Facing my Fears

OK, the anxiety is still there...  Got worst on Tuesday when I realized the swim was .25 mile, not 200 yrds.. what was I thinking?  So it's over 400 yrds to swim in the lake tomorrow morning. Race starts at 6:30am.

So this week I was stressing about the water temperature.  It was 70 degrees when I checked on Wed, but today at 7am it was 73 degrees.  OK. it is warming up!  But, still stressing..  will we be the only ones not in wetsuits?  Will we stick out like sore thumbs.  So, this morning I got up and asked the mightly Bing search engine and asked... is a wetsuit needed in 70 degree water?   These responses on Beginner Triathlete helped easy my cold water fear:

70 degrees is quite comfortable without a wetsuit. no worries [Need to trust people who say no worries]

...The only thing I did not account for was my goggles fogging up b/c of the heat of my body vs. the water temp. So last weekend I bought some anti-fog.  [I'll buy at the expo today]

I'd be embarrassed to swim in a wetsuit in 70 degree water seriously, 70 is no big deal for 1/4 mile.  Just get in beforehand and get used to it. [ I don't want to be embarrassed]

Personally, I don't plan on using my wetsuit in any race with a swim shorter than a 1/2 mile. Cold water is a great excuse to swim faster and build up body heat and for me the highly entertaining battle to get the wetsuit off my feet in T1 usually gives back most of the time savings I gained.  [I could not get a wetsuit off by myself.. prior experience as a short lived Marine Biology major in college circa 1986 ]

Get in the water before the race on raceday if possible.  If it is an in-water start, go under water at least to your shoulder.  Don't just stand there with your legs in the water and the rest of your body not in the water.  Whether the water is 65 degrees or 85 degrees, you want to get your body used to the water before the race starts if possible.  Many races give you a chance to get in the water before the race.  [Yes, I will have this opportunity as I wait for my wave to start]

So I'm less likely to bow out of the race tomorrow.  I will do this!