Going into this race I was still a terrible swimmer but against my better judgement I decided to swim. First 1.2 was tough but nothing like the way back. The way back I was doing 20 strokes and taking a break. I was cramping in both my legs and miserable. I was just happy to get out of the water in 1:53.
Hopped on the bike and decided to pick up the pace. Felt very good on the bike. Only issue was I had 3 bottles of EFS Mocha on the bike and Chocolate and PB Gu’s. After the second loop I couldn’t stomach the taste of chocolate anymore and switched to Perform. Ended up riding 5:26
Got to the run and felt low on energy but just kept moving. On the second loop I started to feel better. Sun went down on the middle of the second lap and I started to feel really good. The coke helped A LOT…yum!! I ended up running 3:53
Total time: 11:27. I was extremely happy as this was my first Ironman and only my second triathlon. I will not be doing another until I am a much better swimmer. I think with even an average swim and improving my run I could go in the 10’s without a problem. Easier said than done I know. Anyone that has done an IM is a badass, they are not easy!!
Original post:
Is it possible? Learn to swim 2.4 miles in 12 weeks. I signed up for IMAZ in November and cannot find the motivation to learn how to swim. I realize it sounds like a cop-out but I just haven’t been able to get my ass in gear. I have done a .25 swim once in a sprint triathlon. I don’t think I have anxiety problems in the water but just rather a lack of endurance due to lack of training. I hired a coach which starts next week and I will also be swimming with the local masters group. In my opinion my form is decent and I just need some direction but am I too late?
I’m confused, you entered a three event race, knowing you couldn’t do one of the events. Then you post to complain you can’t get motivated to learn the one thing you can’t do. The one event in which most inexperienced and even very experienced people have problems, sometimes they die.
well define “learn to swim”
I used to teach adult learn to swim and if you truly did not know how to, your anxiety would be too much to sign up, do even a short tri, or join a masters. Sounds like you are maybe exagerrating your lack of ability to actually swim.
You clearly are not starting from zero, so its hard to know exactly what to say, but yeah, even good swimmers have trouble here, so what really is your swim background?
I feel like my form is decent and my breathing is ok but I seem to get tired very quickly. I recently purchased swim smooth and have learned a lot from watching the videos but I feel like I’m not progressing and could be working smarter and not harder…which is why I am getting a coach. I recently did my first sprint tri which was very good for me because the weather conditions were less than desirable (20 mph winds on Lake Michigan) and I had no anxiety issues. I have no swim background and really just started swimming a month ago.
How can I improve my swim endurance. Does it stem from improper form or does it just take time, or both?
Okay spend as many days (i.e. days in a week, not necesarrily mileage) in the pool as possible. Learn to get comfortable in the water. Your on the right path with a masters group and coach. That will give you some motivation/accountability.
Do you plan on racing a triathlon again after IMAZ??
Okay spend as many days (i.e. days in a week, not necesarrily mileage) in the pool as possible. Learn to get comfortable in the water. Your on the right path with a masters group and coach. That will give you some motivation/accountability.
Do you plan on racing a triathlon again after IMAZ??
Yes I do. I planned on participating in quite a few races this year but things have changed. I moved for a job and thats when my motivation took a dive. The town I moved to has one pool with 4 lanes, making it difficult to even get in any swimming, which is one of the reasons I’m signing up for the masters group.
Well get open water experiance. Wait until the weather is bad and there is chop and wind, get off shore 2 miles in 40 ft deep water, jump in and head for shore. If that sounds like a bad idea and not safe then you are not ready, because you know, that could happen
The coach will help with this. I would say steady pace and allow enough rest between repeats, you are building fitness, strength and technique at the same time. With 12 weeks some swim oriented dryland may help as well. If you don’t make the cutoff any biking or running you do is useless. Try to maintain them as best you can.
build up your endurance first IMO. There’s no point being fast if you cant make the distance, you’re better off being slow but finishing. Once you can do the distance or preferably further in a pool as this helps compensate for open water in some respects, then worry about getting faster.
You’ve done a sprint so you know how to swim, so you just need to build up the mileage slowly. Like others have said, try to swim as many days in a week as possible. Even if its for short sessions, some water time every day is best, but of course try to get as much time as possible in the water.
You should be able to maintain pace for the duration so work out a compromise between slow and steady “i could do this all day” and out of breath. Ideally you want to go as hard as you can for the 2.4mi similarly as you would on the run - you don’t sprint but at the end of 26mi you want to say you couldn’t have gone harder. That is personal depending on your abilities so see what works for you.
If you also practice a few things like sighting, turning round buoys and if you feel you may struggle to maintain freestyle the whole way, practice rotating to backstroke on the fly as that can give you a bit of a break without having to stop completely.
When I learned it was for a triathlon, and I started doing 2 laps, then kept adding a lap each day until I hit the distance I needed, after that I tried a few stroke techniques and experimented a bit to get the most speed I could out of my body.
Talk to your coach and the others in the masters class also - they may contain a wealth of knowledge.
The goal at this point is to just keep moving forward…physically moving your body forward…get in the pool and so some 25s and some 50s…then do some 20min sets where you just keep moving up and down the pool without touching the bottom and light pushes off the wall…swim freestyle and once you get smoked do some old ladt breast stroke (head out of the water). doggy paddle…back stroke…whatever it takes to move up and down the pool…
Anything is possible, probably better to be comfortable finishing than try and go fast. Time in the water working longer sets at a comfortable pace. Long bike and run ahead of you after 2.4 miles of wondering if this was a bad idea?
Slow continuous crap will not help a newbie really improve. Do you see young kids learning to swim doing that? 25s and 50s first then 100s and 200s. The 400s and lots of them to improve total endurance. If buddy can do 12x 400 in week 11 he/she is ready, no need for a straight swim.
Do it not and they will have to fish you out of the water. A 2.4 mile swim is looooong.
So you can swim freestyle? Just no endurance, and I suspect your technique isn’t the best? That’s not bad. You’ll make it, if you work hard. Don’t skip workouts. Don’t be lazy.
Oh boy, hope you have a high pain tolerence, recently done your first sprint tri, .25 mile swim…12 weeks to an Ironman…I’ve heard worse, but this is close.
Find a stroke that works, don’t waste time trying other strokes, be honest with your new coach, and at the masters group, understand what you have got yourself into, no time for speed, just aim to finish …no motivation…Your family/friends will be following you, you don’t want to embarass them do you ?
Good luck…As I said I’ve heard worse, and other than one who didn’t finish the im swim 3 years in a row (this guy sank in the water like a friggin rock), they all found a way to beat the cutoffs
Slow continuous crap will not help a newbie really improve. Do you see young kids learning to swim doing that? 25s and 50s first then 100s and 200s. The 400s and lots of them to improve total endurance. If buddy can do 12x 400 in week 11 he/she is ready, no need for a straight swim.
This is one of the guys you really want to take advise from. Do exactly what he says. Some others have given some good advise too but this guy is a swimmer.