The countdown is counting down – today there are 9 days left till the Great North Swim, as my wave leaves on Sunday.
At this stage preparation involves:
- re-reading the instructions – just in case there was something I forgot about
- Checking transport/accommodation – this was booked at the same time as the race entered, so worth a second check
- Wetsuit – I can get it on, and off, about 10mins in a cool room
- Swimming the distance – well, this is the challenge …
- Entry into the water – the first in the group will run out into the water and those who don’t want to run are advised to wait before wading into the water – this should be an interesting one and as a novice, I’m not sure which approach to take. When acclimatising I generally walk gingerly down the ramp, before submerging. On the day everybody will leave the water following acclimatisation. Everybody has an ankle chip, and the race is on….Should be fun!
Today I tried acclimatisation followed by warmup lap then left the water (I’d been thinking of wearing ear plugs, but since the water was a lovely 20 degrees, changed my mind), thinking about running at the beginning of the race. I thought about it, waded out faster than earlier on and thought about a diving start in the water. I’m still thinking about it.
How do you start open water events?
just Trying to Swim...and Run... 