I heard it on here a thousand time and a thousand times I ignored the advice

First off, I'm glad you are okay and welcome to the insanity!  I must say this...

...made me nearly spit my drink all over the monitor!  Too funny!

Excellent post and thanks for doing it. We have had a couple of threads over the past week or so that have gotten a little heated about the swim portion. It was good to see a perspective of someone who recently experienced it.

I was watching a re-brocast of the 2011 Kona race yesterday and my wife says "I know 2.4 miles is a long way, but by comparison to the length of the bike and run it doesn't seem so bad". Now she did preface that comment with "I know swimming long distances isn't easy, but". I know your distance was nowhere near that, but it is interesting how we can get lulled into seeing a swim as not so bad. That is until we nearly drown doing it!! When I got into this a few years ago a I thought I'd be okay when it was time to get into the pool to train seeing as I've alway been comfortable in the water. When I nearly swollowed a gallon of water on my first 50 yards and was so embarrased with I saw a nearly 70 y/o lady swimming lap after lap. Almost didn't come back!!! Sounds like a lesson was learned and I'm sure we'll hear much better news after your next race!!

BTW you may have to change your blog name after the shaving, just wouldn't represent you anymore!!

Glad you're ok, even if the stache isn't. And this wasn't even open water. Even folks who've done this for years can forget your advice. Good on you for doing something to fix the problem. -J

I was gonna ask if you were the same dsand97 'cause I was wondering what happened to the 'stache ...

Thank you for your honesty and humbleness.

Work on the swim and you can indeed do well (not just survive ... kinda), AND have your flying fuzz back.

This guy swam a 2:00 for a 10K ... that was in difficult conditions so it was very slow for him!

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I am too attached to my beard/stache.  I had the same issue when I started swimming.  I have had to exhale a little through my nose to prevent this from happening.  Im still pretty slow so im wondering if in the future I will resort to a nose plug or something.

Great post!

Advice also applies to BOP swimmers who survive an IM then take 6mo away from the water before humbling themselves in local OWS sprint tri.  (Do NOT ask me how I know that ).

Thanks for the post. I'm still training for my first tri (sprint) and thought the same thing about the swim. "500 yards? That's not so bad. I can do that." Until I tried to swim for the first pool training session. Coughing, spluttering, flailing about. I took some lessons and have been swimming 3-4x/week since. And seriously, it kicks my butt. I've been able to work up to 500 yards in the pool, but resting after each lap or length. Those training plans that say "swim 500 yards warm up" crack me up. I'm just not there yet.

Did my first OWS last week; 600 yards. I was feeling pretty optimistic about it also since the pool had been going fairly well. Then I started swimming. My heart was racing, my form went to pieces, yada yada. It was a very good thing someone was swimming with me the whole way. I did it with a combo platter of strokes, some real, some made up. But no, it's not easy. I don't flail anymore, but swimming is way harder than the average person thinks.

I volunteered at a sprint tri this past weekend and was on kayak duty and I must say... please, please, please, PLEASE don't go into a tri without some swim experience and most importantly, open water swim experience. Yes, being in good shape cardio wise is a plus, but if you don't have good form to keep your body in a position in the water where you can breath easily, or if you panic when you get in dark, murky water with other people splashing around you, cardio fitness goes out the door. I had people hanging on my kayak, and escorted at least 3 people to the shore because they weren't sure they could make it. They all did, but I kept the kayak 2 feet or less from them. There were others who just got in the boat and gave up. 

I have competed in several tris, including this exact one last year, and I never realized the amount of carnage that goes on in such as small event with a time trial start. Yes, I've been hit with a hand or halfway kicked or had someone swim perpendicular to me and right into me, but to be on top of the water seeing it all go on is sobering. One woman had her goggles and cap knocked off and couldn't tread water long enough to get them back on, she was calling for help. It was her first tri, and she was one of the people I followed to the shore. 

I saw people swimming who never put their face in the water, people backstroking into others, people backstroking WAY off course until we redirected them, sidestroking, people with no goggles, breast stroking, doggy paddling, everything. I was on edge the entire time. 

You've enlightened me.  I had no idea that people would even consider entering a Tri without swim training. 

for me... it's my favorite leg of the tri.  Especially if the water is clear, fresh, between 66-70 (with wetsuit), and I've got someone just a little faster than me that I can draft.  Even better if they have an easy kick and are a good sighter. 

I do a yearly tri that is in a 50 meter pool that is 4 foot deep from end to end......many people walk the entire "swim"......craziest thing I've ever seen in triathlon.   

Thanks for the stories! I spit my water out a few times reading some of these.  Yes, it's really easy to get caught up in the "X" distance is that far until we do it!  I did a 1 mile swim race a few weeks ago, the longest one I've done to date and about 2/3rs of the way through I was thinking "Damn!  This really is far!"  I was calm and doing ok although not blazing fast (43 min ) but felt good when I finished.  

I thought about doing a tri a few hours away from me back in June until I found footage of people WITH WETSUITS walking in the 4 foot deep man made lake!  I thought "The last thing I want is to get passed by someone walking the swim!  Needless to say, I didn't do that event.  LOL!  

LOL, it was the same for me in my first open water swim race XD Except it was three hot shirtless guys... with orange flotation devices and a bitchin' jet ski XD

I guess there was a day it bothered me....but not anymore.  I've seen plenty of people walk their bikes and walk the run...might as well walk the swim. 

And....what on earth could be wrong with backstroking?  I know some kids who would destroy most of a triathlon field backstroking the entire swim.

I agree with the backstroke as OK, for that was my competitive stroke all through HS, college, and even now into the Senior Olympics.  I am much more comfortable and much faster as well.  I can sight, and best of all, breath when ever I want, although there is a pattern.

I usually start out freestyle because of the crowd, but as it thins out I always change over to my preferred stroke.

^^^  You could die!!!