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First triathlon finished -- lessons learned
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 2010-08-21 7:41 PM |
Member  63 |  Subject: First triathlon finished -- lessons learnedI finished my first sprint triathlon today, and I sure learned a lot! First of all, I want to thank everyone here who have encouraged me. That said, here's the information about my triathlon. It was a 500 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. I knew going in that the swim would be my worst, but I didn't realize how bad. I need some serious help on the swim. I ended up panicking about 100 meters in, and then never could catch my breath. I exited the water second to last, swimming the last two hundred meters on my back. Not a back stroke, but just kind of drifting and kicking. My placing in the swim was 594 out of 595 finishers. My bike went better, and I even passed some people, moving up to 511 place. With the run however I dropped back down, finishing 584. In all, it took me 1:50:12 to finish my first triathlon. What I learned is that on Monday I'm going to start looking for a swim coach, and I'm planning on one swim lesson a week for a month to see how I improve. I'm also going to start swimming a couple times a week with a masters swim group in town. I went to some practices last week, but I need to make it a regular routine to get better in my swim. Edited by Bruenor 2010-08-21 7:41 PM |
| 2010-08-21 7:52 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Extreme Veteran 356  Firestone, CO | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats on your first tri! I feel your pain in the swim! That is my worst sport also. Keep it up! |
| 2010-08-21 8:00 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Member 153 Hutchinson, Kansas | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned CONGRATS !!!! Swimming is brutal for us beginners. You will get better. |
| 2010-08-21 8:06 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Veteran 258 | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats on finishing the swim any way you could. I would take advantage of as much training/coaching you can get. That is what I am going to do this winter. I feel like you need to be able to swim double the distance of the race in the pool with a easy effort to be confident in the lake. |
| 2010-08-21 8:08 PM in reply to: #3056818 |
Member 63 | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned davidschmaus - 2010-08-21 9:06 PM Congrats on finishing the swim any way you could. I would take advantage of as much training/coaching you can get. That is what I am going to do this winter. I feel like you need to be able to swim double the distance of the race in the pool with a easy effort to be confident in the lake. My plan is to be in the pool 3-4 times a week from now until my next race next June. I'm also planning on getting a wetsuit in the spring, and starting OWS swimming with a triathlon group as soon as they start up lake swimming for the year. My goal is to have at least half a dozen lake swims in next year before my triathlon. |
| 2010-08-21 10:50 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Veteran 174 Southern New Hampshire | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats on your first Tri! I'll be in your shoes three weeks from today with my first Tri. I hear you on the swim. I have some anxiety for the swim in my Tri (1/2 mile). I've done mostly pool training except for two open water swims on the actual tri lake. Tonight there were a bunch of kids in the pool and I had a difficult time with the 'waves' they were creating. I kept inhaling water, having water go up my nose, etc. This was the first time I've swam with that much turbulence in the water so I can only imagine that's what the race conditions will be like. |
| 2010-08-22 6:02 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
Elite 3658   Roswell, GA | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congratulations! you did fine. Go sign up for another one immediately so you can get used to OWSing. FWIW, my first tri was fairly similar. I got pummeled in the first 50 yards and swam the rest breast stroke. It still makes me smile and chuckle. Try to practice OWS and seed yourself better. I like to stand towards the back and wait for about 5 seconds and then start. I think for a MOP swimmer it's easier to wait and you will probably make the 5 sec up by not having to work so hard on the swim and by swimming in clean water. |
| 2010-08-22 7:44 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
Extreme Veteran 567 Rochester, NY | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats on your first tri, I'll being going through the same things in 3 weeks. I believe I'll have the same problem with the OWS as well. |
| 2010-08-22 7:52 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Super congratulations TRIATHLETE!!! And for a first triathlon, to finish AND have take-home lessons that you want to improve on, you couldn't have done any better. Best of luck with the swimming, also, when there's room for improvement you improve really quickly  |
| 2010-08-22 9:51 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
Member 24 Boise | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Well Done Sir! I am looking for my first tri. You telling us (Noob's) about how your first tri went helps give us the courage to venture out and give it a shot. Once upon a time, even the most accomplished athlete was a beginner. |
| 2010-08-22 10:55 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
Pro 5169 Burbs | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congratulations, triathlete ! Sounds like you have a solid plan for improving your swim. The great thing about being a true beginner is that you will improve and see results quickly |
| 2010-08-22 10:15 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Member 63 | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned I may have a lead on swim lessons already. One of the local universities offers one-on-one swim lessons for adults. Each lesson is 40 minutes in length, and I can get eight lessons for $120. For $15 a lesson, I don't see how I can go wrong. I'll be contacting them tomorrow and get more details. |
| 2010-08-22 10:18 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Expert 1053 Culpeper, VA | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats, now you have a point to work from and you will get better if you put in the work. Sounds like you're well on your way. Worked on my swimming between my first and present second tri season and it really has paid off. Not a fish... yet, but I'm happy with where my work and masters swimming took me from last year. |
| 2010-08-23 1:27 AM in reply to: #3056791 |
| Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congratulations on your first. Is your master's class free? Mine is part of my YMCA gym membership, so to me it's "free". If so, I would advise going to masters for a few weeks and seeing how much instruction they can give. I know in my masters class, they have a slow lane that gets much more coaching than the other lanes. So if you can take advantage of that, you can opt for the one on one lessons afterwards so that your coaching is much more about fine tuning your technique...rather than just focusing on the basics...which any decent swimmer can help you with. Good luck |
| 2010-08-24 2:48 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
New user 72 Ellicott City | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congrats, Bruenor, not just for finishing, but for having an absolute nightmare swim and not letting that diminish your sense of triumph or keep you from getting back on the horse, and right away, at that. I'm gearing up for my first, a month from now, and your description of your swim is what I am dreading could happen to me. Nice to know that if the absolute worst happens, it's still not so awful. On the other hand, I'm training hard so that I'll have an easier time of it. |
| 2010-08-24 3:24 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Extreme Veteran 877 Pa | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congratulations on your finish!!!!! Your swim sounds super similar to my first swim experience. Not sure what place I was in (not sure I wanted to look) but I know it took 16:something to swim 485 yards all on my back. I was exhausted when I got out of the water. Just so you know how much improvement you can make in one season,without a swim lesson (however I recommend) I went back to that very same race the next year and did it in 7:25 :-) Someone suggested Masters - good idea. |
| 2010-08-24 6:35 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
Member 63 | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned I'm going to start swimming with a Masters group this week, as well as taking some lessons. The Masters group is pretty casual. They have organized workouts, but they don't have a coach on deck. I was told that there are people who will help you with your swimming if you ask, but I still want to get some structured lessons. Right now I'd have to ask someone else to take time away from their workouts to help me, and I don't know them well enough yet for that. |
| 2010-08-24 6:55 PM in reply to: #3056791 |
| New user 1 Shaker Heights | Subject: RE: First triathlon finished -- lessons learned Congratulations on finishing your first sprint!! Great job. I went into my first sprint thinking the swim would be the easiest and I experienced the same thing. I started way too fast, had high anxiety and ended up hyperventilating and not ever being able to catch my breath! It was not fun! Since I have done several more sprints and the swim is a bit easier... I try to meditate before the swim, not talk too much and breathe...then the best advise I was given by a long time triathlete was to just get thru the swim and treat it like a regular workout...you won't win or lose the race on the swim. With that said, I am getting ready to do my first olympic in a couple of weeks.....suddenly I am worried about the swim. The longest sprint swim I have done is 750 meters. I have done several open water swims swimming much more than a mile....but for some reason I am a bit worried. I have 2 weeks before I taper....I am going to do a few more OWS and then work on my mental state to believe I am ready for the race. Any input would be super helpful. Good luck on your next tri!! |
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