I dread open water swimming. I hate putting my face in the cold, murky water. I despise the suffocating feeling of wearing a wetsuit. Somehow a giant lake can make me feel clausterphobic. I can't divide my swim up into neat 25 yard streches from one wall to the other. Swimming 300 yards from the shore to the first buoy feels endless, like I'm making no progress. I start to panic. I can't catch my breath. 5-10 minutes swimming in the lake stretches into an eternity. I have to work the fear out of my head. I have to remind myself that most of my pool swims are an hour long and that I can swim 1,500-2,000 yards in that amount of time. I know that if I get tired, I can switch strokes. If I can't breathe, then I can pop my head out of the water and take a breath, any time I want. Sometimes, I close my eyes when I'm underwater and picture the clear water of the pool that I'm used to swimming in. I remind myself that I've practiced and raced in open water and survived. I reach out in front of me, stroke after stroke, remembering everything my coach has taught me and eventurally find my rythm. The panic subsides a little, and I start to make progress. And realize that if I stop swimming I won't drown. I'll just float.
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