Cebu Ironman 70.3: What It's Like to Swim 1.9K in Open Water for the First Time - PART II

Sprint swimming meters from the finish chute, which explains the bow wave.
Photo Credit: ShutterSpeed

Welcome to Part II!

The Night before What Could be My Last Day on Earth 😳

I've spent 2 years preparing for the 2016 Cebu Ironman 70.3 swim relay leg, so it was such a big deal for me that I make the experience count. There's also the fact that if I don't finish within the allotted time, my teammates won't be able to do their legs (goodbye, expensive registration fees, angry teammates - HORROR OF HORRORS😱). I was feeling the self-imposed pressure mounting.

By now, I knew that keeping my mind running on an even keel no matter what was key to success. I've repeatedly convinced myself that I CAN swim 2,000 kilometers so it's just a matter of pacing myself and listening to my body so I'd reach the finish before 70 minutes are up. My target was 60 minutes, which is about 3 minutes per 100 meters (includes buffer for the unexpected events like crowding or strong currents). I know that's really slow but it's what's realistically achievable by moi.

To calm my nerves, I attended the Holy Mass for participants the night before - that was the height of my emotional rollercoaster, resulting in tears, fears, and eventual surrender to God's will. Although I took time to swim a bit of the course that morning, I went back to the shore and stared and prayed long and hard over it in the dying light of the afternoon so the view “normalizes” in my mind. 

I prayed over the course and asked that everyone finish safely. Hanging out within view of the swim course for about 20 minutes helped me calm down, find pockets of joy despite the pressure, and actually look forward to the gun start.

This is THAT pano photo of the swim course.

I even took a panorama photo of the course so I can continue visualizing myself swimming the whole thing without much problems until I finish within 60 minutes. Visualization is really helpful as it teaches your mind to settle on positive imaging and keeps the irrational, panic-inducing thoughts at bay.

Also, I kept staring at my “game plan” every now and then. To manage nerves, I actually time-plotted my swim to convince my brain the whole thing is attainable and not as difficult. For this timekeeping strategy, I invested in a Casio watch that was 200M water resistant; didn't care if it was designed for a man's wrist. It was digital, had a big display, durable, and can survive being immersed in water for an hour. Got it from an online sale, too!

How my time targets looked like.

Of course, there's no replacement for the reparative qualities of good ol' sleep, so it was an early night for me. And after 6-7 hours of sleep, I was up and about to BRING. IT. ON.

Game Day

It helps to start early so your prep pace is relaxed. Rushing from the moment you wake up just sets you up for too much adrenaline, which can lead to fear and panic. So, I purposely did my preparations on an even, calm pace and listened to motivating music (India Arie, THANK YOU for your positive messages), dwelt on encouraging thoughts, and, most of all, plugged my heart to the Lord's.

After the check in formalities and stuff, I was covered in jellyfish-resistant sunscreen and focused on what to do in the next hour. Reviewing my game plan, choosing to enjoy/smile at the whole scene, and talking to other swimmers helped manage the adrenaline. Although I accidentally scratched my leg while warming up in the water (didn't see the offending sharp rock despite my precautions), I didn't let my overactive imagination get the better of me.

I had already planned to be in the beyond 40 minutes group, which was scheduled at about 7:10 a.m. I figured that there would be less arm jostling and crowding in the water by then, which turned out to be true.

What I learned from the actual swim are these:

• The entry to the water is a bit slippery because of the sharp rocks/stretches of concrete under the shallow water, so a lot of caution there. It helps to start swimming instead when the water is already knee-deep or do careful high-knee walking until you reach the ideal depth so that you don't waste precious time.

• Draining water from goggles (which I did for like 2-3 times) turned out to not be worrisome as swimmers are allowed to hang on to the ropes to rest a bit. Pulling yourself along the course using the rope is not allowed though. But that didn't stop this one foreigner guy in his 50s from doing just that for at least 400 meters of the course. He behaved when a marshall was nearby.

• Swimming in salt water is A LOT easier than in the pool because the salt adds buoyancy. I found myself forgetting to kick sometimes cause my legs didn't sink as much ha ha ha. It got me wondering whether my time could've been better if I kicked consistently.

• Training by swimming in laps of 100m or 200m until mileage totals 2K is sufficient enough. I mean, I didn't have to swim for an hour straight in the pool to train my body to realistically finish a 2K swim.

• The middle part of the course seemed to have a lot of itch-inducing microorganisms (or jellyfish). At the finish, a fellow female swimmer's legs had red welts from the jellyfish. I didn't have them probably because of the effectivity of the anti-jellyfish sunscreen (it works!) I used and also avoided the “itchy area” by staying some distance from the ropes in the middle part of the course.

Swim finish shot: Yay! No jellyfish stings!

• 
  The waves grew bigger and choppy mid-swim. And I realized I found choppy water swimming FUN. It was like a caterpillar ride – the up and down bobbing/undulation was quite mellow enough for me to enjoy the motion. Good thing I read about Coach Betsy's tips on swimming in swells.

• A “sprint finish” in the last 100 meters of the swim can help you earn a snap from the photographers milling about in the walkway near the finish line. It can also help you make up for lost time spent in walking in shallow water. Ideally, you should be “skipping” over the calf-deep water with high knees to speed up things.

• Mental discipline is very helpful in keeping the momentum going despite the itch, the growing waves, and the dark depths of the sea.

• My fears were overrated.

Gear-wise: The Casio watch is authentic & reliable - it still works to this day. Aquasphere Asian-fit goggles and my face don't go together (they leaked). My eyes got swollen and teary for hours after the swim. I used the same goggles in practice, though (sometimes leaked, sometimes doesn't).

Quick post-race swim at where it all began. Hi watchie.

Post-Race Reflections

Overall, the swim experience was so much FUN! It helped a lot that the timeframe wasn't affected by a spring tide or some freak weather, although the sea turned scarily rough about an hour after everyone was done.

I enjoyed it so much I sometimes forgot about my time targets. I was able to time-check every now and then though (and was happy I was moving faster than projected). I even waved and smiled at some scuba divers keeping watch below us. I was also able to take in the scene even as I was stroking my way to the finish. Apparently, when you're enjoying things (and praying as you go), the task becomes more effortless and energizing – and you even finish faster than you thought you could! I logged a 52-minute finish, and I didn't even feel exhausted when I was done. ^_^

I also admit I cried at the bike transition area – I was just SO HAPPY the whole challenge was over and in the bag with flying colors (according to me). It was gnawing at me for months and months and started to stress me out.

Above everything, what really got me was the thought that doing the IM relay was a willful choice – it wasn't one made with God. It took me some time to admit that to myself. And, at the height of my desperation during that pre-game Holy Mass, I felt for some moments how it is to be totally abandoned.

It is definitely scarier to be in a situation where you're not on God's side but are “going with the flow” with everyone else than be on the side of the Lord but shunned by everyone else. That experience affirmed to myself that being in God's favor and grace is the most important thing above all. No amount of positivity from other people/friends can ever top the affirmation of the Lord. As St Teresa of Avila said, God alone suffices. Indeed!

Am also just so thankful that, despite my willfulness, the Lord still showed His mercy to me and helped me despite everything. And that's why I still felt joy and calm during the swim. I did pledge to Him that I'd avoid making such decisions again. It doesn't bring lasting peace or joy. Hence, last year's IM participation has become (and will remain) my first and last. 

Further, this achievement was a big one for me considering I am not known to be a strong swimmer. I still can remember my frustrations in childhood in learning how to swim and not to be afraid of being thrown into deep water. The swim finish was like my certificate of accomplishment acknowledging that I am able to survive swimming in the open sea (at least for 2K).

A shout out to Sunrise Events for staging such a big event successfully! Last year's edition was very well-organized (though not without minor glitches but overall very impressive event organizing) and really inspiring.

Have any questions about my 2016 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Cebu swim experience, being new to swimming, or life in general? Let's talk in the comments!

In case you missed it, here's Part I...

Cebu Ironman 70.3: What It's Like to Swim 1.9K in Open Water for the First Time - PART I

So many people but I found myself in this shot hahaha! Can you?
Photo Credit: ShutterSpeed

If you saw me the night before the 70.3 Ironman gun start on the shores of Shangri-la Mactan in Cebu in August last year, you'd probably think I was going to be hanged at first light the next day. The tears streaming down my cheeks unabashedly advertised the fact that I was an emotional wreck.

Oh yes, won't deny I was TERRIFIED about swimming nearly 2 kilometers of the notoriously challenging currents of the Hilutungan Channel with hundreds and hundreds of other people jostling for survival the finish, and without doing a simulation of the same distance in open water ever. After not finding anyone who blogged they were able to survive such an experience on 0 open water mileage (they all seemed to have done one tri relay event beforehand) and reading all those articles about how most, if not all, of the deaths in triathlons happened during the swim leg (it's the most dangerous part of the tri, they said), it's not very hard to panic and imagine all sorts of freaky scenarios.

Also, who in the tri community in Cebu can ever forget that horrific spring tide smack in the middle of the swim in 2015? It was the kind that had people swimming in the same spot for like 20 minutes, fighting the unusually strong currents until they were drained of energy, with many missing the cut off.

The good thing was that, on checking the tide charts, such a phenomenon won't be doing an encore in 2016. And I also wasn't as petrified by the time I stepped on the beach at the break of dawn. More on that later.

The fact that you're reading this account of my bravery craziness at the IM 2016 swim (relay) experience means that, yes, I made it out of the water alive and in one piece – AND still within cutoff (52 minutes!!!).

This also goes to show that it IS possible to accomplish a 1.9K swim in choppy water within 70 minutes without having ever practiced doing so in the open water ever (not that I would recommend it!). That being said, this particular post is meant to be an encouraging pat on the back for those who will be swimming the course this coming Sunday, August 6 for the very first time and with 0 open water mileage.

I Did Practice in Open Water, But...

Okay, although I swam like 200-300 meters for like 10-15 minutes in pretty choppy and shallow water at Panglao about 2 months before the event, it obviously wasn't enough to qualify as a real simulation of what was to come.

However, I had the 2,000-meter weekly pool swims serving as my foundation and reassurance that I can endure doing the front crawl for an hour straight (no stopping and no kicking off the walls of the pool). That goes to say that swimming 2K straight at least once a week should be a non-negotiable for newbies (at least for peace of mind in my case), whether done in the pool or out at sea.

How My Training Went

Crazy fact: I actually started preparing for an IM swim relay leg back in mid-2014. My occasional tendency to paranoia dictated that I start training that early as my swimming skill is just the barest minimum – I could dog paddle or do the front crawl for like four strokes before I start sinking beneath the water's surface. And remember, I told myself then, this is the IRONMAN we're talking about. I need to go over and beyond the bare minimum.

So, I got a swim instructor (wanted a refresher and pointers on the Total Immersion technique), accumulated swim gear (Finis fins and TYR center snorkel for the win, aside from the paddles, pull buoy, trisuits... and the list goes on), joined aquathlons, signed up for Kim Kilgroe's tri camp (didn't participate in the bike phase, of course), and even invested in a swim analysis in the run-up to the planned 2016 participation.

Exhibit A of an overdone wacky face - I just made myself unrecognizable muahaha!
Photo Credit: Kim Kilgroe

I then learned I should have been wiser in my choice of swim teacher and that I should have discovered Coach Betsy's supermegahelpful blog a long time ago. Good thing I stumbled on her treasure trove of swim tips months before the big day. Ms. Kilgroe's invaluable tips also helped lay the groundwork for a more efficient swim technique, so it's all good. I also learned the TI technique was overrated and not very well-suited to open water swimming.

At this point, let me stress the importance of finding a swim coach who is not just a killer swimmer but also knows how to teach other people to swim better and faster. Such a coach should also be knowledgeable about proper swim technique and can tailor a program to your needs. Such a person should also have a keen eye for details and be smart enough to understand why certain errors and bad swim habits occur, and know how to effectively counteract them.

In my case, after a 3-month stint with the instructor I mentioned (she didn't even let me know I had a serious crossover stroke issue and was overturning/sky breathing), I just did my research until I found that life-saving swim blog by Coach Betsy (aside from that 2015 athletic camp with Ms. Kilgroe) and taught myself to swim properly. A GoPro camera was a big help in showing me what my form looked like while swimming.

Can't thank you enough, Coach Betsy the SwimJunkie!

Cramming Swim Mileage in 2 Months

For all that early preparation, I wasn't able to maintain my momentum. My training went on and off, until the next thing I knew it's 2 months before the big day. At the beginning of 2016, I already plotted out my mileage so that by late May or June, I'd have already swum 2K straight and still have some extra time to improve my speed and other open water skills. And by “other open water skills,” I mean being able to drain water from goggles while afloat, being able to shift to breast stroke in case the waves got crazy, managing cramps without drowning, swimming under water for more than 10 seconds for situations when I get swum over or bump into a tangle of bodies, drafting with another swimmer, bilateral breathing, and sighting efficiently.

That did not happen.

What went down was me cramming all that progression within 2 months, shifting from 1.4K long swims once a week to 2K long swims within like 1-2 weeks. The progression was to ensure I had a solid swim fitness foundation and avoid injury (rotator cuff tears, anyone?).

With the accelerated progression, I risked developing rotator cuff issues and other swim-related injuries. I'm no seasoned athlete, so I need to be realistic about how much physical challenge I am able to take. However, I listened to my body and went on with my training based on that. That could be a factor that helped me line up on the beach on the morning of August 7 last year without feeling like a physical wreck (my left shoulder felt iffy though, hence the Rocktape).

By the way, while I was able to work on my “other open water skills,” I still didn't know how to tread with both arms out of the water or drain my goggles while floating face up (and that added to my paranoia).

Swimming circular laps in a pool for an hour straight really challenges your mental game and motivation. You're trying not to inhale chlorinated water the entire time and maintain momentum even as your brain is throwing you many appealing justifications for stopping before you're done. At some point, you may even start asking existential questions (I know I did).

One of the mantras I found helpful when the going got tough. 

However, this grind actually helped toughen my mind and made me more able to handle discomforts and fears en route to the finish. As legendary triathlete Chrissie Wellington would also say, mental discipline should also be part of your training. Considering some deaths in the swim leg are triggered by feelings of panic (which usually starts in the mind), developing mental strength is a must for long-distance swimmers. 

So, what happened during the actual swim? Part II coming up...