the great leslie

Little known fact: I'm afraid of open water swimming. In fact, I've been known to have panic attacks in rough, brackish waters. And I'd venture to say that there is no worse place for a panic attack than in open water where one could, you know, drown.

During last year's New York City triathlon, I had to hang on to the kayak for a while before I could keep going. The woman in the kayak said they could take me to shore and I could finish the race without doing the swim. But, I decided I could do it, and just did the breast stroke and let the current push me to the finish. The summer before, while swimming in Africa's deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika, my brother and I were trying to swim from one beach to another when I got so spooked by the waves that I had to doggy paddle back to a rock. As I mentioned, open water not a good place to have a panic attack.

Yesterday I biked out to Plum Island in Newburyport, MA (where my parents live), and romped in the waves for a while. I even swam a bit...not too far from the shore, mind you, but for about ten minutes. I'll be back in Maine next week, ready to bike back out to Kettle Cove and practice my open water swimming. This year I know what all my weaknesses are, and I'm determined to imrove in those areas.

The Nautica New York City Triathlon is going on now on the city's West Side, with many racers already celebrating the victory of completion in Central Park. I ran the race last year (see story here) in the 95-degree heat. I didn't get an entry to this year's race; the sign-up started at 12:01 a.m. on November 1 and sold out in fewer than 12 hours. That's essentially Halloween night, and I was out in my pink slip costume (no one got that joke) living it up and then, eventually, recovering. The fact that they have sign-ups for the the NYC Tri at that time is an indication of the type of person many, if not most, triathletes are: the kind that don't stay out too late on Halloween.

It rained today in New York (better than 95-degree heat, in my opinion), but I hope the racers had a good time anyway!

All week I've been stumbling through my runs. I've still been making the six miles, but they've been painful. I swallowed a moth. My legs cramped. I had to stop and stretch; stop and drink water. People with walkers passed me. It was horrible.

But, I  arrived in parentville today (that's Newburyport, MA, to most of you). I went for a five or so mile run this evening and it was totally good and strong. No cramping, no profuse sweating, no big deal. I was going to run less, but then I thought: "Well, I might as well keep going." And so I did.

Yesterday I swam at the Reiche Community Center pool. When I got there, there were two people in every lane, except the fast lane. With two people, swimmers just stay on one half of the lane. If there are more than two, swimmers must "circle swim," which means swimming down on one side and back on the other. So, I got in the fast lane, as not to annoy anyone with having to circle swim.

As you know, I'm not fast. I am the opposite of fast. But, I wanted to live up to the lane. So, I tried really hard to swim fast. And, you know, I was totally swimming faster. I swam the whole mile, too, without stopping (much).

So, I can swim the mile and run the six and bike at least 16...and I still have two months to go!

I got some new running shoes on sale at the mall over the weekend: Asics. I'm not a huge fan of gear: all that stuff just gets in the way. But, a good pair of running shoes is essential. I've been running in them twice, and so far, so good. I have noticed that my feet get a bit tingley after four or so miles, but I think I just need to loosen the laces. That's what the folks on the Runner's World Forum advise, anyway.

I also ran yesterday in my...ugh...spandex. I hate those frickin' shorts; they look terrible on me. Also, the monofiliment in the waistband bites my skin. But, they were the only clean shorts I had, so it was wear 'em or stay home. That's dedication, people. DEDICATION.