So last week I completed my first 1.2 mile open water swim competition (see blog post here). As race day got closer, my apprehension and anxiety over swimming in open water grew. I was on the verge of pulling the plug on everything...swimming, biking, triathlon in general. And then a friend at the YMCA talked me down.
I've spent the last year trying to understand and pinpoint specifically what caused my anxiety. But a conversation with my friend Dave revealed some very interesting truths. Dave is a triathlete who has completed close to 100 triathlons, Ironman included. If anyone would understand, he would! I explained that every time I got over one fear, another fear seemed to creep up to take its place. Somehow I believed that if I could pinpoint the exact fear, I could overcome it. And here is where I discovered the truth of the problem...it isn't just ONE fear, its multiple fears. And that's very normal.
A fear of swimming in deep water, a fear of not having anything to hold on to if I need a break, a fear of not being able to stand up, a fear of being kicked in the face, a fear of someone swimming over me, a fear of being unable to complete the distance non-stop, a fear of not being able catch my breath. These multiple fears overwhelmed me on race day, and yet they all related to one very specific thing; confidence in my swimming ability. I've discovered that confidence is THE key!
MY BIGGEST HURDLE AT THE MOMENT
While I was improving during my open water swim practices at the lake, one big issue remained. Could I swim the entire distance without stopping? And if I did need a break, how would I handle it? Every time I swam at the pool I believed I needed to stop after a handful of laps to take a quick break. I had never pushed myself to swim long distance without stopping. And this terrible habit followed me to the lake as well. What's worse is that there's a sand bar at the lake where you can stop and take a break.
And this is where Dave stepped in. He told me that I really needed to mentally push myself and swim 2,500 yards in the pool without stopping. His exact words were "resist the urge to stop". If I did stop, it should be for a few very brief seconds and back to swimming immediately. The first 16 to 24 lengths would be the most challenging mentally, but once I was in a groove I shouldn't feel the need to stop and hang on the wall.
So I took Dave's advice and swam 2,500 yards without stopping. And he was completely right; the first 16 lengths or so were the hardest. After 8 lengths I desperately wanted to stop for a break, but I just kept pushing. "Resist the urge to stop". Once I found a groove, my breathing became rhythmic and controlled. Two days later I went back and ended up swimming 2 full miles non-stop. THAT was a HUGE confidence booster! The trick for me was to slow down my swim stroke every time I wanted to stop. Once the urge passed, I could pick up my pace again.
Going into the Nav-e-Sink or Swim race, I believed that if I could get over the initial shock of getting in with a mass swim start and if I started out slowly, I could swim the entire 1.2 mile distance without stopping. And that was what I did.
I'm beginning to realize that open water swimming, and swimming in general, requires more than just physical endurance. It's a mental game that requires self confidence in your ability so that you can handle anything that comes your way, especially in a race. So just keep swimming, resist the urge to stop and no hanging on the pool wall. Rivers, lakes and oceans don't have walls to hang on to. MT=Mental Toughness. Get your head right.
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