Polar Bear Plunge (otherwise known as the Champions Triathlon)

This is a picture of my desk this morning. Yes, I'm extra hungry. IT Tech guy had to come in and work on my computer this morning; I will probably now be known around the City as Miss Piggy.This weekend was the first triathlon of the season. I've never done a triathlon this early in the past; usually my first triathlon is Memorial Day weekend. I knew the lake water would be cold; little did I know it would be arctic temperatures.

Of course, I wore a wetsuit, but that did nothing to protect my poor face, feet and hands. They blew the air horn to start the race and as soon as my face hit the water I wanted to cry. The water was FREEZING. I tried to get into rhythm, but the cold water was such a shock to my system that I ended up breast stroking/doggy paddling the first few hundred meters just so I wouldn't have to put my face in the water. To make matters worse, it was windy and the water was choppy causing waves, so every time I opened my mouth, I got a mouth full of lake water. I debated turning around and calling it a day, wondering if it was even safe to swim in water this cold...but didn't want to be a quitter, so I toughed it out. I wish I could say I got used to the cold water, but I never really did. I eventually sucked it up and put my face in the water so that I could freestyle; otherwise I could have been out there all day. I didn't have a problem swimming the distance at all, but my time wasn't great since I wasted so much time in the beginning.

Onto the bike, which was horrible for me. Not sure if my brake was rubbing or what, but I felt like I was pedaling as fast as I could and going nowhere. I was pissed, and used that anger to drop the hammer for the run. I ended up with my best 10K time for a triathlon on the run, and one of my better 10K times ever....so, there was a bright spot for the day!!

Overall, I lost it mentally on the swim, which carried on to the bike. The conditions were the same for everyone, so I should have sucked it up and moved forward. Good lesson learned, and those type of races will only make me stronger. On another note, I found out that the water temp at C'ouer D'Alene is THAT cold. Acccchhhhhhhhhkkkkk! My friend said to be sure to do the practice swims the few days before the race so that my body will become used to it. Good to know!!

Busy week of work and training ahead. 90 days. Must keep moving forward!