crappy seaswims

[RSANewbie]

Hi, I wonder if someone could help with my question re being able to swim in the pool but when it comes to seaswim I am so slow even the kiddies come out before me.  OK maybe not that bad I am frustrated,  I have a swim coach who just keeps saying it will come.  HELLO I dont have time I  have entered my first every 70.3 in East London in 8 weeks time.  I don't have time for it to come.   Some say a higher cadence in the sea, strong pull - hit the gym. Hmm so what do?  I have 3 pools session with a coach that include drills etc and the distance is 3km, one open water swim that is supposed to be 2km but I have only managed 1km swim in a race enviroment and 1.5km with flippers on seeing if that could help with the confidence.

ANY suggestions are worth a try,  OH yes,  1 year ago I could not swim 25m so I don't have a swimming back ground.

Thanks

[Amanda]

Hey there!

Don't get frustrated and down - I'm sure people on here will give some really sound advice.

My little piece of advice would be just make it around the course within the time cut off. If it's your first one, that should really be the only goal of the day - you'll feel the same sense of achievement however fast you get to the finish, and it gives you a bench mark to go out and beat in your next one.

My boyfriend who always comes to watch at the events I do tells me he's seen many people in races where swimming is obviously their weakness, and so they either do the whole thing in breaststroke, or combine front crawl with a bit of intermitant breast stroke in between so they can catch some breath before they do front crawl again - it's kind of like a walk/run strategy - could that be a possibility to get you further? Maybe have a go in training?

It also seems that for many the whole open water swimming thing is about confidence, and feeling comfortable in that environment. The more you do it, the less you'll get up tight, the easier you'll be able to swim, the faster you'll get.

As with most things in longer distance triathlon, it's about time, preparation and a bit more time...

Good luck.

Amanda

[javaman]

Amanda's advice is a good start.  I'm certain Doc would provide more substantial guidance if the training window was larger.

(IMHO, remaining within your comfort zone regardless of the conditions is paramount.  I've been swimming for two years and don't swim well in open water, either.  I went out of the comfort zone 800m into the swim at IMFL and things went to hell very fast; 400m later I was very fatigued, freaked out and had to go in...from the swim to the shore, from the shore to the emergency room...they suspected a cardiac issue but I think it was from fighting the conditions rather than enduring them.)

[Jocelyn Wong - "Wongstar"]

staying in the comfort zone does not work for The Wongstar.   

[Amanda]

Me neither Wongster - but then again, neither of us have any major troubles or concerns (bad weather conditions or jelly fish staying out of the equation just now...) making the distance or swimming in open water!

Everyone starts somewhere, I know I did! So maybe at that point it's better to stay in comfort, rather than out of the race altogether.

[javaman]

I understand what you're saying Wongstar.  I got my gold-plated wake-up call.  Right after that, I received Doc's memo (Swimming Hurts) in my mental in-box.  I guess the relatively-inexperienced AGer (like me) should start with "comfort zone" and move to "place, press and push" as soon as we can.

[doc]

hehehe
you got to love it
wongstar now giving swim advise on open water swimming when she has the very same problem .
unlike her you dont have a pro card ,
so being afraid of people around you and to mix it up hard and often , to me is extremely acceptable
unlike a pro completely UNNACCEPTABLE
so
i would start where its comfortable for you , if you lose 2 or 3 min
 who cares
get the swim out of the way then  enjoy the race .

training 
patience
the more you swim the more you will be come at ease with it .
gym
thats  for posers its not going to make you swim faster at your level .

hit the pool and push   , enjoy the work outs and it will get better

wear your wetsuit in some pool swims .
open water
all the you beaut coaches  love this one , it will help you get better yaday ada   yada
well i been doing it for 20yrs now tri coaching
and even with pros
when i started off  i was like swimming 2 times a week open water , i too was hood winked .

i found it made most worse , and created unwanted anxiety in some .
so i dropped it
even pros to day still get on my case
we should swim more  open water .
all total bullshit , as it doesnt mimic anything
unless you got a group of 100 swimming around you , then i would do it .
so
get to the pool  do your workout ,
enjoy what you do and why you do it .
and stop paniking 8 weeks before the gun goes
that is your biggest problem
and you can bet on that

[DamienC]

Hey RSANewbie, where you located?

[Plasma]

if your major concern is judging yourself against the 'faster swimmers' then maybe you should have a little logic thrown your way...
rather focus on getting through the swim whether the conditions are great or poor... difference between YOUR best or worst swim could be 5-10min...
On the bike between YOUR best and worst ride on the same course 15-20min...
But the run... 60min plus between best and worst...

Enjoy your first 70.3 and realise that there are plenty of first timers and you might even find a whole host of them behind you when you exit the water... 
You know East London is a wetsuit legal swim... so when things get a little tough out there... just float! Leave the speed up to the boys and girls from TBB and the rest of the Pro's! We train primarily for FUN and the health and confidence benefits we get out of this great sport!

Heard one of the Pro's say at the 2009 race that half way on the EL course was at the end of the first lap (of the run)... Pace yourself!

Just my average Age Grouper Opinion... 

Good luck and see you there!

[skyman]

'"and stop paniking 8 weeks before the gun goes
that is your biggest problem
and you can bet on that "

........Doc always gives the best advice!


 

[RSANewbie]

This forum is awsome,  must say pitty we could not clone doc and have a "cloned doc"  here in PE,

Thanks guys.  now where do I find this article swimming hurts, (should be everything hurts for the first year  )

[Huggy Bear]

Hi RSA

Like Plasma says slower swim can payback sometimes.

My intentionally slowest swim by 10mins (took some resolve to keep it slow) resulted in PB by 45 mins.

So AG'ers race off like its a sprint .... pace is everything, you'll see them later in the day (and it can be a long day!)

[javaman]

The "Swimming Hurts" blog was linked from the TBB newsletter I received last month.  Here's where you can find it:

http://www.teamtbb.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=563

(there are moments I'd be all for cloning Doc...  )

[Zooma]

Your expectations may be unrealistic. You could not swim 25m a year ago. With a great deal of commitment you could become a decent half or Ironman swimmer in 2 years. I swam with a guy who went from zero swimming to a 60 minute IM swimmer in 2 years. It can be done but like your coach says it will take time.

Surf swimming is different to pool. It's all fine when there is no swell or current but PE and East London can get both. Train in the pool but once in a while get in the surf. Sea swimming tips. Learn to breathe on both sides so that you can breathe away from the chop. Sight at the top of a swell. When swimming down wind and with the swell lengthen your stroke and surf the swell. Into the chop higher turn over. I worked as a pro lifeguard and could swim away from people that would leave me for dead in the pool. 

[emabish]

Hi There,
I am totally unqualified to give swim advice  But I can relate to your prediciment  I did IM Malaysia 08. Could not swim for toffee and started swimming mid Dec 07 race was feb 08. Never swam open water before..had no frigging clue. The plan. Just get round under the cut off and enjoy YOUR day. I loved my first tri it was life changing. I made the cut off in a very unimpressive time but had plenty to spare.
Fast forward a year and a bit. IM Malaysia 09 My swim still stinks...anyone will tell you that. But I slashed 20mins off the previous years time. Today I have more good days than bad when doing my swim sessions. I try not to get fixed upon the splits i do in training. Instead I believe I learn more and progress better when I 'FEEL' I have had a good session and enjoyed getting in the pool and working hard.
Everything else will come (as Doc always says) BUT you must be patient. I am not but would like to think of me as a work in progress 
Good LUCK