It’s no surprise, but I’ve been swimming in the ocean quite a bit lately. And I’m LOVING it. The water temps are at an all time high since I’ve lived in San Diego. The wetsuit-less experience makes my heart smile.
I finally got to check Gatorman off my bucket list! The La Jolla Roughwater event has been on my radar since I first swam in the Pacific…okay maybe not that first time, but after having met the tri club peeps and swimming with people who were training for it. That summer I swam the 5 mile tour de buoys event {and haven’t swam that far since!}. I’ve always had a wedding or the Tri Classic craziness preventing me from registering. This year I still had that – a crazy long work week with no sleep on Friday night and a long day of setup, race directing, and the worst – take down. After our neighborhood block party I crashed knowing it’d be about impossible to wake up on Sunday. But luckily Gatorman is a 1:00pm event so sleeping in was possible. And the typical “rough water” was no where in sight.
Jake and I walked down those infamous stairs. We stood on the beach with our fellow competitors and enjoyed the moments before the start with the hot sun on our back and the warm water at our feet. {Horn} The ocean is a place of peace for me. Amidst hundreds of other swimmers and the churning water, my smiling face kept turning to the side to breathe. And my eyes kept searching deeper and deeper for what lies beneath the surface of the calm turquoise waters. This swim was different than most, more special than I can remember, and gorgeous beyond belief. It really was my favorite day in the ocean.
With no expectations for a stellar time, I had estimated 1:15, and finished at 1:13 which was good enough for 3rd in my AG and 15th woman overall.
Florence and the Machines say it best: How big, how blue, how beautiful.
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