Day 4: Lake Tahoe Adventure Swim.

This is the reason I actually travelled across to the other side of the world ; water is the great equalizer. Of the group , seven out of ten of us were masters swimmers, all from Brisbane ( Langland Masters) except for me, from Peninsula Flyers and Mt Martha Icebergers. We met up with a second chapter of Langlands swimmers, two families of which six more were added to our ranks, bringing the Aussie representation up to thirteen.

  

Normally I am meticulous about race research but this time, as this was such a huge adventure for me  travelling after such a long stretch of time out of the air, I just overlooked it. Another rookie mistake.

My usual swimming conditions are in a 50 m pool at 32 degrees, or in Port Phillip Bay which at this time of the year is 11 degrees. Chlorinated water and very salty water. Lake Tahoe in contrast was 18 degrees, fresh water and the big one... 1600m above sea level. What’s the big deal? Oxygen, oxygen is the big deal. Swimming at altitude feels like you are swimming in a straight jacket, your chest just can’t inflate and you just can’t suck in enough air to lower your heart rate. So from the get go, it’s all up hill.

Check in was the afternoon before and this is where we first sighted the race course, more of the same pristine water to contend with, first world problems! Three warriors ( including myself) were going long in the 3.8 km race, whilst the rest of the crew were duking it out in the sprint distance 1.2 km. I decided hesitantly to wear a wetsuit, and second guessed my decision for the entire time right up until 5 mins before the race. I figured I’d just have to find a rhythm with the breathing but felt the buoyancy over that distance would be a strong advantage endurance wise. In the end this paid off.

The morning of the race was more of the same, more perfection than you could ask for. Compared to Aussie races, this wasn’t run with the same rigorous attention to details, never the less it did suit the American way of doing things. I was absolutely second guessing all of my preparation for this race,  had I underestimated myself in these conditions? That was a hard yes in my eyes, especially when there was a poor chap who started out in the shorter distance race before us and didn’t make it in alive, the emergency services pumping on his poor chest for 40 mins after he was retrieved from the course. Shit just got real....

After some obvious stress and delays we got underway. I just told myself to breathe, streamline and relax as our Flyers coach Gus had always drilled into us. Once my rhythm arrived and my breathing was controlled I just rolled over one long stroke after another and tried to drink in every second I was out there. There I was, little ‘ol Aquagirl from Australia, a 47 year old mum of two and primary school teacher, swimming in her first international race and loving it! On my left, nothing but smooth glassy water. On my right, the tallest of trees I’d ever seen growing right on the lakes edge and every shade of green imaginable glistening in my eyes. I truly had arrived at my most exquisite of happy places. After 1hr 20mins of meditative trance like swimming, I emerged out of the water to a raft of 

claps and cheers from the Aussie chapter who had long finished

 their sprint session.  

Afterwards the unimaginable happened, that made all of the second guessing and all of the worry disappear into a puff of nothing... I won my age group! Can you freakin believe that? Travel 15 hours in a plane, leave you family, take long service leave and selfishly give yourself a trip of a life time, to win your age group category in what was obviously a harder than usual race. I. Could. Not. Believe. IT!!!!