Open Water Swimming

IronPhyllida

Sorry if this topic has been posted before but here goes...

I've got my first olympic tri this weekend with a 1500m open water swim. Now, I can do the distance in the pool no problem, but I've got the benefit of walls to tell me when I've done 25m and so on. I tried swimming in a lake a few weeks back and it dawned on me that I had no concept of how fast I was going, where i was and the concept of time. It felt I'd been out for an hour but when I got out I'd only been in for 30 mins and I'd done 1200m, which is not a bad thing, but when I was out there I HAD NO CLUE.

But my question is, what do you do when you're out there to keep things real? Just keep at it? I havent got a watch to swim with and doubt if I'd have the chance or capacity to look at it anyway as the water will be green.

Some last minute advice would be really appreciated. And yes I know I should have gone out to the lake more often to practice, but took me ages to find one that nearby. I know, excuses excuses....

Nervous IP.

scott091501

Go out and start at a comfortable feeling pace. The energy of OWS in a race will pull you through a lot. Just continue to tick off buoys as you go and before you know it you'll be there. Sighting will be a bit different than you're used to. DON'T GET FRUSTRATED. Some things are just hard to simulate in a pool and we just have to accept that. The goal for a first Oly should be to get out of the water feeling fairly fresh and looking forward to getting on the bike.

IronPhyllida

Thanks very much Scott, I'll do just that...

dbmata

Thanks very much Scott, I'll do just that...

It's your first oly, is it your first tri?

Like Scott said, there are a lot of things you just can't simulate in a pool, from the lack of bottom as a visual reference to the actual scrum of being in an active pack.

Swimming more in the lake and having some creative friends helps, but it won't give you the full experience. Have you been using an hrm? If you have, you could go by heart rate, I'd think, set an alarm for an hr threshold that is higher then you'd want for the race, if it goes off, you know to dial back, don't even need to see the screen, just listen for it.

IronPhyllida

Thanks very much Scott, I'll do just that...

It's your first oly, is it your first tri?

Like Scott said, there are a lot of things you just can't simulate in a pool, from the lack of bottom as a visual reference to the actual scrum of being in an active pack.

Swimming more in the lake and having some creative friends helps, but it won't give you the full experience. Have you been using an hrm? If you have, you could go by heart rate, I'd think, set an alarm for an hr threshold that is higher then you'd want for the race, if it goes off, you know to dial back, don't even need to see the screen, just listen for it.

Thanks for that, no it's not my first tri, done a couple of pool based sprints. Haven't got an HRM for the water, that's the next bit of investment after new bike, doing this one on a MTB hybrid.

dbmata

So, not sure what your timeline or budget is like, but this is what I use. It should do what you need, I would think, and it's a great price.

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-RS300X-Heart-Monitor-Watch/dp/B001W93YDS

Definitely research what's out there though. I'm thinking of moving up to one of those new fangled ones that tell you where you're at and such.

IronPhyllida

So, not sure what your timeline or budget is like, but this is what I use. It should do what you need, I would think, and it's a great price.

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-RS300X-Heart-Monitor-Watch/dp/B001W93YDS

Definitely research what's out there though. I'm thinking of moving up to one of those new fangled ones that tell you where you're at and such.

Sorry! I wasn't clear, I've got a Garmin 110 HRM but it's not water proof, water resistant but not water proof. Didnt fancy getting electrocuted in the pool... Does a brilliant job on the bike and on the run, just not in the water...

dbmata

Ah, well, that's a goat of a different color.

Other than just checking heart rate manually, I couldn't think of another way to manage pace while on the swim.

Cgirlish

doing IM safety last weekend, several of the athletes were swimming off course, so I'd say practice sighting and stay on course as much as possible ... maybe find someone to sight or draft off of,,, finding and sighting off a landmark is sometimes easier than the bouys

Connie

TriShamelessly

You can also practic4e sighting behind you in the pool. Often easier to see the buoy you just passed then the next one depending on the crowd you're in, waves, etc. Since you naturally look back when breathing, it can help. As one of the others said, you can also sight off other larger objects - moored boats, a flag pole, etc. if they are readily available. I'm sure you'll do great but best of luck in any event!

IronPhyllida

Thanks everyone. Race was this weekend and i felt great in the water, whacked a few people behind me, hugged a few buoys (they were orange and all our caps were pink, very hard to tell the difference!). Didn't panic at all out there, just gritted my teeth and went for it. Really pissed off with myself that I veered off course a couple of times, did wonder when I was on my own.... Big difference with swimming and running is that you can't really zone out when swimming can you?

Anyway, I came third in my category, F41-44, so I'm really really pleased with that considering I beat the girl behind me by 2 seconds. Phew!!

My times, if anyone is interested:

Swim: 1500m - 39:53
Bike: 42km - 1:40:41 (MTB hybrid)
Run: 10k - 52:51 - fastest 10k. I obviously need a swim and a bike ride to warm me up!!

Thanks again for all your help. Aiming for a 5k swim race springtime, so will be working on my speed in the pool during the winter months.

dbmata

Excellent work, that's a lot of effort to be really proud of.