The Wetsuit

I am relatively certain I can’t drown in a wetsuit. Now don’t go put on a wetsuit, jump in a lake, drown and then sue me because I said this. All I said was, I’m relatively certain I can’t drown in a wetsuit. For all I know, you may sink like a rock.

I share this revelation about my newly discovered ability to stay buoyant because my first foray into open water and in my new wetsuit was not exactly what I would call successful. In fact it was a tad demoralizing. A downright disaster of a day overall. While I may be exaggerating just a little, the experience did teach me two things: 1) Lakes are cold; and 2) I need additional work on the swim leg of my triathlon training.

So, forging ahead, taking wetsuit in hand to my local health club pool I wasn’t going to quit. Not yet. What I found on this second attempt was that I actually float in a wetsuit. I mean float. I have never experienced the feeling of floating in water. I have yet to figure out if this is a mental block or physical phenomenon, though a woman in my tri training group said 5% of the population sinks. I thanked her for the information, contemplating if I should test her sink-ability by giving her a little nudge toward the pool. I firmly believe I’m a sinker but will get back to you once I tame my swimming anxiety, which I know can weigh you down.

Yes, I swam to my little heart’s content on that day, in that pool in my happy little wetsuit. 1000m in 35 minutes. Not nuclear sub speed, though I don’t really know how fast nuclear subs travel, but I’m sure it is considerably faster than I will ever propel myself through the water. This experience made me realize it can’t just be my little rubber suit. I may actually be acquiring some swimming skills. It’s a good thing too…only 10 more days until I sink or swim for real.