Last Saturday we had our first open water swim in Long Beach ( Alamitos bay). The water was cold, but once I started swimming I actually felt warm in my wetsuit. The water was green and I couldn't really see anything. Perhaps thats a good thing. We practice getting in and out of the water. I could feel my heart beating really fast. Coach said thats a normal reaction to swimming in the cold water. Initially I was hitting peoples feet and bumping into the other swimmers. That threw me off my own rhythm. It was hard to concentrate on my stroke. My form deteriorated. By the end I was just trying to get to shore and finish ASAP.
After the swim we had a nice 3.5 hr bike ride from Long Beach to past Laguna Beach and back. I traveled almost 60 miles. Then we finished off the workout with a 30 min run on the beach.
Tuesday during the coached swim workout at the pool, I got a severe case of muscle cramps. I was fine during the warmup and the speed drills. But when we started to practice drafting by swimming in a line of swimmers, both my calves went into spasm mode. I got out stretched and when I attempted to join the next drill, the cramps came back. The weird thing is that I was getting cramps in my back / shoulder muscles too. I thought I was hydrated, so perhaps its electrolytes?
The next day I checked my lab results at the hospital. Good news: labs were normal. Bad news: my calves were still sore and I still don't know what caused the cramps. Perhaps it was tension combined with too aggressive pushoff from the wall during the drills.
Today I had a nice 2 hr bike ride in PV and San Pedro. Then I went for another open water swim in Alamitos bay. The swim went pretty well but... I forgot to lubricate. I now have a painful rubber burn on my neck from the wetsuit. Ouch!!! I also gulped down some salty ocean water. The salt didn't bother me so much, but today I saw how dirty / slimy the water appeared. I had a slightly upset stomach when I got home. I hope I don't get sick.
This weekend is going to be busy. Saturday is a 4 hr team bike ride. Then I'm heading out to Palm Springs for my first triathlon: Desert Tri on Sunday. I will be competing in the international distance: 0.75 mile swim; 24 mile bike; 6 mile run. I'm nervous about the swim, but I've covered that distance during today's open water swim, and I've covered twice that distance in the pool. Hopefully I'm ready, and no more cramps or rubber burns!
Waiting to read about your Desert Tri experience!
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