Ostrich or Dolphin?

To celebrate the start of the summer I participated in my first aquathlon. It is a race that combines running and swimming, normally on the sea or the mouth of a river. This one I had targeted some time ago, slated to be held on a beautiful, compact trail and a calm open sea.  I knew I could do the distance (2,5km running- 1km swimming- 2,5 km running) but started to doubt myself after a few serious sports enthusiasts kind of said “really?” in a high-brow, amused way. I was a swimmer - I swam a whole lot during my school years, that is -before I became a runner and thought that I had to try.  Even so, as the date approached I almost ran out of time to get inscribed, so numerous were my doubts. I think that what discouraged me was the fact that it was a real race for semi-professional triathletes, that the maximum number of participants was only 150 (not much room to go incognito) and that I was all by myself, no friend to share the logical fears of a novice. So likely to be the last one to cross the finish line… I just hoped that there would be no time limit and that I wouldn’t have to be picked up by the coche escoba (literally “street sweeper”, in this case the vehicle that picks up the stragglers and the dumb ones who have over-estimated their ability).

Plencia's aquathlon: swimming back 

So there I was at the starting line, chatting up the other athletes in their 20s, all looking very pro. They must have thought “who the hell is this character?” A 40-something mother trying to prove to herself that she can finish this thing, that’s who! And the air horn went off and everyone sped ahead, leaving me behind. The trail was uneven and it mixed grass, dirt and railroad ties, so one had to be careful not to trip and lose one’s balance or even worse, sprain an ankle (at which I am a real expert, let me tell you).

So I’m tired after the first round, not yet enough endorphins released to enjoy the pain, but here it comes, the wet part. That’s a total liberation despite the fact that I can’t see nuthin’ but muddy green water and almost get caught on the buoy rope of a nearby boat – signage is not great. The temperature of the water is fantastic and suddenly I’m not tired any more. I could swim double this distance. I’m having to deal with looking up out of the murky water to stay on course while avoiding the boats, and I head towards the wrong bridge pillar, going all the way around it, a lot of wasted effort. So I have to stop and yell at the girl on the paddle board to tell me where in the water is the the correct turn-around point. Apparently I had swum an extra 300 metres which just added to my great feat. Dog!

As per the lack of style, that was a disappointment. I wore my training Speedo bikini which was the only two-piece outfit in the whole competition. Probably because the other participants were serious and all possessed their triathlon suits. Almost everything was black, only broken by the women’s orange swimming caps. So no cool photos this time. 

After the feat. Happy although she can't even smile

I feel like a cross between a sleek, dignified dolphin and a freaked-out ostrich running from a lion. But I did it and it felt fantastic. And I was not the last one to cross the line, in fact I left behind three or four participants and I even saw an athlete WALKING!

This weekend, another swimming in a river (Travesía a nado de la ría de Bilbao, the second oldest race of its type in Spain) and next, who knows, maybe the Alcatraz Challenge in San Francisco!

Swimming in the Bilbao river