I'm scared and anxious. The Biathlon is finished and my knees are still hurting a little. The ocean is unpredictable. Last time, the waves were big. I'll deal with the swim but I never paddled on a surfboard before. I thought you lie on your stomach but someone told me that I should be on my knees. Are my knees gonna hold out?
I don't even have a clue as to how to get the surfboard out (passing the waves). I called up and asked for advice on how to paddle and was told that 1/2 mile of paddling was a lot especially for a first time and that I should consider relay.
I almost drowned! Never before in all my life swimming in the ocean or pool, have I ever felt this way.
The swim portion went ok (a little hard but ok). I finished the swim in ~ 12 minutes. I then went to get the surfboard. Getting in the ocean was NOT easy but I did it. Paddling was hard but I did it. I went to the 1/2 way point and headed back. At some point the weather got real bad. It was raining and you can hear thunder and see some lightening. Suddenly, I got hit by a rogue wave and went under. I actually touched bottom and lost the board. As I came back up, I got hit by another wave and again went under. I finally came back up and got ready for the next onslaught. The board was on the beach and I fought the waves back to shore. I got my board but could not get back in. The waves were too rough. I tried 5 times and finally gave up. I was also too close to the jetty and the lifeguards kept waving me off. Finally I carried the board back to the transition area and ran.
I left there exhausted.