What is the best indicator to tell you (me) I can do the swim?

Triathlon Forum
1

I have a half-IM coming up in a few weeks, my first tri. My bike and run aren’t a worry at all… it’s the swim that I’m concerned about. I won’t have an opportunity to test out open water until 2 days before the event (just to make it more exciting).

With my weak swimming, I wonder whether I can even complete the swim (BTW, no wetsuits). So here’s the Q. What must I be able to do in the pool to be reasonably sure I can make it through that 1.2 miles? Now, if, for example, you tell me I need to do 2000scy non-stop, then, well, it ain’t happenin’ for me this year and the event just became a vacation. If you say it’s 20x100 with 5 secs rest, then maybe that’s a different story, etc.

2

Have a nice vacation!!

3

the differences between 20x100 with 5 seconds rest and 2000 yards continuous is pretty negligible. at worst, you swim 100 in the race, float 5 seconds, swim another 100, float 5, etc…

4

If you can’t do 2000 scy where each push off is worth 3-5 yards then why would you think you could swim 2000 yds without a wall to push from. So a 2000 yd workout consisting of fairly long repeats like 2x1000, 4x500, 5x400, should feel pretty easy since you’ve got 4-6 hours of work after that. if you can swim 20x100 on 5 sec rest then just add that 5 secs to your 100 time and swim non-stop.

5

Are you saying that you cannot do 2000 yards non-stop in a pool? If that is so, I think you have a problem, and I think you should slow down your pace and stop the damn 5 second rests.

I “learned” to swim last year, and did a half without a wetsuit, and 2 IM’s with.

Be sure to do some warming up just before the swim in the water, and then be super careful not to go out too fast, or the next thing you know you will be gasping, your heart will be racing, your eyes will be bugging out of your head and you will be panicked and looking for a kayak. Let everybody go. You will catch them later. Actually, you will probably not catch them later, but it is a good thought to hold.

If you do get spooked, just try to go back to the slowest swimming-like thing you can do, take big breaths, be sure to exhale (under water, just as you would ordinarily), and trust that it will straighten itself out, just like it does if you go out running too hard, but it will take a minute or two. But be sure to exhale, don’t just keep trying to pack air in on top.

6

I would want to be able to swim the distance straight in the pool, at least, before I tried it in race setting. An option may be to wear a wetsuit anyways. They are huge for confidence as you know you won’t be sinking. You won’t get an official time but you’ll still get to do the event and build up some open water confidence. (Maybe this isn’t allowed, but probably fine).

I wouldn’t be comfortable going into a 2,000 yard swim w/o a wetsuit if I wasn’t sure I could make the distance. Dangerous situation and not fair to lifeguards IMO.

7

You have two weeks. I would get in the pool, take my time and knock out the 2000 in the pool. You will feel MUCH more relaxed knowing you can go the distance. And if your swim is anywhere near as rotten as mine, the peace of mind it brings is huge.

8

Don’t do what I did:

http://erichollins.net/2005st_anthonys_pg6.php

I still ended up finishing FOP on the swim, though.

9

I beg to differ with the rest of the respondents - never did more than 800m in one go, and did 2olys and one 1/2IM without any problem. My only issue was that my swim in the 1/2IM felt boringly long (37’) compared to what I was used to…but you won’t have endurance problems if you can swim something like 500 WU (broken), 10x200, 200 CD…

The wetsuit helps with flotation, however if it’s not perfectly adjusted it will make your shoulders work a bit more…provided you don’t go out too fast, there’s not much chance you will not finish the swim…

10

Are you saying that you cannot do 2000 yards non-stop in a pool? If that is so, I think you have a problem, and I think you should slow down your pace and stop the damn 5 second rests.

I “learned” to swim last year, and did a half without a wetsuit, and 2 IM’s with.

Be sure to do some warming up just before the swim in the water, and then be super careful not to go out too fast, or the next thing you know you will be gasping, your heart will be racing, your eyes will be bugging out of your head and you will be panicked and looking for a kayak. Let everybody go. You will catch them later. Actually, you will probably not catch them later, but it is a good thought to hold.

If you do get spooked, just try to go back to the slowest swimming-like thing you can do, take big breaths, be sure to exhale (under water, just as you would ordinarily), and trust that it will straighten itself out, just like it does if you go out running too hard, but it will take a minute or two. But be sure to exhale, don’t just keep trying to pack air in on top.

I’m saying I don’t know if I can do 1x2000scy. That would 1) take forever, 2) be boring as hell, 3) I’d lose count anyway, and 4) I’d probably cheat eventually and stop even if I could go on under pressure because that wall is so damn sexy to hang on to after >10 laps.

Yesterday I did a slow 10x100 on 5 secs rest. It was easy from a work standpoint, and I never felt tired anywhere other than the rear of the shoulders. My bad shoulder hurts a little now (that’s why my yardage in workouts is always so low, and I can’t just throw volume at my swim woes to improve). Not sure whether it’s speed (or rather force from harder pulls) or distance that bugs the shoulder. If it’s speed, then I’m in luck!

If I make the swim cutoff anything less than exhausted, I’ll catch plenty of folks throughout the bike/run. No question there.

I think I’d start on the beach, and just cruise at the back. Being last out would really really hurt mentally, though. I’ll be the fastest-looking slow guy for sure.

11

If you can do 20 100’s on 5 seconds rest you can swim 2000 yds straight. You just have a mental toughness issue which prevents you from passing the wall without stopping for a little break. Being several hundred yards from shore will take care of that issue for you and you’ll be a better man for it.

If you really are not sure you can find a pace which will allow you to keep moving continuously for 40-50 minutes without getting physically (not mentally) exhausted, then it’s going to take some balls to start the race.

You won’t know until you try so draft up a will and go for it. Make those kayak guys earn their keep.

What’s your longest swim workout to date?

12

…but you won’t have endurance problems if you can swim something like 500 WU (broken), 10x200, 200 CD…

What’s WU and CD?

13

I did my first race and first open water swim last weekend after training in a pool the last couple of months. I was shocked by how different an experience open water swimming was vs. the pool. It’s hard to believe that the little rest you get turning around and pushing off the wall can make such a difference. Add in not being able to see, not being able to breath without swallowing water, getting hit, kicked and punched, and I ended up swimming about 50% slower than I do in the pool. At that was a 300 meter swim… and I can swim 2000 meters in the pool non stop no problem… It was mostly mental, but there is a huge difference. Enough that I’ve restructured my training for my 1/2 IM so that I can get considerably more time in the open water. There’s no way I would feel comfortable attacking the 1.2 mile swim today, though I felt it would be relatively easy before my first open water experience.

14

I’m saying I don’t know if I can do 1x2000scy. That would 1) take forever, 2) be boring as hell, 3) I’d lose count anyway, and 4) I’d probably cheat eventually and stop even if I could go on under pressure because that wall is so damn sexy to hang on to after >10 laps.

Physically, I’d say you shouldn’t have any problem finishing the swim.

Mentally . . . I don’t know if I’d be comfortable where you are right now. Here’s my advice, FWIW: How long do you figure it would take you to swim 2000? Double that time, go to the pool, and swim until the time is up. Don’t bother yourself about how boring it is, and don’t cheat. Just swim. Now you know you can swim even farther than 2000 yds.

15

…but you won’t have endurance problems if you can swim something like 500 WU (broken), 10x200, 200 CD…
What’s WU and CD?

(hoo-boy) Warm Up and Cool Down.

Just curious: why would you choose a HIM for your first triathlon, if your swimming is so poor?

If you can’t commit yourself to finish a 2000 in the pool, it doesn’t sound like you are very committed to “racing” this race. In that case, just stop and tread water for a while when needed, take your time, say hello to the kayakers, and get on the bike feeling fresher than anyone else. You probably won’t be last out of the water, in any case.

16

If your swim is as bad as mine, it will take about an hour. Big deal

It WILL be boring. Wait till you try swimming 4500 in the pool.

You WILL lose count. But it will still be close.

Odds are if you start the set, you will finish it. Again, I’d give it a shot for just the mental edge.

17

and get out to your nearest large body of water and give it a go…

Highly recommended…

18

If you are comfortable floating in the water, then you should be able to finish the swim. Probably does not make a lot of sense, but if you think of it from the worst-case-scenario if you can’t go anymore are you comfortable enough in the water to stop and float to take a rest. I think you’ll probably find that with all the adrenaline going and the fear from drowning that your natural instinct will get you through the swim. Again, if you are comfortable floating, take a few seconds here and there. You’ll have plenty of time to make up for those seconds or minutes on the bike and run.

Once you make it through this swim you’ll never have to worry again.

19

My friend who got me into tris (he has since “retired”) has never learned how to swim and he doesn’t care. This guy just breast-strokes the WHOLE thing. I would find another stroke that you feel comfortable with and do that for a while if you feel sore, tired, or panicky about the open water. I agree with many of the others who say that your biggest hurdle may be mental if you don’t get it done first in the pool or open water. Where are you racing this time of year that doesn’t allow wetsuits? If it’s salt h2o you will get some flotation.

good luck,

robert

20

As long as we are on the subject, if you haven’t ever done an open water swim, you need to start doing some mental preparation.

A 1.2 mile swim is a pretty good distance. Even for a very serious swimmer, it is a 25 -30 minute event. You could be approaching 1 hour in the water. So, you need to mentally get approach this like you would a 10 k run or a 20 mile bike ride. It will not over soon so don’t let yourself revert to infancy and start with the “are we there yet?” stuff after 10 minutes.

You’ll need to navigate. Make sure you come up with some mental picture of where you are supposed to be going, have a plan on how you are going to navigate (land marks, bouys, the sun, etc) and think about how and when you are going to look around and what you will be looking for during the swim. Very likely your brain is not going to be working well enough during the swim to come up with a plan then and even if it is, it is alot easier to identify your landmarks from shore before the race than it is when your eyeballs are only 2 inches above the water. 90% of triathletes have trouble navigating a swim course so don’t get too worried about this but it really is pretty easy if you give it some thought BEFORE you start swimming.

The start will be crazy. You’ll be in very close proximity to a bunch of people who can’t swim any better than you (honest). You all will be kicking, scratching and generally abusing each other. Be ready to protect yourself from getting kicked somewhere sensitive for the first few minuites until things thin out. If you can make it through the first 5 minutes, it will get alot easier so don’t freak out.