Pros:
I got to swim the actual route that I will be swimming during the Kill Creek Triathlon.
Kill Creek Lake truly is a very pretty lake, very clean, and fed by an underwater spring. The temperature was perfect and the water was clear (see cons).
I finished the full 500 meters, and it didn't seem very far.
I swam after already biking and running for the day, so I actually completed a full triathlon for the first time. (Spread out over several hours, I know.)
Cons:
The water was clear.
As I got 20 or 30 feet from shore, I could see the lake plants beneath me. This seems so benign when I write it, but in the moment, it made me panic. Bad. To the point that I had to swim with my head out of the water a few times, just so I couldn't see the damn plants. I also tried to close my eyes when my head was underwater, but this made me too disoriented. I can't explain what about these plants made me panic. There were no fish hiding in them (that I saw), and they were just cute little lake plants, doing their thing...
I was very upset by the reaction I had. I called poor Patrick on my way home from the lake and bawled my eyes out. I was upset that after all the hard work I had put in at the pool, my swim time was going to be screwed by my own anxiety. I don't like being so controlled by panic. My whole career is based on my ability to NOT PANIC, and here I was, worrying baselessly about water plants. And the kicker is, I freaking love plants! I even had a water garden in my backyard at one point!
So, I'm trying to draw from this experience to make my next open water attempt better. I've googled "How to Overcome Open Water Swim Anxiety" several times today. I always feel better the more I read. I feel more in control of my situation.
I also do better the more I talk about the situation. Hopefully rehashing it a couple of thousand of times will get the panic out of my head. Thanks for listening.
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