Where's the wall!

So I finally got my first open water swim under my belt! It's a little different than being in the pool. Scratch that it's a LOT different. There's no wall every twenty five yards to push off and you can't just stand up if you get tired. It's a pretty interesting feeling when you start to get away from the shore a little bit. Even though I was swimming with a partner it was really lonely. You get to a point where you realize that you are a good distance from the shore and if something where to happen there's no real way out. There's no guarantee that the person with me would even hear me if I were in destress. Then you start to feel tired but you realize that you have to push on and go farther. And then the inevitable happens, the wind starts to blow. And of course its a head wind. So what can you do.....you have to push on. One stoke after the next. It's a real mental test.

Being in the water is like a proving ground for me. There's no easy way out. I take all the training and put it to practical use when I'm in the open water. There's only one option and that is to keep swimming. Then a half mile later I'm done. I get to stand up out of the water and know that I accomplished my goal. I did it. No one else did it for me. That's a good feeling. That's the kind of feeling that makes me want to keep going, to keep pushing on.

All I have to do now is do it again! I'll be back in the water soon and hopefully better than ever!



On a totally unrelated note .... if you need a good chuckle check this video out. My roommate really lovers her some Jimmy Johns. Laughing is a great therapy for whatever ales you!