Dizzy

Okay, I have to admit that I am kind of freaking out here.  My Olympic distance triathlon is this Saturday...yes, 5 measly days away.  I think the ticker on the Maple Grove website actually says, "4 days 9 hours 23 minutes and some odd seconds that are counting down continuously as I type..." and I feel like crap. 

Last Tuesday, like usual, I showed up to do my open water swim with my masters swimming group at Lake Ann.  I have done it consistently all summer long and have pretty much loved every second of it.  Until last Tuesday.  The water was perfect.  It was calm and cool out.  All of the regulars plus a few new faces showed up to swim together.  I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen to me.  We all walked into the water which has typically been around 81(yes bathwater)degrees.  It.was.cold!  We have had a couple of really cool days this August and I was a bit surprised at how quickly the water had cooled down.  Everyone was commenting on how chilly the water was.  The only person in a wetsuit was our coach who had been teaching all day in the brisk air and frankly she knew better than us. 

We began the swim and almost immediately I felt sluggish.  My right shoulder was smarting every time I stroked and my whole body just felt off.  I was about half way across the lake when I started having vertigo in the water while I was swimming!  It scared me half to death.  I immediately started doing the breaststroke.  I would try to freestyle every now and again but my ears would ring and I would lose all sense of direction.  I struggled this way the entire 500 yards across to the beach.  When I got there, I stood up and the whole world was spinning.  I told Barb(the coach)that I think I should walk back.  She checked my pulse, which was perfectly fine and told me to swim next to her the entire way back.  I tried this for about 50 yards and started to struggle again.  She grabbed me and told me to put her flippers on and to either breast stroke or back stroke the rest of the way.  Gosh, how embarrassing. 

I made it back across the lake but was still feeling so off and dizzy that I knew my 30 minute run was just out of the question.  I headed home feeling completely down and out both mentally and physically. 

On Wednesday, I went to the doctor and found out that I have a double ear infection along with a sinus infection.  Ah ha!  The light bulb goes on and the dizziness is explained.  I got my antihistamines and my antibiotics and was sent off on my merry way.  This was almost a week ago now and I am still having dizzy spells and feeling off.  Perfect....just perfect.

Yesterday, I took the kids to Weaver Lake park to check out the race venue since I am completely unfamiliar with it.  It looks like a great race venue and the water is nice and clear and COLD!!!  Panic, freak out, OMG #2.  I don't own a wetsuit.  I have never trained in a wetsuit.  Now, I wish I had!!!  Two weeks ago the lake was at 79 degrees.  These past weeks have been un-seasonably cool in MN so I am sure the lake is now much cooler than 79 and it scares me.  Will I be okay in the water without a wetsuit?  Will I expend too much energy trying to keep my body warm that my stroke will become labored or inefficient?  Will the coolness of the water affect my ears negatively?  So many things are running through my mind right now. 

This is what doing a TRI is all about.  We train ourselves for speed, for distance and for endurance.  We train in all types of weather.  Anything can happen and we need to roll with it.  So much of a race is how well you are mentally prepared for it.  Right now I am doing my best to focus on completing this race.  It is my goal to finish the race and hopefully do it in under 3 hours.  This is my first Olympic distance triathlon and I know that physically I am prepared and ready for the race.  Mentally, well...clearly that is another thing. 

I am trying to get rid of this ear/nose/throat thing that I have going on by getting as much rest as I can.  Tomorrow is my last day of activity until race day(besides walking or normal day to day routines).  My body is tired.  I ran for 45 minutes this morning and got to watch the sunrise all the while wincing as each step seemed to pinch my hips, my knees, my lower back or my ankles.  Yes, I am exhausted.  Yes, I will be so glad when Saturday comes and goes.  Yes, I will be so proud of the amount of time and effort I spent getting myself ready to tackle this distance.  But, most importantly...even though I feel completely spent and burned out with my training: Yes, I will continue to do TRI's and move on to a bigger distance next year.