A Big Serving of Humble Pie

I know you are all wondering about how the triathlon went. Well... it was a complete disaster. Seriously! It has been a long time since I have outright failed at something, so I guess I was just overdue for a good humbling! lol!

Here's me getting ready to start the swim.



Which I only made it partway through. Turns out - swimming in a pool is a lot different than swimming in a lake, and swimming in a swimsuit is a lot different than swimming in a wetsuit. (Can a get a Duh?) So, I had trained for swimming, just not the right kind of training. But that wasn't the kiss of death.

Here's how this all went down. I started the swim out pretty well. I did, however, realize quickly that I had worn the wrong kind of wetsuit. I borrowed a friend's regular, scuba wetsuit, which was too thick, so I had a whole lot of drag going on. I had, about 400 meters in, decided that I would have to alternate between freestyle and breaststroke to finish.

That was went I collided with another swimmer and took a foot to the gut. Now, it's important for me to say - I don't blame the other swimmer AT ALL. It's a free for all, we're all right on top of each other, and it's hard to see where the other swimmers are. So, not that person's fault. And the kick didn't even hurt. But, it was enough to through off my rhythm and breathing, and caused me to start taking in mouth fulls of water. And out in the middle of a lake is not the most ideal place to try and recover from getting the wind knocked out of you. BUT - I don't think the kick would have effected me as much if I hadn't already been struggling.

I swam (if you are being generous with the term swim) another 100 yards or so, and tried to determine the best course of action. I was still coughing and getting mouthfuls of water. I do NOT quit easily, so this decision was painful. But even now I can't regret making the decision to pull out. I wouldn't have been able to finish the swim. At least not before the cutoff. So, I swam over to one of the officials on a jet ski, told him I was pulling out, and climbed on the back of the jet ski. He was great about it, as were the people on the boat who had to call in my number into the race director.

I was hoping to just get to the dock, hand in my time chip and make a discreet getaway. But no. NOW came the embarrassing part. I got to the dock, was helped off by a young man who would not let go of my arm. He kept asking if I was okay, then told me that I would have to talk to "the race director. She's the one in the green shirt... yes, right there, running toward us."

She was running. Sprinting actually. Right. Up. To. ME. And behind her - the medical staff. Complete with a full stretcher. **Dies of complete embarrassment** Holy cow, it was humiliating. Anyway, I assured her that I was okay - and that all I really needed was a rock to hide under and die of embarrassment. Fortunately (?) I wasn't the first to pull out for that exact reason, and I am sure I wasn't the last.

So, a bona-fide failure. But, I certainly learned a valuable lesson about preparing the RIGHT way. And you do know what this means, right? Michael will be ordering a kayak and a few little life vests today. And from now until next year, we will be spending a few evenings a month with my three family members in a kayak while I swim in the reservoir until it's easy to do. Next time.. I'll be ready! :)

But humble pie doesn't taste very good.