Anxiety on the start line

Open Water Swim Series WA.

Cottesloe Beach

It is the morning of my first ocean swim since arriving in Perth. I have not slept in 4 days through jet lag and although I am feeling bit tired, I am very calm about the 2.5km swim ahead of me. The last time I left this beach was when I was setting off to swim the 20km to Rottnest Island. 

My only concern with racing in the Ocean in WA are the stingers, however I had been informed that it was too cold for them and no one had been stung this season. This reassured me as last year I found myself in hospital after having an allergic reaction.

Once registered, I met with some friends as we started to notice people rushing out the water crying in pain...The stingers were back. 

This left me with an interesting dilemma, I suddenly went from a very calm state, to considering whether to drop out of the ocean swim altogether. It was not because of the pain the stingers cause, it was more the responsibility I felt to everyone else and an overwhelming desire not to get sick again.

I decided to to apply the wool fat, which basically means cover every part of my body in fat, so that you have a protective barrier from you and the stingers. I hoped this would be the answer and made the decision to continue. Remembering - Just stick to the plan.

Megan helping with the wool fat.

We all entered the water for the deep water start, conditions were perfect, warm water, with a slight swell. I had forgotten how competitive these races can be, as the race started there were lots of pulling, pushing and people getting swam over on the start line. 

 I soon found some feet and hoped to settle into a pace, but this did not happen, at the buoys stray kicks were being felt among the swimmers, the lead pack had broken away and myself and 4 others were leading the second group, I remember smiling to myself as we all were swimming so close together but syncing nicely not to have too many clashes. However I did end up with my goggles full of water, from a cracking right hander.

I was aware of the stings I was getting, I kept in mind the importance of positive thinking and relaxed breathing. I found myself just focusing on the internal aspects of the swim I could control, such as sighting, drafting, pacing and breathing patterns. 

The race eventually came down to a 100m sprint to the shore where we surfed the wave in and ran the 20m to the finish line. It was fun, exciting and I am glad I decided to take my own advice and enjoy the swim by focusing on the aspects I could control.

Emma at the end of the race.

I am writing this as I learnt a lot from this experience, it highlighted the importance of the right advice and training, whilst having the confidence and knowledge that you have made the right decisions within the race.

On reflection, the key points I learnt from this experience were: 

  • Stick to the plan.
  • Do not worry about the things you can not control. (weather, swell, other competitors)
  • Be a selfish swimmer - Meaning focus on yourself. (breathing, sighting, pacing)
  • Listen to your instincts.
  • Have confidence you have done everything you can to prepare for the event.
  • Enjoy what you do, most of us are doing this for fun.
  • Learn from past experiences. Apply an action plan..what if...
  • Lastly....practice these skills in training, get your coach to do OW sessions in the pool, practice drafting, mass starts,sighting, turning, swimming without your goggles. This will all help when it comes to next season and allow you to deal with the unexpected.


Most importantly make sure you do NOT miss any parts of your body when applying the wool fat. OUCH  :)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping it simple.

Image
Swim Smooth Squad - Perth   Today on Poolside - CSS Set - Week 9 of 10. Returning onto pool deck in Perth, after 6 months back in the UK was a fantastic opportunity to see just how much the swimmers had improved over their winter period. It was insightful and also encouraging to see just how many of the squad had developed. Many of the swimmers had not only improved their technique and swim times, they also had increased their confidence whilst in the open water. So the question is; How did they do this and how can we achieve those results? Firstly, it is good to know these people are normal, they have families, hold down jobs and have every day  commitments. Squad Session - Perth. The key: Is KEEP IT SIMPLE - get your training right and being consistent with it. If we look at the Perth Squads , we can identify how their training week works and make sure that you too are ready for next years Open Water and Triathlon season. Answer These...
Read more

Meeting Sue

Image
Sue Oldham – Getting better with age. "My advice to other swimmers, or non swimmers, is don’t put off doing things, life goes by so quickly and one never knows what will be around the corner so make the most of this time, it can never be retrieved”. (Sue, Oldham, 2013) An inspiration to many wishing to challenge themselves this year. Sue is an inspirational, modest Character, having only started swimming in her 40`s, She is best known as the oldest women to swim across the English Channel. At the age of 65 Sue entered the record books finishing her swim in 17 hours 11 mins. However the list of records, stories and amazing accomplishments is endless. Based in Perth Australia, I had a rare opportunity to catch up with Sue and ask her a few questions regarding her swimming back ground, who inspired her and her greatest Challenges to date. Emma:   “Please tell me about how and when you got into swimming”? Sue:  “ About 20 years ago a frien...
Read more

The ripple effect...

Image
The ripple effect.... The Great North Swim.  It is Tuesday Morning on the 17th June 2014 and I feel absolutely inspired, proud and amazed at what I witness over this weekend. Great North Swim - Sat Morning After a weekend commentating at the Great North Swim, I am compelled to write and congratulate everyone that took part. 10,000 swimmers took to Windermere over a 3 day period, all challenging themselves in different events from the half mile swim up to a 5km elite event on the Sunday.  The red wave heads out into Windermere.  Standing at the finish, I got to see people cross the line and witness first hand the amazing smiles and sense of achievement on peoples faces. Most people had never actually swam the distance in the open water before and others were swimming for a cause close to their hearts.  Finish Line commentary. What ever the reason you took to the water, the Ripple effect is enormous. So keep celebrating your achievements, ...
Read more