Nervous about the open water swim
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angiek941
Posts: 97 Member
My first Tri is in August, and it's a sprint. The open water swim is 400m. I did 500 in the pool today without stopping, but I know it's not the same. I guess they won't let me drown ;0)
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If you can do the distance in the pool you should be ok in a sprint. Just stay calm. There can be a lot of physical contact in open water. My advice is just keep swimming. You'll get to the end and you'll be fine.0
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I'm nervous too! Mine is in the ocean, and I can't even do it in the pool yet! My sprint is in September. I am planning on going with the tri club this week or next for an open water swim in the ocean and seeing how they manage and try it out. I'm sure we will make it, but I am definitely humbled by the thought of it.0
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You guys make me feel better. There's a Tri clinic on the course a couple weeks before the Tri. I'm definitefly going to attend.0
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When training for open water, I like to be able to do twice the distance in the pool. I feel like that is a good benchmark for swimming against a current in terms of comparing energy usage,0
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When training for open water, I like to be able to do twice the distance in the pool. I feel like that is a good benchmark for swimming against a current in terms of comparing energy usage,
Or if you sight as poorly as I do and you swim twice the distance. :laugh:0 -
good luck im sure you will do great0
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No they definitely will not let you drown. Honestly though, you will be fine. If you have an opportunity to do an open water swim before the tri, it would help a lot. One of the hardest things is to get used to sighting at a distance - there are no black lines to help you swim straight. If you are nervous, line up at the back of the swim wave. Give all the speedy swimmers a few seconds to get started, then find your path. Have a "panic stroke" such as breast stroke or sidestroke that you can go to if you start getting anxious. Take your time and focus on your rhythm and breathing. Relax and enjoy the experience. You can do it!!!!!0
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Don't worry, they won't let you drown. It's a big minus on their kayak volunteer resume.
I know a lotta lotta lotta people who've grown up in pools all their lives, who get queazy in open water. It's pretty common. Don't panic, stay calm, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming", and remember that eventually it'll be over, and you'll be in T1 getting on with your race. For most OWS races, there're lots of people in kayaks who're there for you. Just sit up in the water, wave your hand, and somebody should come over. They'll let you hang on the side of the kayak for a quick breather, without penalizing you.
Good racing, and have fun. This really is an amazingly joyous and exciting sport, even for slowpokes like myself. Just, sometimes it can be pretty nerve racking, also... *sigh*
TriJoe.0 -
Don't worry, they won't let you drown. It's a big minus on their kayak volunteer resume.
so true... I did kayak support for ironman racine 70.3 .. we had a few that needed to stop and rest, but mostly we
had to keep people from swimming too far off course, so I'd practice trying to swim straight in open water
Connie0 -
You guys make me feel better. There's a Tri clinic on the course a couple weeks before the Tri. I'm definitefly going to attend.
You really should! I did a clinic at the lake my triathlon was at and it was SO helpful. I got a lot of tips about open water swimming and just getting a chance to swim with other people around me. That, coupled with heading back to the lake a few times before the race calmed my nerves a lot. Sounds like you're doing the right things to prepare!0 -
When training for open water, I like to be able to do twice the distance in the pool. I feel like that is a good benchmark for swimming against a current in terms of comparing energy usage,
Or if you sight as poorly as I do and you swim twice the distance. :laugh:
LOL! I'm glad I'm not the only one that ends up zig zagging the swim course!0 -
The main thing is to get in and do a couple of open water swims before your triathlon.
Work on your sighting in the pool as well as your open water training swims.
Keep calm. Remember when you start off not to rush it. I find myself sometimes caught up in the excitement and go out too fast which can cause my chest to tighten up a bit.
I used to have anxiety in the open water but I found that trying to stay calm, and remember about my stroke and doing a stroke count like 10 counts then doing a look, another 10 strokes, look kept me in a zone that I didn't worry about the swim.
If you can wear a wetsuit it's even more of a relaxer because you can just float in them without having to do anything. I love them because I would sink like a stone without it.0 -
You guys are all so awesome and supportive! Thanks so much. I'm starting to feel better about this thing.0
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Look out for sharks, pirahnas, eels, jellyfish, and other miscellaneous water animals that people are irrationally afraid of!
You'll do great!0 -
Meeting with the tri club at 0630 tomorrow for an ocean swim! VERY nervous...but gotta do it. Will let you all know how I fare.0
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Meeting with the tri club at 0630 tomorrow for an ocean swim! VERY nervous...but gotta do it. Will let you all know how I fare.
So I managed almost a quarter mile of the breast stroke before the salt water made me gag. Not sure how I'll ever do a freestyle in that water, but they did say that the water was rougher than usual this morning. The tri club peeps were super nice. One guy stayed back with me and gave me moral support. I felt like I wasn't going anywhere and he assured me I was making progress. All around a decent experience. Think I'll try to go on Thursday mornings as often as I can. 0 -
Meeting with the tri club at 0630 tomorrow for an ocean swim! VERY nervous...but gotta do it. Will let you all know how I fare.
So I managed almost a quarter mile of the breast stroke before the salt water made me gag. Not sure how I'll ever do a freestyle in that water, but they did say that the water was rougher than usual this morning. The tri club peeps were super nice. One guy stayed back with me and gave me moral support. I felt like I wasn't going anywhere and he assured me I was making progress. All around a decent experience. Think I'll try to go on Thursday mornings as often as I can.
How are you doing with your ocean swimming? I most always will drink my fairshare of the salt water, but have gotten a little better with practice. I live in Florida, usually my open swims have been in the ocean. However, i recently went camping up at Rainbow River and swam for the first time in a river. That was very difficult because i was used to the buoyancy of the salt water, I really had a hard time keeping afloat. First Tri of the year for me will be September 30.0 -
I actually prefer lake water because it's flat for the most part. Well I prefer river water if swimming with the current, see Augusta 70.30
