Triathlon: On Vacation (But Not From Training)

By kate on August 30th, 1999

The first challenge in Greece was determining the correct distances to run and swim. The first day, I swam in the pool what I thought was less than I should have, only to find out later it was just the right amount when I got the measurements of the pool. I swam that again the next day. Then, yesterday, we measured 400 meters (half the length) along the beach so I could swim in the sea.

I’ve done it twice now, and I feel much better about open-water swimming. I can swim the whole 400m without stopping (although I do rest before going back). It is far more interesting than swimming in pools, because occasionally I can see fish. The water is very clear, with a sandy bottom. It is, of course, warmer than a lake at home, and the salt water makes me buoyant (so much so that I can float on my back, motionless, without holding my breath). The salt, however, is worse tasting than lake water, I think. Anyway, swimming is improving.

I’ve finally learned some tricks to getting the most out of my gear. The secret to donning a swim cap is to get it wet first. That way it doesn’t stick to your hair. With goggles, you have to worry about fogging up and leakage. What I finally discovered was that when you put your goggles on dry, they won’t leak. They do fog up eventually, but I decided to put up with the fog in order to keep the water out. When I get home, I’m going to try using a fog-free cloth on the goggles and see if it helps.

There is a town, Kardemena, near the resort, and the resort people told me it was about a kilometer and a half away. So I’ve been running to the town, then through it, before turning around and running back. The first part is along a road by the beach. The second part, through town, is better because there’s a million things to look at. I didn’t run today, though, because I’m fairly sore and wanted to rest my legs.

I’m also playing volleyball every morning, which counts as exercise, I suppose.