Raleigh RIC - 2nd Open-Sea Training!

The smell of the sea, fine sand that slip between our toes, vibrant sunshine that fills the atmosphere with a hint of excitement, the setting seemed all too familiar for us.

It was the second open-sea training for us Round-Island Challengers and this time we went the distance and took on swim courses ranging from 2 to 6 kilometers. For a newbie like myself, I must confess I did have my concerns as I looked upon the vast piece of blue that lied ahead of me.

But after a group warm-up session and a couple of words of encouragement from my friends, I was ready to hit the sea. So as the officials flagged us off, my fellow teammates and I headed towards the open sea and hit full throttle, kick starting a course that consisted of 5 buoys set 250 meters apart.  

Just a few meters into the swim, I realized that I was heading in the wrong direction. No matter how I swam, it just seemed impossible for me to swim straight in the sea.

As I soldiered along at a pace that was painfully slow, correcting my swim path every minute or so, I soon found a rhythm to my stroke, which helped clear my mind. I forgot all about the aches in my body, the revolting taste of sea water and the hot sun that was burning my neck. 

I had one goal in mind, and I had gotten too far to give up.

An hour after flag off, I passed the finish line, filled with an unbelievable sense of relief and also sand, in my trunks that is. Then it hit me. I have actually done something I've never tried before, and succeeded at doing it. Wow.

With that, I believe all of us alligators gained a certain level of confidence, making sure that we are REALLY prepare to take on Perhentian Island.

48 days to go! Swim on alligators!

Prepared by: Liow En De