were as ready as I was, I followed them into the water. They started their watches and I followed their swim. Soon, I lost them in that big lake. I was going to take an angle toward the far rectangle's turn buoy.

There was a moment when I stopped near the turn buoy and I was still nervous. I remembered this is where I stopped on my swim at the 2007 Ironman Wisconsin. The ending of my Ironman story then, ended here. It could happen again. It could not. It could end in a way that is victorious and I finish. It could end in an ugly way more than I could ever imagine.

Today, though, I'm finishing this swim. Before I knew it, I was on the back end of the rectangle. I'm swimming next to a blue kayak and he yells at me, "You're drifting off!"

I look around, "I know!"

"Get back closer to the buoys!"

"I'm trying! I just looked up for Christ sakes!"

"Well sight more often. Like every two or three strokes."

"Don't you think I know that already, boss?!" I left to swim.

If you don't know it already, 2.4 miles of swimming is a long stretch. I was out there for a long time. As I found later, I got a swim cap sunburn from being out in the water too long. As I got to the second lap, I was actually getting a rhythm down and feeling pretty good.

I got to the back of the loop and saw the blue kayak again. He yelled over, "Looking better."

"Thanks boss!"

I kept on and found myself at the last turn buoy. It was a short run, so I made a break for it. Picking up the pace, I was at shore in no time! The guys who were right in front of me at the beginning were there again and they had my finish time: 1:40. 

Next week, I competed in the MOWS 2.4 mile wetsuit race. Much more crowded and delivered a much more closer representation of what it would be like on September 11, 2011. And I got a medal in the shape of a rubber duckie. It's hanging off my rearview mirror.

Somebody asked me last week, "Somebody told me that you conquered your fear of the water."

I told them, "No, I learned to live it."

 

Comments

[Mindi]

Sweet. Nice work Donovan.