Extri 07: The improbable swim

Alas! I was headed towards my second individual extri. After the Alabang triax, Alf and I were both excited to be back on our mountain bikes but this time on the trails. It was a stormy evening as we touched down the night before the race. We were hopeful that the weather would cooperate the next day but at the same time we expected the worst as well. The morning came and the winds were pretty strong, on my estimate around 20-25 knots. I could see white caps form on the waves. This indicated that the winds may even be stronger out at sea. What to expect? This was going to be a rough swim. The race briefing began and our race director cut the swim to 2 loops instead of 3 due to the harsh water conditions. We were quite relieved to hear that but just to get through one lap seemed quite a challenge. I did a warm up swim and as i got farther away from shore the swells got even larger. I did one out and back swim and i thought i was ready to go. I started out at the left side of the pack which was not a good idea. As i headed towards the first bouy, I scrambled to get a good clear path. It was fierce, and i was losing my stroke. As i hit the turn and swam against the current, I knew this was going to be a toughie! Every breath to my right and i was welcomed by a swell in my face and salt water through my lungs. Bilateral breathing which is breathing on both sides would have helped alot. I could not go further. I held on to the ropes and i saw a few other guys hold on too. Phew! I was not alone. I dragged myself a bit just to move forward, doing so only made me tired. I gathered my bearings and swam breaststroke. So far it worked, and i moved at the same pace as a few guys who were doing freestyle. So i thought i was not losing ground. My concern was my kick. Doing this style exerted alot on my legs although i was able to breath normally and not take in any water. So i just continued until i hit the turn back and rode the waves and immediately switched to free. That one lap alone which was about 350 meters took alot out of me. I was spent. I just dug deep and went for lap two. It was like "do i really have to go through this near drowning experience again?" Doubts started to creep in. Its tough to be mentally tough. But after going through this swim it should make one tougher. I completed 2 laps and my legs were overused. Too bad because i had wanted to conserve my legs for the bike and run. A mistake i made was i did not connect the toe clip on my pedals so i overworked my quads on the bike. The first few kilometers on the bike was really heavy. A few riders overtook me and i just couldent keep up with their pace. At kilometer 12 of the 25km bike leg, i began to really feel my quads burn. Lactate acid must have accumulated due to muscle fatigue. I was pretty slow on the climbs and i just made up for it on the short downhills. As i reached transition two, most of the bikes were already racked into place. This was not a good sign. I headed up the hill and it was really steep. My heart rate did not slow down. I walked uphill and ran slowly downhill. As i reached the beach, i saw a couple of guys up ahead. They were my targets. Although i could not maintain a steady pace, i seemed to have bridged the gap. I was able to overtake one fellow but the other one was out of reach. Just a kilometer away from the finish, i sensed someone breathing down my neck. It was Wayne, the aussie who i passed on the bike. With around 500 meters to go he overtook me. I just tried to stay on his back. We approached a rocky bend and he seemed to take his time manuvering through the rocks. I took advantage and skipped and jumped my way through. As i passed him, he said something like "Hey, thats unfair mate..". I just looked back and smiled a bit. Around the bend and i could see the finish line. I dashed through forcing my way with a strong finish. Yes it was over. I met with Alf at the finish line and found out he did well although he blistered his foot because he did not wear socks on the run. Alf finished first in his age group! For me, it was another learning experience. Hopefully, in extri 08, things would turn out better : )