Valid Fears

With all the training I'm going to be doing, eventually, it'll take me outdoors to open water swimming. Last year, the swimming was a completely scary situation, no matter the wet suit, the company with me or the tides. We actually almost resorted to bringing a tube to pull along behind us in the event of an emergency. Because we encountered an emergency.

We swam in the pool until it was warm enough outside to head into Long Island Sound, and on occasion because of the ridiculous amount of jelly fish, we went into North Cove off Gini's dock, or one time, I went to.......... the lake. This was the scene of my close call with death. No joke.

I have asthma and it was not fully controlled last summer, this was before I ended up at a pulmonologist to help me control it. Mixed with my allergies, I was a walking wheeze machine. I also have a little bit (just a smidgy) of anxiety about open water swimming. Jen, Amy, John, Jules & Kelli had been swimming a few times at this clean and quiet lake in the middle of East BumFluck --- it was a 2 mile drive down the dirt path to get to the parking lot, and then we had to walk 5 minutes from the parking lot to the water. At 5am. With no one around to hear us scream. My heart rate was thumping from the start.

I put on a new wetsuit borrowed from Jen's neighbor who is a triathlete coach and it was the tightest thing I had ever felt on my chest. They are supposed to be tight, but with uncontrolled asthma and the anxiety about the swimming, my chest felt like it was completely smooshed. That morning, I was a little wheezie to begin with, and it was a humid day; my allergies were in overdrive. I got out in the lake, tried to push past the visuals of the little creepy crawlies and swimmy things that were inevitably in the water with me. I got about 15 yards out, and felt too tight. I had to take that wetsuit off. I swam back to shore and changed out of it and put on a shorty. A little better.

We swam back out into the middle of the lake and did a few back and forths, and then I felt a little funny. I panicked a little looking at how far I was from shore, I felt wheezie, but didn't know if it was my imagination....and at some point, in my heavy erratic breathing, I later find out, aspirated some water into my lung. I ended up having a full blown asthma attack in the middle of the 25 ft deep lake! It took all I had to swim to shore, Amy and Jen by my side helping me along ... my heroes as I referred to them for days after. That was the longest swim of my life!! As I tried to use my arms to propel me, it took a significant amount of energy just to breathe and it was all I could do to keep myself afloat. I could feel my body getting heavier and heavier, the feeling of the water slowly becoming my enemy.

I had Amy swim ahead to let me know when I could touch, because I had to be able to see an end point... to know how much farther I had to go. Jen swam along side me, helping me, talking to me. When we reached the shore, I climbed out, physically exhausted and unable to catch a good breath - my cough was so bad and it was so hard to breathe. I used my inhaler, coughed and coughed. Amy and Jen decided we should go to the emergency room.

We ended up at the Emergency Clinic. I had decreased lung function, my oxygen level was 81. They gave me a breathing treatment right away. I ended up staying there for a couple of hours, regrouping, catching my composure. When I left, I was completely spent and did nothing for the rest of the day. I actually took a couple of naps. It took so much out of me. I must have coughed up junk for a straight 24 hours after. Yuck.

It took me a week to get back in the water.

So this morning, the hot topic in the pool with PP and Dr. Coach was sharks! (Amy's goggles were a topic in and of themselves but not worth further discussing.) The swim for the 70.3 is in Narragansett Bay. I was telling Dr. Coach about the time in Watch Hill, RI last summer. We were there with several families and I snapped a bunch of photos. When I unloaded them into the pincuter (that's what Betsey's brother calls it!) this is what I saw:

(Click it for a larger view to see that fin!!)

What do you think? It is NOT rocks, the jedi at this beach is a good 25 yards away to the left, and we wouldn't have let the kiddies boogie board with rocks so close.

So my fear this year, is sharks! IF I decide to sign up! Valid fear after this picture, right?! Yikes!