Kinda on a whim, because I have the best husband ever, he picked me up from work and we took a quick trip down to Galveston. We drove to the site of our big triathlon coming up in a week to try and swim the course. All because, after finding out last Saturday that my swim is 500 yards longer than I thought it was going to be (which is a lot to me!) I was freaking out. I was seriously considering not doing the Olympic distance, just because of the swim. I'm pretty sure I cried myself to sleep that night. For whatever reason, I was terrified of the the (almost) mile long swim in the ocean, even though I do that distance and more multiple times a week in a pool.
So, we drove out there. We first staked out the grounds around the swim area (because, while we hadn't been told we couldn't swim in their area, we had been told it wasn't recommended...whatever that meant) for a place where we could change into our wetsuits and stash our bags and, lo and behold, found a nice little restroom/changing area right by the water. It was like they had put it there because they knew we were coming (except for the fact that it looked like it hadn't been used--or cleaned--in, oh, 20 years of so. But, we were ecstatic to find it!). So, we walked back to the car for our bags, changed, and tried to walk as inconspicuously as was possible in our wetsuits, with goggles and swim caps on, down to the water. And, we tried to ignore the stares of the people staying at the hotel right beside where we were--we refused to make eye contact and just kept staring straight ahead.
Actually getting down to the water though proved more difficult than we had thought, and we had to maneuver our way through rocks, tall grass and some sort of prickly plant down to the edge of the ocean. And, as we were doing our maneuvering down to the waters edge, we spotted this sign, but at that point, we were committed; there was no turning back. I mean, come on--we had driven an hour to get there and were already dressed and ready to go. And, I needed to prove to myself that I could swim it.
So, that's what we did. We did a little warm up swim down towards the houses and hotel at the far end and then turned and headed towards the ship, which is where we'll be swimming on the day of the race.
On the way out to the boat, the water really was as calm as it looks in the picture (with the exception of my husband splashing me and running into me and grabbing my legs, to prepare me for swimming with 100 of my closest friends on the day of the race, ha!) and it didn't feel that long. On the way back, the water was choppy, but nothing compared to how it was at the last race. So, as long as it's similar to this on race day, I think we should both be pretty happy. At least, I know Landon will be. Me, I'll probably still be scared out of my mind on the morning of the race, especially as I'm waiting in the water for my turn to go, but I do feel better about it than I did a few days ago, so that's progress, right. I'm not saying I'm not going to do the race anymore...definitely progress. :)
Plus, as we were finishing up our hour swim, the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. The picture doesn't really do it justice. What the picture does do justice to though, is just how far away that ship I'm going to have to swim past is from the race start...yikes. I'm just praying the swim goes by fast for both of us.
I'm dedicating this triathlon (should I survive the swim, haha!) to my treasure of a husband.Thank you for loving me like none other, Landon, and for helping me to overcome my fears. You are so much more special to me than you will ever know.
He is a great guy.. and always has been. Good luck in your triathalon!
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