Group Swim Training - June 7th

This was our first open water swim since we had started training back in Feb, and just in time considering our first real triathlon was tomorrow!!

The team kind looked like a bunch of fantastic four wannabes, except we were more like the fantastic 14, but either way, skin tight wet suits have a a personality of their own. :)

The water temperature was probably in the high 60's, still cold, but the suits helped absorb the initial shock, and also help in retaining heat in the body. It helped to just jump in the water and get yourself all wet so that the initial shock is over. However what was very different from all our usual swim trainings is that, the water was so dark, that you really could not see the bottom. This was totally different and there was definitely hesitation in doing any sort of swim. It was a mix of being in open air, the open water, the smell of the water, even the taste, the visibility in the water, and it was hard to just accept all these changes in one day.

Coach Ray also had some company with Stu being in the water with us, and the extra help was much needed with so many questions and concerns. We started out with a few lengths from one end to the next to get acclimated to the environment, and even though I appeared to be doing good, there was a sense of apprehension about all this. The one good thing is, I atleast know what to expect in tomorrow tri, because had I been doing this for the first time in the race, I would be in serious trouble.

Our session consisted of a number of speed sprints, and some additional lengths, and in my case, even a collision with my good friend Bora. It was funny, because I was in total confusion, rather than being worried about what happened to my head. It felt like I had run into a wall, but what I could not figure out was that there even was a wall. My mind kept racing to rationalize what had happened, and then I started speculating I had some how swam out of the swim area and hit a boat, or maybe the boat some how got into the swim area. When I actually got out of the water and saw Bora, I was atleast relieved that it was not a boat. But I was still prepelexed on how I had a collision with Bora. I know my swim direction was not consistently straight, but I did not imagine it was so bad that I collided with someone head on, when we were both swimming in the same direction!!!

So this is what actually happened...I was finishing my last length and then we were supposed to swim towards the beach. Apparently Bora had just finished before me and he was going in a direction perpendicular to mine towards the beach. Somehow he missed that I was still heading back at full speed, and we timed it so well, that we ran into each other head on. Regardless, he sure knows how to knock some sense into me now! ;)

Ann Arbor Tri.....here I come!!!