How Hard do you pull during the swim?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello everyone, I’m a relatively new triathlete (mostly running and biking background), and have signed up for a sprint in 2 weeks with a 600 yd swim. I’ve been to the pool a few times/month this year, but not enough to get really comfortable yet. Nonetheless, I’m planning on going everyday for the next 2 weeks in preparation for this race.

So here’s the deal:
When I swim, I usually swim 50-100yds at a time, then feel like I need to rest ~30 seconds before resuming. I’ve never swam more than 200 yds without some sort of break. I’m trying to completely relax my body so I can swim longer, and feel that I may be exerting way too much energy trying to move through the water. So, my question is: how hard should you pull each stroke during the swim? Should I not pull so hard and reserve more energy?

Also, any advice on the best ways to spend these next 2 weeks of swimming prior to the race? drills, longer sets, reps, etc?

Thanks

2

Is this an open water swim or a pool swim? If pool, then ignore what I am about to say.

I don’t want to scare you, but you really need to make sure you can swim at least 600 yards without stopping. There have been a few triathlons recently where people have drowned. In one case it was discovered afterwards that they guy had never been able to complete the distance on his own before, without stopping. There is no wall in the lake. Don’t rely upon having a lifeguard paddle board your can hang onto. Don’t rely on your wetsuit (if you have one and if it is allowed) to float you.

I would suggest waiting a few minutes after the race start before you start the swim. The start can be quite chaotic. The swim is absolutely a barrier to entry for triathlon. If you can’t complete the swim, then you can’t do a triathlon! Pretty simple, yet this gets overlooked way too often. If you can’t swim 1000 yards in a pool without stopping before race day, then I would seriously suggest not starting. It is not worth drowning for. Train Safe!

3

Try swimming a little slower and with minimal kick, but try to extend your length. Kicking too hard will fatigue you and make you out of breath faster than about anything.

4

First off, I suggest buckling down and doing a few swims where you go 600 yds straight without a break. Go as slow as you need to to make it. It will do wonders for you confidence. If you can’t do it, think about what you’re going to do in the middle of a lake when you can’t swim anymore ;-). Seriously, if you can swim 100s and 200s, you can go 600 yds straight, its just a question of will.

As for how hard to pull, that’s a tough question. Once you get really good at swimming, you can go pretty fast with what feels like almost no effort. This comes from 2 things, good stroke mechanics (and conditioning) and low drag acheived through good body position. 2 weeks is too short to develop these skills but generally speaking, your on the right track by trying to relax. At this point you should do some work on seeing how lightly you can pull, rather than working on pulling harder. I suggest doing some swims where you go very slow. Just get comfortable in the water. The most basic trick to swimming well is getting to a point where you are putting virtually no energy or conscious thought into basic body postioning. Once you get so you can just be totally comforable in the water when you are not moving, it gets quite a bit easier to swim.

As for what to do over the next 2 weeks, just keep swimming, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.

5

I have only done one Oly, and so I certainly don’t have the depth of experience that these guys do, but I completely agree with this. When I started swimming to get ready for my tri, what I discovered was that it is all about rhythm…Once you get into a nice sustainable rhythm (albeit mine is slow) I feel like I could swim for many, many miles. I don’t want to scare you, but I swam 1500 meters multiple times in the pool, and in the open water it felt a LOT longer. Plus all the people around you can make it kinda scary. I didn’t freak out or anything, but it was definitely different. I would suggest slowing way down, and pulling lighter, and focusing on rhythm and distance over the next two weeks. DON’T worry about speed until you can do the distance easily. That’s my .02 cents, although I am hardly an expert swimmer.

6

Two weeks isn’t enough to become a fish. Two years, maybe, if you swam at least 3 times a week. So at this point you’re in “just get through it” mode. Flanagan’s right–safety first, don’t do it if you’re really not up to it. Having said that, there are a few things you can try which might help.

As mentioned above, don’t focus on the kick. I’d suggest trying a pull buoy, a foam thing you put between your legs which helps keep your body flat in the water. Don’t kick while using the pull buoy, and focus on long easy strokes. You’ll actually go faster by swimming efficiently rather than harder.

Extend and stretch when your hand goes into the water, like picking an apple you have to reach for. Hand should be out in front when it goes in, not crossing over your head-to-toe centerline with bent elbow. Pull with fingers together, hand under your body not out to the side. Extend fully before your hand comes out of the water.

Develop “water feel” and a good streamline position by doing some push offs–push off the wall and see how far you can go underwater. Hands above your head, stretch, point the toes. Ok, there’s no wall to push off in an open water swim but this really helps beginner swimmers, imho.

Do 600 or more yards in the pool without stopping at least a couple times before the race. It’s not like running, where “if you can do a half in practice, you can go the distance in the race.” You gotta be able to do it in practice.

Race day, make sure you’re at the back and of the wave and off to the side. Don’t start near the front thinking you need all the extra time you can get. You’ll get run over. Some races let beginners use those noodle deals, and/or have a special color swim cap so the lifeguards can keep en eye on you.

Longer term, keep with it. Do a clinic or take a class to work on technique. Swim a few times every week if you can. Just doing the yards will help, but technique is everything.

Good luck and have fun!

7

Although I can’t see your stroke, it sounds to me as if you’re trying to muscle your way through the water (i.e. pulling) which is usually how first-time swimmers treat swimming. I highly recommend finding a masters group to swim with, or get some sort of instruction to help improve your stroke mechanics. You shouldn’t feel like you are pulling your way through the water, it should feel more like extending your arm and gliding, then with some emphasis on pulling. If 100 yards is kicking your butt, going to 600 is quite a jump.

If you do decide to go forward with this race, be prepared to roll over on your back and just kick easy so you can catch your breathe, stay relaxed, and keep making some progress. If there are other waves starting behind you, be prepared for the possibility that you are swimming along, trying to do your own thing, then WHAM, you’re being swum over by the next pack of rabid triathletes. Now, if you’re completely spent, and are having trouble staying afloat, you’re out in the middle of the lake, and people are running you over, are you prepared to handle that situation? Not trying to scare you, but I would never knowingly let someone do a race who has trouble completing 600 yards straight.

8

Seems to me I remember Doug Stern talking about more of a slow pull though the water. A fast pull would seem to slip more water and be counter-productive unless you have great form.

I miss Doug on these kind of discussions.

9

I really appreciate all of the feedback. As for the race, it isn’t a mass start, each swimmer begins 3-5 seconds apart (based on your swim time). I put down an 12:30 estimate on the entry form. So at least the swim will be less chaotic. It is however in a lake, although I’ve been told that you can pretty much touch bottom the entire time. And to clarify, I’m fine if I roll over on my back for a while to catch my breath, it’s just that I usually don’t sustain freestyle for more than 200 yds.

And I do realize that I won’t be a fish in 2 weeks, I just hope to get through the swim without totally blowing up. I will continue to swim everyday to see if I can increase the distance. Swimming 600 yds nonstop would be a big confidence booster going into the race. Keep the suggestions coming!

10

If you get stuck in the middle of the lake and have to wait for a life guard, just remember this: The difference between someone who can keep themselves alive in survival situation for 6 hours and someone who drowns in 3 minutes is that the first guy is relaxed and expending almost no engery just keeping is lower lip out of the water when he needs to breath while the dead guy spend the last few minutes of his life trying with all his might to keep his whole head and neck out of the water :wink:
.

11

How do you exhale…through your mouth or nose? If it’s through your mouth, try exhaling through your nose instead. It sounds simple, but I’ve seen it work for many people (myself included) who have trouble going any length without losing their breath. It seems to relax you & helps you exhale fully. I just had a friend try it this weekend who was having the same problem & she was “amazed” at the difference in the length she could go without feeling short of breath.

12

Today I had a MAJOR Breakthrough. I swam 600 yds without stopping!! Thanks to STP who said “if you can swim 100s and 200s, you can go 600 yds straight, its just a question of will”. Well, he was right. Seems like I always stopped at 100 yds because that was all that I had ever done. Well today, I just started nice and slow, staying relaxed, with the goal of swimming 400. After a few laps, it seemed like I found a rhythm that I had never had before. Once I got to 400, I said, Hell, let’s see if I can get the whole 600, and I did. The funny thing is that I was no more out of breath on the last lap than I was the 2nd lap. Having done this, I have SO much more confidence that I’ll do just fine at the race. (may not be fast, but at least I’ll get through it).

For others in my situation, what seemed to work for me was concentrating on totally relaxing, and really stretching out in front. I tried to focus more on the reach than the pull. And I threw my watch in the bag, only focusing on swimming the distance, no matter how long it took.

Thanks again for everyone’s support. I plan to keep swimming everyday until my race. Now that I’ve broken the mental barrier, I may try for 800-1000 yds nonstop!

13

Good job!

Just turtle your way through the swim…nice & easy, relaxed pace.

Those “time trial” swim starts are good in that you don’t have to fight your way INTO the water, but be advised, you’re going to be having all kinds of people flying past you once you’re out there. Just let them go by. If they bump into you, or you feel them on your feet, DON’T STOP SWIMMING. Just ease off on your kick until they go by. Stay relaxed, stay smooth.

Once you’re out of the water, you can go crush them on the bike & run!

Have a great race! Let us know how you did!

Take care,

Brian

14

Consider testing your 1000 yrd swim time once every 4 to 6 weeks…

15

Congrats. That is awesome! I was really worried before I read this post. Keep going to the pool every day from now until then.

16

Congrats man, like I said above, Rhythm is everything…at least for me…of course mine is pretty slow, but I’m working on that.