Phobia.

You've heard of "Snakes on a Plane" right? Well how about "Sharks in a British Lake"?



Holly and I, in preparation for our attempt at a Sprint Triathlon on July 6th, decided it would be a good idea to try an open water swim just to get ready for the big day. We arrived at the lake, squeezed into our wet suits (mine is a MENS size M-L--so its less of a sqeeze than an attempt to zip the suit and pray that it doesnt fall off) and dipped our toes tenderly into the frigid water (at which point Holly yells out "Bleep-bleep the water is bleeping bleep).



I was pumped; our pool workout sessions have been going well (minus the frequent spotting of old men wearing speedos) and I thought that I was ready for the lake. Well, I was wrong. Holly took off and started swimming in her methodical, paced swim. I put my head in the water, stroked twice and immediately had an anxiety attack. You see, one of my biggest fears is being in murky water--and an even bigger fear (thanks to a babysitter letting me watch Jaws when I was 6) is being bitten by a shark or any other sea creature while in said murky water. Now, I tend to think that I am a fairly intelligent person and I generally understand the fact that you probably have a greater chance of spontaneously turning into the opposite sex versus getting bitten by a shark in a cold man-made British lake. That fact being known, I couldve sworn that I saw a "Jaw's" shaped creature swimming beneath me the entire time I had my head under the water.



Holly was a saint the entire swim...stopping frequently to make sure that I was wasnt waving my arms and requesting the kayakers to pick me up. I am adopting Holly's swimming mantra of "Don't panic, don't panic" while I swim from now on. By the end of our open water swim, I was able to keep my head under water more frequently without freaking out entirely. My goal for the triathlon is to swim free-style at least 75% of the time (I prefer to breast stroke so that I don't have to look down into the murky water). This is a lofty goal considering the fact that I will be 1) overcoming a HUGE phobia, 2) Completing my first competitive open water swim in my first triathlon and 3) checking the surface of the water for jaw's fin every 5 seconds.



July 6th should be interesting. In addition to the inherent risk of a shark attack, I may also be kicked in the face and splashed upon by my fellow competitors while trying to get over my shark/murky water phobia.



7 days and counting...

Sometimes I wonder...

Considering that it is June 26, 2008 and that my first and only blog (EVER) was in Sept 2007; I am wondering about my committment to this whole blog thing.

Here goes my attempt at a blog.

1. Sometimes I wonder why I like to clean so much. It used to be that I actually enjoyed the cleaning process (dusting, vacuuming, organizing etc.). The cleaning process has become monotonous, but the end result is still fantastic! A clean, clutterless house. Unlike my clutter-filled jumble life! Today I was cleaning and found 3 spiderwebs in random corners in my house. Sucking those webs up with my dyson made me a little happier than it should have...I think the joy of cleaning is returning to my life. (thanks for the OCD mom!).

2. Sometimes I wonder why I signed up for a triathlon. It seemed like an amazing idea considering the fact that its been a goal of mine for years. The training has actually been pretty fun, if not extremely painful (I am a glutton for pain and an endorphin junkie!). I talked Holly into doing the triathlon with me..now she has to talk me into still wanting to do it! We did a 16 1/2 mile bike ride today...and I feel like I have been hit by a semi-truck. The triathlon is July 6th...so the countdown has begun...I just hope that I am not the last person crossing the finish line!

3. Sometimes I wonder when I will be done with school. I thought I was done in 2006 when I got my MSPT. Now I find myself enrolled in the DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) program at SImmons College. I figure I will have a lot of time on my hands while Jonathan is away in the desert protecting the U.S.A. for a couple of months, and what better way to spend the time than to go back to school! Yikes. I hope I am up for the challenge...we'll see what happens.

Thats all I am wondering about right now...mostly because my life is jumbled in England and its hard to figure out what to focus on each day. You would think that not working full time would mean that I could be more focused on other aspects of my life--maybe organizing the 10+ years of pictures that need to be put in albums, keeping in touch with close and long-lost friends, or maybe even just figuring out what exactly I want to do when I grow up. But, NO; Holly (a friend I have here in the UK) and I have decided that instead of this organized, task-oriented/focused life that we should be leading we are instead entrapped in a "Jumble Life".

Speaking of jumble...Ive just jumbled myself into another LONG blog. I'm done, enough jumbling. Maybe I'll post another blog in December. Don't hold your breath waiting...