Alright so I know I’m probably not gonna drown, but I am completely brand new to swimming and training for a tri in beginning of may. It’s a 700 meter swim, and considering I can swim that total in one workout with A LOT of breaks I’m getting a little worried. Any tips on improving my swimming in time? I know I’m gonna need to do at least one open water swim beforehand just to see what it’s like, but I’m seriously in need of ANY advice(preferable good advice) haha.
Thanks, Daniel
Swim lots and get confident with the distance.
On race day, let the big boys fight it out while you start off to the side and casually jog into the water. Ease into it and pick up the pace once you get a little confidence.
That being said, if you are really nervous, grab a noodle and enter the NYC tri…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oObelwk8WAI
Brad
When I decided I wanted to get into triathlon I actually dropped the $$ to pay for swim lessons- it was worth it. Best of luck!
Seems lik a few people didn’t make the swim last year
B carefull, it’s no game
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Sorry, but I for one would discourage anyone who can not swim the race distance plus 25% extra with no ‘breaks’ from starting the race. Hopefully you have a few weeks to get there before your race. My advice is that if you are not completely ready to do the swim portion, switch to the duathlon and keep working on the swim. There will always be more future races.
Too many newcomers to the sport approach it as something to check mark off a ‘bucket-list’. In my opinion, simply completing a triathlon is not that difficult of an accomplishment (even an Ironman is do-able by just about any able-bodied person, IMHO) but completing the race in a safe, controlled and at least mildly competitive manner is a more appropriate goal.
Check out the “Total Immersion” methodology of swimming. It a very popular program with novice triathlon swimmers and is very effective at getting people competent at swimming long distance (though not necessarily very fast). The book and/or DVD are quite affordable and there is also some youtube material. Best of luck in your training.
I think I mentioned I have till May to train, and I’ve poked around a bit on the subject and heard a bit about total immersion. Would you happen to know the cost, or what specifics they go over? I ask because I’m a college student on a budget, so yeah…
I think ths it is definitely doable considering the time you have especially if you are in shape. First thing I would do is learn how to float. This is so you can pace yourself and take your time without expending energy. Watch some YouTube videos on swimming and good form. Get the total immersion DVD off of Amazon. The book is okay but the DVD will actually show you what you should be doing. If you can’t do the full distance and still have some energy left the duathlon
idea is a good one.
I am no expert, but I was in the same situation for my first tri. I think you have enough time to prepare. My advice is to focus only on your breathing to begin with. Once you can breathe comfortably the distance should be no problem. Make sure you are exhaling while your face is in the water and rotate your body to get a breathe. Practice lots! Good luck.
Have you swm 100yrds straight? If so, what is your time?
Yeah I have definately noticed that breathing has become easier with each consecutive time, now it’s more so me getting fatigued after about a 100m or so. Also I have swam 100m straight, but I have not timed it ever before. If I had to guess somewhere around 2min plus or minus like 20 seconds.
Also I’m swimming only twice a week, for about 30 min sessions. Should I be swimming more or will this be enough?
Well if you race is in May, you’ll be fine as long as you work on it.
I honestly think it’s nearly impossible to drown in a wetsuit outside of a medical issue like a heart attack, asthma attack, or possibly a very severe panic attack. It’s so buoyant that a male can stay afloat with almost no kicking in a standing position that normally would require a lot of treading.
I also disagree with most of the common sentiment that you should be “OWS trained-prepared” before your first tri. Not saying you should willingly NOT prepare, but the reality is that for the vast majority of people, doing a real OWS is WAYYY safer in a triathlon with their lifeguard and safety kayaks than it is doing it even with a club.
In every OWS swim I did with 3 tri clubs in Socal, I was essentially on my own after 2 minutes in the water. Beginners are NOT good enough to keep track of each other or pace to stay in each other’s vicinity in case anything goes wrong. If anything had happened to me, I guarantee it would have taken at least 5 minutes for the nearest swimmer to get to me, and the much more realistic situation is that nobody would have noticed until way too late. In contrast, I had a kayak on my tail the entire 2nd half of my first tri where I swam a ridiculously slow 3min/100 due to an improperly sized wetsuit (that was tested beforehand and professionally fitted.)
May should be plenty of time to get comfortable with swimming. Swimming distance ability does not come like running distance - you don’t progress linearly. You’ll struggle for a while and then one day you’ll fix something and BOOM - you’ll be swimming 1000m with little effort (getting speed is a different animal).
TI courses are expensive. The book and/or DVD are cheap and will get you most of what you need. http://www.amazon.com/Triathlon-Swimming-Made-Easy-Open-Water/dp/1931009074
Swim lots and keep on trying to up your yardage passed your 700 meter goal race.
I was in a similar spot back in 2009 before I did my first tri. Could barely swim 75M…and I thought “there is no way I’ll get to 750M.” But as others noted, you just gotta keep plugging away to get the fitness.
What I found useful was to do an occasional length breaststroke, catch my breath and recover a bit, and then resume freestyle. Repeat as necessary. I started by doing alternate lengths…25 FS, 25 breaststroke. After a week or so, I would eliminate some of the breast stroke lengths. 50M FS, 25M breaststroke. And keep going in that direction, slowly eliminating your breaststroke lengths. Work your way up to 500M, then 700M, then 1000M. I also found that it took me 200M or so to get into a comfortable rythym. But you have the time to do it…just get in the pool and make it happen.
I still suck at swimming…but I am getting better. I have done a lot more swimming this year and I am beginning to see improvements. I took the advice here on ST and have spent a lot of time using a pull buoy this year and it does seem to be making a difference. I would suggest that as another option to boost your distance in the pool. But don’t get dependent on it. Use it to help build your fitness, but you are gonna also have to learn to swim the distance w/o it at some point.
Also I’m swimming only twice a week, for about 30 min sessions. Should I be swimming more or will this be enough?
Depending on the quality of your workouts, but if they continue to be like you said in your first post and you’re only getting 700m in one workout with a lot of breaks, then you’re going to have to swim more than that.
I am no fish (actually a pretty crappy swimmer, but comfortable in the water for any distance).
Keep swimming but try to not swim “poorly”.
Count how may strokes it takes you to swim 25 yards. Try to reduce that number by a few strokes. In you are in the 18-21 range, you are like most “average triathlete swimmers”. Real swimmers will be 16 or below.
When I first started out and had a lesson, the instructor told me that I looked like I was trying to “run while I was swimming” (Ie - fast, short strokes). That is not good.
Someone on here once said this relative to swimming: “Fast is smooth. Smooth is slow” or something like that.
The “real swimmers” on here may tell you differently, but after you warm up (some drills of 25s or 50s), do your main set as sets of 100’s. The first time you do it, give yourself a decent rest (20-30 seconds), then repeat 100s until you do about 1,000 yards. If you need more rest, then do 5x100 then take a long rest. Then do 5x100 again. Then cool down for a few laps.
Each week, reduce your rest time. In mid-March, try to swim 500 straight. (after your warm up). Try not to rest on the wall. If you need a rest, mix in a few breastrokes or sidestrokes (hell, even turnover on your back and backfloat for a few).
Try to get in the pool at least 3x a week (more is better).
AND BY ALL MEANS - If you are planning to wear a wetsuit, get a little practice time in it. Pool, open water, bathtub - Whatever. The first time in a wetsuit should not be 20 minutes before your race starts.
Dear tridam,
I’ve read your post and I feel your pain. I am a non swimmer working on my 3rd season of reformation.
My 1st TRI was a 300m OWS, I’m not sure I ever recovered the rest of the race but I did it.
My next TRI was a pool tri. At the end of my first season I tried a 750m OWS. I literally swam at least 1500m but I finished. I used to swim very crooked with no constant form or rythm.
Okay so you swim 100m in 2:20. My advice is simple, slow the hell down so you don’t need all the breaks. Yes read TI or watch the videos and learn to float! Floating gives you a safe way to just chill if something goes wrong. It also helps you learn body rotation and breath control. If you can’t float, you will never be able to tweak other things wrong with your form. My swim coach now has me working on stroke timing and is fine tuning my kick. I’m still slow but I’m very efficient now and swimming is just a warmup for me. I’ll get faster soon, but I’ve been working on it a lot longer.
Your TRI is in May and you need to finish 700m… you need to swim 2 or 3 times a week for one hour, not 30 min. You need to get where you can swim 1000m in a pool without taking a break. At 2:20 you are likely taxing your aerobic system with bad form. Work on your form (floating perfectly horizontal) and swim slower. If you have to swim fast to swim, then you have bad form. You should be able to float across the pool at whatever speed you choose. Another thing to consider is the guys at findingfreestyle. They will coach you via video and help out a lot. Their program is geared more towards stroke timing and less towards floating / body position like TI, which is why you may want to consider both.
You can do it, but you need to work at it a lot. I’d bike and run less and swim more in your situation.
My goal is to complete a half ironman this season (not set any records). I joined a local club with masters swim classes and am getting my butt kicked by them 3 hours a week. It will ultimately make me a much more competent swimmer. I’m just hoping to be a swimmer and stop being a thrasher in the water.
Every open water triathlon I do some inexperienced swimmer takes off way too fast out of the gate and quits. Don’t be that guy. I’m not fast so I start to one side in the back of my wave and swim my pace… slow and steady. I usually end up passing a few people towards the end and of course all the people that hang onto the kayaks or call it quits. In my last OWS tri I actually was in the middle of my AG for the swim. You can get a lot better in a short time if you focus on the right things. I would highly recommend an OWS clinic near you for triathlons if you can find it. Knowing how to react when you get kicked, hit or have your goggles knocked off can be a huge life saver too. It is important to know these techniques too in order to manage your 700m swim.
I’m staring a 1500m OWS in the face in early June and it still scares me a bit. I can swim that distance in a pool easy, but I haven’t done it in open water yet while other people are trying to beat you… or just plain beat you in some cases.
I would strongly consider all of the above as time, finances and your situation allows.
I was in a similar boat (bad pun intended) last year.
Download the “Mr. Smooth” freestyle stroke demonstration from swimsmooth.com. Watch it, embrace how cool and comfortable Mr. Smooth looks in the water. When you go swim training, start with a smaller sized pool like a 20-25metre pool so it’s not so daunting. Swim 1 length. Then chill and wait till you feel recovered and psyched to do another lap. Don’t worry about how far you swim, just make sure to spend 1 hour in the pool.Continue to build. Go to the pool at least 3 times a week and push yourself little by little. Don’t aim to double efforts each time you go to the pool, just build it bit by bit. Train by feel, but never feel lazy.Confidence will get you there in May. Build up your confidence by meeting small goals bit by bit and the fitness will follow. Finishing that race will mean something, so it is definately a great goal to invest time in.
Passion is universal. Many will be excited for you.
if you can’t swim this distance (+25-30%) in one workout in a pool without breaks do not race;
it is simply unfair to put this type of liability on the race director and his or her crew.