First tri coming up this Sunday - Nervous about the swim

The advantages to swimming on the inside is you have less distance to swim and it is harder to get off course (in theory)
The advantage to the outside is that it is easier to round the bouys
The disadvantage to the outside is that is where most beginners go. You would have more people to swim through if you are stronger than them. And if you are drafting, they are more likely to get off course. (again in theory)
I generally start on the inside until I get near the bouy, then swing out a little wider to get away from the congestion at the bouy.
You might find other swimmers that are way more qualified than me who can answer your questions better, but I hope that helped
Just relax, take your time and if it takes 20 minutes, then so be it.
Just have fun with it.
Tom

Hi,

Seed yourself at the BACK on the OUTSIDE. That way if you are not one of the weaker swimmers you will be out of the way.

Just my.02

I hope that makes sense

Roy

Do you know how to "sight"? That will help you stay on course. Plus, having other bodies in the water to follow will help too.

As for the endurance part, you'll do fine. Just go slow, and rest if you need to rest (tread water). When I get in the pool, I feel like I need to stop every 50 yards or so. But when I'm doing an open water swim, I manage to get all the way across without even thinking of it (180 meters). Part of it, I think, is that I tend to go slower. Like if I had to run one lap on the track, I'd start out faster than if I had to do 4 laps. I guess that's called pacing, huh?

If you think you're going to be a slower swimming, certainly stay to the side, rather than in the fray. For one, you'll be less likely to get caught up in the "gotta keep up" mentality. And remember, races are rarely won in the swim. Seconds, even minutes, "lost" here can easily be made up in the bike and the run.

Good luck! And I'm awaiting your race report!

First, take a deep breath; you'll do fine. Here is the strategy I used at my one and only OW tri swim. I lined up on the inside at the back of my wave. The horn went off and I let everybody start swimming. Then I started. I started slowly and just tried to find my rythm. I sighted every few strokes and sidestroked and breast stroked every once in a while to see who was around me. I was surprised to see swimmers behind me, but they were there. Halfway through I ended up in the middle of the course and sighted a lot on some women who were breast stroking a bit. They must have been sighting off of me too because every time I tried to pass them, they started freestyling again. I never went off course and felt I had a nice draft going just due to the sheer volume of people ahead of me. I rarely hung onto any feet.

As you've read on this thread, there is no shame in backstroking, side stroking, or breast stroking when you need to. Tell yourself to start slowly so you don't accidentally go out too fast. You're aiming for calm and collected here. The swim will be over before you know it. Good luck!

I too was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the distance , stay on course etc- did 1st 1/2 mile tri then 2nd was 3/4 mi swim- I too veer off course when I freestyle too much- I just mixed it up free/ breast stroke- didn't have to stop & tread- or do any backstroke I started off in the back , inside...just found my own pace and focused on MY goal- steady and not out of breath- and sighted the buoy every 6-8 strokes of free- did breast for a bit- after sight,back to free.
Adrenelin is a wonderful thing !
If I can do it, you can too !!!

You're going to do fine. I was so pumped for my first tri, that I almost beat my estimated pace by a lot. I bet you'll be able to swim much farther than you thought, just due to the crowd, the excitement and everything else.

I'm just a tad jealous that your OW swim is in the Caribbean, and mine will be in a murky lake fed by snowmelt!

Thanks for all the replies. I'm kind of getting an idea of what "sighting" means. It never occurred to me that I could just follow the swimmers in front of me (I'm so used to swimming alone). My mask get's foggy half way through the swim so that would help having other swimmers leading the way. I'm still unsure where to start though.

I also have another concern. Just now one of our local TV stations was showing some video footage from last year's race and I noticed everyone diving head first into the water at the start. This is something I'm not sure I'll be able to do since everytime I've atttempted to do this my mask comes off my face. I'm using a seal mask. Can anybody provide tips on how to wear the mask or how to dive in with the mask so it stays on my face?

Thanks,
David

googles+nose clip instead of mask? but not for The First! I think mask would stay in place only if held by hand?
looking forvard the race report and good luck!

You've been doing the work since May, now its time to relax and have fun. You did finish the swim during practice in a very respectable time. You'll be even faster race day. If you need to jump off a wall into the water and are worried about your mask just jump in feet first. You really won't be losing that much time in the overall scheme of things. Just a few more days you future triathlete!!!

I use a seal mask too re:the fogging do you use the antifog stuff that's made for them- it holds out for me until the very end- -Re: diving- I can't see how it could stay on diving unless your face is WAY tucked - I have tried diving w/ it and no go- the whole premise w/ that kind of mask is the suction to your face and the strap not being way tight- so any force strong enough to disturb the seal ...
Maybe triswim coach will note this post and have some input?

I guess I'll have no choice but to jump in the water feet first. In any case I'll do my best to just have fun. Re: anitfog stuff, I don't use it. I think I need to though because my maske does have a tendency to fog up.

Now I just hope that hurricane Ivan stays away so my race doesn't have to be postponed.

Edited by David_Zen 2004-09-08 12:11 PM

why not just get some goggles? $10

mask fogging tip:

This carries over from scuba diving. use a bit of toothpaste inside the mask when you put it on. get it wet, rub some toothpaste around with your finger over the inside of the mask, rinse it out, and put on the mask.

Use a 'gel' paste, not a baking soda or other kind with 'grit' as that will scratch your mask overtime.

Try this before your tri of course, but it's worked for me on scuba diving/snorkeling.

-Chris

Chucky, the only goggles I can find in the stores here are some really cheap leakie ones that you could probably find in one of your local dollar stores. I used them for a while before I got my seal mask, which incidentally also can't be found in any of the stores here.

Chris, thanks for the toothpaste tip. I used to do a little snorkeling myself when I was younger. My dad thought me to use my saliva for the same purpose. I'll try the toothpaste and see how that works.

Baby shampoo is lsupposed to work like the toothpaste gel, also

I am a baby shampoo antifog afficionado. Put a glob in the dry mask, smear it all around add water to soap up and rinse really really well! David trust in the force! You will do it!! Kate Allen won the Olympic Tri and she was about 38th out of the water. Just concentrate on getting the panic and adrenaline under control. This is a big learning curve for you - be happy if you finish without swallowing 50 litres of salt water ;-) Square cornered swim courses are evil as the chaos on the corners can be quite frightening as everyone tries to make the course as short as possible. Stay away from the packs at all times. You don't sound strong or confident and you will never be happy unless you can have some still water to yourself. If you have a bad swim you will be blown up for the ride and run which are your better legs. So go slow and don't get strung out about how fast you are going - you will get yours back after T1! Good luck! Dx

You're probably too close to your race date to get them now, but as a former competitive swimmer & water polo player, I highly recommend the Swedish style goggles (you've seen 'em at the Olympics a hundred times - no foam on the goggle, allowing it to suction into your eye sockets VERY well). You'll never find them in a store, but you can always find them at http://www.worldwideaquatics.com. Here's the link directly to their page: http://worldwideaquatics.com/catalog/default.asp?PID=2034. World Wide Aquatics is an excellent place to find any swimming apparel, equipment, etc. - they carry things you won't find anywhere else (ever tried to find a Nylon swimsuit?).

Oh, and I'm not an employee there - they've just been very good to me over the last 5 years.

Good luck on your race & hope to see a race report shortly!


- Eric

Hey Hey, I am a triathlete now! Compteted my first triathlon today; swam-580 yards, biked-20 miles and ran-4.8 miles.

I tried washing out my seal mask with baby shampoo for antifog effect as suggested by some of you and it worked great. Everything else wasn't so great. Early in the swim I bucked my head on someone's head or knee. And my seal mask didn't seal too well as water kept leaking in; I had to stop several times to let it out. The swim really took the most out of me and that's where I lost a lot of time. I was able to catch a lot of people on the bike though. And the run...well that's a different story. Some of those same folks I passed on the bike passed me on the run. I ended up placing 43rd. I'll have more details in my race report.

Guess I'm hanging around here tonight...Big time congrats on your first tri. They'll all get easier for you unless you increase your distances! Ask tmwelshy.

Edited by Aikane 2004-09-12 8:32 PM

Hey- Congrats-Good for you! Can't wait to hear more abourt your race- but don't minimize the fact that despite your anxieties yu showed up- you swam- you conquered!!!!YOU are a triathlete!