Steady and consistent

There is strength in numbers.

At least that's what I told myself at Lake Erie for the Buffalo Triathlon Club's group swim.

My concern, again, was the dead fish.

They numbered fewer than the other day when my friend Laurie and I attempted an open water swim but still, there were plenty floating around the pier site to skeeve me out. Never did I claim not to be a wuss when it came to floating objects in the water.

The debris and dead fish would be in the water regardless of the number of people who were swimming, but mentally, there was a comfort zone with others around. Maybe the commotion of the more than 40 swimmers would help push the fish to the end of the inlet and along the sides of the breakwall. If nothing else, I had plenty of people to help point out dead fish to me.

So this swim for me turned into one big sighting drill. Swim a handful of strokes, look up, swim a handful of strokes, look up. I threw in a good amount of breaststroke while I looked for a good, clean line in which to swim. I moved into the middle of the inlet with the hopes that most of the debris and dead fish would congregate near the wall. Most of it did, but I still had to dodge some floaters.

And here's the thing that occurred to me yet again -- where I was last year at this time. Swimming in the middle of the open water, a very good distance from the wall? Never would have happened. This time, it was my pleasure to be out in the open.

The key for me has become rather simple in swimming: remembering that I can swim and that my fitness and endurance levels are high enough where I can swim long distances. It's about being calm and not trying to rush. Those who are aiming for podium positions, they can go out ahead and battle it out. I'm competing against myself, trying to improve my own personal bests and add a bit of challenge with longer distances. 

If I can stay relaxed and calm, I will get where I'm going in time. And probably faster than if I thought out it too much or attempted to actually go fast.

Steady and consistent.

That's what I'm aiming for this week and especially this weekend as I head into my first intermediate distance race at Tri in the Buff.

Meanwhile, I think that I'll be happy to dodge dead fish as opposed to train like this guy in a funny spoof commercial for Clif Bar. Granted, there are probably many friends and family members who wouldn't mind helping me out with this if I asked them to.