Baby steps!

[alexis_the_tiny]

Ok, so I guess it doesn't seem like much but I'm thrilled to death over getting it done. Today, I did my first open water swim in the sea that actually ended WELL. AND I stuck my head underwater too. I've always been afraid of swimming in the sea - choppy waves, paranoia about stonefish/sea urchins/jelly fish, the nasty smell of the sea water here and just being too terrified to put my head underwater. Also, my first open water swim ended with a panic attack 200m into it.

Today we went to celebrate a friend's birthday at a beach with a pretty sheltered lagoon (although with a terrible reputation for stonefish) so I thought I'd give it a shot. After a couple of botched attempts at swimming without freaking out, I managed to get a nice stroke going and did 3 laps around a very calm section of the lagoon. WHOO! I've always been a little bummed that hating the open water is holding me back from doing triathlons but now I think one is in my future...

[malkin]

Hooray for you!

[owlice]

Oh, that's great!!!! Congratulations!!

:: throws confetti ::

Oooo, may I offer a celebratory cake, too? I just took one out of the oven!

:: cuts cake ::

(Aren't you glad I'm not offering cheese? )*

:: plates pieces of cake and puts them on the buffet table ::

My son has an anxiety disorder, and when he was little, getting him into the ocean took a couple or three of years (yes, years) of exposure. The last time we went to the beach, the surf was rougher than I felt comfortable with but he wanted to body surf, so I had to go in, too. Nothing like having to face my own fears to understand how he'd felt!!



* sorry sorry sorry for that! made me laugh to type it, though!

[deeaimond]

I understand how that is. I also recently swam in the sea (from one island to another) but still could not stick my head under the water. When i look down and it's just blue and I can't see anything my heart starts to beat very fast. I'm quite a strong swimmer but the fear of the unknown just causes me to panic, but when I was done I was so proud of myself.

Congratulations Alexis

[alexis_the_tiny]

Thanks guys! Its so ridiculously thrilling, I feel like cycking back down today and swimming again.

Owlice, that made me laugh. And I love cheese! =D

Deeaimond, hey, I'm located in SG too! Were you doing that 6 km swim from here to some island in Indonesia or Malaysia? All I saw in the water yesterday was pure murky green, its quite terrifying and a strangely, a little claustrophobic...