Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area

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2010-10-04 4:16 PM

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Guelph
Subject: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
Hello,
I first started taking running seriously a few years ago.  Before that I would just jog enough for exercise and to tire out my energetic dog.  But after a while I started getting motivated to run longer and became very interested in endurance sports.  I did my first sprint try at the end of the summer.  I started off with a lousy swim, but made up for it on the cycling and running and was satisfied with my time at the end (for a first tri).  The wide open, choppy water made me unexpectedly nervous and I couldn't get into a rythm.  I'm definitely hooked though.  Can't wait to do a regular length tri.

Right now I'm nursing a broken wrist (scaphoid fracture).  A big cast on my arm makes it hard to train.  But this should give me time to plan out my training for when I am healed.  I came across this website and noticed that you could spend days here.   There's a lot of info to navigate through.  I'm hoping to use it to put a training plan together and definitely get tips on the swimming in particular.

Thanks,
Nate

2010-10-04 9:08 PM
in reply to: #3132379

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Subject: RE: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
Welcome to BT Nate!

Congrats on doing your first tri this year and I'm glad to hear you're hooked!  Triathlons are a lot of fun and are a great lifestyle.

Do you have any particular questions about swimming?  The open water can be very intimidating so you're def not alone on that.  As soon as your wrist heals, I'd recommend focusing on your technique in the pool over the winter as your technique is so important with swimming.  Once the weather gets better, get back out in the open water for some practice swims.  This should help you feel a lot more comfortable in your next race.

Well welcome once again.  As you said, there is a ton of information on here and a lot of people willing to help so don't be afraid to post any questions you have.
2010-10-05 10:38 PM
in reply to: #3132800

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Guelph
Subject: RE: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
A particular question about swimming would be how to manage not to get a mouth full of lake water when there are waves.  I'm not a strong swimmer to begin with, but I worked on getting a good rythm with my breathing in the pool doing the crawl.  The choppy water made this difficult, yet some of the stronger swimmers around me seemed to not be affected.  Does this just come with practice?

Thanks for the welcoming,

Nate
2010-10-05 11:19 PM
in reply to: #3135040

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Subject: RE: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
nwmunn - 2010-10-06 11:38 AM A particular question about swimming would be how to manage not to get a mouth full of lake water when there are waves.  I'm not a strong swimmer to begin with, but I worked on getting a good rythm with my breathing in the pool doing the crawl.  The choppy water made this difficult, yet some of the stronger swimmers around me seemed to not be affected.  Does this just come with practice?

Thanks for the welcoming,

Nate


Welcome to BT, Nate, and congratulations, TRIATHLETE Sorry about your wrist--healing vibes to you from afar!

Experience in all kinds of open water is very helpful.

Also, making sure your technique is really solid (with the help of a strong swimmer, better yet, lessons, better yet, tri-oriented swim coach) will go a long way for swimming overall, and is a huge confidence booster in itself.

Sometimes, breathing on the other side can help avert some of the chop/waves. Being able to breathe comfortably on either side is a big help.

Good luck!
2010-10-09 6:41 AM
in reply to: #3135040

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Subject: RE: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
nwmunn - 2010-10-05 11:38 PM A particular question about swimming would be how to manage not to get a mouth full of lake water when there are waves.  I'm not a strong swimmer to begin with, but I worked on getting a good rythm with my breathing in the pool doing the crawl.  The choppy water made this difficult, yet some of the stronger swimmers around me seemed to not be affected.  Does this just come with practice?

Thanks for the welcoming,

Nate


Welcome to BT - I'm from just down the 401 in SW ontario.

I'm guessing the race was Wasaga?  I was supposed to do that race a few years ago as my first oly and the swim was cancelled because of the waves.  Do you bi-lateral breathe when you are swimming (this mean breathing on both side, usually every third arm pull, but some people with big lungs do every five)?  If not, I would teach yourself to be able to breathe one both sides.  It will even out your arm muscles, but more importantly in big waves, you can chose to breathe only on the right side or only on the left side to avoid trying to take a breath into a big wave.
2010-10-11 9:27 AM
in reply to: #3142271

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Guelph
Subject: RE: Greetings from the Greater Toronto Area
I practiced by taking a breath every third arm pull, but during the race I tried to only breath on the side facing away from the waves.  Still swallowed some lake water now and then when a bigger wave came up and over.  This rattled me.  I think I just need more practice in the open water, so my nerves won't get the better of me. 

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