swimming in a murky lake

[crazycanuck]

Hey DB,

I too don't like swimming in lakes, murky places or anywhere that i can't see the bottom...(I had a bit of a panic attack myself this year at one tri swimming in the swan river..(eeeeerrwwwww....)) and am sitting here wondering what the responses are!

Now, about the sizes of the other chicks...Let me say this:
1-YOu may be a bit bigger but it's showing others that you're moving you're a** and doing something about getting fitter
2-Don't give up! Think about you & what you need to do to finish. You're there for you, not the skinny chickies!
3-Remember to SMILE!!!

I wish you tons of luck at your tri dear. I wish i could offer more support in the swim

C

[Brina]

I am with you on the lake swimming. I live less than a mile from Lake Michigan and haven't swum there once this summer. I proobably should before my tri in two weeks. Put me near an ocean and you have to fight to get me out of the water. You can do this, and you will. I love the reward you have picked out. Kill two demons in one event.

[KSH]

You do have to get use to swimming in a lake. It's different. Many people get freaked out the first few times. Maybe try to practice some more... just so you can get use to it.

Otherwise, stay to the outside, away from the bouys... and you won't get beat up as much.

Running... you only started 3 weeks ago?! Wow. Well, it takes time to get up to the speed and distance... so, if you need to walk in the tri... then you need to walk. That's OK. And, don't try to cram all the running into the next 2 weeks, you aren't going to make that much stride in doing that, and more than likely, you will wear yourself down. Just do what you can in the race.

No one is "over weight". Well... unfortunately... these races bring out the really fit people. For what it's worth... I'm 5'4"/125 lbs... and I feel self-conscious at races... I feel fat next to all those perfect bodies.

But, I also see other people who don't have perfect bodies racing... and a lot of the time they are kicking my butt. You can judge a triathlete by it's cover! Trust me on this one!

Can you register as an athena racer? If so... if there aren't any other ones... you will get a MEDAL for winning your age group! That will be cool! So, there is an upside to maybe not having a perfect body.

It sounds like you are going to do just fine. Just go out there, do your thing... and don't worry about anyone else!

Good luck!

[KnottedYet]

I get a major cootie-attack from swimming pools. I'd much rather swim in a lake. (haven't swum in a pool in.... mmmmm... 7 years?)

But our lake keeps getting sewage in it. Not so good. And I can't say I really enjoy algae IN my suit with me.

Thanks, KSH, for the tip about staying to the outside away from the buoys. I'm gonna be putt-putting, and one of the women at work keeps saying I need to stay to the INside, but that'd mean I'd get run over!

DB, I'll be walking in my tri. I'll cheer for you and the murky water, you cheer for me and just being able to swim the distance! (I'm NOT a good swimmer) We shall persevere!

[Nanci]

That's weird to have a rule about don't swim in a lake!! Unless you live where there are alligators.

As a kid, I had a recurrent nightmare where I would start swimming from the "point" (penninsula) at our lake cabin, to try to get to the other side of the lake. This was our usual swimming spot, but of course we never swam across. There was either the drop off, with a nice stone bottom, unless you went out far enough to get to where the weeds were, and it was very daring to swim down and grab one- (like 10/15 feet?) or the sand bar, which was shallow and had clams to catch for fish bait. Anyway, I would start swimming, and eventually become entangled in weeds, in the dream, and wake up. I _always_ had this dream.

The thing that cured me of my fear of weeds was scuba diving in those lakes, with 10 feet vis on a good day, and getting relaxed about swimming among the weeds, with the fish. I also did some diving looking for artifacts in lakes, along mud/muck bottoms, in near-zero vis. You have to build up gradually to get used to it- I mean in worse and worse visibility, and it was still pretty easy for me to get spooked if I allowed my mind to go there.

I think in your murky lake, if you can practice ahead of time and get used to the feeling of the weeds touching you, that will help a lot. If it can become a familiar and non-threatening feeling for you. I think this can only be done by repetition, and you have to mentally control yourself to think "friendly" thoughts about the weeds, not scary thoughts.

I did a tri last summer in the ocean, in a bay, where it was just about zero vis from the brown mud/muck bottom. I did practice swims there almost every day the week before to get used to the crap vis. It's freaky to swim and have things touch you that you can't see.

Good luck!!

Nanci

[Lise]

DB, the practice sessions sound like a brilliant idea. I do much better at a race when I can imagine each step ahead of time.

So now you've swum in the lake, and you can start imagining yourself doing it again, handling each challenge calmly, swimming strongly, etc.

I learned how to swim in Lake Michigan, and am more comfortable swimming in open water. When I was a teen, a friend died when he hit his head in a pool, and I wouldn't swim in pools for years. It took me a good deal of swallowing hard to get back in the pool. The only reason I did was to train for tris. Many of us have our "thing" about swimming/being in certain kinds of water.

One thing to remember is that if weeds are touching you, it means the bottom's not far down, therefore you could put your feet down at any time. For some people that's very comforting. Like Nanci, I think of weeds as friendly, keeping the lake healthy, stuff like that. I'm a bit freaked about the tri I'm doing next week. I've never swum in that lake (a spring fed lake in Wisconsin); my fear is that it's really deep. (and...what? I'm going to sink like a stone? Fears are not rational!) One thing to know is that you will have lake debris on your skin when you peel off your clothes after the race. You're not going mouldy. It will wash off!

Have a great time. L.

[KSH]

Thanks, KSH, for the tip about staying to the outside away from the buoys. I'm gonna be putt-putting, and one of the women at work keeps saying I need to stay to the INside, but that'd mean I'd get run over!

Well, people who want to swim the shortest distance possible... like to stay on the inside.

They do this because:

1) They want the best time possible- so they are highly compeitive and WILL swim over you to shave a few second off.

2) Are not confident they can make the distance... and want to make it as short as a swim as possible.

So, if you are confident with your swimming and you don't want to get run over... stay on the outside... most people don't go there.

I have done 3 open water swims in races... and one was a HIM (relay team), and I have NEVER been run over, hit, beaten up, kicked, etc. WAIT! I was kicked once, as the exit area was all jumbled up... and they guy who kicked me apologized.