Swim 2.4 miles
I started swimming, and once again wasn't subjected to the washing machine. Or maybe I just have really high standards for what I'd consider a washing machine. Or maybe someday I'm going to experience a REAL Ironman swim start, and I'll be so unprepared after my first two that it may kill me. But perhaps because I started so far up, it wasn't bad. I mean, there were a million people around me, and I certainly couldn't just swim normally, but I didn't get kicked or punched any more than a normal triathlon swim start. Once the faster swimmers started passing me, things got a little more congested, and some people swam over me, but still.. not horrible.
At least until the turnaround buoys. The congestion there was awful, though not nearly as bad as CdA, and some idiots were doing aggressive breaststroke kicking to get through the congestion, so I was being very wary of getting a foot in my chest. But then I was headed back in, and amazed that it was going so quickly and without incident. Well, every once in a while someone would be too aggressive and grab me over and over and over, and then I'd set out to kick them or shove them, but that just gave me a way to pass the time!
Before I knew it, I was swimming up to shore, done with my first loop. Swam past the people who stand up too early, stood up, crossed the timing mat and glanced at my watch. 22 minutes. At first I thought "Wow!!! I've really improved my swimming much more than I ever suspected!" (the fastest swim time out there that day was 46 minutes, so.. yeah, 22 minutes for one loop was not realistic). Then I realized the time wasn't moving, and realized someone must have hit the stop button on my watch during all the flailing and hitting. I restarted it, having no idea how long my first loop had taken, and headed back into the water for round 2.
I had developed somewhat of a headache at this point, which I attributed to the strap of my goggles digging into my head. I hoped that when I took off my goggles, it would go away, and I wouldn't be forced to take pain relievers so early in the race.
The second loop also seemed to go fast. I ended up over the cable this time, the line that runs under water that the buoys are anchored to, and just swam along that. I thought people were being excessively splashy during the swim, but at one point I realized that maybe it was actually raining. I spent a few minutes trying to figure it out as I breathed, but couldn't tell just from looking. Everything was gray and made of water out there, anyway.
Finally made it back to shore again, staggered out, and crossed the timing mat. I split my watch, just so I'd be able to track future splits, but I think it said 0:59:somethin', which was useless to me (I guess I could have computed my second loop time off of it, but my brain certainly couldn't do math right then). I glanced up at the race clock, and it said 1:14:something, which both thrilled and baffled me, as it was way below my estimated time out of the water, and I hadn't really felt like I'd been pushing myself that hard. I guess the adreneline and trying to stay alive out there made me push it without realizing it.
