4k in Loch Ken


 It has taken a while for me to post about the Loch Ken 4k.  There were 14 of us doing it.  The other 13 finished in under 2 hours. I took almost 3 hours.  I am not normally that slow, although I am slow.  Usually 1mph/1.6kph minimum and I had been doing 1.3mph before the event.  

I had checked beforehand and been assured that being slow didn't matter. And usually I would not bother.  Most events have a larger and more diverse field.  I have entered others such as the Kessock Ferry,  the Great North and the Loch Ken 2k and been in the middle of the field, if thats the right word.  



However, at the 2 hour mark I ran out of energy and did the rest on empty.  I had water and a snack with me but couldn't seem to stop and eat them because I was so far behind the others.  I did not enjoy the swim - but no way was I getting out without finishing it.  So I plodded on and well, I did it.   


After a couple of days feeling weird about it, the satisfaction and sense of achievement crept in.  And also a bit of disappointment that slower people don't feel they can enter longer events.  How I would love it if there were slow swim events in Scotland, where you actually got disqualified for going too fast! 

Lessons learned:

I still felt amazing afterwards

I could eat as much as I liked afterwards and peanut butter cups are very yummy. 

However they don't do well in the water if the plastic bag leaks!

I really didn't train enough

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