I’m up at 0400 worrying about the MIT (Miami International Triathlon) which in less than two weeks. It has a .9 mile swim. I’ve looked at the start times and realized that as an old guy that all the younger guys start after my age group. Great.
A headstart perhaps but I’m a pretty weak swimmer and worse yet I’ve found out that swimming in the open water is a lot different than swimming in the pool. The bottom line is that I’m going to be pretty much going to be toast in the water and I will be passed by the faster swimmers - and maybe a bunch of slower ones too - in several of the following waves?
What can I do to avoid being swam over? I know to be on the outside of the course but I’m not looking to make the swim a whole lot longer than I have to and there is always the action at the turns anyway. A white flag? A floating peace sign? A school of unfriendly sharks? Well hopefully they will be at least friendly to me. Where I can hire such a school?
Any thoughts short of throwing in the towel or sneaking in fins would be appreciated.
well being faced with being a fast swimmer and often starting late, it’s rare when I actually swim over someone.
Usually I can see the bubbles coming off their feet, swim up to their feet then pass them with out swimming over them.
Just keep swimming 94% of the time they will swim around you.
Don’t be affraid. Yes, in a triathlon some people will hit you in the water but they try to avoid it. Most hits won’t be hard or painfull, but you might get scared of it. It feels more serious then it is. Best advice is to ALWAYS keep swimming crawl. Keep swimming at all times, no matter what happens around you. If you stop swimming people wont see you so you get hit more often. If you start swimming breaststroke you get much harder to pass. Let them pass you, they will try to avoid hitting you too serious. It is also not in the interest of the fast swimmers to swim over someone. But it might happen. In that case: keep swimming crawl immediately afterwards instead of looking around, taking time to breath extra or whatever some people do after it happened. Good luck, have a nice race.
Try to avoid the center channel where there is the most chaos. At IMFL I swam on the inside of the buoys only swimming around the outside of the corner ones thus staying legal and avoiding the mayhem. As a faster swimmer the only time i have to resort to getting in close proximity is when someone is breast stroking, treading water in the center lane or bunching up…otherwise I use the bubbles as a marker and slide by on the inside BECAUSE getting close means I also stand a very good chance of getting hurt myself.
Just follow the etiquette and be courteous at all times…you will be just fine!
Piling on here. You’ll be fine as long as you keep swimming and don’t do anything unpredictable. The people who could hurt you if they hit you (the fast guys) won’t because they are skilled enough to avoid slower folks: it’s not in their best interest to run into anyone or anything.
(coming from one who has overtaken entire previous waves without damage to myself or others)
Im with you literally. I have the same race and I just posted about my terrible first swim. Where are you located? We need to get together in some calm open water and iron out our problems.
Im going out this weekend by myself to either Key Biscayne or Boca to get over my issues.
Agree with keep swimming, no matter what. Generally, unless you sit really low in the water, you won’t get swum over. I am also slow but find that if I keep moving and rotate to face the passing swimmer when I breathe, it’s easy to avoid getting clobbered. Also, stay relaxed as they go by. Most contact will simply push you away from them. It’s also easier if you are unsure of yourself to take a longer line as the fast swimmers will go for the shortest route, eg tight to the buoys. By going out a little way you can avoid getting hit.
Most contact is unintentional although I had one younger faster guy tee off on my Seal Mask to take the line closer to the turn around buoy. Good thing I was wearing that and not eye sockets which probably would have imbeded. Bottom line, relax, keep swimming, stay loose. Good luck, you’ll do fine.
I would stay out of the inside or center channel (inside being the “side” closest to the buoy turn, where things can get pinched). Also, really try to avoid breaststroke. You are a much wider target with those frog legs everywhere (arms too), and you can do as much damage to someone else not expecting a hit from a wide angle kick, as you can be the receipient of when occupying a lot more real estate when doing that stroke.
Stay as far away from the markers buoys, all the faster swimmers take the shortest distance (makes sense) but have little regard for slow swimmers. Yes your swim will be a little longer and will not get the benefit of the draft but you are safer and will have a better race, less fatigued and have no one swimming over you are pushing your legs down which often happens. It may be a wet suit swim which helps a great deal. Don’t worry about the swim you’ll catch them on the bike and run.
I’m up at 0400 worrying about the MIT (Miami International Triathlon) which in less than two weeks. It has a .9 mile swim. I’ve looked at the start times and realized that as an old guy that all the younger guys start after my age group. Great.
A headstart perhaps but I’m a pretty weak swimmer and worse yet I’ve found out that swimming in the open water is a lot different than swimming in the pool. The bottom line is that I’m going to be pretty much going to be toast in the water and I will be passed by the faster swimmers - and maybe a bunch of slower ones too - in several of the following waves?
What can I do to avoid being swam over? I know to be on the outside of the course but I’m not looking to make the swim a whole lot longer than I have to and there is always the action at the turns anyway. A white flag? A floating peace sign? A school of unfriendly sharks? Well hopefully they will be at least friendly to me. Where I can hire such a school?
Any thoughts short of throwing in the towel or sneaking in fins would be appreciated.
Piling on here. You’ll be fine as long as you keep swimming and don’t do anything unpredictable.
Be predictable is pretty much the key. And related to that, try your best to keep a straight line. The people overtaking you want to be able to plan a little so they can get around you with least effort.
Also, if you need a break from front crawl/freestyle for a few seconds, backstroke works a lot better than short axis strokes.
stay away from others as much as possible, keep a straight line that is predictable, if you are slower then don’t get in the way of faster swimmers, and position yourself so that you can do your pace uninterrupted or without interrupting the path of others. That way you can swim stress free!
I’m a weaker swimmer,too and sometimes race open which means I start first. So the next group of swimmers always pass me. The better faster swimmers are going to go around you. They will see you and it is faster for them to go around you than swim over you.
Now you may caught up is a few people, but they are going to be the weaker swimmers. Start to the far right and avoid the starting near the buoys. Look at the course. Depending on the course layout, it maybe short swimmer to the buoy and not hugging the buoys. (hopes this makes sense, but sometimes by starting to the outide and swimming straight to the first turn buoy - you maybe swimmer a shorter distance)
I’ve proabably done over 70 triathlons and recall two swims where I had a person to swim over me. Several more where cluttered at the beginning and at turns, but relax and enjoy the swim. I have run into several people on the swim, but it is usually because the person stops in the water and I was not seeing bubbles. And this happend at a lake that was really dark and murky as you had issues seeing your own hand in the water. (you should have clear water in Miami) It is usally going to be the slower swimmers who can sight as well running into someone.
Have fun and good luck. Relax. Don’t fear having someone swim over you. Just relax if someone runs into you. Race you will have fun and don’t become a FINMAN. Ary you wearing a wetsuit?
Its no different than what you would do on the bike - hold you line (ie swim straight) and be predictable (ie swim straight). I usually catch the wave in front of me. The only time I’ve hit someone is when they were either swimming way off course and crossed my path such that I was on them before I even saw them or someone is weaving around and swerves into me as I’m going past.
If you do get into a scrum you are probably only a few feet from open water so keep you wits about you, keep thinking and look around. I have alot of exprience passing slower folks and its really shocking how often I end up going past isolated small groups of swimmers who are beating the crap out of each other yet there is plenty of room for them to spread out.
There are certainly many tris were the swim is so crowded you are going to end up getting touched but a whole lot of triathlon swim demolition derby is really just isolated groups of 5 or so guys fighting to occupy exactly the same spot on the lake for no reason other then they are too juiced up to actually look around for clear water.
Do they have a “first timers” option where you can go in the last wave? I know they have that around here so anyone who is apprehensive about the swim can go last and the lifeguards keep a good eye on them.
Good luck!!
Mark
Im with you literally. I have the same race and I just posted about my terrible first swim. Where are you located? We need to get together in some calm open water and iron out our problems.
Im going out this weekend by myself to either Key Biscayne or Boca to get over my issues.
Dave
Hi Dave
The Hammerheads (South Florida Triathletes) are doing an open water swim this Saturday at 0630 followed up by a 20-25 mile bike ride and a 5 to 6 mile run in preparation for the MIT. The swim is at Hobie Beach on the way to Key Biscayne which is on the right side right after you go over the big bridge. I tend to wear a bright yellow cap so that they can find the body so I’m pretty easy to spot. After the brick we’re all going to a healthy breakfast. We call it a Brick Fast. We would be honored to have you join us.
Thanks to everyone for their comments and thoughts. I will be using a wetsuit but I think I may go with my sleeveless rather than my full and that might help as I was getting hot in the full and I was kinda of woozy getting out of the water.
Keep in mind that if you are worried about being run over from a later starting heat that accidents can happen. In my last race of the season I caught a VERY slow swimmer from a couple of heats ahead of me. He was so low in the water and was moving so slowly I never saw him and the next thing I know I’m right on top of him with no time to avoid him. No bubbles, no splash, no chance. I should have stopped to apologize but I was too caught up in the race. I’ve always felt bad about it. He was on the shortest line to the next buoy.
Im backing up what everyone else is saying, just keep swimming. You might have some people swim by you close but odds are you will be left alone and as for the start just hang back and give everyone else 10 seconds to get started. The start of the swim is the most violent and chaotic part.
And for the love of Mark Allen, please do not frog kick.
