Teh Event - Lets get this show on the road. I gotta suit up.

Alarm clock wakes me up at 6:25 in the morning. I've got some time to drive 40 km to the event. Feeling is great, driving my bumer, getting closer but still cutting on time. 7:40 I was at registration, people where already doing some warmup swim, I still needed to put away my gear. What I saw was a brand new thing, apparently everybody had something called triathlon belt. 

Ok, I got some pins for my number. Sun was up, wind started to get winding up a bit.There were some instructions how to make my swimming laps. namely 2 laps. I had my number on my cheeks and go myself to my wetsuit, got my swimming hat on, tight fit and got my swimming glasses. Still no adrenaline.

Start, people were running into the lake Tanmemäe, I also with them, and finally, my feet didn't reach to the ground anymore. I was in the competition, my longest swimming distance ever. After 300 meters my swimming hat gave up and my hair got loose. Hair everywhere, it was disaster, no way to contain it.

Kept going, 500 meters in and my goggles went blurry, got to get rid of them also. Ok, only wetsuit now holds, which is nice, so happy to have heard, that you have managed one of fourth in the distance, kept going, there it was, looked around and somehow I was on the last position, no worries, I had time but the exhaustment came on me. Should have had a snack in the morning but in the rush I didn't really have good opportunity for that.

As the swim went longer than I expected I get thinking how awesome friends do I have. 4 of my friends decided 2 am on Saturday that at 4 am they will come and see how I will do. I love my friends. That was the sweetest things and of course my lovely girlfriend stood by me.

1500 meters more less by and I heard a sound, Sound of something terrible, some guys had swam already managed to have swim 3500 meters. Mind blown, No worries, they are pro swimmers. I've got time.

Managed to cover first round, managed to cover 1900 meters. My longest swim ever, body told me, no more, I told to the body, shut up you, it is not up to you, it is up to all of me. There is no person who forfeits to some voice in my head. Turning it off. Good bye. I did it with 70 minutes. Good. I was on schedule. Kept going.

Went forward, around 2400 meters away i got first cramps on my legs. What is going on, cramp, go away, you will not take me, go away. Managed to loose some minutes to get rid of them and got already 3000 meters. What am I doing, expanding my longest swim and still going. No sign of additional cramps, but how did they came? I have had lots of magnesium and stuff. Really got me puzzled for a time, but no time to think, time to action. Going, I am going, but pace was down. Turns out my swimming skills got really bad once my hair started to bug me everywhere. At least the lake water was almost drinkable, most likely had a liter or so. I really don't want to know how much useful bacteria I had.

I see it, the finish, 200 meters to go, easy I think, easy, I can do it, I have around 7 minutes to spare but my body thought something else.....

At the moment all of my body hurts, I really can't walk or even lift my arms, At least I can sit down. My wetsuit got me nasty burn marks on my neck and back of my knees. It really hurts, now I know why some guys had some lotion with them and they put it under theirs. 

So 200 meters to go and then it hit me. Double cramps on both of my calfs. They were like bricks. Finish ahead, got time, in pain, in really serious pain. Thinking, my life means more now than finish, looking around, shore, 100 meters. God damn, I can do it, trying, but my body it not cooperating. Shore it is, and I am not dissapointed.

I got to the shore and I even couldn't sit down, so much pain. Why, cramps why, at least my muscles are awesome, never seen them so big, so much potential. Got almost rid of the cramps, went BACK. NOT GIVING UP. Swam 20 meters and the cramps got bigger and heavier. No way, body, why, no way, had to turn back to the shore and there it was, swimming end signal.

I am not mad, I am happy, I am happy that I did my longest swim ever. I am happy that I saw that I could do the swim part, I am happy that I didn't give up. I am happy that I saw my girlfriend who was so positive and my friends who supported me. 

Walked the rest of 200 meters to finish, if you can call it a walk, I would have preferred to roll my self, 0 legs.

Ok, what happened and what I learnt:

1. I can do it.
2. It is easy
3. I need to learn some swimming techniques
4. I need to get full wetsuit, most likely cramps were due I my knees where in the cold water and blood vessels where shrieked.
5. I need to lotion myself for burns
6. I need to get bigger swimming hat to avoid it getting wild.
7. I need to get my hair done so they will not attack my face

Around half hours later I could stand up and had small cramps coming from time to time, this is not how I can cycle. Even now when I am publishing this, my walk ability is close to zero and having still small cramps, funny.

Some pictures from my friends:

Here I did some training at 3 am on Friday. Easy.

Got my costume on. GO!

That is my go from my friends perpective:

And this is my legcamps. LOVELY!

Thank you for sticking my by for this event. I will REPEAT. (Live, Die, Repeat).

Most likely I will now look for some other events which would be good for practice. You don't know what is living when you haven't pushed yourself to the limit and faced some PAIN.

Cheers,

Taivo