I'm not the only one

Just last month, during the New York City Triathlon, the death of 2 athletes who went into cardiac arrest during the swim part of the event has had a lot of people wondering about this part of the tri-sport event. An article, Preparing Athletes for the Chaos of Open Water Swim, published by the NY Times addresses the issues that myself and a lot of others come across when they first enter the water.

The swimming part of the triathlon I did was the hardest part for me and I made sure to train for it more than the other sports. I'm an ok swimmer, and I was confident swimming laps at the Y, but as soon as I jumped in the lake back in July I could feel the panic set in as I started to tread water for a few moments while I waited for my wave to start. It was a rush and challenge for me, which is why I competed in the first place. Whenever I found myself beginning to panic as I swam, I would easily flip over onto my back and kick my feet for a bit, until I felt confident enough to swim again. This happened ALOT until I finally made it to the giant welcoming "finish" sign. It felt like smooth sailing from there.