Ironman Race Report: The Infamous Swim

If you've read a few posts, I usually blog about at least once a week about how I suck in the water.  I swim about as well as a ROCK.  Leading up to the race, I was just worried about the swim.  I knew I could complete the distance as I've done it in the pool quite a few times but I just wanted it to be over.

As I left you, I was standing in the water 3rd row back and basically peeing my wetsuit every 5 minutes waiting for the race to start.  The song Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve was playing. I was like that's weird no Beautiful Day by U2 or Ironman by Black Sabbath. Now here was the first of many Alzheimer moments for me, I don't remember the announcer saying 30 seconds to go even though I saw video that he did warn us that the cannon was about to go off.  I guess during the event there really isn't much blood feeding the brain.

The cannon went off, I clicked my watch and the swim plus Ironman started.  I took off like I was a 50 minute swimmer ie. damn fast for the first couple of minutes.  It was pandemonium as there were over 2200 people starting at the same time.  It wasn't so bad where I was as I was a good 100 yards left of the buoy line where the water polo, rugby, and football players are swimming.  I got thumped a couple of times here and there. I also whapped a couple of legs, arms and bodies.  In about 5 or so minutes, it was pretty clear.  I sighted on the houseboat.  In the swim at Canada, they use massive houseboats for each of the 2 turns instead of buoys.  This was great as I could sight from way left and not have to worry.

The swim is a triangle with the first segment/side being about 1600 meters which is not quite halfway.  I just kept cruising with the mass of humanity churning water to my right.  Every so often I decided to move to the school of fish swimming and every time I went right back out to the left.  The draft in the mix of hundreds of swimmers might have saved me some energy but I just couldn't keep my rhythm.

I had no one really around me as I was swimming and was just going an easy pace.  It didn't seem to take so long to get the first houseboat.  As we approached, I could see the bottom of the lake again.  The water is pretty clear up there in Canada and the turn is pretty close to another shoreline so this was a great sign.  I just need to make it to houseboat #2 and I'd be over halfway...with the SWIM.

The turn was uneventful for me as I was still left of the swim pack.  I was using the swimmers on the edge as sighting help since I swim about as straight as a sidewinder rattlesnake.  The top part of the triangle is only 400 meters so that last houseboat came up pretty fast.

Sweet I'm over halfway, this rocks.  I'll be done with this swim and be able to really start the Ironman.  I started to think about not having to swim again in like FOREVER and a great joy came over me.  I decided to lets just hammer this last part of the swim to be done with it.

I started really pushing, focusing and going as fast as I could.  As I was doing this I was got a little to close to the swim pack and got clocked in the eye by a lady swimmer.  It was if Hilary Swank from Million Dollar Baby had punched me. My goggles stayed on but man did my eye hurt.  It felt like it was bleeding.  I started to wonder if they had a cut-man in T1 to patch up such injuries.  A black eye in my finisher picture should be a keeper.  Hopefully, it doesn't swell shut on the bike.  Okay, so yes I over-react to everything as there wasn't even a mark afterwards.

I continued to really push and I'd sight every so often.  The weird thing was I really didn't see a huge pack of swimmers up in front of me.  I was wondering if I was really up with a decent group.  This got me even more excited and I tried to keep up the good pace.  I swear I was passing a ton of people here but it's hard to tell.

I started to see the bottom again and sighted on last time to make sure I was headed towards the finish.  This is where I thought I had rocked the swim.  I didn't see this massive crowd of people running up the beach.  I saw just a few people slowly walking through the water which scared me a little since I didn't want to run into a water walker.  I was swimming until my hand hit dirt or about a foot of water.

My hand hit dirt.  I stood and didn't feel dizzy at all.  During each open water practice swim in the week, I had always practically fallen over like a drunken frat guy on exiting the water.  Sweet...so I started moving a little faster out onto the beach.  I pulled unzipped my wetsuit in a second, pulled down the top part of my wetsuit, removed my cap and goggles and then....

I clicked the split on my watch and saw it. 1:08 something...I practically jumped in the air.  I had a shot still at Kona and plus I would be able to get a wetsuit stripper since it wasn't this massive crowd.  After thinking about it, I feel even better because I probably swam a little longer course since I stayed left the entire way around the course.

Here's the pictures that were taken.  You can see I'm pulling down my wetsuit in preparation for the strippers and I look like...well..hell.

Tomorrow, I'll give out the best T1 advice and talk about trying to save time on the bike. Plus tomorrow is the big Costco trip..it will go down as the biggest Costco trip ever.  I'm going to take some video and pictures of the special occasion.  Instead of trying to navigate 2 carts through the aisles and Labor Day weekend Costco shoppers, I'll fill the cart with dry foods first, checkout and then come back for the 2nd run at all the cold food, etc.