Category Archives: Open Water Swimming

Open Water Swimming in February at Barton Springs

By tjfry | March 1, 2010

I love Austin. What a great place to train. Tons of trails, great roads to ride, the hill country, bike lanes through downtown and beyond. I love it. One day I’ll find a way to have a home in Austin and Colorado.

Yet another reason why I love Austin so much is Barton Springs. It’s a spring fed ‘pool’ that stays about 68° year round. I was in Austin this last weekend and had some free time, so I went for a run on the trails followed by a swim at Barton Spring. The air temp was in the 50′s, so it was a bit chilly without a wetsuit, but not unbearable. The length was roughly 220 yards in each direction, so I think it’s a perfect training ground for open water racing. On this particular day the wind was blowing pretty strong to the east, so I had a great time going out, and actually had some chop on the way back. For those who have never raced in open water or feel you need the practice, this is a great place to build some confidence. You’re never more than 30 yards from the side and the length is more than you will experience between buoys in a race, so it’s a good place to see how straight you swim and how well you navigate.

I also wanted to post this up here with some photos to rub it in a little to some of those who read badig from the northern states (who are buried in snow!) and those who read this from across the pond. I know that the karma will come back around in July when I’m suffocating in heat and you guys have nice weather, but I’ll deal with that then. If you are ever in Austin, swing by Barton Springs Pool and give it a try. $3 in the summer and free in the winter (because they don’t charge the insane). More info here:  http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm

Happy Training.

Also posted in Swimming, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Thought on the Ironman Swim

By tjfry | October 12, 2009

kona 2009I watched the Ironman this past weekend on the Universal Sports website and they revealed an interesting tidbit regarding the swim. Those who started away from the inside buoy and more to the center or outside of the starting line had a clear advantage over the rest of the field. In fact, that’s where the swim leaders started. Why? Because the tide was rolling out (notice in the photo all the athletes drifting to the inside of the buoys). In Kona the swim heads out to sea at an angle, so those who got to use the current and didn’t have to fight it to stay on course had a distinct advantage. So what’s the moral of the story? Just like my previous post regarding river swims, it’s is so important to know your water. Best places to find this information: Fishing websites, Coast Guard websites, NOAA, Army Corp of Engineers, River Authorities, Sailing/Surfing/Scuba sites, or walk the area and ask the locals. You’ll be amazed the type of stuff the local fishermen can tell you. Good Luck.

Also posted in Swimming | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Surviving A River Swim

By tjfry | October 9, 2009

This year’s Triathlon National Championship that took place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama had a swim that took place in the Black Warrior River.  Now, if you have read some of the stuff I’ve written about open water, one of the most challenging types of open water swims is one with an strong predictable current. There are certainly all types of challenges in open water, but a strong current can be the most frustrating as it can be hard to stay on course, or even make forward progress in some instances. So here is some of my advice in dealing with a river swim and I will use the National Championships as my example.

untitledScope the course. This is the most obvious and maybe the most overused advice out there. Yes, obviously you should know the course before you enter the race. Unfortunately, what most people do when looking at the swim course is look at the turn buoys, ask which direction to swim around said buoys, and then hop in the car to check out the bike course. This is fine for a swim without any real challenges, but if that is your idea of scoping the course for an ocean or river swim, then you could be in for a world of hurt on raceday.

For a river, obviously the first thing that you want to know is the direction of the current. For Nationals, the river was flowing Northeast to Southwest. This means that initally you would be swimming with the current, and then turn into the current for the long straighaway. Now generally speaking the current flows faster in the center of a river and slower next to the shoreline, except when the river is at a bend. In a river bend, the river flows slowest on the outside of the bend and fastest on the inside (a vortex flow if you want to read more). For the sake of this race, there isn’t much of a bend in the river where you are racing, so I would swim the first leg as close to the buoys as possible in order to take advantage of the current.

Next thing you want to notice is the wind. Rivers can often channel the wind and that can often exaggerate or nulify the river current as the wind will create a surface current. Not having been there on race day, I can’t really say what the wind was like, but it needs to be addressed. If the wind is with the current, you will not only need to look for slower current, but also hide from the wind if possible. If the wind is opposite the current, you will be able to swim a more direct route through the swim.

untitled2So back to the race. After getting a nice little ride to the first turn buoy, you want to take the turn as tight as possible and aim your sights for the inside of the next turn buoy. This is because the current will be taking you to the outside of the next turn buoy. By aiming to the inside you will minimize how far off course you are taken.

At the next turn, you want to take the buoy wide. You are heading directly into the current and will want to get as close to the shoreline as possible. More importantly though, you want to find someone to draft behind. Like cycling into a headwind, nothing can reduce the effort better than a good pair of feet to sit behind. This will be where the good swimmers distance themselves from the weaker swimmers, but by hiding from the current, you can minimize the effort.

Heading into the final turn, you want to swim past the buoy and most likely to the outside of the pack. The idea is to swim beyond the buoy in the lighter current far enough to offset what the stronger current will do to you as you cross back over the river. Once you have swum past the buoy and made the turn, don’t aim for the finish, but aim for the shoreline directly in front of you. As you swim, the current will bring you back onto the course and you will not need to anything more than try and swim straight. If you errored in judgement, try to error in the side of swimming too far past the last turn buoy as the current will be your friend.  

Of course how much to adjust your swim will be determined by how well you observe the conditions and plain old experience. One thing is for sure though, taking a quick glance at a tough course to see the turn buoys just won’t get it done if you want to have a great race. Happy swimming.

Also posted in Swimming | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Swimming at the Front: Tactics for Racing in the Craziness

By tjfry | May 13, 2009

Previously I have talked about having the most pleasant open water experience you can by avoiding the problems that pop up in an open water swim. Those tips can come in handy if you are not overly confident or accomplished in swimming. What if you are a good swimmer though? If you plan on racing the swim and getting out in the front of the pack you will need to be a bit more aggressive in your approach. So for those who aren’t that concerned with potentially mixing it up with others, here are some front of pack suggestions.sw2sw3sw4

The Start. Even though you are lining up in the front row(s) at the start, the goal of avoiding getting tangled up still applies. If you get caught up fighting for space with others, you will at best lose time, and potentially lose a tooth.  I have been the first out of the water at countless races and will tell you that I have only lined up on the inside line a handful of times. The reason is that it just doesn’t pay. The field is just too tight in that area. A good place to shoot for is 20% over from the inside (The start is 100 feet wide, so you look for a spot 20 feet from the inside line). This way you’re to the outside of the fighting, but still close enough to latch on and draft off of a faster swimmer as the pack thins out. The 20% rule doesn’t always work, so be flexible. The last time I was in Kona for the Ironman World Championships, I used my 20% rule and ended up physically fighting (no lie) for space with 5 minutes to go before the start! Apparently others use my rule too. I moved over another 5% and had plenty of clear water. 

Once you find your spot, you need to protect it before the race starts. Easiest way is to move from treading water vertically to treading water on your stomach. Extend your legs behind you and scull your arms way out to your sides. Throw in some stretching or some violent arms swings to “warm up” and you should have a nice little bubble of water to swim in when the gun goes off.

Fighting. Once the race begins it’s imperative that you start fast with a very large kick. Nothing will stop you faster than someone swimming up on your legs. A big kick will more than likely t redirect the person behind you, as they don’t want to get kicked in the face. Inevitably though you will find yourself getting tangled up if you do this sport long enough.  Remember that clear water is always the goal. Don’t forget this, especially as revenge and curse words start to creep in. First, lose the ego in the first 100 yards. If you are getting pushed a bit to the left, then go left. This is not the time for “This is my turf” attitudes. If you get squeezed on both sides then you need to prove that you belong on the front row. Up the effort to a sprint and be sure that your arms and legs are landing above theirs. As I mentioned before, nothing will slow someone down faster than if their arms and legs are being overtaken, or hindered by something. The sprint may seem long but these tangles clear themselves in a matter of 5-10 seconds. By keeping your arms and legs above theirs and adding a short sprint, you should come out ahead.  So what if you don’t win the supremacy battle? Once someone swims up to your butt from behind or comes across your spine from the side, then you need to conceed. I found the fastest way is to drop a foot or so below the water and let them swim by. This is counter intuitive however, because most people are fighting for air above all else. By dropping down you can quickly survey the surface to find some clear water. Again, this shouldn’t take more than 5 seconds, which is considerably faster than if you keep your ego and battle it out for the next 100 yards.

sw5Shaking the Drafters. Ok, you you have broken free of all the fighting and settled in to a nice rhythm at or towards the front.  Problem is that this is a race and there are 3 people catching a free ride on your heels, one of which is a strong cyclist that you need some time on. Getting someone out of your draft is easier in the water than on the bike, but still no piece of cake.  The key is confusion and frustration.  Try and get a look at which side they are breathing to. Then, start with a short, bubbly kick so that they can confirm they are right in place. Next, kill the kick and take 3 hard strokes away from them opposite their breathing side. This should get you 4-5 feet over, and them squarely out of your draft. Then you need to put in a good 20-30 second surge.  Ideally, by the time they realize that you are not in front of them anymore, you have gapped them enough to break free. Sometimes you will need to repeat a couple of times to shake them.

Passing the Previous Waves. As the swim wears on you will end up catching the waves that started before you. Passing slower swimmers can slow your time more than anything else if done wrong.  I have found that swinging a little to the outside of the people gives me a little more freedom than trying to pass on the inside, right up against the buoys. I know that I have added a little distance, but like I’ve said, clear water is the goal, and swimming the shortest distance has to take a back seat. Best advice here though is to try and look for the trends. Everyone is out there following the swimmers in front, so if a group gets a little off course, there is a good chance that the long chain of followers will drift off course as well. 

The rest of the swim I’ve covered before. Watch the currents, use the surf to your advantage,  swim to the shallows at the finish, etc. Good Luck and remember the most important rule in the water… If you run into me out there you are not allowed to pass.

Also posted in Swimming | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment