Sport Today

Hi,

this is my first posting in this newsgroup. Has somebody any good ideas
how to prepare a triathlete for a 3800m swimming?

Thomas

Thomas,
Some comments/thoughts :
- If one is fit enough to do the rest of the IM distance, one is likely
prepared for the swim. Seems to be a matter of coordinating the breathing
and swimming smoothly without tiring oneself.
- Wearing a wetsuit is like being impaled in a large cork. You cant sink.
- If training in a pool, watch for the turns. One uses the wall a little
more enthusiastically than one should. The best training is probably done
in the openwater.
- There are some tips for open water swimming at www.swimnyc.org .
- While it may look choppy, one can usually find a pocket for oneself. Pretty
safe actually. It helps not to get too aggressive about the whole thing.
- Swimming is easy, sighting is hard. Sometimes one hopes the guy one is
tracking is better clued, and sometimes one prays. Of course the better swimmers
'track the sunlight shafting through the water'.
- At the swim start, just before they wave you off, you may want to go, 'Hey!
I am not ready yet. Stop! Hold on.'. Well, resist the temptation.

Of course, there is no real tip for swim-training up there. But I dont have a
clue either. Keep going till it ends, I guess.
Uh! Did that help? :-|
Varun

Thomas:

Looks like you need to offer more info. about your swimming ability,
background, etc., before anyone can give you applicable advice for an ironman
swim.  For instance, have you ever raced a tri. of any length?  Do you swim
regularly?  By yourself?  With a masters group?  Do you own a wetsuit?  What
kind?  What are your goals?  Etc.

The only thing I can help to reassure you with is that the swim is only a
very small part of ironman.  You can make up for a bad swim in the other
events - but, you can't make up for a bad bike ride.  For instance, my fiance
was out of the water in 59 minutes last year, while I swam a leisurely 1:13.
At the end, though, my finishing time was 1.5 hours quicker.

Good luck.

Scott Powell
Portland, Oregon

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