First triathlon - swimming issues!!!!

babystrawberry

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice! This Summer I am signed up for 2 adventure races, they will be my first adventure races to date and so far am looking forward to them. Training for them involves running and cycling.
I have also agreed to do 2 triathlons with my friends ..... the catch being however is that I would not be a great swimmer (in fact some may say a pretty miserable one!). I have taken lessons when I was younger as well as adult private lessons and dont seem to be able to master the co-ordination of the breathing bit :mad: Saying that though, I took the lessons and never practiced after that so maybe with a bit of practice I might improve.
Also, I know when I have been on holiday in the past or even in a pool, when my feet cannot touch the ground I panic a small bit :eek: This sounds very childish I am sure!
The only thing is I would like to be able to do the triathlons this year to see if I am bale to take them on? Is there anyone else who was originally like myself, not confident at the swimming part and had the issues I have listed above
Thanks in advance

sconhome

The beauty about triathlons in Ireland is that they are all wetsuit compulsory. Think of your triathlon wetsuit as armbands for adults and you will be suprised at the amount of confidence you can gain simply by knowing you will not sink.

The wetsuit will take so much of the effort out of your swim that all you have to do is doggy paddle or breaststroke your way around the swim course. You won't have to worry about timing your breathing or any other issues, you will be able to keep your head above water & relax.

If you enjoy the experience of triathlon then you could look to join coached swim sessions with a tri club and you will improve in leaps and bounds, gaining confidence all the way.

Fluffybums

Wetsuit or not get some lessons and get in some open water to practice beforehand. When you first get in the water will be cold, especially on the face, and the layer between the suit and your body will take time to warm up - if you have not got used to this initial cold shock it will cause problems which will be compounded by your lack of confidence in the water.
If you're not confident in deep water you really need to get some practice and preferably a few lessons to help. If you're triathlon swims are in a river not only will you be in water you can't stand and it will be cold but it will also be moving. The sea will be colder, deeper, there are waves and wind and there may not be land handy for you. For your own sake and those around you during a triathlon please do some work on your swimming.

babystrawberry

amphkingwest wrote: »

The beauty about triathlons in Ireland is that they are all wetsuit compulsory. Think of your triathlon wetsuit as armbands for adults and you will be suprised at the amount of confidence you can gain simply by knowing you will not sink.

The wetsuit will take so much of the effort out of your swim that all you have to do is doggy paddle or breaststroke your way around the swim course. You won't have to worry about timing your breathing or any other issues, you will be able to keep your head above water & relax.

If you enjoy the experience of triathlon then you could look to join coached swim sessions with a tri club and you will improve in leaps and bounds, gaining confidence all the way.

Thanks have been told that about the wetsuit alright so thats one little ray of light confidence wise

Fluffybums wrote: »

Wetsuit or not get some lessons and get in some open water to practice beforehand. When you first get in the water will be cold, especially on the face, and the layer between the suit and your body will take time to warm up - if you have not got used to this initial cold shock it will cause problems which will be compounded by your lack of confidence in the water.
If you're not confident in deep water you really need to get some practice and preferably a few lessons to help. If you're triathlon swims are in a river not only will you be in water you can't stand and it will be cold but it will also be moving. The sea will be colder, deeper, there are waves and wind and there may not be land handy for you. For your own sake and those around you during a triathlon please do some work on your swimming.

Will do, I am plannig on joining the tri club in my area to get some swimming lessons. The last thing I want to do is be a hinderance to other people in the water on a triathlon, despite really wanting to do one Little bit nervous however about actually joining the tri club due to such a basic level of swimming skills! As far as I am concerned I ahve a reasonably good level of fitness runnign and cycling wise but more than likely it might be very average compared to other tri members.

Will work on the swimming anyway. Hopefully all goes well in August

shotgunmcos

babystrawberry wrote: »

Will work on the swimming anyway. Hopefully all goes well in August

Good stuff. You have plenty of time. I'd advise consistency being the main approach to take. 2-3 swims a week. It may sound like a lot but it will feel worth it to get through your triathlon. So IMO I'd rank these in order of priority...

1. consistency... just get in the water more often and consistently. no point in taking a couple of weeks off and having to start all over again.
2. progression.... always moving forward a stroke at a time towards your goal. Maybe just 1 extra length. Maybe practicing one technique point for an extra length. etc... In the end of the day you have to swim 750m or so and it doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to get done!
3. technique/breathing.. lessons/tri group swims are both good ideas but more importantly practicing what you learn in between lessons and doing so religiously.
4. open water. getting the wetsuit on and spending progessively more time in the ow. If your Tri is a sea swim, practice swimming in the sea.

peter kern

Being positive goes a long way i have worked with about 7 people that could not swim 50 m in a pool without stopping but finish a sprint triathlon.
being rational ie I have a wetsuit and therefore cant sink goes a long way too ( and some german diplomacy ;-)
I worked with an athlete that 3 month before an full Ironman could not swim and was scared to death of water.... (yes you can do this if you have done 24 h run races )
A lot has to do with visualizing.


Dont worry about bilateral breathing, strokes per lenght focus on getting faster.
Also select the right races the ones with an easy swim and no currents or against the currents.

But most of all just enjoy swimming and keep it simple !
report back how you get on.

ps and when you go open water swimmng make sure the tide is about (a 1.5 h out in (seapaoint dublin) and you have the safest open water place to swim as you can stand. and from 9 -6 you have lifeguards there . ( and if you tell them you are worried they will look out for you , most of them are really nice )

Johnnio13

Jumping in here also. I am up to about 1.5k in 50mins in the pool, but not consistently. (from 400mtrs in January)
I can do about 350-400mtrs before my arms are aching and I have to stop as the stroke starts to get sloppy. I stop for about 30secs and go again for 300-400mtrs.
Any tips (obviously without seeing my stroke style etc) on how I might improve on this?

elvis jones

Hi the most rubbish swimmer on the planet and managed to finish 2 triathlons last year. Oh they were pool based but i went from 0 to 750M in 8 weeks.

It just takes a lot of hard work and get lessons from a good coach.

The points from shotgunmcos are spot on !

couerdelion

Johnnio13 wrote: »

Jumping in here also. I am up to about 1.5k in 50mins in the pool, but not consistently. (from 400mtrs in January)
I can do about 350-400mtrs before my arms are aching and I have to stop as the stroke starts to get sloppy. I stop for about 30secs and go again for 300-400mtrs.
Any tips (obviously without seeing my stroke style etc) on how I might improve on this?

It's difficult without seeing your stroke but if your arms are tiring that quickly there is some inefficiency in your stroke. If you were just out of breath it could be down to swim fitness. Have a look at the videos on the swim smooth website www.swimsmooth.com and see how you think you compare.

Johnnio13

Thanks couerdelion

I think I am swimming smoothly enough, but I think I might have to meet up with tri-coach to see where I am going wrong.
Good luck OP...and sorry for hijacking.

Johnnio13

Decided last night to test my ability to fight through the tiredness. Managed 700mtrs without stopping. So well happy with that. So I looked like a drowning chimp by 650mtrs but I feel better in my ability to do the swim distance.

babystrawberry

Johnnio13 wrote: »

Decided last night to test my ability to fight through the tiredness. Managed 700mtrs without stopping. So well happy with that. So I looked like a drowning chimp by 650mtrs but I feel better in my ability to do the swim distance.

Well done Johnnio! Ur making a lot more progress with the training than I am from the sounds of it. Meeting up with a friend tomorrow over d weekend to head to beach and practice swimming Bit nervous bout it now tbh but just need to build confidence in the water! Keep up the good work Johnnio

tunney

Johnnio13 wrote: »

Decided last night to test my ability to fight through the tiredness. Managed 700mtrs without stopping. So well happy with that. So I looked like a drowning chimp by 650mtrs but I feel better in my ability to do the swim distance.

If you can do 650m you can do any distance.

mrboswell

tunney wrote: »

If you can do 650m you can do any distance.

Have to agree.
I did 600m tonight having almost drowning after 25m back in Feb.

After about 400m the pain and tiredness doesn't get any worse.

Confidence is also up - If I swallow water during breathing I can cough under water and keep swimming until the next breath!

Bally8

mrboswell wrote: »

Confidence is also up - If I swallow water during breathing I can cough under water and keep swimming until the next breath!

This is one of the best things I've learned. A few months ago if I swallowed water I would panic and stop. Now that I know I can cough it out under water and keep on going has brought my confidence on no end. Its very rare I swallow water now and I think part of that is because I know its no problem if I do.

keeffe7

Hi guys i have read through all your comments on the hope of getting a bit of help for myself..... i too had big plans to get into triathlons this year but again the swimming was my problem so i booked lessons and was flying in the pool, i was doing 30 lenghts so decided it was a good time to sign up for an outdoor swim.. it was a 650m aguathon and i had not swam in the outdoors before.. when i got into the water my body froze and i thought to myself just stay in and get going, i could not swim at all.. i managed a bit of breast stroke but my head was out of the water.. i stayed in for about 6-8 minutes and came out... i was so upset after all the work i had put in but i still do not want to give up so any tips?????? thanks in advance

BTH

keeffe7 wrote: »

Hi guys i have read through all your comments on the hope of getting a bit of help for myself..... i too had big plans to get into triathlons this year but again the swimming was my problem so i booked lessons and was flying in the pool, i was doing 30 lenghts so decided it was a good time to sign up for an outdoor swim.. it was a 650m aguathon and i had not swam in the outdoors before.. when i got into the water my body froze and i thought to myself just stay in and get going, i could not swim at all.. i managed a bit of breast stroke but my head was out of the water.. i stayed in for about 6-8 minutes and came out... i was so upset after all the work i had put in but i still do not want to give up so any tips?????? thanks in advance

Get back in the open water. Again again and again. Until you are comfortable. You can swim. you just need to be confident you can swim outside of a calm and shallow pool. The only way to do it is to spend as much time as possible in the open water.

RedB

keeffe7 wrote: »

Hi guys i have read through all your comments on the hope of getting a bit of help for myself..... i too had big plans to get into triathlons this year but again the swimming was my problem so i booked lessons and was flying in the pool, i was doing 30 lenghts so decided it was a good time to sign up for an outdoor swim.. it was a 650m aguathon and i had not swam in the outdoors before.. when i got into the water my body froze and i thought to myself just stay in and get going, i could not swim at all.. i managed a bit of breast stroke but my head was out of the water.. i stayed in for about 6-8 minutes and came out... i was so upset after all the work i had put in but i still do not want to give up so any tips?????? thanks in advance

I found it a huge step doing swims and especially openwater ones. I now know in advance that I will panic initially and be very out of breath and 'freeze' but that it will pass after a few minutes so when that starts I just concentrate on trying to relax and get my breathing under control until it passes. It takes a few minutes and its as if there are very conflicting thoughts (stay / get out) during that period. I have found with open water that it really helps to splash the cold water on my face as I get in, make sure to get some water into the suit, get your head into the water and do a small warmup even with 1-2 bursts to try to get your body working. Do not give up, stick with it and it gets more manageable with practice. Knowing its coming can help deal with the feeling if you can manage your way out of it.

keeffe7

Thanks guys, massive help ))