VS.
I am back in Phoenix, and boy was it nice to swim in a pool yesterday. No kelp, no seaweed, no sea lions to dodge, no scary sharks to watch out for (or not watch for; ignorance is bliss!).
My second attempt at swimming in La Jolla Cove was an epic fail. I was hoping to get there when there were other swimmers out there, since Karin wasn't with me that time, watching protectively from shore (and filming with the GoPro). There was only one swimmer, and he was on his way back in. There was a fairly intimidating swell, with waves crashing in the cove, but it was calm outside the cove. I sat there for a good 20 minutes, hoping someone else would show up. (There is a pretty significant community of regular Cove swimmers.) Finally, a couple of guys were getting ready to go in. I didn't plan to swim with them, I just wanted others out there around the same time. I asked one of the guys if the sea lions ever messed with them, and he said no. Another guy said, "Yeah you don't have to worry about the sea lions. Just the sharks. Especially the Great Whites." Thanks, buddy. Then the other guy said, "Yeah I've been doing this for 30 years and I still have my 'Oh Shit!' moments out there. Like, I don't know what it is, but it's definitely bigger than me."
Well great. Thanks guys. Oddly enough, rather than scare me, this made me feel better. He'd been swimming here for 30 years and despite his 'oh shit moments' he was just fine. So I waded into the very cold, very murky water. The swell had tumbled everything around and visibility was disheartening. I started swimming out and was immediately pushed back by incoming breakers. They were much bigger than they had looked from up on the cliff. After several attempts with no progress, I finally went at it at 90 degrees, planning to straighten out toward the 1/4 mile buoy once I got past the breakers. But I didn't get past them. It was a lot of work, and very discouraging, and frankly a little scary, and eventually I just accepted the waves as an excuse to give up, cut my losses, and go back to shore. That's when the real fun began. Getting back into shore was no easy task. I kept getting pulled back out. I wasn't scared that I wouldn't make it back in; but I was getting nervous at how long it was taking, and how much work was involved in trying to get back in. By the time I finally tumbled onto shore, there was a lifeguard standing at water's edge, surfboard at the ready, prepared to jump in and save the struggling "triathlete." Guess it looked a lot worse from shore! So not only was it a fail, but pretty damn embarrassing to boot!
A couple hours later I went out for a run along the bay and that was a fail too! The first few miles felt good, but the last two involved a little walking, and definitely a slower pace for what felt like a harder effort. Still a lot of work to do in the mental training department!
I feel like there should not be as much crying in Ironman training as there is in my Ironman training. But it just gets so frustrating! Sometimes training feels like an emotional roller coaster! I have a few amazing training days, and then a couple really, really bad ones! Just when I think I am making progress, I have a workout (or workouts) that make me feel like I am actually regressing! I came back from my dismal run just frustrated with the whole thing.
But yesterday, true to form, I had a stellar workout! 20 minute run with intervals, followed by full body strength training (with heavier weights than usual!), followed by 25 minute swim with sprints, followed by 45 minute interval ride on trainer. I should be able to manage a few more like that before I am due for another training meltdown!
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