And then they were 17

By Formel76 on July 25, 2014 • ( Leave a comment )

There were 17 of them. 17,03 to be exact. But after 10K, who’s counting anyway?

I had the swim of my life. Everything went according to plan, if not better. My tapering and my sleep over the last six days were right on target. The weather was scorching hot as it’d been in Denmark for the last three weeks. I had new goggles on after a frustrating swim two weeks ago and although the water temperature was well above 20 °C, I chose to swim with my wetsuit on, my only focus being on the distance itself and my strategy for energy intake. The current showed itself as a playful friend and made the swim technically interesting. (Call me a smart ass if you want, but I find glassy water pretty boring in the long run.) I got so to speak a free ride over the first 8 km, swimming parallel to the flow. Then the current changed to the side and the first waves appeared, making the ride quite bumpy for 6 km. Finally, the current changed to the front, steadily challenging my patience and my strength of will for the last 3 km. My friend and personal muse Britta escorted me in her kayak the whole time, steering and feeding me according to our plan. She did a hell of a job, taking pictures and keeping my pace swimmers updated all the way so they’d know where and when to join me.

The kayak was packed with energy, electrolytes and water and I made a new friend on the way: Milky Way! It’d been like 25 years since I last ate one of those small chocolate bastards, but, man, I was in heaven! When your tongue gets coated and dry because of the same sugar drink and gels for hours on end, wolfing down a Milky Way or two (or ten actually 😎 ) gives you wings! The same way Cola does over the last 10 km of an IronMan. I felt reborn!

My friend Dennis (the one with the magic feet) joined me from the start and ended up with a new PB of 8 km. Respect! After Dennis left me, I had 7 km on my own fighting the waves with Britta and my newly found friend Milky Way. During that part I got the chance to kiss a few moon jellies. I don’t know if my boyfriend did mind it, but I surely didn’t like it! From the last headland/lighthouse on my course Thomas and Martin paced me through the counter-current for the final two kilometers. At the finish in Gilleleje I had my mother and my business partner Janne waiting to welcome me back on shore. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my team? ❤

The day was all very idyllic and I enjoyed every single bit of it. I was so happy and high on endorphins that I actually managed to refrain from murder! (I can tell those anger management classes are paying off!) I had barely recovered from my swim when I met this guy on the beach whose only question was “How fast did you swim per kilometer? What is your best pool time?”. Who in the name of Neptune gives a shit about my speed in the pool when I’ve just completed my very first marathon swim? What about asking relevant questions instead, like: “How did it go? How do you feel? What are your first impressions?” Whatever… Judging by the look in Martin‘s eyes I could tell he was thinking “Oh no, please! Not another dead body to bury in our backyard!”. After 15 years of companionship the man knows me very well. I don’t have much respect for numbers-fixated idiots and their inferiority complex in general (remember this post?), but after hours of continuous work and focus at sea, I’m even more straightforward: say something intelligent or drop dead! Don’t even try to spoil my moment of joy and victory with your ridiculous numbers! Otherwise you’ll end up getting killed – and Agatha Christie won’t be around to write about you. 😉