Hello Slowtwitch. I have been visiting this site for quite a while now, but I finally decided to join so I could ask questions and get a more personalized response. I have my first open-water triathlon (olympic) in Boulder, and race day seems to be closing in pretty fast. I am a decent swimmer, in the pool. I average 19 minutes for my 1500 meter swim or around a 1 minutes 15 seconds per 100 meters (not yards). I am content on getting this time down to my PR of 16 minutes 30 seconds in the pool, but that is a different story. I have never swam open water before, and I know that this is going to affect my time significantly. I plan on going out and getting some time in the open water before my race, but is there anything else I can do to minimize the impact that open water will have on me?
I have ordered a wetsuit, so I hope that will help me a bit. My main concern is getting in the water and panicking.
Hello Slowtwitch. I have been visiting this site for quite a while now, but I finally decided to join so I could ask questions and get a more personalized response. I have my first open-water triathlon (olympic) in Boulder, and race day seems to be closing in pretty fast. I am a decent swimmer, in the pool. I average 19 minutes for my 1500 meter swim or around a 1 minutes 15 seconds per 100 meters (not yards). I am content on getting this time down to my PR of 16 minutes 30 seconds in the pool, but that is a different story. I have never swam open water before, and I know that this is going to affect my time significantly. I plan on going out and getting some time in the open water before my race, but is there anything else I can do to minimize the impact that open water will have on me?
I have ordered a wetsuit, so I hope that will help me a bit. My main concern is getting in the water and panicking.
shit dude…don’t worry about the swim. You’re a rocket. Just find clean water and go.
Go play in the lake on the weekend. Doesn’t have to be much in the way of serious swimming, you just have to train youself that a) there are no scary monsters down there ready to eat you and b) it’s not worth your time to even think of the scary stuff.
I’ve come to believe the worst thing to do about an open water swim is to get caught up in overthinking, and that, outside of paying attention to where you are in relation to the buoys and if your stroke is in reasonably good order, the key to a good open water swim is to do as little thinking while you’re in the water as possible.
in the 19min area, things tend clear out pretty quickly. Go out fairly hard, but not crazy fast then find some fast feet to latch on in the first 50-100 and ride them all the way in.
Well when I am in the pool, things are fairly straightforward, and I could swim blind if it means a more efficient stroke. Out in the open, when do i know to look up? Should I just map the course out before so I have a general idea where I am going, and look up every 5th stroke or so? Sorry, I am just so used to pool swimming (competitive 100 butterflier here), that I do fear for the monsters in the water!
Also I have some speedo speed socket goggles, will these be okay out in the open or should I opt for something a little more on the clear and bright side. Thanks for the help, and I am sure that I will be posting some more questions as my last weeks of training are about to commence.
You should always have a pair of clear and a pair of tinted goggles of your favorite style. Especially with early morning triathlon start times, the sun could be very low and seems to be always right in your eyes.
Familiarize yourself with the swim course. Know where the buoys are going out, and if possible find a landmark that you can easily spot while swimming that is in the same direction you wish to go. Your biggest problem is that you’ll likely be alone at the front, so you might not have anyone to follow!
Here’s another less-well-known tip: warm up at the finish area of the swim, not the start. Swim the course backwards to the final turn, then stop and look back at the start. Find a landmark you’ll be able to spot during the race, then swim back to the finish sighting on that landmark.
If you are not in the first wave, you will have to deal with passing others. There will be people doing breaststroke, and you don’t want to be anywhere near them and their flailing feet. There inexplicably will be people swimming at right angles to the path you want to take. Look ahead every 4th/5th/6th stroke and chart your course.
I don’t know which event your doing, but around here that pace puts in the lead of the swim. Its going to be different not having that black line to stare at and swim straight. I would suggest sighting often, but more like every 10 strokes. Know the course. Know the difference between the turn buoys and the sighting buoys.
Use the goggles your used to. If they work in a pool they work in open water. I have two pairs to choose from on race day, mirrored and clear, depending on the lighting. I do not practice in these goggles so they maintain their anti-fogginess. If they do fog on me, i roll onto my back and clear them. I will lose less time doing that then swimming way off course.
Practice sighting in the pool if you can’t get outdoors … you should be able to keep your rhythm while sighting.
Before the start of your race, look for good geographical landmarks (e.g., hills) that you can sight … sometimes the bouys just aren’t big enough to see or the sun is a problem.
I do not practice in these goggles so they maintain their anti-fogginess. If they do fog on me, i roll onto my back and clear them. I will lose less time doing that then swimming way off course.
I’ve been doing triathlons since 1986, and I’ve never, not once, had a pair of goggles fog up on me in a race. I use the cheap-assed Speedo Sprint $5.99 specials. In fact, I can’t recall it happening in the pool, in a race, or in any kind of open water swimming. Maybe your “fogginess” is my “clear”?
yes, look up every fifth or so stroke just for a split to get your bearing and stay on course. the further you deviate, the longer your swim. in a typical open water race there are very large bright orange bouys, but that is not always the case. i did one where they had pontoon boats as the markers, which was fine at the beginning when there was no other traffic, but when other onlooker boats came out, keeping track of the course became a bit tough. that is where the shore items can come in handy.
“There inexplicably will be people swimming at right angles to the path you want to take.”
If I were doing the race, I would likely be one of those inexplicable people. Fortunately, I’ve learned to correct myself as soon as I find that happening.
Open Water is slightly different than a pool, but if you are training to get back to a 16:30, I wouldn’t think you would run intl that many triathletes that will be anywhere near you on the swim.
Like some have said you will have to contend with the slower swimmers/all swimmers from the previous wave. I usually finish before most if not all of the wave in front of me as well as the wave in front of them. I find if you just swim down the middle it is pretty clear as most folks are all over the place.
You may have to sight a bit more when passing large groups of people, be especially aware of what is coming at you form the sides. Other than that if you are that good of a swimmer, like me, you can probably swim in a straight line and can go 15-20 strokes without sighting…maybe a very quick look every 10 with a real look every 20… that is something you will have to figure out though…and this also depends on the swimming conditions as well.
Take it out a little faster to get ahead, then settle into your pace and 5% of the race that is the swim will be over before you know it.
This may likely be the biggest issue for you in your first open water race. If you haven’t practiced sighting, you should start. It’s not difficult to learn but you don’t want your first time to be in the race. As others have mentioned, locate an object that you can aim for- tree on the horizon, buoy, etc. Sighting every five strokes or so is probably adequate. I’ve found that I often have to take two looks in a row- one to orient my field of vision and the second to actually spot my identified object. And never go to a race with fewer than two googles, preferably of differing tints. At your pace, the field should thin out pretty quickly for you.
You’re about to find out the difference between swimming and triathlon swimming . . . You’ll be one of the faster swimmers out there.
I grew up in pools but swimming in open water can be freaky the first few times. You sound like you are a strong enough swimmer that you should be able to keep control of yourself. If you start getting nervous, just take it easy and keep breathing.
Navigation is really the only big difference once you get your head around being in the middle of a lake unable to touch the bottom. Study the course from land for a few minutes and identify landmarks to navigate each leg. Do a swim warm up so you can size up landmarks from on the course - things look different when your eyes are only an inch or two off the water. I like to use a “two look” strategy. I try to know the area well enough so any quick look can orient me close to where a mark will be then I use the next look to do a more narrow search for the mark. Even at world class pace, a swimmer is only moving a couple feet per stroke so you don’t need to always know exactly where you are going.
Also, use the the sun as a navigational aid if its shining. People complain about the sun being in their eyes instead treating it like the a big lighthouse guiding you home. The morning sun makes a nice straight line reflection on the surface of the water which you can see when you eyes are underwater. If conditions are right and the sun is oriented just so, you can do an entire leg without ever lifting your head.
I tend to look up every 9 strokes, three strokes breath right, three strokes breath left, twice, then on you third set lift your head slightly forward when you get air as opposed to turning is straight sideways to get air.
Ordered a wetsuit, huh? Hope it fits. Be sure to get as much time in it as possible and practice removing it. Use some lube to help slide it off you easily. Do some distance in it because you’ll likely feel more arm fatigue if it’s full-sleeved. Plus, your body position will be different, so you’ll need to acclimate to that. Probably less kick will be necessary - which is a good thing for the rest of your race. When you first get in the water (pre-race) stretch an opening, like the neck and let water flow in. Get the water spread out to everywhere. That will help slide the suit into position, making it more comfortable. Also, until it is wet on the inside, the chest may feel really constricted. Practice stripping the suit half way and running in it - running after swimming can be a headrush. Oh and also practice your entries - how deep to go before you dolphin leap, how many leaps to take before swimming. Also swim exits - I usually keep swimming until my hands can touch the bottom. At that depth, it becomes faster to run out of the water than to swim further. Good luck & have fun!
