Santa Monica, California
This was a unique and inaugural event. There were people doing 12.6 miles. I don’t think I am ready for that. In fact in order to swim this race you had to qualify. I was only qualified to swim the 2.4 mile distance. Participants swam from pier to pier along the Santa Monica coast line. We were required to come ashore and get checked by medical staff at each leg of the race. The swim was a challenge for me for sure. I have never swam that far before. It became even more challenging as I was coming ashore for the first time. I got pounded from behind by a big wave that sent me tumbling. This was not the first time this has happened to me in my life, but it was the first time after swimming over 1.2 miles. Normally I hold my breath and wait for the wave to lose its force. Try doing that after swimming hard for more than a mile. Your lungs don’t have the patience. I was so completely focused on getting air that I did not realize my goggles had come off. I managed to recover from the wave and searched for my goggles for several minutes with no success. I lost valuable time, but I did not want to have to swim for another 1.2 miles without goggles in salt water. I had to give up the search and make the decision to continue without goggles. For the next 1.2 miles I counted off every 10 stokes and then raised my head to make sure I was on course. It was cool to swim past the Santa Monica pier with everyone looking on. This race was put on by optimis sport. It must have been a logistical nightmare given all the swimmers starting at different points and times. They did a great job and I was glad I was able to participate. I want to try a longer distance next year.
