1km Open Water Swim

I signed up to do the 1km open water swim as part of my work (NDY) participation in the Corporate Games for 2011. I have only participated once before in corporate games and that was when I just joined NDY but participated as part of GHD's dragon boat race.

So why the 1km Open Water Swim?

• I dont do team sports - never have and never will - This is why I am doing Triathlons (as an individual) as I dont like letting people down and the race is my race and no one elses.
• I have improved my swimming
• I just did 1500m as part of an Olympic Distance race (no wetsuit)
• Its a small field

So Melbourne's weather has not been great recently. Its been raining and raining and raining....It started to rain on Friday and some were hoping for enough rain that the event will be cancelled.

A small part of me was hoping it would be cancelled....but at the end (or early morning) - I decided to bite the bullet and drive all the way into South Melbourne where the event was and just get through it.

I think there were 7 females 30-39 who signed up but only 5 registered. The relay team went off first (4 x 250m). Then it was the individual race which was 4 x 250m loops - gets dizzy and I always (and did) lose count.

It was quiet choppy and the waves were severly high but it was not as choppy as Sandringham on a bad day. I did the race but came out with a time of about 27min or so....

I did not do that well in swimming in the right direction and kept getting swept away from the bouys and so I think I did a 1500m race rather than 1000m....nothing new to me!! It seems to always be the case - I will need to gauge the currents better and swim with sighting more often.

I was feeling ok during the swim but I was one of the last people coming out of the water (the males went off first so that made a difference in the pace perception). I thought I came 5th but ended up coming 4th so I earned 5 points for the company.

I think my technique was ok during the swim but I do need to increase my speed in the water and swim at T4 more...I think my pace is still set at T2....

Things to learn:

• Sight sight and sight
• Swim faster (increase my swim fitness)
• I have signed up to do Ryan's technique classes (in Jan) so hopefully that I am able to attend as much as I can as I am away from 20th - 30th Jan.

Overall - pretty pleased with myself for doing this 1km swim. I am keeping active and doing something which not many people would even contemplate doing.