2weeks to first sprint, anxious about swim taper

You're not going to gain any fitness in the week leading up to your first sprint.  I'd just swim a couple times during the week just to stay loose.  Might be detrimental if you do too much work that week

Good luck! 

My advise would be to keep swimming.  Like the PP said, you are not going to gain much fitness during this week, but that's not what it is for.  If you are not comfortable on the swim, staying in the water this week will help you remember your form, and get more comfortable.  Don't over do the sesions though, you don't want to be warn out on race day.  

As your swimming improves, and swim sessions get harder, and your times get faster, it is important to taper to let your body build back up for the stresses of training.

 

If you haven't already, make sure you get in at least one OWS.  It is a lot different than in the pool and causes many people anxiety.  Start your swim behind the rush and take it slow at the start to help keep your breathing under control and to help stay calm.  Visualize the swim with people all around you and don't be surprised when you are bumbed or bump into someone.  Just stay calm!

Rest (taper) is important.  I usually continue to train the week of a race, but dial it down quite a bit.  If my race is on a Sunday, I will do my final workout on Thursday as a REAL easy mini-Tri to go through all the motions of an event, including, at least mentally, my Transitions.  I will sometimes do a real easy swim or go for a walk on Friday, then take Sat. off completely so my body is fresh and ready to roll on race day.  Just my two cents...

Good luck!

I continue to swim the week of my race.  Its the newest sport for me and I really need to keep the feel of the water.  As someone else said, make sure you get in an OWS if you can.  I always try and do one the weekend before.  Although I never taper for a sprint in any of the sports, although I do keep my workouts at a somewhat easy pace. 

Excellent advice as I didn't do any of these and had some major issues in my first OWS. Not a thing like swimming in the pool.

x3 on the OWS

x5? on the swim every day -- you're better off maintaining the feel of the water- even if you only swim a couple hundred yards each day, you'll feel better on race day.

My Pool was closed for 2 weeks prior to my taper week.  I did not swim at all for 2 weeks.  Then last weekend, I got into the water at the race course and swam it in 2 minutes better than my previous personal best!  Rest is OK- don't stress about it.   Def. get back into the water before the race to get your feel back.  I got that advice form BT about 2 weeks ago... except for the cold and rain and lack of a wetsuit, Im actually looking forward to the swim the most!

Good luck!

Swimming to gain confidence before your tri is good. If you can do ows at location of the tri a few times even better. I always feel better if I've done a few swims in the water I'll be swimming in. Water looks, smells and tastes different and being comfortable for me helps.

Good luck..start in the back and wide and don't go out to hard when you start come race day.

awesome advice! Thanks everyone!

I find it also helps a lot to get a warm up swim in just before the race.   It always calms my nerves (swimming is my first love, thought).
At my race this weekend I noticed a lot of folks didnt get wet until the start and then they had to get over the shock of the cold water after having stood around in wetsuits waiting for their wave to start.  It was also a very dark lake so the look, feel and taste of the water was very different.

I did taper before my race, even though it was a sprint and I felt great through the race.

Good Luck!