Preparing for my first mini-triathlon and have a question

Just out of curiosity, what is the distance? Is it a "sprint"? Or is it really one of those "mini" races like out of a gym or something.

I breathe through both my mouth and nose. If you are getting dizzy and tired, SLOW DOWN. And concentrate on not holding your breath underwater after you take a breath. And yes, you can do any stroke you want.

The swimming is 825 yards. I will try breathing thru the mouth and nose. I go up for air every 4 stokes so I guess when I exhale, I'll do it slowly.

Okay, that's not a "mini" - that's definitely a sprint Try breathing bilaterally - which would be every three strokes. Get a kickboard and practice stroking and breathing on each side to get it down, if you don't know how. If breathing every 4 works for you, then great, but you might be running out of air too soon, which might be making you dizzy. Or breathe every two, if you have to breathe on the same side. But I recommend at least knowing how to breathe on both sides, since in a tri, there can be people and chop and sometimes in order to not swallow half the lake, you need to be able to breathe on either side.

I had the same problem and I found that I was pushing myself too hard.  825 yards doesn't seem long distance but it is.  I'm a newb and have only done one triathlon but in my training experiences, I would recommend slowing down, breath bilaterally and work on a nice, consistent pace.  You don't want to jack your heart rate up there and max yourself out in the first 100 yards. 

Good Luck!

You are likely hyperventilating by continuing to try to suck in bigger breaths of air; without properly/fully exhaling the air in your lungs. This causes a carbon dioxide build-up that creates a panicky feeling, and the natural reaction (but wrong) is to suck in even *bigger* gulps of air.

Without worrying about speed, nose vs mouth, etc; start by going as slow as you need to in order to calm your breathing down - and make sure that you exhale.

That is a fair swim for a sprint distance tri.  What are the distances of the other 2 legs?

I always give the same advice to beginners who struggle with the swim and it is pretty much the same as everyone else has given.  Just go as slow as you can make yourself go - especially during training - until you are comfortable in the water.  Don't worry about how you look.  Just be comfortable.  I have heard so many stories of first-timers blowing out in the water because they go too hard.  Trust me, you will finish in a faster time if you just go slowly from the beginning.

Is your race going to be in the open water or in a pool?  If it is in the open water, this is even more important because it can be quite scary the first time.   

I second the PP who suggested breathing more often.  It can be really hard to learn to breathe bilaterally so I would suggest breathing every two stroke if every 3 is too hard.  I swim bilaterally very comfortably, but when I race, I tend to breathe on every 2nd stroke because I find that I run out of air too fast in a race - especially at the start of a race.  Once I slow myself down, I can fall into a comfortable pace and breathe bilaterally again.

Good luck and let us all know how it goes - did you mention when your race is?

The race is 825 yards for the swimming, 12 miles for the biking and 3 miles running. The swimming takes place in a pool. I don't think I would like swimming in a lake.

I am going into this triathlon not to race, but to finish. I want to prove to myself I can do it and time is not a concern. The next triathlon I do, I will aim to beat my time.

By the way, I watched a swimming video from this forum and it was very helpful. I am glad I found this board.

Thanks! 

Yeah, that's a sprint, basically. Don't minimize it - it's still a big deal if it's your first one! BT is great, eh?