Pool swim vs. open water

Usually you have to submit an estimated time for the swim, then you get seeded fastest to slowest. So the faster swimmers should not be hindered by the slower swimmers.

In pool swims, you usually end up sharing a lane. Can be good for some, but I find open water crows easier -- at least everyone is going the same direction. Sometimes it's done in a zig-zag pattern (out in one lane, back in another). Depends on the race.

But the advantage goes to the better swimmers because (1) they'll be faster at making the turns, and (2) wetsuits won't be allowed.

I am in love with tris because I get to swim in lakes and oceans. I have a personal bias against pool tris, but that's just me. I figure what's the point? Not a coaching opinion, just personal.

If you are more inclined to do a pool tri due to open water fears, then go for it. I think it's a great way to open up the sport to a much wider audience. I have good friends here in pittsburgh who refuse to do tris that are not in a pool.

So, we don't do tris together, but we do do dus.

Pool swimming would give me a faster time:

1. Usually a shorter distance so I can do it faster without as much detriment to the other events

2. No mass start, so no risk that I have to swim around the slower guy in front of me, and no guys swimming in zig zag patterns ahead of me

3. Flip turns: if you know how to do them, you know what I mean

4. No sighting required, so I can keep my head down and just swim

Now, does it make the swim more competitive for all participants? No. I think your weaker swimmers will use the walls, and the bottom, as crutches and might actually go slower. I've even seen guys walk their swim.

Does it make the swim more competitive for stronger swimmers? Definitely.

How about the stroke where you covertly latch your fingertips onto the lane dividers to help with your catch & pull? Sometimes I do that stroke accidentally when I'm sharing a lane and I secretly enjoy the little speed boost I get!

I LOATHE pool swims. Coming from a strong swimming background, I find pool swims usually take away a significant amount of any advantage I had going into it. For early-season races, it's somewhat unavoidable, but I stay away from them as much as possible. Sure they require seed times, but it's never perfectly seeded. Drafting is a whole lot more effective since everyone's following the same straight-line path, and typically there isn't more than 5 seconds between starts.

Also, unless you're at the front of the pack, a pool swim can be just as choppy as (if not worse than) a lake swim. So really, the advantage to being seeded near the front is somewhat flatter water and less people to create wake. Since people know this, they'll artificially bump themselves to the head by entering a faster swim seed time, thus defeating the whole purpose of seeding, and essentially causing a traffic jam for the people in the front pack who are capable of a faster seed time. In a lake swim, it's not an issue because there is ample room to pass on the sides - not so in a pool swim. There's little to be done about the "fudging" of seed times, so you just have to hope that everyone's honest, and then grin and bear it.

I'm doing my first tri in March, in a pool, and I had a couple of simple ?'s.

Can you push off the walls when you turn around ?

If you stop in the pool ( anywhere) are you penalized ?

Thanks. This web site is awesome.


Craig

Yep.

This user's post has been ignored.

my pool is devided into lanes and it gets very choppy. i recon this is very good . makes one stronger no?

Some pool swims just have swimmers split lanes and each swimmer gets a lap counter.  Waves start every 15 minutes or so.   I am considering doing one of these this spring.  Seems like this gets rid of the issue of having to pass people in a pool.