Swam a 5k open water race in a somewhat choppy ocean bay yesterday. Had that "on the verge of seizing up" feeling in my legs after 1k. Thought about calling it a day but decided to push on. At about 2.5 k, both legs completely and very suddenly seized up with incredibly painful cramps in the calves, hamstrings and quads. Tried to get my hand in the air, but every time I did I would start to go under. Raise hand, go under the chop, scull to the surface, repeat and hope someone noticed. Thought I had maybe 45-60 seconds left before I went under for good when a kayak got to me. Thank goodness I never panicked but for the first time in my life I was thinking that there was a very real possibility I was going to drown. If I had been alone I never would have made it.
I'm old now but I was a very good age group swimmer. I swam in college. I swam a sub-27 1.2 at a half ironman last weekend. I've read with detached amusement the many threads here over the years critical of people jumping into triathlons who were unprepared for the swim. I'm posting as a reminder that bad things can happen to good swimmers and every swimmer - good or bad - should take it seriously. Never swim alone. If you are feeling bad or uncomfortable, always err on the side of caution. If you cramp up on a bike ride or a run, it'll hurt but you're not going to die. You might if you are in the middle of a lake or ocean bay - and a cramp can strike a good swimmer just as easily as a bad. I was reminded of this the hard way yesterday!
Be safe.
I'm old now but I was a very good age group swimmer. I swam in college. I swam a sub-27 1.2 at a half ironman last weekend. I've read with detached amusement the many threads here over the years critical of people jumping into triathlons who were unprepared for the swim. I'm posting as a reminder that bad things can happen to good swimmers and every swimmer - good or bad - should take it seriously. Never swim alone. If you are feeling bad or uncomfortable, always err on the side of caution. If you cramp up on a bike ride or a run, it'll hurt but you're not going to die. You might if you are in the middle of a lake or ocean bay - and a cramp can strike a good swimmer just as easily as a bad. I was reminded of this the hard way yesterday!
Be safe.