First time Triathlon

I just finished my first Sprint (3/8 mi swim, 13 mi bike, 5k run) distance triathlon this weekend.
My story is much like yours as it relates to swimming. I had only swam in the pool with the kids on
while diving when I was younger. I felt that since I was in good shape and the run and bike
distances were short compared to what I was capable of I would be adequate in the swim.

What a huge underestimation. My challenge with the swim is learning to breathe sufficiently to get
the oxygen needed to keep my heart rate down. I was never in a position where my muscles were sore
or that I did not have the energy needed to finish (once I caught my breath). Between swallowing
water, gasping for breath, or struggling with my burning eyes (salt water) I was just happy to have
gotten through with that leg of the event.

It was a good lesson learned and as such I will be swimming at least twice a week to try and avoid a
repeat performance in the water the next time.

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE SWIM

-Rick

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Dave Rench <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am in need of some advice. I recently registered for an Olympic distance event that takes place
in 1 month.

Having completed 3 Marathons (the latest last May in 3:41) I am seeking new challenges.

My question concerns the swim portion. I have been running my normal weekly mileage and ride my
bike once a week anywhere from 20-35 miles. However I am an avg or slightly below avg swimmer. I
really have not dedicated myself to training in that event but will make it a priority this month.

Do you think that I am getting in over my head on the swim? A buddy of mine who has completed two
Ironmans said that the saltwater and wetsuit will be to my advantage but I need to start getting
comfortable in the water. My farthest swim distance so far is 250 yards.

I am encouraged that there is a novice swim area. Well whatever information or advice you have
will be greatly appreciated. I really want to complete this event!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Dave Rench Quechee,VT

Can you give us an idea of your current swim capabilities? Can you hop in the pool and swim 500m
straight without stopping? 1000m?

I'm not a big fan of the "survive the swim" race strategy. You can really ruin your racebefore it
even gets started. On the other hand, if you can swim 1000m with no problem, and you just aren't
happy with how long it takes you, you can probably swim conservatively and do just fine.

Tom

Tom Henderson said:

Dave Rench <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am in need of some advice. I recently registered for an Olympic distance event that takes place
in 1 month.

Having completed 3 Marathons (the latest last May in 3:41) I am seeking new challenges.

My question concerns the swim portion. I have been running my normal weekly mileage and ride
my bike once a week anywhere from 20-35 miles. However I am an avg or slightly below avg
swimmer. I really have not dedicated myself to training in that event but will make it a
priority this month.

Do you think that I am getting in over my head on the swim? A buddy of mine who has completed two
Ironmans said that the saltwater and wetsuit will be to my advantage but I need to start getting
comfortable in the water. My farthest swim distance so far is 250 yards.

I am encouraged that there is a novice swim area. Well whatever information or advice you have
will be greatly appreciated. I really want to complete this event!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Dave Rench Quechee,VT

Can you give us an idea of your current swim capabilities? Can you hop in the pool and swim 500m
straight without stopping? 1000m?

I'm not a big fan of the "survive the swim" race strategy. You can really ruin your racebefore it
even gets started. On the other hand, if you can swim 1000m with no problem, and you just aren't
happy with how long it takes you, you can probably swim conservatively and do just fine.

Tom

Uh, Tom, he said his farthest swim to date is 250 yds.

Dave,

IMHO you have some work to do. My best advice is to spend the coming weeks concentrating on ramping
up your yardage and getting used to swimming in open water. I'd do 3-4 swim workouts per week and
make at least one of them in the water where the race will be. Don't waste a minute worrying about
how fast you are. With your biking and running ability your goal should be to complete the 1500m
swim with enough "left in your tank" that you don't trash the rest of your race. If that means you
have to mosey along at a snails pace during the swim, then so be it.

If the farthest you can swim now is 250 yards, I'd do a "quick and dirty" training routine of the
following: swim 250 yards then stop and rest as long as you need to. Then swim another 250 yards and
rest again. Repeat this until you get in 1500 yds. Keep track of how long you rest and keep the rest
period constant through the workout.

Your next workout, do the same thing but subtract 5 seconds from your rest intervals. Keep working
your rest intervals down until you can cover 1500 yds without stopping. If you can finish a
marathon, your aerobic capacity is undoubtably fine. The key is going to be to find a pace and
rhythm where your breathing stays in sync with your oxygen demands. If you go anerobic at any point,
slow down.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

John

I've run a couple of marathons (qualified for Boston in my first and choked at Boston for my second)
and decided to try tri to break up the drudgery of distance training. I've been swimming all my
life, including lessons from about the age of four through elementary school. I've never swum
competitively or for distance, however, and I'm struggling. I've been swimming twice a week for a
month. I have trouble swimming more than two laps freestyle without stopping to gasp for breath
(after that first two laps, it's after every lap). Based on my running, I'm pretty sure it's my
rythm and not my aerobic ability. Following some advice in rec.sport.swimming, I tried the
counterintuitive: breathing every 3rd, 4th, or 5th stroke to find a natural rythm. It didn't work
(though I'll keep experimenting). I made some progress last Friday by slowing down. I thought I was
going slow already, but I slowed WAYYYYYY down. I was able to complete my entire workout (about 30
minutes) doing freestyle with only 15-20 second pauses between laps (in addition to taking longer
breaks, I normally have to mix breast stroke and side stroke in). Tomorrow, I'll see how long I can
go nonstop.

My advice if you're having trouble and think you're going slow: go slower.

My technique also isn't great and makes me work harder than a better swimmer would. For example, I'm
pretty sure my legs are sinking, creating a lot of drag. If there was a master's program in my area
(central Vermont), I'd try that. Instead, I ordered the Total Immesion book to work on technique
myself. In the end, private lessons may be the way to go.

Good luck, Rob Campbell

"Rick Evans" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I just finished my first Sprint (3/8 mi swim, 13 mi bike, 5k run) distance triathlon this weekend.
My story is much like yours as it relates to swimming. I had only swam in the pool with the kids
on while diving when I was younger. I felt that since I was in good shape and the run and bike
distances were short compared to what I was capable of I would be adequate in the swim.

What a huge underestimation. My challenge with the swim is learning to breathe sufficiently to get
the oxygen needed to keep my heart rate down. I was never in a position where my muscles were sore
or that I did not have the energy needed to finish (once I caught my breath). Between swallowing
water, gasping for breath, or struggling with my burning eyes (salt water) I was just happy to
have gotten through with that leg of the event.

It was a good lesson learned and as such I will be swimming at least twice a week to try and avoid
a repeat performance in the water the next time.

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE SWIM

-Rick

I completed my first Olympic tri last weekend and was in a similar position to you when I started
out on the training - good cyclist, ok runner and had never really swum much. Here are a few points
on the swim based on what I found -
1. If it is open water and likely to be choppy or windy then definitely aim at doing most of it
freestyle as breast stroke is much less efficient in these conditions than in a pool and is
also liable to leave you swallowing a lot of salt water. That said, it is ok to do breast
stroke for bits of the race to regain your composure or get your breath back, I found it
useful to do breaststroke round the buoys when there is a lot of crowding and it is easy to
lose your bearings.
2. Focus your training on being efficient in the water. Try and get a nice steady rhythm with long
strokes rather than just thrashing your arms through the water which will wear you out for very
little extra speed. When your lead arm is in the water and at full stretch forwards, hold it
there for a fraction and glide rather than just pulling back immediately. Breathing is important
as well - try and roll your whole body to get your mouth clear of the water rather than lifting
your head. Also you don't need to kick much in a wetsuit as it will buoy your legs up so save
your legs for the ride.
3. If you are doing the race in saltwater then get at least one long swim in saltwater beforehand -
the wetsuit does make a big difference and you need to get used to it and the feeling of being
out in open water which is very different to a pool.
4. Make sure you know the course - my course had 3 buoys to turn around and I lost my bearings at
one point. There have been loads of posts on this group about sighting while swimming - I found
it quite easy to keep in a straight line by looking at landmarks on the side I breathe on, but
you need to find out what works for you
5. Try and do at least one continuous swim (preferably in open water) of 1500m+ before the race as
this will give you the confidence to know you can at least survive it on the day!

I ended up doing the swim in 35 minutes which wasn't great but at least I came out in good shape for
the rest of the race and ended up overtaking a whole lot of people on the bike and run. Tip for the
rest of the race - practise EVERYTHING, particularly your hydration strategy. I actually practised
doing a 40k bike followed by 10k run in training on a cool evening and was fine. However, the day of
the race the temperature was over 30C, I drank 1 litre or so of High 5 on the bike and then had
problems with stitches/cramping on the run.

Good luck!

In article <[email hidden]>, "Rob Campbell"

Quoted message said:

I've run a couple of marathons (qualified for Boston in my first and choked at Boston for my
second) and decided to try tri to break up the drudgery of distance training. I've been swimming
all my life, including lessons from about the age of four through elementary school. I've never
swum competitively or for distance, however, and I'm struggling. I've been swimming twice a week
for a month. I have trouble swimming more than two laps freestyle without stopping to gasp for
breath (after that first two laps, it's after every lap). Based on my running, I'm pretty sure
it's my rythm and not my aerobic ability. Following some advice in rec.sport.swimming, I tried the
counterintuitive: breathing every 3rd, 4th, or 5th stroke to find a natural rythm. It didn't work
(though I'll keep experimenting). I made some progress last Friday by slowing down. I thought I
was going slow already, but I slowed WAYYYYYY down. I was able to complete my entire workout
(about 30 minutes) doing freestyle with only 15-20 second pauses between laps (in addition to
taking longer breaks, I normally have to mix breast stroke and side stroke in). Tomorrow, I'll see
how long I can go nonstop.

My advice if you're having trouble and think you're going slow: go slower.

yes, that's the thing to do. i'm a relatively new swimmer and i struggled with getting the breathing
down and pacing myself so that i could do a lap, then two, then ten, now 30 or 40 (which gets pretty
dull IMO, so then i go to the bay for more fun). slow down, get your breathing to work - every other
stroke - you need the oxygen in these early stages of learning and building swim endurace, and be
sure your technique is coming along too.

Quoted message said:

My technique also isn't great and makes me work harder than a better swimmer would. For example,
I'm pretty sure my legs are sinking, creating a lot of drag. If there was a master's program in my
area (central Vermont), I'd try that. Instead, I ordered the Total Immesion book to work on
technique myself. In the end, private lessons may be the way to go.

i recommend the TI book in conjunction with some lessons... and tell them that your goal is to do a
triathlon. they just might be able to customize your training to suit that end.

best of luck

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

In article said:

Tom Henderson said:

Dave Rench <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am in need of some advice. I recently registered for an Olympic distance event that takes
place in 1 month.

Having completed 3 Marathons (the latest last May in 3:41) I am seeking new challenges.

My question concerns the swim portion. I have been running my normal weekly mileage and ride my
bike once a week anywhere from 20-35 miles. However I am an avg or slightly below avg swimmer.
I really have not dedicated myself to training in that event but will make it a priority this
month.

Do you think that I am getting in over my head on the swim? A buddy of mine who has completed
two Ironmans said that the saltwater and wetsuit will be to my advantage but I need to start
getting comfortable in the water. My farthest swim distance so far is 250 yards.

I am encouraged that there is a novice swim area. Well whatever information or advice you have
will be greatly appreciated. I really want to complete this event!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Dave Rench Quechee,VT

Can you give us an idea of your current swim capabilities? Can you hop in the pool and swim 500m
straight without stopping? 1000m?

I'm not a big fan of the "survive the swim" race strategy. You can really ruin your racebefore
it even gets started. On the other hand, if you can swim 1000m with no problem, and you just
aren't happy with how long it takes you, you can probably swim conservatively and do just fine.

Tom

Uh, Tom, he said his farthest swim to date is 250 yds.

Dave,

IMHO you have some work to do. My best advice is to spend the coming weeks concentrating on
ramping up your yardage and getting used to swimming in open water. I'd do 3-4 swim workouts per
week and make at least one of them in the water where the race will be. Don't waste a minute
worrying about how fast you are. With your biking and running ability your goal should be to
complete the 1500m swim with enough "left in your tank" that you don't trash the rest of your
race. If that means you have to mosey along at a snails pace during the swim, then so be it.

i took this approach and successfully completed my recent first sprint tri. being nearly last is bit
hard to stomach, but i can say i've done a tri.

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

John Hardt <[email hidden]> wrote in news:BB5C721A.1BB4% [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Uh, Tom, he said his farthest swim to date is 250 yds.

Doh!

Guess I need to work on reading comprehension skills.

Tom