HONK – went the horn, oh shit went me.
Around 270 people in skin tight suits with yellow, blue and red hats splurted into the sea. I was slow, I was last, I was scared. This would be only the second time in the whole 22 weeks of swim training where I did not have a nose clip, I almost wanted to just stop there and then, but I waded into the sea to be kicked and harassed by a number of other slippery black tri-ers.
Swimming into the waves is not easy, and within 2 seconds I was doing breast-stroke, I somehow managed to splash my way to the first buoy, around 150 meters out, and got caught in the mash at the turn – this was unpleasant – I had to stop here and was basically treading water, then I set off, catching a glimpse of the second buoy, a lifetime away. My swimming style could be classed as moronic, after all the weeks of training I was swimming with my head out of the water (well, when it wasn’t in a wave), gasping for breath at every chance – I had water down my throat and up my nose and I was the closest I have every been to quitting anything – I just could not believe I could possibly make it. I looked behind and there only seemed to be a couple of people, so I made it my aim to keep up with the person in front, who out of the whole sea seemed to take delight in kicking my face.
I got to the second buoy, and it was mad panic again, it was quite odd how so many people seem to congregate around the buoy, so I was having none of it, and kicked off and for the first time stuck my head under water and actually swam. Well what a revelation, I was actually moving well, I was blowing out through my nose with a hell of a force, then breathing every second stroke, and it was working. Sooner than expected I was around the third buoy and was on the home straight, the swimming just clicked big blow out, two strokes, quick breath and everytime I was getting a lungful of air before the sea hit me – I have no idea how or why, because I was breathing into the waves, but it just worked – I was flying. Sighting was a slight problem on this run, as there were two buoys ahead, so after some zig-zagging I was at the last one, managed to get tangled with a bloke next to me, who I raced back to the shore – after a time he just vanished, and as I looked up I realised he had just stood up and I was swimming like a maniac in 2 feet of water – I was finished, I was out, I managed the swim – woohooo!!!!!!!
Now I found that I should have practiced getting my wet suit off, as I couldn’t undo the top – more panic, I was knackered now and everyone else was sprinting passed me, I could barely walk. As i ascended the beach I managed to rip the velcro off and pulled the zip down – I was half free. My now the crowds were thicker, and I saw my supporters all looking quite pleased, so I felt I had to do a little shuffle jog up the slipway.
Got into transition, and went to the wrong bike, then the right one and struggled with what energy I had left in my arms to get the wet suit off, T-shirt on, feet dry, glasses on, gloves on, socks on, shoes on helmet on, pick up bike, head out, get on bike, pedal. At this point I saw the big timing sign – 35 minutes, thirty five blumming minutes and I was out of the transition and cycling amazed I was!