For Some, the thought of jumping in Lake Tahoe when its 65 degree below is crazy. Well your right, hahaha. It was =op I was not looking forward to the icy cold water after it had been snowing the night before, Thank God for my full body wetsuit, I sucked it up, ran into the water and dove in with a smile on my face.
We started @ Kings Beach on the North shores of Lake Tahoe and memories of me as a kid flooded into my mind that morning as I was standing on the shore waiting for the race to begin. All the times I had swam in the lake, the clear blue water and thin air making it hard to breath, but it was fun. This time it was for competition, for a longer distance, in colder temperatures. What was I thinking ?
As the race started, I made sure I started on the right side because I tend to drift to the left and its easier to correct when sighting the next bouye. I start at a relatively fast pace as usual and gradually the lead pack pulls away from the mass behind. As I swim, I look for people I can pace behind to save some of my energy which is also known as drafting. Its a very effective strategy to conserve energy for the rest of the race. I've heard it can save up to 30% of your energy. Oouch, theres a burning sensation, Everytime I take a breath on the right side of my neck, I later find out that theres a big red hicky mark across my neck were the wetsuit rubbing against it.
After I round the last bouye, I find a friend who is relatively swiming @ the same pace and we swim side by side to the Red Bull arch on the beach. I can hear MarkyMark cheering me on as I pass the pier which extends out into the swim course. Exiting the water I have a hard time grabing the zipper to my wetsuit and someone on shore lends a hand to unzip me, hehe.
My time 28 min. for the 1 mile swim in Lake Tahoe.
2b continued .... Mountain Ascent @X@
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