Almost a rest day

Today was the Gr8 swim Iron challenge swim at Ellerton. I have done 2 miles open water this year but this was to be the furthest swim this year for me. Billy and I were both doing it.

I got up to a lovely sunny dry day with just a soft breeze. I decided to wear my tri suit for the swim as it's longer legs tend not to roll up when I put on my wetsuit, and I have decided to do Ironman in it as wearing a 2 piece at LochLoMan was not particularly comfortable. Yes it's not convenient for comfort breaks, bug at the end of the day I'm not up for winning the race or even my age group, so a couple of extra minutes in a portaloo won't make that much difference and and being comfortable for 17 hours is important.

We arrived at Ellerton in good time and registered and socialised with other competitors. We got our wetsuits on just before briefing at 08:45 as it was already warm and we didn't want to overheat.

It was a deep water start, where you enter the water there is very little room to walk before the bottom drops suddenly away and you're in deep water. 

I aimed to face my fears of swimming close to others, I waited towards the back and planed to swim on the toes of the main group, the horn sounded and they were gone, the lead group, I couldn't keep up and was soon on my own, slowly passing a few stragglers but never catching up. The first leg was up the side where the water gets choppy in the wind, it was not too bad today. I got into my stroke and swam to the first buoy, kept it on my let, searched for the next one and swam to that, kept it on my right and turned into easier waters but there was weed here, but not nasty thick hedge like weed like at Ripon, this weed was light and easy to break. The next buoy I turned and searched for where to go, Id misunderstood the course (unlike me) I thought it was start buoy, then the other three buoys in a loop 4 times. The sun was in my eyes but I could see the lead group heading back to the start buoy, which was barely visible in the bright sun. I followed but sighting was difficult until I was about halfway there. Soon I was there, I turned, 1 lap down 3 to go. This time this next section was choppy, I concentrated on not getting into a pickle over it and even though I could feel the water hitting my head, I concentrated hard but was relieved to change direction again. I felt comfortable, I was pushing myself but not busting a gut, I was being overtaken but the swimmers were not really near me, there were 2 laps to go, the third lap was choppy again but the fourth was not to bad. On the fourth and final lap I was overtaken and I decided as it wax the last lap to try and draft on the swimmers toes, I found it very disorientating with the bubbles and I had to trust they were going the right way. I was swimming harder now as it was the last lap. At one point I tried to overtake and we swam side by side for a while, befor I went back to drafting for a while before the swimmer pulled away as we reached the final buoy.

On exit I checked my watch and found Thai I had swum faster than ever before, only by seconds, but a PB is a PB 1:27:57.

Afterwards I ran a mile and a half for runstreak before going home.

This afternoon has been a peaceful afternoon gardening in the sunshine and planning tomorrow's bike ride.  What a lovely day, all finished with a BBQ

Totals

Walking 2 miles

Swim 2.42 miles

Cycle 0 miles

Run 1.5 miles

Everything is not going swimmingly

How to fit everything in was today's issue, there was no racecourse swim because Ripon Races were on, so we decided to go to Ellerton, that would mean no run swim run.

So I ran down the lane and back this morning, 1.6 miles for runstreak 169. Then I cycled 14 miles to work it was nice, only a slight breeze, and after work I cycled home by now the breeze was a head wind. 

We went to Ellerton and the wind was getting stronger bug the water seemed reasonably calm, bug it wasn't. Once in the water was chillier than of late and the water was quite rough, the second side of the triangle was awfull, swimming directly into the waves, I kept getting my breathing and sighting wrong and getting a nose and mouthful of water. On the second lap my goggles started to leak, I struggled on to the buoy but the wasted was really rough, so I headed to the shallows to sort my goggles. I set off again and the water seemed even more rough. If was aweful, I was remembering the IMWales swim, which I failed at. At one point I had to stop, compose myself and carry on in my ineffective breaststroke. The swim to the next buoy was not too bad as long as Ai only breathed to the right as the water also pushed me to the right! I managed to get round the buoy, common sense said stop, enough is enough, but I listened to that voice in Wales, No! I had to conquer this. So I set off for a third lap as I reached the buoy I was struggling to remain calm, yet again the water seemed even rougher, I set of at an angle from the buoy aiming towards the shore. If all else failed I could get out and walk around the lake back to the car park." Sit Up negative thoughts" I just had to keep going forwards, which I did, I swam along the shore so I could put my feet down if I was feeling overwhelmed, which I did, twice, soon there was no shore I had commit and to head to the buoy. I set of in crawl, then heads up crawl and eventually my useless breaststroke, I thought I'd never make it, I felt very alone. But at last I reached the buoy and headed for the last buoy and then the jetty. Where I felt very relieved to eventually beable to stand up on solid ground.

0.96 of a mike I had managed to swim, it was cold hard work, more mentally actually. But I have to face up to the fact that with the winds we have had all year, it's likely to be windy and rough at Pennington Flash on 19 July. I need to get a grip.

Today's miles

Swim 0.96 miles

Cycle 28 miles

Run 1.6 miles 

Walk, none recordable