First Ironman? Never started swimming with 2500 people all at once? Scared out of your mind? Let me help. I will be there putting on a swim clinic to help you get through the most intimidating part of the Ironman. We will go over all sorts of things, from the mass start to navigating tips, pacing, conditions, and strategies to get you to Town Green Park and off on your bike.

Swim Shops will also be on hand with the WTC legal #1 selling TYR Torque, goggles tri gear, and anything else you might need.

Try not to miss it because THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO SWIM IN LAKE WOODLANDS BEFORE RACE DAY. Lake Woodlands is a private lake that doesn’t allow swimming. If you try to swim the lake on your own you will be arrested. Trust me on this one. I’ve lived here for 30 years, and they are serious when they say “No Trespassing”.

To sign up for the clinic or the swim, go to:http://activenet11.active.com/wcscparksandrec/ and search “triathlon”

Open water swim 2011 flyer

Being one the first people to get into the water I had a few minutes to swim around. nothing fancy, just tried to loosen up best I could. As more people started getting in I swam over to the starting line to get a good position. While we waited I was able to notice the strength of the current. While it moved us backwards while we waited, it was clear that it wasn’t as strong as previous days, and seemed not nearly as strong as last year either. The swim splits eventually proved this. Good news for me!

Being a strong swimmer, I have a pretty simple strategy. I hit the gas for about 50 yards and then settle into a strong pace for another 150, or in his case, the first bouy, then I turn it off and settle in. The inital blast gets me away from any of the fighting and brings the group around me to about a 2 dozen. The next 150 shrinks the group down to a dozen or less. This is the group that I start paying attention to. Now typically this group dwindles considerably too, as some of these folks are swimming way too hard for this distance. Anyway, my first effort after the gun got me clear of the fighting in about 10 strokes. I kept the solid effort to the first buoy and was pleasantly surprised to be the first one there. I backed off a little as this point and started to settle into my pace. at the first turn buoy there was 1 guy on my feet, a small gap, and then a group of swimmers. I make the next turn a few meters later and settled in for the long stretch swimming with the current. about a third the way through this section the guy on my feet went to pass. Happy to take some time drafting, I let him go by. it gave me some time to get the lay of the land. behind us, the pack of swimmers were around 5 meters behind. Good enough for now but I didn’t want them to latch back on, so I kept an eye on them. I pretty much turned the engine off at this point. Sitting on this guy’s feet my effort level was considerably lower than what I normally warm up with in a workout. Drafting is great. After about 400 meters I looked back again an the pack was at the same point, meaning we had slowed down a little. In hindsight this was probably a mistake. I should have maintained my normal pace. So I decided to take over again and swam at a nice comfortable pace. The swim caps they gave us were pretty large and somewhere along this stretch my cap came off. I lead down to the turn buoy at the submarine and then a relatively quick turn again to head for home. On the second turn I looked behind and that group was nowhere to be seen. So now it was just me and him. Now I enjoy winning like the next guy, but I don’t kill myself to get out of the water first just ’cause. The race is way to long for that. As expected the other guy made a move. Not a big problem as it wasn’t a very strong move. The problem though, was that he didn’t see the final turn buoy to the stairs (we kept buoys to our left the whole way until the final right turn to the stairs)and so he begins to cut the course. I kept pace with him quite comfortably, waiting for him to realize his mistake. Sure enough, he did and started swimming back my way, but he saw that he wasn’t going to beat me to the turn and therefore the finish, so he CUT THE COURSE! Are you kidding me! People would throw a hissy fit if I just cut the course on the run, so why aren’t there penalties for this sort of thing?? OK so remember that thing I just said about not working to hard just to win the swim. Nevermind. That pissed me off. problem was I only had about 25 meters or so to get it done. He touched the stairs just a half stroke in front of me and then we ran up to the timing mats, at which time I beat him to the finish. We finished with the same time, but I don’t know why the results gave him the nod for place, as you can see by the photo how this actually turned out. Swim time: 48:59

What would I have done different? Nothing. Well…. maybe used some less than civil behavior in the last 25 meters, but I’m sure officials would have had a problem with that. Cutting the course is just fine though apparently.

I ran down the long pier while taking the torque off to the bags and off to the tent. Threw on my stuff and jogged out to the bike. Transition time: 2:37

I hopped on the bike and immediately started taking tabs on the heart rate. (This is where RPE is completely useless) All the fun and excitement of cheers, transition and starting the ride bring the heart rate up, so I wanted to get it down as quick as I could. The bike is very flat and the wind doesn’t kick up until the east side of the island so I had some time to do some easy pedaling. As things got into check I started to settle into my pace. My main goal was to get off the bike. Yes, I know. Not very ambitious, but I didn’t have a great deal of time to ride leading up to this race, so I knew I wasn’t going to set the world on fire. I planned on a nice steady pace and would be satisfied if I came in around 5:20 or so.Nothing to set the world of fire, but fast enough to set up the run. I got to the coast and the wind was mild relative to the nightmares I had about this section. I still got tossed around a bit but I was expecting Kona type wind and that just wasn’t the case. I focused on my hydration and salt stick schedule. I’ve learned with heat that I just don’t eat as much, so kept a looser schedule for the food. As we approached the turn away from the coast, the crosswind turns to a nice tailwind. It was about this point that I started feeling some cramping. the pain started where the hamstring connects around the buttbones, and slowly radiated out. The hips slowly started to cramp as did the gluteus muscles. At first I just thought that if I stood on pedals for a few seconds the problem would disappear. But it didn’t. So while we had the tailwind I sat up and soft pedaled, trying various things to get the cramping to stop. Nothing I did helped and it got excruciatingly painful. I could barely sit ont he seat. What the hell? I’ve never had this problem in training. I always tell people that when you do an Ironman you will plan for A, B, and C. Then D will happen. I guess this was my unplanned problem. I was running out of ideas though. After about an hour of this, I decided that maybe getting off the bike altogether might help. If I take a moment to really stretch, maybe I can fix this. So a little ways into lap 2 I pulled over and just got off. Again I tried everything and nothing worked. I climbed back on the bike and rolled on. I had no more ideas. All I could do was pedal and try and find the least painful way to do so. Slowly the pain reduced from almost unbearable to a duller, more tolerable pain. I also kept trying to think of what would cause it. It wasn’t until much later in the ride that I noticed my stem looked different (stem is covered with a gel flask by the way, so it’s kinda hidden). I couldn’t remember right off hand but it looked like, based on the number of spacers, that my stem was lower. I had the mechanic at the resort help me put the bike together since he had the space and the tools, but I don’t take the stem off in transit, so why would he have moved it? And would it make enough difference to cause this kind of cramping? Apparently so as this is the only thing I could find. Anyway, I kept rolling along, and kept up the gatorade intake with perpetuem for calories. I also had 2 flasks of gel but ended up not using either. The stomach was full enough. The final loop felt the best of the 3 but I was ready to get the heck off the bike and get on with the run. Other than gatorade, perpetuem, and stalt stick, I had a half a powerbar for the entire ride. Meager in comparison to what I had on paper for nutrition, but my energy levels were high so I wasn’t worried. Bike Time: 5:34.58

First steps off the bike were very painful. Did a bit of a shuffle to try and get the hips to loosen up. Got into the changing tent and couldn’t sit down at first as the hips/butt/hamstrings hurt so bad. Eased into the chair and got to work. While I did that a volunteer put sunblock all over me. Slowly stood up and headed out. Transition Time: 2:11

As I started running the pain from my hips started to diminish. I kept a close eye on my heart rate as I wanted to start the marathon conservative. I changed my stride some as well to compensate for the hips. Ran through the first mile in 7:11. Heart rate was right on, RPE was fine, but I still felt this was a tad hot considering the conditions. It was freakin hot. So I eased off a bit. Next few miles were in the 7:30′s and more in line with where I thought they should be. As a side note: One of the pro men passed me in the first loop, and as he got  ahead by about 60 yards, he ran off the road to a grassy spot next to the sidewalk, dropped his drawers and took a monster dump right there for the world to watch. pulled up his shorts and took off. all in the span of about 5 seconds! haha!). On my way back I noticed a couple of things. 1st: keeping cool was going to be a major challenge as it was 94 degrees now, and 2nd: my legs were falling apart quicker than they should be thanks to the bike problems. I also noticed a sunburn setting in. So every aid station I dumped ice and water all over myself. My stomach was not cooperating as I could feel it was full of fluid, so I skipped drinking for a few aid stations (they had them every kilometer afterall). coming through town, which was great as the crowds were large and loud!, and onto lap 2 I started feeling better and could feel my stomach issues disappear for the time being. Didn’t think I was ready for gatorade and solid food wasn’t going to happen, so I opted for Coke. Glorious Coke. Quite possibly the greatest invention for Ironman racing ever. This became my method for the rest of the run. water on body, ice in the clothes, a little coke and drink some water (along with a salt tab at every turnaround) No gels for the entire race. So for those keeping track I had no gels for an entire Ironman, and only Coke for a the marathon. Go figure. My pace had slowed a bit as I hit the halfway point at 1:44. I knew I was going to miss any goal times for the run, but I was still content with what I was doing considering the circumstances. I went through the highs and lows with both my legs and my stomach like everyone and needed to walk through a few of the later aid stations to keep it together. The last 4 miles the legs were really not cooperating anymore and it took more and more effort to keep a steady stride. I was pretty adamit though that I didn’t want a glow stick (aka night finish) and knew the sunset was at 5:06 pm (or a 10:06 finish time). The last few miles I could see the sun slipping into the ocean. At this point though I was back in town with the huge crowds (They actually parted as you ran like the Tour De France!! It was second to none!) and knew that even though I was going to miss beating the sunset, it was only by a few minutes, so I was going to finish while it was still light out. As I came up to the jumbotron I could see Andy Potts standing on the podium while they played the National Anthem. Nice! I made that final left turn to the finish line and soaked it up. One thing was missing though, the announcer! I guess because they were doing the awards ceremony for the pros, they stopped calling out the finishers. Small bummer (Let’s face it. I’ve had MUCH worse finishes, let’s not relive the damn bum in Kona), but I was not going to think twice about it. As I finished I needed some medical help walking as the change in stride made my legs wobbly. A few minutes sitting down in the med tent and I was able to steady my legs. Run Time: 3:44.10

Kissed my family at the finish, got some pizza and a massage. Then headed for the hotel. Total Time: 10:12.55

So what most effected my performance? The cramping in my hips/butt/hamstrings were an absolute gamechanger, not only for the bike, but for the run. I did a 3:12 marathon as a training run one morning building up to this, so the 3:44 was way off target thanks to the bike.

All in all, I’ll take it. Ironman racing always seems to throw a few curve balls. For those thinking about doing this race I would highly recommend it. The best Ironman swim in the world, scenic ride and great crowds on the run. Just bring some sunblock. The forecast was for low 80′s. 94 was not part of my thinking. I have a feeling I will be back to do that one though anyway.

On a side note: I prepared this 1 week after the race and my hamstrings/hips are still sore. Hopefully I didn’t screw something up!

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.

Scope 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.

So 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.

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.

Shaking 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.

Many people commit to a triathlon and then proceed to have a melt down shortly after the start of the swim. I run an open water clinic every year in the weeks leading up to a big sprint race in the area and without exception there are a number of people who have an anxiety attack just 30 yards into our dry run of the course.

In the years that I have put on these clinics, I have learned some of the most common causes of anxiety in an open water swim. Hopefully this will help you get through the swim and onto your bike.

Breathing – 95% of the problems are breathing, and its not a physical thing, it’s mental. First there’s the anxiety. Most people are a little panicked in murky water with 100 other people and tend to get overwhelmed at the start with arms and legs going everywhere. The jump in heart rate with a dose of anxiety leads to hyperventilation and panic.   People also hate getting lake water in their mouth so they don’t exhale underwater. Instead they exhale AND inhale when they turn to breathe. That causes very shallow breathing and they end up out of breath. Finally, there’s the rough water as was mentioned. Poorer swimmers stop altogether to get a clear shot of air, but most won’t rotate enough to breathe and end up with a mouth full of water (see above).

The Unknown – It crosses everyone’s mind, but only a few admit it. Cloudy water brings horror movie type thoughts (I would love to know how many people won’t swim in open water because the movie JAWS ruined them for life). When it comes to animals there is almost nothing to worry about. Snakes, turtles, fish, etc are scared of us, so the last place you will find them is close to 900 people swimming in a lake. The other big unknown is the bottom, and what’s down there. Branches? A tree? A car? A monster? A body??. While I can’t speak to every body of water that we swim in, here in Texas where I live we have more lakes than Minnesota, but there is only one natural lake. Yep. One. That means there is a very good chance that the lake you are swimming in was planned, engineered, cleared and filled. So relax a little. If the swim start is in at a public beach or park, there’s not a lot of unknown down there.

 The Course – The vast majority of people entered have swum the distance at the pool and are very comfortable. 500 yards is a piece of cake when you break it into 20 lengths of the pool. Take that same 500 yards and drag across a lake and it can make you rethink things. It’s pretty common for me to see the swimmers head off swimming parallel to the shoreline doing just fine (after all, they’re only 15 yards from land), but that first turn away from the land and out into deep water will stop them dead in their tracks. My advice? Instead of doing a 500 in the pool to prepare for a 500 in open water, add another 25% to the distance and make sure that you’re not resting on the walls during the swim. The other to approach it is to swim a 500 to prepare for a 500, but do the whole thing without touching a single wall. It’ll force you to tread a little water just like you’ll have to do when you’re in open water.

The People – To be honest, this one even makes me a little nervous and I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. All those people, all those arms and legs, and all that energy. The best way to avoid getting tangled up in the start is to seed yourself properly (or even conservatively for those with an inflated sense of their swim skills). Unlike running races, its not very easy to just swim around someone, so the chances of getting run over is pretty good if you start in-front of faster swimmers. The other problem is that we crowd the starting line and wait for the gun treading water in a vertical position. When the gun goes off we all get horizontal in the same amount of space.  This makes it nearly impossible to avoid bumping into others. So be sure to give yourself room. If that means you start 10 yards back or wait a few seconds before you put your head down and go then so be it. You’ll easily make that time back since you won’t have to fight for space.

 Of course this isn’t a complete list as everyone has their own personal demons to deal with, but they are the most common that I run into. Bottom line: if you just rationalize the situation that you’re in, you should be able to achieve some level of comfort out there and turn a scary experience into an enjoyable one. That is, of course, assuming Jaws doesn’t swim up from the deep, murky, waters and eat you whole.

Happy Swimming.

Testing a variety of wetsuits is almost impossible unless you live near a triathlon mecca like San Diego or Austin. There are very few stores that will carry more than a couple of brands of wetsuits. This means at best you will be able to try on 2 different wetsuits and hope one fits ok.  I often tell people to go to the biggest triathlon expo in your area (typically this means the biggest race) where there will be a number of manufacturers. You’ll get a bigger variety and your questions will be answered by the experts who make the suit.

The other problem I see is that with a wetsuit, there are no upgrades, alterations, changes that can be made.  When you buy a bike, if the fit is a little off you can raise the seat, etc.  Don’t like the bars? take ‘em off and buy some different ones. With a wetsuit, it stays just as you bought it. Bought a sleeveless and think a full suit would work better? Too bad.  Shoulders a little tight even after the suit got wet? That’s the way it goes.

I probably can’t help much in some of these areas, but I can help a little in the fit department. Here are some suggestions on selecting a wetsuit that fits correctly.

Make sure you pull the legs up enough so that the crotch of the suit is snug up in your crotch. People often leave a gap there and it causes the wetsuit to pull at the neck/shoulders. They get neck rubs and think the suit doesn’t fit when actually they didn’t pull the legs up high enough.
Makes sure you have good range of motion in the shoulders. It’s going to feel constrained compared to no wetsuit, so it’s kinda a judgement call if you haven’t worn a bunch of suits before. Ideally you want a little thinner rubber around the shoulders to allow a greater range of motion.

Vigorously turn your head from side to side (in the store) or breathe to both sides (if you get to test it in the water) so see how the neck fits. 1. you shouldn’t have excessive rubbing (but you may get a little). If you get a rug burn try and adjust the suit as a whole before you give up (see above comments regarding the legs) 2. If you get to test in water, you shouldn’t get any real water intake. A little might leak in when you push off a wall, but you shouldn’t be taking in water every stroke.

On the arms, see if the suits ripples while you swim. You may get a little in the armpit, but overall the arms need to fit snug with no bunching. Same rules for water intake on the wrists (assuming a full suit)

Long John (sleeveless) suits, you need to check for water intake around the arm holes. (this can be a big problem in sleeveless suts)

Ankles. I like my wetsuits legs to come to about mid calf. Others like all the way down to the ankle. There is no real swim advantage to either, but there are certainly differences in how/how fast you take the suit off. Try taking it off a few times and see if it hangs on your ankles (assuming no ankle zippers) If it does and that’s the only problem, I would keep the suit and grab some sissors. Wetsuits are usually sewn and glued so the suit won’t unravel or anything if you cut an inch off the ankles (or at least mine didn’t!).

Pay attention to how constricted your chest feels when you breathe. You’ll feel a little constricted in your breathing and you should adjust, but if testing in the water, get your hr up and see if it’s too tight or not. If it’s more than just ‘a little tight’ and ‘strange’ when you breathe, then you might need a bigger size. Wetsuits do get a little bigger in water though, so this might get better as the suit absorbs more water.  

This certainly isn’t a complete list as each wetsuit brand and style will have some quirks that I don’t have the time to cover, butting running through this list will ensure that the suit fits rather than being sold a wetsuit that will make you miserable.

Bilateral Breathing – Learning how to breathe comfortably on both sides will help you in open water in two ways. First and foremost, bilateral breathing helps to keep your stroke balanced. This means that both arms are pulling with about the same force and one arm isn’t doing anything drastically different than the other arm. Doing this will keep you swimming in a straight (or straighter!) line.One of the biggest problems in open water swimming is trying to stay on course, so the straighter you teach yourself to swim in a pool, the better off you will be in the lake. Bilateral breathing also gives you the ability to switch your breathing to the side that you can sight better from and/or have the fewest obstacles with. Often in ocean swims (or any rough swim for that matter) you will find the need to breathe away from the source of the waves. It gives you a clearer shot at a breath without swallowing water. It will also allow you to switch sides when you have the sun in your face and are unable to see anything.  This can be critical for sighting the course.

Head Up Swimming – In order to keep yourself lined up with the buoys, you will need to lift your head every so often and target the next buoy to swim towards. While I don’t recommend swimming for any extended period of time in a race with your head up as it can be exhausting, from time to time it will be needed. To prepare for this, pick a small object at the other side of the pool and swim the length of the pool with your eyes locked on that object. Try not to throw your head from side to side as this can lead your body and get you swimming off of the straight line you’re striving for. Repeat this drill a number of times, changing the object each time. Don’t always pick an object directly in front of your lane either. Rare is the day in an open water swim that every buoy is directly in front of you. Track an object off to your left and right as well.

Drafting – Probably the easiest way to pick up some free speed is to learn how to draft behind someone. Just like cycling, the person in front of you breaks through the water and creates a current around and behind them. Slip into that current and it can have the effect of swimming down a river. Learning to draft in a pool can be achieved in a few different ways. If you swim with a group and circle swim, then instead of leaving 5 or 10 seconds apart, leave right on the feet of the person in front of you. Be sure to ask permission so they know what you are doing as some will get annoyed pretty quick if they don’t understand your objective. Try to stay within a few inches of their feet without touching their feet. I have seen fights start over people touching other’s feet too often. As you’re swimming, try and feel the immediate current that rolls off the person in front of you. That little pocket is where you want to stay. As you get more comfortable in the draft, try closing your eyes while staying in the draft, using only the feel of that current to keep you close/behind the draftee. This will become very important when you hit the open water, as most bodies of water tend to be cloudy and you may not be able to see the person’s feet in front of you.

If you’re practicing drafting as a group try forming a pace line. As everyone gets better, a great set is to rotate the pace line in reverse. That is to have to person at the end of the line sprint to the front in one pool length and then maintain the group pace for the next length as the next person overtakes them. Once overtaken, sit in and recover until you are at the back of the line again. You can also try pack swimming if you have enough people. Cram everyone together and swim one length at a time on a short rest. Be sure to alternate who swims in the front and who drafts.

Darkened Goggles -  For those who have trouble swimming in a straight line or get a little spooked when they can’t see anything in the open water, you might want to swim a couple of sets in some darkened goggles. Coat the out side of an older pair of goggles with black spray paint so that no light can come in from the front or sides. Then, take a key or knife and nick the paint (once it dries) so that all you have to see out of is that little scrape on the goggle. Now go swim in a straight line. If you can still easily see the black line at the bottom then you made the scrape too big.

Start Imitation -  The swim start is often the scariest part of the entire event. Arms and legs flying in every direction in an area that’s far too crowded. While there is no way to prepare for everything that can happen at the start, getting yourself comfortable in that environment will prevent you from panicking if you get in a tough position on race day. Get a bunch of your friends (the more the merrier) and get in the deep end, ideally in the middle of the pool (you may need to take a lane rope out for this). From the middle of the pool race everyone to the wall, leaving all at once. The fewer the rules the better. Don’t be scared to grab the person in front of you and dunk them or whatever it takes to put your hand on the wall first. Repeat this a number of times, but be sure not to get too mean out there and hurt someone. The idea is to get more comfortable in a crazy environment not to create enemies.

While each one of these drills can help with certain aspects of an open water swim, there is no substitute for the real thing. If you have a lake or river you can practice in safely, try and add that in periodically as a part of your training.

Enjoy your swim!

If you have experienced some of these problems before or you have yet to partake in an open water event, here are some tips that will help you succeed. Some of these topics may not apply to your situation depending on what type of water you are swimming in (lake, river, bay, ocean, etc) and you may not be able to take all of this to heart in your first races. As you get better though, you will be able to apply more of these skills to your race, allowing you to focus less on the elements, and more on your performance.

• Scope the course—preferably the day or so before the race, go out to the swim course and watch others swim the course/area. Pay attention to the currents. These are not always obvious from in the water. Watch others swim the course and see if any currents take them to the right or left of straight. If there is no one out in the water, swim some of it yourself, and ask the locals of prevailing currents(especially on the coast). Also keep an eye on the wind, as a strong enough wind will create surface currents. (Watching the direction debris float is also a good indicator). Need another? swim over to the anchored buoys and see if the anchor rope is being pulled in any specific direction. Don’t assume that because you are in a lake that there isn’t any current. Water usually travels towards the dam in man-made lakes and to the creeks and rivers in natural lakes.
• Sighting—the morning of the race line yourself up (usually from the shore) behind the first buoys from the line that you intend to take during the race. Find a landmark (telephone pole, bridge, house, building, etc) that you can sight off of in case you cannot find the buoy when you are swimming in the race. It may be hidden behind a swell or blocked by the glaring sun. Do this with as many buoys as you can on the course. It helps keep you on course in case you lose your bearings with the buoys. (Don’t swim the whole course the morning of the race though). You can also do this in reverse fashion for the finish. Line yourself up looking at the swim finish out at the last buoys, then look around for a large landmark. Usually they have big inflatable objects, etc., but pay attention to which side of the finish they are one. I swam straight for the big float at a race one year and it was set up about 20 yards to the right of the finish. Lost my lead and a lot of time in the process.
• When you lift your head above the water to sight, gravity comes into play, and more times than not, your legs drop down in the water. That’s why head-up swimming can be a disaster and will wear you out in a hurry. Instead of swimming head up freestyle for a number of strokes while you figure it alll out, try this:Lift your head up right before your arm recovers, catch a glimpse, and then turn your head to get your breath like usual as that arm comes around for the recovery. That doesn’t give you much time to sight, but that’s ok. While your head is back down inthe water, think about what your just saw. On the next stroke, lift your head and focus your sighting on the items you saw from the previous sighting. This way the second you lift your head you know what to look for. Again, the sighting itself is very brief, but it allows for very little interuption in your stroke and allows you maintain speed. When I sight I usually look 3-4 times in a row before I go back to regular swimming.
• At the start of the race, which is always a scary moment, try and relax and stay clear of the area where people are jockeying for position. It is not worth the fight to be over 5 feet, or even 5 meters. If you are at the start and the distance to the first buoy is 100 meters, if you move 5 meters to the outside at the start (thereby avoiding the crowd and the fighting) you will only have to swim 100.13 meters, or about 2 feet extra. (Assuming you swim in a straight line!) So it pays to stay to the outside. This is also a great time to swallow your pride. If you are not one of the faster swimmers in your wave, then DO NOT START IN THE FRONT. Unlike running races where people can just run around you as you tire, people in the water may not see you and will swim over top of you. Position yourself conseratively in the group. If you are nervous then move further back. The further from the front you move, the friendlier the swimmers.
• Be sure to breathe correctly all throughout the swim. sounds simple, but you are really going to have to pay attention to this as there is so much going on around you that everyone tends to take really shallow breaths. Easiest way to do this without thinking too much about it is to make sure you exhale thoroughly while your face is in the water. Loss of breath or hyperventillation is the number one reason I have seen people drop out of the race before the first turn buoy.

• Try and latch onto someone’s feet that’s faster than you and let them do the work! Drafting is often discussed on the bike, but not nearly as popular in the water. Like anything, it takes some practice to sit right on someone’s feet but is highly effective once you get the hang of it. One word of warning: try not to touch the person giving you a free ride. The constant tapping of their toes could end with a heel into your forehead! So play nice.
• Current –If there is a current crossing the course, position yourself at the start to take advantage of it. If the current is running left to right, line up to the left of the field, that way the current will take you ON course and not OFF course. If the currents are with you / against you on a course, try and reserve at much energy as possible by staying within a pack or directly behind someone. Faster swimmers will maximize their advantage in a strong current IF they can get away without anyone drafting. Try to avoid swimming off by yourself if you’re in a current against you. With the current aiding you, maximize the benefit. The faster current will be below the surface, so be sure to pull deep.


Even Lake Swims Can Get Rough

• Waves – Really only a real factor in ocean swimming (although larger lakes can create quite a chop), waves can wreak havoc on your ability to stay on course. This is a great time to be able to bilateral breathe well. Turning your head into a wave won’t give you much chance at air, so breathe away from the waves. In terms of sighting, you will need to do all of your sighting at the top of the wave. Lifting your head up in the trough or bottom of the wave won’t do any good as all you will see is water. It make take a few tries to locate a buoy in these conditions because it the bouy may be behind a wave at the time you are sighting. Be patient. This is also a great time to have some landmarks to sight off of as mentioned above.
• Wetsuits – I won’t go into great detail here as wetsuits command their own article, but wetsuits can be a great aid to your swim. They keep you warm in colder water are extremely buoyant, which makes swimming a little easier and your confidence go up because the added padding softens any blows and you will know that you can’t sink.
• At the finish of the swim, swim up as close as possible to the shore. Don’t stand up to run until you are almost hitting the ground with your chest. If you stand up as soon as you can touch the ground with your hand you will be in water above your knees, which makes it nearly impossible to run. It’s a very simple trick that will move you past people in a hurry and allow you to spend much less energy.



While mastering all of these will certainly take some time, picking up a few of these on race day will make your swim go a little easier and you day more enjoyable.