OCEAN SWIMMING CAN BE SOUL CRUSHING

4:00 am and I'm sitting on the family room couch in darkness. I turn on the television and it's a rerun of Access Hollywood.  I truly hate celebrity gossip...and even more so at 4:00 am.

I sip my coffee while our dog Toby saunters over to see why I'm up so early again.  By now, I would have thought Toby was used to my 4:00 am wake ups.  With Toby by my side, I procrastinate for next 30 minutes as to whether or not I should join the group for an open water swim at Long Branch this morning.

One side of me says that I don't have to go. I swam at the lake yesterday and completed a 1.5 mile swim. I'm allowed to sleep in.

The other side of me says that I still have one more triathlon to go.  I know its only a matter of getting dressed and getting in the car, so I force myself up and out the door.  4:45 am and I'm on the road again

Its still dark outside when I arrive at Long Branch.  A few other swimmers are suiting up on the boardwalk, but the group is small today.  It's Labor Day weekend, and many triathletes are doing the Great Six Flags Triathlon at Great Adventure this morning.  At least they get a lake swim. None of this ocean nonsense.

Last Monday night the waves were huge because of a hurricane that was moving up the East Coast, but once you got past the waves the water was pretty flat. Caitlin accompanied me Monday night and had a blast.  We went for dinner afterwards and had our version of "girls night out".

Caitlin and I hanging together at Long Branch NJ


The waves this morning were not nearly as large as Monday night, but the swells and chop were constant. No flat ocean swimming today.

I got in with ease but went up and down, and up and down, and up and down the entire time. I managed to complete a very slow 1/4 mile swim, and that was it.  I swam out and saw a girl staring at the ocean.  "Soul crushing, isn't it?"  She started to laugh, making it obvious we shared the same sentiment.

And it did feel a bit soul crushing, especially after such a successful swim the day before.  But I made a promise to myself that I would try to see the positive side of thing and if I really hate swimming in the ocean, its okay. A bad day doesn't mean a bad life, and a bad swim doesn't mean that I can't swim at all. 

I'll continue practicing in the ocean, simply because I believe "if I can swim in this, I can swim in anything". Its the only way to get the situation dialed in. For the time being, I'm going to limit the number of triathlons I do in the ocean and I'll stick to shorter distance races.

Next weekend is Iron Girl Sandy Hook.  My last triathlon of the season and I'm thrilled to be doing it with Caitlin as a relay team.  I'll do the swim and bike (1/3 mile ocean swim, 15 mile bike) and Caitlin will do the 3 mile run. I'm hopeful she'll enjoy her first triathlon and will consider doing one by herself in the future.

ARE YOU YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY?

* Quick Note: I've included a great link at the bottom of this page. Please don't miss it.

In my last post I made a brief mention about negative self talk and how it effects you without you even realizing it.  Maybe it's a habit that slowly forms throughout our lives and we don't even realize we've formed this bad habit.  But eventually negativity crushes your spirit and soul.  It's sort of like a slow growing cancer that takes over your body and mind.

Throughout life, some of us learn that taking a risk may result in a bad possible outcome; maybe you'll look stupid, maybe you'll fail, maybe others will think your dream is ridiculous or not even meaningful, maybe no one will support your idea, maybe no one will even care.  The downsides of taking a risk can be quite scary, especially if you've been burned in the past.  I'm mean lets be honest. No one wants look foolish or be a considered a "failure".

But there are people out there who recognize the positive side of taking risks. Are they afraid? Sure they are! But they don't let the worry of failure stop them.  They take things into consideration without overthinking every single detail.  Somewhere in their life journey they have discovered the beauty and contentment of a life WELL LIVED.  They are willing to put forth the time, patience and persistence needed in achieving their goals.  They don't strive for perfection, they strive for progress. CFM or continuous forward movement, as someone once told me.

And this is where I discovered one of my biggest personal flaws.  Not only am I an over-thinker, I am a PERFECTIONIST!!!  Somewhere in my life, I convinced myself that "if it isn't perfect, it isn't worth it".  How stupid is that???  Because NOTHING in life is perfect, so why would I expect absolute perfection from myself? And if I happen to make a mistake! You better believe that NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, will beat me up harder than I will beat myself up.

I realize now how much more difficult I have made certain tasks in my life, simply because I was searching for perfection as opposed to progress. At the age of 46 however, I am waking up to the reality that my soul needs a break from my perfectionist attitude.

After spending my summer surrounded by triathletes, I have learned something far greater than swimming, biking and running.  Triathletes are simply everyday people who have accomplished some amazing things.  They do not let their imperfections stop them from going out there and trying. If something goes wrong, they get back up and try again tomorrow.  They don't let the opinion of others or the possibility of failure stop them from pursuing their dreams.  They simply LOVE the sport and they willing to share that love with you, because they want you to love it too.  The support they provide to one another is nothing short of amazing, and they have welcomed me into their family with open arms.

I have had triathletes stay by my side in the open water when I was afraid to swim. They encouraged me and showed me what I can do to make things a bit easier for myself, especially when it came to the swim and bike.  They have let me borrow their precious gear without a second thought. They have openly shared their private stories with me. I realize now that I am not alone in my endeavor, and even more beautiful is how many of them remember what it was like to embark on this path when it was brand new to them.

Transforming myself into this new non-negative/non-perfection seeking person will take time, but I know it will be well worth it! I have decided it is time to give myself this very amazing gift. 

If you want to read a truly wonderful article written by Jon Acuff, about being your worst critic, please click on the link below. It's a terrific read:

VACATION MEANS RUNNING. AND DON'T FORGET TO BE KIND TO YOURSELF!

Hubby Tom, daughter Caitlin and I just got back from a relaxing vacation in Disney World. Okay, that's a lie. Disney is never "relaxing". But it was fun, and I'm so grateful that we have an opportunity to do things like this. I'm a very lucky person!

Celebrating Caitlin's Birthday in Disney World

The Marine Corp Marathon is getting closer and closer; October 26th in fact. Tom is running it and I'll be a mere spectator for this one.  Since Tom was committed to sticking with his training schedule, there were early morning wake up calls and slow paced runs while on vacation. It just is what it is. Humidity was a factor to contend with. 

We stayed at Saratoga Springs which is located next to Downtown Disney. Each run included two laps of Downtown Disney and music to motivate us along.  Marky Mark's "Good Vibration" as well as the Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime" seemed to be on the playlist EVERY morning. Holy 1980's! And another bonus...water fountains along our course. That was a nice treat that I could get used to on a daily basis.

After our run sessions, I would escape to the "quiet" pool to get some laps in. Low and behold I stumbled upon a group of triathletes from Buffalo NY, also getting laps in.  We chatted about triathlons and the triathlete's lifestyle. These experienced triathletes shared sage advice as well as words of wisdom and encouragement with me. And as always, triathletes are the nicest people out there.

They told me about Mussleman Lake Geneva and recommended that I consider it in the future.  Its a Half Ironman distance race with a beautiful course.  As soon as I could, I checked it out and it does look really nice. Plus, you don't have to do a 5 night guaranteed hotel stay, like some hotels require at some Ironman races.

And finally, I went back to Lake Ockanickon (aka Greasy Lake) this past weekend to test my open water swimming skills...again.

I met a woman who told me that after 4 years of doing triathlons, she STILL has swim anxiety AND she's an Ironman multiple times. See, maybe I'm not so crazy after all! She advised me to count strokes because that has been the one thing that has helped her through panic attacks.

So I got in and started my first 1/4 mile loop with some mild anxiety along the way. This time it didn't last as long. I flipped onto my back, caught my breath and got right back into swimming as quickly as possible.  I tried not to hang out too long on my back. And that was a good move. After completing the first 1/4 mile loop, I tried again.

My second 1/4 mile loop went MUCH, MUCH better! Only two mild anxiety attacks which lasted a few seconds at most.  Then I decided to go again.

This time I swam two non-stop loops totaling a 1/2 mile. And, I had NO anxiety at all.  I  counted strokes relentlessly and if my brain wandered to another thought I immediately redirected it to counting again. This seemed to work really well for me.

So the next time you find yourself panicked in open water, give counting strokes a try. 1, 2, 3 sight. 1, 2, 3, sight.  1, 2, 3, sight. Or whatever sequence works for you.

And absolutely NO negative self talk! For too long I have been telling myself that I hate swimming and that I suck at it. Instead, I try to remind myself of how far I've come in such a short time. I remind myself that I enjoy swimming because I KNOW I've gotten good at it.  And you know what? I see a major difference in my swim practices since teaching myself positive self-talk.  I mean really. You would be angry if someone said those negative things to you, so why say them to yourself? You deserve way more respect than that.

Work on being kind and positive with your inner self. Know that you are capable of anything that you really want to achieve.  There are enough creepy people in this world who can and will bring you down at a moments notice.  Don't be one of those creepy people ...especially to yourself.

THE STATEN ISLAND TRIATHLON - RACE RECAP AND A SURPRISE ENDING

Ok, so THIS is what a real triathlon feels like! I say that because compared to my other triathlons, the Staten Island Tri was closer to what I had expected a triathlon to feel like. Mainly, the swim.  Arms flying, legs kicking, a mob of swimmers coming at you, that washing machine feeling you read about. Yup, yup, yup...that was it.  I had been lulled into a false sense of security after my first two triathlons.

So here's how it went down:

As I was setting up my transition area I met a sweet young girl in her early 20's. She was nervous because it was her first triathlon.  I tried to calm her fears as I set my transition area up.  My brother, niece and nephew were doing the duathlon so their race started with a one mile run. In the meantime, I headed down to the beach for my 1/4 mile swim.

It was crazy I tell you! There was less than 400 swimmers, but it felt like 1,000. Typically, swim starts are broken down by age/sex grouping, but not this triathlon!  The swim start was based on your race number and your race number was based on when you signed up for the race. Because I signed up early, I was assigned a low race number. Therefore, lucky me was in the first swim heat. The young girl that I met in transition was scared and stayed with me.  We got into the water and I could see she was freaked out.  I swam beside her and kept telling her she was doing great and everything was going to be fine.   But then I heard the horn go off.  The second wave of swimmers was heading towards us like a pack of hungry wolves.

Now I have to admit that I was freaked out too, but I tried not to let it show.  I didn't want my friend feeling any more nervous than she already was, so I just kept reassuring her that I was watching her back and that we would get through this together. She alternated between breast stroke and backstroke. I alternated between swimming with my head up and freestyle.

The water was pretty calm and there were a lot of life guards around us.  The swimmers however were pretty...aggressive. Earlier in transition, I noticed many of them had "Ironman" gear so I knew it was going to be like the wild west out there. And boy was it!

We rounded the last buoy and were heading towards shore when I lost sight of my friend in the frenzy of swimmers.  I felt so guilty losing sight of her.  I noticed another girl doing the backstroke heading in the wrong direction, towards a jetty of rocks.  I yelled at her to get her attention. She must of heard me because she stopped backstroking and realized she was heading towards rocks.  Oy Vey!  I swam freestyle, got to shore, stood up and and started running towards transition. A large sand dune was built up on the beach after hurricane Sandy.  We had to run up and over it. Yet again, I was grateful to have the swim over with!

Transition from swim to bike went really well. Before I knew it, I was heading out for 3 laps on Father Cappodanno Blvd which would total 12 miles.  Lap one went without any incident. There was one guy hogging the left side of the road and I heard a cyclist SCREAM (and I mean SCREAM) "ON YOUR LEFT"! Hmmm I thought. So THAT'S how you let people know your passing on the left. Interesting. I made a "note to self".

I was about a quarter of the way through my second lap when all of a sudden I heard the sound of metal hitting the ground and I saw a cyclist go bouncing and rolling across the road. Oh man, that freaked me out! I didn't notice anything in the road or around him that would have caused him to fall like that.  By the time I looped around, the fallen cyclist was gone but his two water bottles remained scattered on the road.

Lap three was uneventful until the last half. That was when a mama turkey (yes, you're reading correctly) decided to cross the road with her baby turkeys.  Cyclists had to hit the brakes and fly around the turkeys in the road.  I kept thinking "no one is going to believe me that there were turkeys in the road...on Staten Island no less". Then I saw a guy sitting on middle of the road and an ambulance came flying up towards him.  I have NO idea what was up with that! I saw his bib number and I saw online that he finished the race. Question marks still surround that.

12 mile bike ride complete, off to the run.  The run was tough. It started out on pavers along the beach and went up onto the boardwalk, then turned around and headed back to the finish line on the pavers.  It was supposed to be a 3 mile run, but with the heat and constant sun beating down on us, it felt brutally long.  My brother said he did fine on the first run and bike, but he struggled terribly during the second run (he did the duathlon).  I stopped once to grab a quick drink of water, but that was it. No stopping after that!

And SURPRISE, SURPRISE...I won 3rd place female for my age group in the Staten Island Triathlon! My first age group triathlon win.  I'd like to think that my "pay it forward" attitude on the swim, where I stayed with that young girl, gave me some positive karma.  Well that, and cycling and running as fast as possible because my swim was nothing to write home about.  But I'm working on it. My niece and nephew each won 2nd place for their age group in the duathlon as well. 

Stats:
Swim: 17:56
T1: 1:26
Bike: 39:33
T2: 1:22
Run: 25:02
Total: 1:25:21

FIRST TRIATHLON? HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU THROUGH

Your first triathlon can (and most probably will) be a nerve-wracking experience. I've learned this lesson first hand. But there are several obvious, and sometimes not so obvious, tips and trick to pull you through your big day.  Here are a few things that I've learned:

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. If you wait until race day to hydrate, your too late!
• Don't eat anything that will upset your GI system, even if it's healthy for you.
• Avoid anything that will increase your heart rate and make you jittery. This can include certain medications (Advil comes to mind) and too much caffeine (obviously).
• Have a checklist of everything you'll need on race day. Don't forget things like Body Glide, sunscreen, water bottle for your bike, sunglasses, race belt, etc. You can find triathlon gear checklists online.
• Organize everything the NIGHT before, including food/hydration. Do not wait until race day morning, or you'll be asking for it!
• Whatever time you plan on leaving for your race, leave at least 15-20 minutes earlier.
• Go potty as soon as you get to the race to avoid the extra long last minute potty lines.
• Know exactly where your transition spot is! Give yourself a landmark so your not wandering during the race looking for your stuff.
• Do a low-impact pre-race warm up. This can include an easy swim, bike or run. If your nervous about the swim, try to get a pre-race swim in (if allowed). If you can't do a pre-race swim, do an easy 10-15 minute run. Just do something to active your aerobic system.
• Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Some people won't be nervous at all, and others will be basket cases (yes, worse than you). Just remember, this is YOUR JOURNEY, not theirs. And you need to complete YOUR journey in a way that works for YOU...and only YOU!

For me, the swim is the discipline that I am least confident in. Here are a couple of tricks that I have used to help me through the swim:

• If there are swim waves going in ahead of you, try to avoid watching them.  It'll just make you more nervous. Trust me on this.
• Don't start in the front with the crazy swimmers. Try to stay towards the back of the pack.
• The first 100 yards are usually the craziest. Everyone is jockeying for position. After the initial start, everyone will find their personal space and things fall into a rhythm.
• Do NOT start out swimming too fast. I'm guilty of this myself because I'm nervous at the start. Swimming in panicked state will only make things worse! Start out slow and steady.
• Do ANY type of stroke necessary to keep yourself moving forward.  For example, when I first get into the water I swim with my head up for a tiny bit and then I swim freestyle. If I get tired or nervous, I simply flip onto my back and skull using my hands and kick with my feet. Once I calm down, I swim freestyle again. If I get tired, I might do sidestroke for a while.  Do anything it take to keep moving forward! Even if it's at a slow pace.  Doggy paddle? Why the hell not?! Just keep going!!!
• Count strokes or sing a song in your head if you need to. I like to count strokes. I count; 1, 2, 3, sight. Then I start all over again; 1, 2, 3, sight. I find this helps keep me focused and I get into a good rhythm.
• If you become very tired, winded or nervous your best bet is to flip onto your back and take a few deep breaths to calm down. If you can't calm down, or if you feel your body is in ANY kind of distress, raise your hand and signal for a lifeguard. Better to be safe than sorry! There's a zillion races out there. You'll have a crack at another race.
• Remember; you can hold on to a lifeguard kayak or a buoy if you need to calm down and/or catch your breath.
• And finally (this one works for me and my personality type, but I know its not for everyone). I find that if I have someone to swim with, I'm a lot calmer.  At every race, I have found other swimmers who are just as nervous as I am at the swim start.  I've asked them if they wanted to swim together for about a 100 yards or so and each time I've gotten a very enthusiastic "YES".  Having a swim buddy has really helped me get through each swim because I don't feel alone out there and they don't feel alone either.  We agree to stay together for a little while and watch each others back.  Sometimes just knowing that your not alone and that someone has your back is the greatest help of all.

And the last thing that I want to share with you is this neat bin that I just bought. I'm going to keep my gear in it during triathlons this way everything is organized.  And if it's raining, the bin has a lid to keep everything dry! Yay to no more soggy socks!!!

 

JERSEY GIRL TRIATHLON 2014 (PART 2) RACE RECAP

Click here to see Part 1 of my Jersey Girl Triathlon Race Recap

As I ran off the beach towards T1, I grabbed a quick cup of water. I was desperate to get the taste of ocean water out of my mouth.  There were volunteers ready to hose the sand off your feet, but I would have NONE of that. I was focused on T1 and nothing else.

I ripped my swim gear off and threw it down.  The idea of having a neat, well organized transition area was not going to happen today.  Plus, my transition area was tiny and everyone was throwing stuff around, so I decided to join in the fun.

In an attempt to keep my bicycle seat dry, Tom secured a plastic bag over it. I snapped my helmet on and struggled to get my soggy feet into my soggy socks. I slipped my wet cycling shoes on and took off running for the transition exit. As I was ready to get on my bike I realized I had forgotten to remove the plastic bag from my seat. Idiot! What to do, what to do???  Screw it! I got on my bike and didn't give the wet bag a second thought. It was what it was.

BIKE:
The bike course was 11 miles, out and back.  The roads were open to traffic, so you had to remain vigilant of what was going on around you.  And let me tell you, there were a lot of women completely unaware of where they were on the road at any given moment.  One woman in particular was cycling in front of me at a decent pace. She stayed to the left the entire time, as if her decent pace justified her to hog the left side of the road.  Finally, I seized my opportunity, peddled as fast as I could and got around her.  She seemed somewhat surprised that anyone would want to pass her.  From that point on I made sure to yell "on your left" as loudly as possible at every single cyclist hogging the left side of the road.  I no longer cared if someone thought I was being obnoxious.  Hogging the left side of the road and refusing to move over IS obnoxious!!!

I passed a decent amount of people on the bike, so I had a renewed sense of hope that maybe I could finish in top 10 for my age group. It started raining harder again and it felt as if I was being pelted with tiny pebbles. I noticed a lot of cyclists getting flat tires on the course as well.  I don't know why there were so many flats, but I noticed several along the route (and they didn't look like they took the course on how to change a flat tire). Jersey Girl Triathlon did have 2 bike mechanics on the road, however you had to wait your turn for help.  Every now and then a side wind would randomly kick up and make you feel as if you were being pushed off your bike from the side.  It took me by surprise until another cyclist said "nice side wind", so I knew it wasn't my imagination.

I was happy when I saw the Ocean Place Hotel in the distance.  This was where the bicycle phase ended.  Several race directors were standing in the street yelling at the cyclists to slow down and dismount carefully.  As I was dismounting my bike, another cyclist came flying up behind me and hit her bike into the back of my legs.  We both nearly fell down. She threw out some lame apology and hurried into transition.  I was so pissed considering the race director was screaming at her to slow down.

Back in transition I racked my bike and threw my helmet aside. I slipped my running sneakers on (I leave them pre-tied), grabbed my baseball cap and race belt.  I was out of T2 as quickly as possible.  It was time to run!

RUN:
It was a 3 mile out and back run.  I didn't wear my running watch so I had absolutely no idea how fast or slow I was going.  I just ran at a pace that I could handle, huffing and puffing along the way.  I think my huffing and puffing scared a few of the ladies on the course, but at least they moved over and let me go by.  They probably thought I was going to have a heart attack. This was my last chance to make up for any lost time, especially the swim.

The run felt tough, but running after swimming and biking always feels tough.  I tried to keep myself upright as much as possible because it makes breathing so much easier.  Since I wasn't listening to music, I was able to hear (and control) my breathing rhythm. I am a firm believer of controlled breathing, especially while racing.

I passed a lot of women during the run. I kept a steady but tough pace throughout the entire course.  A massive crowd was gathered near the finish line. I could hear cheering and chanting off in the distance.  "500 yards to go" someone yelled out to me.  "Looking strong" someone else commented.  Towards the end, I passed one more competitor in my age group.

I picked up my pace as I approached the finish line, knowing that I had done the best that I could.  I high fived the line of cheerleader as I approached the finish line.  The race was done and I was thrilled to receive my finisher medal. My first triathlon finisher medal!

I wasn't immediately sure what my finish time was or how well I had done. Obviously, I would need to wait for the official results to find out. Results were posted pretty quickly.

Tom and I hung around and chatted with some friends and even made new friends.  The Jersey Girl Triathlon was absolutely WONDERFUL!!! It really was a beginner friendly triathlon and the race organizers did a fantastic job coordinating everything.  The cheering squad was the BEST and they motivated each of us to the very end!

WHY I BELIEVE THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON:
Jersey Girl was the first triathlon I signed up for in early January.  I chose this race because everyone who experienced it in the past promised me that it was a beginner friendly race and that I would have a positive experience, with a lot of female friendly support. It was all that and more!

Had I known in advance that I would be dealing with such difficult surf, swim and bicycling conditions, I would have NEVER signed up for this race! I would have never believed I would be capable of handling those waves, especially as a beginner triathlete.

But race day is race day and conditions are what conditions are.  You have to deal with whatever Mother Nature throws your way and cry on the inside...as Coach Tom says.  And let me tell you that as a beginner triathlete, there were some challenging conditions to contend with.  Having said that, I am SO GRATEFUL to have experienced every challenge that day.  I overcame something much, much bigger than the ocean at the Jersey Girl Triathlon 2014! 

My total finish time was 1:14:32
Swim 300 yards: 8:33
T1: 3:15
Bike 11 Miles: 39:13
T2: 1:27
3 Mile Run: 22:32
10th place finish for my age group (45-49) out of 136 competitors
and 71 out of 886 total Jersey Girl competitors

JERSEY GIRL TRIATHLON 2014 (PART 1) RACE RECAP

The Jersey Girl Triathlon happened this past weekend and I have SO much to tell you about, especially with the swim! I've broken this down into two parts. Part 1 is about the expo and swim. Part 2 is about the bike, run, finish and my theory on why things happen for a reason. 

As you may or may not know, I signed up for the Jersey Girl Triathlon in January, three days after completing my adult swim classes.  I feel as though I've been preparing for this race forever. Every person who was familiar with this triathlon told me it was a fabulous female-only race and that it was very beginner friendly.  "Beginner friendly" is the key component here.

We decided to head out to the expo on Saturday to see if there was anything interesting going on.  They were giving a lecture on how to set up a transition area and a demo on how to change a flat tire.  The flat tire demo was going to be important for some women.

It turned out to be a lousy weekend weather-wise. The ocean was crashing onto the shore and the waves were tremendous. We stood on the boardwalk staring at the angry ocean. I casually mentioned that there was no way I would ever get into an ocean like that.  Ha, little did I know!  When we got home the weather improved and it was nice and sunny outside. This left me feeling hopeful that the nice weather would last at least until the triathlon was complete.  But as luck would have it, that hope faded very quickly on race day.

Now I should tell you that I am a firm believer in fate and that things happen for a reason.  I discovered the "reason" after the race was done when I was able to reflect back on it.  I'll explain this to you in part 2.

SWIM:
We arrived at Long Branch early Sunday morning and were lucky enough to secure a really good parking spot. The weather was soggy, rainy, cold and dark. My spirits were just as dark and rainy as the sky.  I was pissed off and nervous over the weather conditions.  I knew I had no control over it, and this just pissed me off even more.  We sat in the car waiting to see if the skies would clear.  No such luck.  I turned to Tom and said "I just want you to know that I'm crying on the inside".  "You'll be fine" he replied.  God, how I HATE that response! I said no more..

Transition closed at 6:30 am, and by 6:10 I conceded to the fact that I would have to deal with my gear getting wet in transition.  Most people covered their stuff with plastic, but one crafty woman had a large rectangular bin housing all of her gear...AND keeping it dry. I was so darn jealous of her.  Why didn't I think of that?

I pulled my wetsuit on, kissed Tom goodbye and headed towards the beach.  The waves weren't as huge as the day before, but they were pretty darn big...and intimidating.  I prayed for a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightening.  Again, no such luck. The race was on...on like Donkey Kong as Tom would say. Time to suck it up Jersey Girl!

I was in the 6th wave (ages 45-49) and there was a 3 minute delay between each wave. I tried not to watch the earlier waves fighting their way into the ocean.  I figured I would be there soon enough and I just didn't need to stress myself even more.  Wave 5 went into the water and our group moved to the shoreline.  Now I had a good view of what was going on. All I could see was a mass of white swim caps fighting through crashing waves and bobbing up and down helplessly.  I felt sheer panic setting in.

"60 seconds...30 seconds...10, 9, 8, 7..." and before I knew it we were running in! A cheering squad stood on the beach chanting "go, go, go go go".  We were immediately greeted by a large wave that tried to knock us down, but the Jersey Girls stood their ground.  Two more waves quickly followed. Then miraculously, a very brief lull.  In the distance I could see more large waves setting themselves up for another round of assaults.  The Jersey Girls took advantage of the brief lull and began swimming towards the first buoy as quickly as possible. I followed their lead.

There were about 30 swim angels in the water willing to swim with any participant who needed an angel.  A woman next to me was swimming with a male angel and I heard him telling her that everything was going to be okay and that she was close to the first buoy.  I swam past them and around the buoy. I notice another large swell heading our way.  I braced myself as the wave lifted us high into the sky, then dropped us like rag dolls.  I felt myself go under, I swallowed a mouth full of seawater, then popped back up again.  Two seconds later another swell lifted us up and dropped us again.  A swim angel was nearby and asked if I was okay. Oh yeah, I'm just fine and dandy out here.  I refused the help of a swim angel and I refused to use a noodle (yes they allowed noodles. Remember, its a beginner friendly triathlon).  I had spent months training for this day and come hell or high water, I was going to do this completely on my own...or at least die trying.

The waves lifted and dropped us more times than I can count but I continued moving towards the second buoy.  The entire swim became a matter of contending with one large wave after the next.  Up and down we went like a bunch of crazies on a ride at an amusement park.  I could feel swimmers around me paddling, hitting my legs and feet. And then I felt something really strange moving against my right leg.  I had no idea if it was a fish or a jellyfish, but I knew it wasn't human.  To top it off a piece of seaweed wrap around my toe. That was it! I had enough and I wanted out of that hellish ocean!

I turned the last buoy and used the large waves to push me back to shore.  When I knew I was close enough to stand up, I took a quick glance over my shoulder only to see another wave heading towards me.  I stood up and made a run for it before the next wave could take me down.  I was out of the water.  Holy smokes, I did it!  I survived the swim!

Unlike my first triathlon, this time I remembered to unzip my wetsuit as soon as I got out of the water.  Tom was standing on the beach and I heard him congratulate me as I ran by.  I gave him a quick wave and kept running towards transition.  I was ready to get on the bike and leave that nasty swim behind.  Ocean conquered! On to Part 2...