Since my race schedule has been pretty much non-existent due to the mysterious injury, i was really excited to finally have an event i could actually participate in. i’ve been putting more time in the pool lately and feeling strong in the water and wanted to use this as a chance to check my progress.
i suppose doin all those sprints at master’s practice on friday may have not been the smartest strategy, but it was SO FUN, i couldn’t help myself. really, we broke up into 3 lanes (evenly paced) and the whole practice was sprints (100s, 50’s, and 25’s). i went hard. probably too hard for the day before a race, but having a day in the pool where i feel proud of myself and happy with my efforts has been rare lately, and i didn’t want to cut that feeling short. so i pressed on. sore legs and all. afterwards, i did a solid 20:00 (no breaks) abs/core workout followed by a good stretching and yoga session in hopes to loosen my muscles. according to my massage therapist later that night, i didn’t do a great job. i believe his exact words were “woah. that’s intense”. yeah. no kidding.
anyhoo– early to bed, early to rise. only, not that early. i woke up at 6, ate my prerace snack — frozen banana with 1T raw almond butter and went back to sleep. i love that i don’t get worked up about racign any more. without an ounce of nervousness or overthinking, i fell right back to sleep and didn’t get out of bed til 7 and i left my house at about 7:10. this year we all met at the parking lot just north of the pier — this worked so much better than last year. plus, we had access to the restrooms so we didn’t end up wandering around for 20 minutes to end up at mcdonalds to use theirs. (fail). the buses dropped us off 1.25 miles south and we headed to the water’s edge. i had half an apple cinnamon hammer gel about 10:00 out and was ready to go.
the conditions were exponentially better than last year. for one, there wasn’t any fog and i could actually see my hand in front of my face. also, the waves weren’t crashing down and tumbling everything in its way. so that was nice. the race start was the most competitive, per usual, but as soon as i cleared the first buoy, we all spread out pretty quickly.
overall, the swim went pretty well… minus the incident, of course.
about midway through the race, i took a stroke and out of nowhere something slapped my face. i swear, i saw nothing and still can’t quite figure out how or what happened. i guess it was a jellyfish, but it happened so quickly i have no idea. it hit hard and in my mind the thing had scales, but whatev. it got the left side of my face and the my right underarm. i never felt it hit my arm, but i felt the aftermath. it stung and burned so badly i thought my skin was melting. it’s weird though, i didn’t panic, i just evaluated the situation and looked around to make sure the coast was clear and started swimming again, once i regained feeling in my arm. (it went numb (i think) for what felt like minutes, but was probably just a few solid seconds). there were no other swimmers OR lifeguards around, so i just put my head down and kept going. never a dull moment.
i felt really good in the water. i’ve had the trouble in the past of losing my form during a race and feeling like i can’t control my stroke, but i felt like i was swimming in the pool– relaxed, good form. i did have to remind myself quite a few times “this is a race, pick up the speed”, but all in all i’m happy with my swim. i’ve gone much faster in the same distance but you can never really compare one ocean water swim to another– conditions vary way too much.
afterwards i found a lifegaurd and asked his advice about the stings and he gave me some gel to apply. lovely green goop all over my face and armpit. sexy, i know. i was told not to put fresh water, ice, or any of the things you’d think to use. whatever you’re thinking, do the opposite. so, now you know. you’re welcome.
also, the whole peeing on a sting thing is just a myth. if only someone had warned monica.
in the afternoon i wanted to get a little more cardio in, so i went to the y and did the elliptical (still can’t run) while i watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. i highly recommend it. it’s a documentary about two men who make a life changing goal to get off their medications and achieve a healthy life. it’s on netflix, so find a machine (stationary bike, elliptical, arc trainer, etc) and your phone and do something good for yourself while you watch others do something good for themselves. it’s totally inspiring.
And on that note, i’ll be embarking on a juice fast for the next 3ish (might extend to 5) days. it’s not about weight loss, it’s about detoxing/cleansing and giving myself a fresh start. i don’t expect to detox too much since my diet already consists of all veggies/fruits/nuts as it is, but i think it’s a good idea to just set yourself back to zero every once in a while. i’m excited.
Race stats
swim time:
43:20
Ranking
AG: 1st place
OA: 7th
Things I could work on:
• figuring out how to pace myself and not let myself go too easy in races.
• not getting in the way of others
Totals
sea creatures: 2
doris: 0.
