Last Minute OW Sea Swim Advice Needed

griffin100

I'm doing the Tramore Sprint Tri tomorrow and just need some last minute advice regarding the sea swim (although after reading the earlier post on OW swim etiquette I am thinking of not going!). I plan to enter the water way back from the leaders and swim hopefully on my own / in a loose group. I have done a few 1,000m swims in the pool so I am hoping that I will be able for the 750m. However this will be my first proper sea swim so I am a bit nervous. I generally breath on every stroke to the right although I have been practicing on the left side as well as I am aware that if the waves are hitting me from the right I could have problems. I am worried about getting my face high enough out of the water to ensure that I don't drink a huge amnout of water with every breath, but I will be wearing a wetsuit so hopefully this will help. Is there any other advice that even at this late stage that people could give me that would help?

shellda1

I think the main thing 2 do is relax as much as u can. I see a lot of people in tri's getting very excited at the start and tearing off which leaves them breathless after a 100m. I know there's been a fair bit said on other posts but in general ow swims arent that bad. Good idea to stay at the back and take your time. Wouldnt worry to much about the breathing, ive been swimming for years and always breath to the right, which ever is more comfortable for you. And remember enjoy it

liamo

Hi.

In my very inexperienced opinion :

• If you can do 1,00m in the pool you'll be fine in a 750m OW swim with a wetsuit.
• Personally, between the wetsuit and the extra buoyancy of the sea I find it a lot easier than the pool.
• Do enter the water before the start for a minute or two and get your head under so that you don't get a shock when the race starts.
• You've got the right idea starting towards the back.
• If you're behind the faster swimmers, a little contact with another swimmer or two is probably as bad as it will get.
• Take your time at the start and get into your rhythm.
• Remember to sight every 6 or 8 strokes.
• If you're worried about breathing, roll a bit further. This will give you more time to breathe.
• As Shelda1 said, don't worry about breathing only on the right. The time for practicing bilateral breathing is in the pool. Tomorrow, do what you're comfortable with.
• Don't worry about the waves - you'll still be able to breathe.
• Finally, relax! It's supposed to be fun!

I'm also going to Tramore tomorrow. It's my third tri (in my first year of triathlon) and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

Best of luck with your race. It would be interesting to hear your post-race thoughts compared to how you're feeling about it now.

Regards,

Liam

griffin100

Thanks for the advice guys, all very helpful. This is my third atempt at a tri this year, my first was the Focus Ireland one which ended up being a duathalon; and my second was the Heritage Novice one last week which I couldn't get to because of flooding. Hopefully this will be rhird time lucky:D

Funkyzeit

Hi There
Was in the same situation ealier in the year -

Don't worry about it you'll be fine - sounds like you've done the training so you'll fly it. Start off later in the group (I'd also advise to start quite wide - that's my opinion).

Don't forget to look up every few strokes to sight - will save you swimming unnecessarily wide/off course.

The most important thing is to ENJOY it !!

Good luck !

Canis Lupus

Swimming in the sea with a wetsuit is a piece of piss. You'll be grand. With the suit on you can practically stand up you're so buoyant.

As above though try to remember to not get carried away on the start and go out like a windmill otherwise you'll be wrecked in 200m.

Also, watch out for dizziness when transitioning from the swim to the bike as blood can pool in your legs when you get out and stand up.

CiaranC33

Hi Griffen100, Just curious to know how things went for you on Saturday. Im doing my first triathlon on September 7th so any advice and tips would be much appreciated.

griffin100

Hi All, just a quick report on Saturday. The weather was shi*e and it looked like the swim was not going to take place for a while. Then they announced that it would and I have to say I was a wee bit nervous given the sea state - somebody put a photo here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/reverend_smarm/2791682923/in/set-72157606919690692/ - that buoy in the photo was the final one before heading for shore:eek:.

The swim distance was shortened to no more than roughly 250m at the very most. That said once I got in it was fine. The wetsuit makes it really easy with no concentration required on trying to maintain buoyancy. At the start I stayed to the back of the group and waited until pretty much all the swimmers had entered the water and then I started. It was a bit of a shock when my face hit the water but that only lasted a few seconds. I started to swim with a nice steady pace and when I next looked up I was at the first buoy in the middle of a large group. Feeling a little nervous I swam to the outside of the group and thats when things went a little pear shaped. It was so rough I had difficulty seeing the marker buoys (it didn't help that I wear glassess and am pretty blind without them) so veered hugely of course and started to swim out to sea:D A nice marshall in a kayak directed me back in the right direction and I was ok after that. I found that I tended to swim with my face out of the water swallowing loads of water which is a really bad habit that I have spent months getting rid of. Once I relaxed and started to concentrate on my technique I was really surprised at how fast I was making progress (proabably due to the wetsuit). That said by the time I exited the water I was in the last group of about ten so I reckon my time was atrocious (the results are not up yet). Hopefully that is the worst sea conditions I will ever have to swim in as as an introduction to ow sea swimming it was a great learing experience.

After that went ok. Bike course was nice but roads were a little greasy with all the rain. On the last 2-3km the sky opened and it lashed. The run was actually the worst bit. The first 1km or so was on concrete, followed by a beach and sand dune run which I was not expecting to be so hard. I found the beach run really hard as I kept sinking into the sand (I am carrying a little padding ) and had to keep constantly changing course to try and find a firm surface. The run on the sand dunes was better as the surface was a lot firmer, until I fell off a dune and landed heavily. As I type I have a badly bruised shoulder and arm along with a lower leg that has lost most of its skin due to sliding down a shingle bank. It feels feckin great

I can't wait until Loughrea next month and I must have caught the tri bug as I have booked a place on the London Olympic distance tri for next August after seeing it on TV. It's going to be a long hard winter!!

buck65

well done
sounds great
I will lose my tri virginity in Portumna end of Sep so your posts help alot
luckily its a lake!!

liamo

griffin100 wrote: »

I reckon my time was atrocious (the results are not up yet).

I'm sure your time wasn't as bad as you think.

Check for yourself. Results are here

You will note from the results that well over 100 people didn't even start. And a number of people abandoned their race shortly after entering the water. You finished. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Regards,

Liam

griffin100

Cheers Liamo.

Checked my results, as I expected swim time wasn't great but I wasn't last. My average speed was accordingly to the results 7kph but they are assuming a 750m swim which it wasn't. I wish I could do a kilometre swim in 7 minutes:D

I took 11 minutes off my cycle time from the Focus Ireland Duathalon so am really happy with that. I had been putting a lot of extra work into that part of my training.

The run was a bit slow but I expected that.

It makes me feel much better that not everybody started or finished the race - but not in a bad way if you know what I mean.

Cheers for all the advice.

CiaranC33

griffin100 wrote: »

Cheers Liamo.

Checked my results, as I expected swim time wasn't great but I wasn't last. My average speed was accordingly to the results 7kph but they are assuming a 750m swim which it wasn't. I wish I could do a kilometre swim in 7 minutes:D

I took 11 minutes off my cycle time from the Focus Ireland Duathalon so am really happy with that. I had been putting a lot of extra work into that part of my training.

The run was a bit slow but I expected that.

It makes me feel much better that not everybody started or finished the race - but not in a bad way if you know what I mean.

Cheers for all the advice.

Hey Griffen100, that really is impressive stuff. Well done.

Seres

griffin100 wrote: »

Cheers Liamo.

Checked my results, as I expected swim time wasn't great but I wasn't last. My average speed was accordingly to the results 7kph but they are assuming a 750m swim which it wasn't. I wish I could do a kilometre swim in 7 minutes:D

I took 11 minutes off my cycle time from the Focus Ireland Duathalon so am really happy with that. I had been putting a lot of extra work into that part of my training.

The run was a bit slow but I expected that.

It makes me feel much better that not everybody started or finished the race - but not in a bad way if you know what I mean.

Cheers for all the advice.

Hey Griffin 100 , from just reading your posts the last couple of months you seem to have come such a long way , well done , i admire your positivity from the tranmore experience and its great to see the work paying off for you , your enthusiasm is inspirational , well done

griffin100

Hey Griffin 100 , from just reading your posts the last couple of months you seem to have come such a long way , well done , i admire your positivity from the tranmore experience and its great to see the work paying off for you , your enthusiasm is inspirational , well done

Don't know about inspirational but I have enjoyed the training and the races and I have gotten a lot from it. Perhaps my enthusiasm will wane over the long winter with no event to train for but I hope not. I feel fitter than I ever have (I have had to buy a new wardrobe as my old clothes no longer fit). My goal initially was just to finish the Focus Ireland Triathalon but I never realised that I would be bitten by the tri bug in the way that I have been. It can be difficult to get the time to train what with a long commute, three kids under 5 (one of which arrived whilst I was training for the Focus Tri) and a busy job but I try to find the time. How people like Hunnymonster get the time to train the way they do is beyond me. In fact at this stage I am trying to persuade friends and colleagues to start tri training but all have looked at me like I'm mad.

Seres

griffin100 wrote: »

It can be difficult to get the time to train , three kids under 5 (one of which arrived whilst I was training for the Focus Tri) and a busy job but I try to find the time. How people like Hunnymonster get the time to train the way they do is beyond me. In fact at this stage I am trying to persuade friends and colleagues to start tri training but all have looked at me like I'm mad.

i think we must be living parallel lives ( except for the third child , long may it stay that way ):D

griffin100

Ah sure three is no harder than two