So I opted to wear the wetsuit. It's how I had trained because the water had been cold, so I thought it was best not to change things up at the last minute. So I took the 10 minute penalty.
I am covered in scratches, I was punched in the head, kicked, and pulled on, but I still had the best swim! I swam comfortably, I had no anxiety. I just enjoyed my swim! It was a beautiful swim and I had a blast! I was feeling some pain in my right shoulder and this would become a problem later in the race, but it didn't hinder me here at all. I was thinking I could swim the English Channel next! Lol!
I was so excited to hear and see Jess on the bridge as I swam under! And she got some great pics!! Seeing these pics and reliving the experience, it is hard to believe two years ago I couldn't swim and that I had never put my face in the water!! And I was swimming in an Ironman!!
I got out of the water feeling like a million bucks!! It was such a great way to start the race and it gave me so much confidence going into the bike!
I don't know this awesome lady, but she was a volunteer and I kept running into her! She was AMAZING! I wish I knew her name!! Great volunteers make all the difference!!
I got out of the water and saw Gemma Hollis and Donna Adams! Having them there for me meant so much! I was so happy to see them! Not the prettiest picture of me, but you can see how happy we were to see each other!!
I got out of the water feeling strong and speedy! It wasn't until I crossed the finish line that I saw my splits. And I was shocked! I cannot believe I was that slow in the water! All of my training was much faster, and I didn't feel like I got off course, I didn't struggle, and I never stopped. Then I looked at my Garmin data and it showed I swam 900 extra yards!! I guess I was enjoying the swim so much I didn't want to stop! Lol!! 2.92 miles!!!
I loved every word of this! So cool to see you live your dream!
ReplyDelete