You can't always choose your circumstances, but you can choose your attitude

This weekend, I will be doing my second triathlon and the first one with an open water swim. I signed up for the sprint triathlon at Coral Springs.

Then last week I got an email informing me that the location had changed to Chestermere lake. Now, no offense to anyone that loves it, but Chestermere isn't exactly known as a great swimming spot. People boat there. They don't swim. And a little bit of research and talking to people gave me the following impression of what to expect.

Really weedy. Swampy.

Yuck.

I chatted briefly with the manager of our local tri store and she said that people have been calling there to complain. (The tri store isn't running the race; they are just having package pickup there.)

So, I've considered it and I've considered my reasons for doing this race.

This is not an "a" race for me. I'm not tapering for it. I'm not trying to get a personal best. At the same time, it's not a pure fun race for me either. I'm doing this one as an experience race. I'm doing it because I feel the need to have an open water swim in a race prior to my September Oly. I'm focusing on execution and technique. As a small example, I'd like to run the correct way out of transition...

So, the swim might be swampy. Is that going to make it mentally tougher then the the swim I have in September which is known to be COLD? Maybe, but I doubt it. Despite my lack of experience with open water swimming, my first open water swim had lots of floaties and plants. It wasn't ideal, but I got through it and still enjoyed it.

Being the optimist, I'm assuming that I'll still have fun with the swim. And if I don't? Well, the swim is the shortest part of the triathlon. I'll get through it and nail the bike and run.

My only remaining concern is whether there are leaches in that lake? Anyone know? Should I have a salt shaker in transition just in case?