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...