THE ROCKS ARE GOING TO GET ME!

THE ROCKS ARE GOING TO GET ME!

At some point during a swim anything can mess with your head, be it on your first swim or the hundredth!

For myself it was fish, whilst drinking alcohol with friends one evening I was asked if I could swim I replied to the affirmative, did I like to race...again the affirmative. Great they said hand over your money and we will book it for you. You see alcohol and me don’t mix...I get very relaxed and agreeable and also willingly enter into any challenge! Several days later a dim memory came into my head....hadn’t I entered a race, if so which pool and where and what distance. I had not swam properly for years and would definitely need to get in the pool again! Putting down the phone several minutes later I did not know whether to laugh or cry..you’re doing Windermere and Scotland I had been told, the distance 1 mile, the Great North  and Scottish swims. Open water.......I am scared of fish!!!

With the first race several months away I joined the local triathlon club to get me pool ready...the first session almost killed me, are these people human I kept thinking to myself as they flew up and down eating up the water, I was in the slow lane...and boy was I slow! What they did as their warm up took me the whole session, had my fitness vanished so fast..it must have done. The coach had faith, apparently my technique and style were there, it was just fitness that was letting me down. Would I go again...definitely, that first session made me determined to get into the fast lane. The next day I was in the pool again doing the warm up over and over again, timing myself. It felt good. Under the guidance of the coach I was doing the required distance in no time at all and I had made it into the fast lane. But it was not enough. I had to get in the open water – gulp. I had put it off for so long but the race was coming up and I knew I could not delay any longer.

So in preparation I decided to enter the unknown and see what it was all about. Being a strong-ish front crawl swimmer I would have no problems so I thought. Linking in with the local triathlon club at Ellerton, the trainer there Donna informed me that she would have a wetsuit to fit me, she told me the date and time to attend. And so I duly arrived at Ellerton Lake in the middle of one hell of a storm, rain pelting down (that didn’t matter I was going to get wet anyway), a gale blowing. I was confident that I would not have to get in the water after all I am a tiny framed girl, 5 foot 6 inches and on a good day weigh 8 stone, trouser size 6. Haha, I though....sorted, I can’t get in without a wetsuit and no one will have one small enough. My heart desperately tried to exit my body via my toes when Donna opened up the back of her Volvo estate and there in the back were tons of wetsuits. She had loads of her own, and some she had borrowed off of friends..so I could try them on. Into the changing rooms we went...me still quietly confident that she would not have one to fit....after all she had only brought 3 in with her. The first one too small round the shoulders...the second one, and Orca...fitted like a glove...time to put up or shut up. Do I thank her and say I will come back once I have one of my own or do I take her up on her offer of a swim to see what it’s like in the water. Donna put no pressure on me what so ever...it was my own demons I was battling with. I desperately wanted to get in but..there were fish!

Heart literally pounding I agreed to get in, Donna said she would stay by my side until I was confident. Huddled like penguins in a pack were all the ‘watchers’ those partners, husbands etc that had been dragged down to watch as us neoprene clad people brave the conditions. Everyone else looked so confidence as they strode into the water and set off swimming. Myself, I felt like everyone could see me shaking...thankfully it was cold so I told them it was the wind.

Taking a deep breath I started to get in the water, the waves made it impossible to see the bottom, Donna waited patiently until I got myself in to the thighs..shivering uncontrollably by now. Finally I had to just do it so I go under. Holy cow...how can water be that cold and not turn to ice! Swimming front crawl for a bit I was fine...then the inevitable, I saw something under the water. Something BIG. My mind was telling me it was a large rock...my body had gone into panic mode, I must have looked like a children’s bath toy trying to get away from the rock arms and legs swinging wildly. I desperately wanted to get out but was determined to stay in. How many big rocks were there in such a short space of water I do not know but I spotted them all and each and everyone of them messed with my head. Eventually deeper water beckoned and on we swam eventually reaching the other side. Relief momentarily passed through my head until I realised that I would have to swim back. Donna at this point must have thought I was ok as with a quick see you in the showers she swam off towards the awaiting warmth!

With no choice I started to swim back. This was not funny...the rocks were waiting to pounce I was sure of it, things were going to grab me and drag me under I was positive. But I had no choice I could not get out and walk back I had to swim. Technique and style out of the box, I flailed my way to shore. Getting out I rushed over the pebbles, feet oblivious to their sharpness having been numbed by the cold of the water. Diving under the shower....where was the hot water...a voice behind the curtain told me it was there and to stay in. Eventually the warmth of the water seeped through enough for me to use my hands to get my wetsuit off. Now what was wrong...my feet, wrists and hands were a different colour to the rest of my body..what was that all about...the voice behind the curtain duly informed me..relief for a moment I thought they would fall off! Getting dressed shivering as hard as my body would go, I was grinning...I had done it. Strangely enough I had not seen one fish.

Coming out of the changing rooms the swimmers came up to chat, how had I found it (to be honest I don’t think my brain had processed the fear I had felt). I replied that I was glad that I had done it. Then the confession...if I had not turned up they were not going to get in as the conditions were horrendous but Donna bless had asked them to swim with me to encourage me. I had not noticed them around me in the water but they all swore that they had been. None of them had swum in water that bad before and it was a relief to know that they were worried as well. I had been initiated into open water.. I had yet to face the fish but the first hurdle was over and done with and strangely I felt proud that the conditions had not worried me....just those rocks

Interestingly I saw Donna this last weekend (31/07/11) at Ellerton and reminded her of my first session... she told me she had never swam in such rough water as we had that day and has never seen water as rough as that before or after...still makes me a little proud that I had done it.