I am a crappy swimmer but have almost seven more months to practice before by first triatholn. I have a solid background in cycling and running. I don’t want to do the sprint distance because the cycling and running legs are so short. However I am worried about the swim. Right now I couldn’t even cover a sprint distance swim. Am I making a mistake by signing up for the olympic distance in my first tri? I have to make up my mind quick, the registration opens tomorrow and it fills really fast.
If you get in the pool and train over the winter, you’ll be fine. It’s really not a difficult distance. If you’re an athletic sort, you’ll get the swimming down in time for the Oly.
Most people will tell you to get a coach and analyze your stroke, etc…it’s good advice, but if you can’t swing it, you should still be fine.
Rick
Hey wasatchrunner, I’m in exactly the same boat you’re in – that is, new to tri with cycling background and no swimming. I say definately sign up for the Olympic distance. I tested myself by doing half the distance in the pool; figuring I could make up the the other half in the months before the event. You have time on your side and if swimming is currently you’re only concern, there are tons of resources out there.
PS – are you doing the SG Tri? Where do you live? Utah?
My first 3 triathlons were all Olympics. As was said, it’s not a scary distance at all once you train for it. I’ve actually never even done a Sprint.
Yes I am doing the SG Tri as my first but plan to do more after that. I am from Utah.
Seven months should be adequate time to get your swimming up. I will assume you are going to take the time to get some coaching and strok analysis done though. There is no point training up the distance with bad technique.
I did my first tri as an olympic with a swimming background, some cycling and 0 running experience, with only 4 months training. You sound like you are probably better off. I suffered from not enough bike road time. Getting clear roads in VA in March and April is tricky. You will have May and part of June as well, so you should be in better all around shape.
The one thing you should consider is where you will get some open water time in as well. Depending on the race, this may or may not be wetsuit legal. In both cases open water time is important. If it is wetsuit legal, you need to get used to swimming in it. The added bouyancy inspires confidence, especially in weaker swimmers. However, a wetsuit is somewhat constricting and your stroke and breathing will feel different. If the race will not be wetsuit legal, you need to be confident you can do the distance since there will be no places to stop and stand up, catch your breath etc. I also found the look of the course to be unnerving. The first time you see an open water course, it looks bloody huge.
Spend some of your swim time cultivating a second stroke. If you get panicked, fatigued, whatever on a crowded open water swim, being able to get out of the way and have a second stroke to recover with is very useful. Most people will recommend backstroke, since it gets your face out of the water. I will use breast stroke if I am open water and non-wetsuit, but only because I used to compete in that event and my breast stroke is as fast as about 2/3 of the swim wave. IMHO breast stroke is a lost casue in a wetsuit - the bouyancy in the legs really keeps the kick from being done properly for good propulsion. For a beginning swimmer, I would focus on backstroke as a back up.
Hope this helps.
Seven months will be plenty given you are already fit. Just start steady and build. You will be surprised how fast the distance comes. Try to work on form as much as distance and this will help you with efficiency so you can save your energy to kill on the bikes and run.
SGTri was my first tri and it is a great race with cool organizers and a great supportive crowd. You will love it
good luck
Yes I am doing the SG Tri as my first but plan to do more after that. I am from Utah.
Very cool, I’m in Utah as well and plan to do SG as my first. If you’re interested I know some people who could help you in the water. My biggest concern is that I won’t have any open water experience before taking my first official dip in St. George. Do you belong to any clubs in the area (sharks, timptri, etc.)?
Wetsuit is the key. If the race is wetsuit legal and you have a wetsuit, the swim should be cake (which is why swimmers all hate the use of wetsuits). You have plenty of time to train in the pool. If you can/do go with a wetsuit, make sure you use it in the pool a couple times to get used to it. If you can, get into open water in the wetsuit as often as possible. In my first year of triathlon, it wasn’t the distance that was intimidating, it was the open water swim. However, that passes very quickly. Even in open water, I feel invincible in a wetsuit.
The open water thing is huge…I should have included that. You need to physically understand the differences. Also, try to swim with people crowding you. Some get a nervous reaction. Just get that out of the way first.
Also, if you can do open water swims, make sure you practice getting out of the water, getting on your feet and running for around 100 yards. Your body will most likely find the transition from swimming to moving around while upright pretty weird - you have to get used to it. Some people can have a bad reaction to that the first go-round.
i did an oly for my first (basically - the bike was a bit long). no wetsuit. i was a bit worried about finishing the swim. but it really just came down to being able to finish the swim, but i was SLOW. and in an oly, that’s a big factor. of the major distances, the swim is more significant (compare with an HIM - swim is only slightly longer, bike and run are more than double. not that I’m saying to start with an HIM, just putting it up for comparison).
enjoy your training.
oh, and if the water is warm, and you get some confidence in your swimming, you don’t need a wetsuit. you’ll be way slower without one, but it’s worth actually doing at least one race before shelling out a whole bunch of $$$ on equipment.
-charles
Concentrate on body position in the water. Most big swim problems IMHO stem from poor position. Practice keeping your occiput under water until you get much better. Turn to breathe and look back a little when you breathe–don’t rear up, which drops your hips and feet. Gradually work your distance up. For me it’s a little like running or long rides, the more I swim the shorter it seems and the longer I can go.
you should just do what half the poeple on this board do & go straight to Ironman
.
I forgot to mention this also. While I am (and was then) a pretty strong swimmer, my first open water race experience was still quite nerve wracking. In fact, it took 3 events before I felt like I did a good job in the swim, all because of the crowding and general nervousness in the mass start and cold open water. Definitely go practice.
There is a club in UT called desert sharks (don’t know the website but they are good folks) who do open water practice. I would strongly recommend you try and connect with them. I don’t know where you are in UT but there are a number of places you could practice in sprig. Best to just go down to Sand Hollow and practice there (with a buddy of course).
good luck and have fun with SGTri!
James
When the time comes. Start your swim WAY outside away from the shortest line to the first buoy. You will only swim between 2-7 extra yards, but you won’t have to struggle with the crowd. You can settle right into an easy stroke. You wil SAVE time,since you won’t have to stop, breast stroke, etc.