aaaaa I'm freaking out for the swim
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TriOnLife posted 1 year ago.
If you 500 time is 7:30 you'll be fine. I couldn't swim a 500 in 7:30 if I had shark after me. In triathlon it's all about the bike. Just get through the swim and you will be fine.
Most people will tell you that their first triathlon swim involved all sorts of panic, hyperventilating, breast stroking and floating on their backs. That's my story, anyhow. I just kept reminding myself that I know how to swim and to just put my face in the water and start stroking. Before I knew it I was running up on the beach!
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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RV posted 1 year ago.
The old triathlon adage goes something like - You won't win the tri in the swim, but you can lose it in the swim.
You want to put forth a good steady effort in the swim. While leaving energy for the bike and run.
Sounds like all you need to do is build some confidence swimming the longer distance.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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Anton posted 1 year ago.
Tri swimming IS NOT like a pool race...It's a whole different animal.
In a tri the whole point is to get out of the water with your heart rate under control. RV is too right...you can blow the whole race by going too hard in the swim.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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bouli posted 1 year ago.
Just relax man. For my first tri last year i was in the exact same position. After worrying too much, i learned to just take the swim easy. My bike and run were my stronger ends, so i just made it through the swim. Breaststroked most of it, but still came out ahead of most of my wave. keeping the heart rate down was the key really. I learned that through trial and error really. it just took me time to realise that it wasn't worth going hell for leather in the water if i was gonna vommit as soon as i got out. Nice and easy, then out and onto the bike. The vommitting feeling only came on when i came off the bike!
Relax, and most of all enjoy. it's not worth it if ya don't enjoy it!
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
-- T.S. Eliot
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Ironmom posted 1 year ago.
As others have said, you can relax about the swim somewhat. Try not to overamp, your swim time in a triathlon will not be anywhere near the same as a distance swim in a pool. At the end of a timed 500 PR in a pool, you should be exhausted. At the end of a 1/2 mile sprint triathlon swim, you need to be fresh enough to bike and run for 30 - 60 minutes or more, depending on your speeds.
One of the best swimming drills for triathlon that I know is descending sets. This really helps you dial in your pace for different lengths of distance swims. You can do them in any length (100s, 200s, 500s, 1000s).
For a descending set, pick your distance and your interval. So one set would be 12x100, descending by 3's, on an interval of maybe 1:45. That means your first 100 will be slow (maybe around 1:35), your second will be medium, around 1:30, and your 3rd will be fast, maybe 1:25 (adjust as necessary for your own pace). Repeat that sequence (slow, medium, fast) 4 times. You'll get more rest on the faster 100s than on the slower ones.
The idea behind this set is to dial in your paces. Ideally, your medium pace will be your 500 - 800m or sprint triathlon pace. Your fast will be your 200 yard pace (not an all-out sprint) and your slow will be your 1000+ (Olympic or longer triathlon) pace. Try to hit your goal pace for each 100 right on the second. If you do these sets frequently, you'll get very good at starting out at the right pace. When you're used to doing them with 100s, throw in 200s or even 500s. I think a set of four descending 500's (slow, med, med-fast, fast) is one of the best triathlon training sets ever.
I'd say about 75% of triathletes overamp the swim start, they do not start out at the pace they will finish at, and end up wasting a lot of energy right off the bat.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
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kkocan posted 1 year ago.
You should be fine with a 7:30/500. Probably in the top half or better if you can hold 1:30 or below per 100 pace. Sounds like you have some decent swimming abilities so if it were me I'd go out a little quick on the first minute or so to get out of the swarm of people and latch on to someone who is swimming just a tad faster than you. You will be suprised that you should be able to draft off them and swim slightly faster than your usual pace at a lower exertion level. This should leave you so you are not exhausted after the swim.
As for anxiety, for me any bit of that goes right out the window as soon as the race starts.
________________________________________________
2008 Main Races:
VA Beach Shamrock Marathon
Desoto TTT
WV Mountaineer HIM
IM Wisconsin
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grappler posted 1 year ago.
Hey buddy,
I am a 31yo short and round ex grappler, only been swimming since the start of Dec 06 and managed a 300m swim in my first mini tri. even now some 6 weeks on I still can only manage a 1:55 100m in the pool.
Like kkocan said, the issues you have will disappear when the starters gun goes off!
If your in it to win, you won't enjoy it!
Cheers mate
Angelo
'This is just the beginning'
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Nobody posted 1 year ago.
You swim a 1:30 per 100m and you're scared? Of what? Possibly being the first person on the bike? :D
Hey Angelo, I'm an ex-shootfighter (well I guess I still am a shootfighter--just haven't choked anyone out in a long time ;)). Keep up the swimming--I started swimming last Jan. and have since gone from 2:00 per 100m to 1:30. Only problem is I'm done after those 90 seconds. The Immersion technique helped quite a bit in reducing my times--that and an hour at a master's swim session.
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.
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grappler posted 1 year ago.
Hi Nobody,
Where did you train Shootfighting? I trained in Australia under John Will. Managed a green belt (one before black) in John's Shoot syllabus and a blue belt in BJJ. I would also like to know about your swim training. Immersion Technique?? can you explain??
Sorry for hijacking your thread Kidwonder!
'This is just the beginning'
I plan on doing a triathlon sometime in May or June and I'm just terrified of the swimming part. I did swimming for the first time this year for high school that went good I did the 500 and other events. My pr in the 500 was 7:30. I just don't think ill be able to swim half a mile fast enough. What was your first time in swimming for your triathlon?
its on like donkey kong