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Bombed the swim in first Tri
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 2009-06-17 3:22 PM |
 31 |  Subject: Bombed the swim in first TriI just completed my first Sprint Tri. Trained for about 3 months before the race. Felt prepared for all 3 legs, although I was most nervous about the swim due to lack of open water swims. Was swiming around a 14:20 in the pool for 1/2 mile. For the Tri, got in my wetsuit, warmed up a little in the water and then got ready to go. The gun goes off and I'm on my way thinking I'm swimming a good pace. Well, now I realize I started out way to fast and was probably more at a sprint pace to start. Halfway to the first buoy I realize I'm already very tired and can't get enough air. So I stop for a couple seconds, in disbelief that I'm off to this bad of a start. I look around and see that I'm somewhere in the middle of the pack. All my confidence is gone from having to stop so soon. I push forward, stopping every couple minutes for 5-10 seconds to get my breathe because I'm dead tired. I continue to look around to see if everyone else around me is struggling as well or if it's just me. I was so busy worrying about how crappy I was doing and comparing myself to those around me I forgot to concentrate on my race and my stroke. Ended up getting out of the water in 18 min. My neighbor who I am 1 1/2 minutes faster than in the pool ends up beating me by a minute. When I saw him in the transition area I realized I really blew it on the swim. |
| 2009-06-17 3:27 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Elite 3471    Evergreen, CO | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri Sorry, no advice, but if it makes you feel any better, I bomb every OWS, especially in races. Sounds like you already know what you did wrong and will probably fix that by your next race. |
| 2009-06-17 3:34 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri You've got the answer right there. Just keep practicing OWS. You've got to get to the point where you are just as comfortable in the OWS as you are in the pool. I finished in the middle of the first tri I raced and in the front of my wave the next two times. It's all about comfort in the OWS and in a group with some churn. |
| 2009-06-17 3:34 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Member 54 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri I am not a strong swimmer either and swim at about the same pace as you. The only thing that works for me in races is to stay to the side of the pack and swim at an easy pace and the last leg of the swim start the speed up a little bit. J Or when in doubt just stick to the breast stroke with your head out of the water. Hope this helps you a little bit. |
| 2009-06-17 4:43 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Master 2327 North Alabama | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri Practice makes perfect. Plus it was your first race. You're going to mess up and goof. It's normal. You'll recover by the next one! |
| 2009-06-17 4:54 PM in reply to: #2225289 |
Member 182 Bay Area, CA | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri my experience seems to be similar to yours and many others who experience a terrible swim in their first triathlon...its usually affected by nerves, either about the race, or just the swim, or the water temp, or the chaos that is triathlon swim starts, sometimes all of the above. The good news is that, for many people, it just gets better with experience, my second triathlon swim was 20x better than my first, I was a lot more relaxed and focused, and didnt gas because of that. Stick with it, do some more OW Swims and the odds are that it will get much easier. Also, you mentioned starting out super slow, my advice is just have a plan and a pace you KNOW you are comfortable with, and stick to it no matter what else happens, focus on your race and not what other people are doing and you'll be fine, I have found that I now pass a LOT of people in the second half of the swim who go out way too hard at the beginning |
| 2009-06-17 5:11 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Master 1726 Sacramento, California | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri I have only done 2 tris, but my first (a super sprint) swim reminded me of your first (worse than I ever imagined doing)...for my second (a sprint) last weekend I had a really strong swim that was much faster than I anticipated (although the course was short I am sure). and that I was really happy with... What was the difference? 1) Training...I had a lot more training under my belt and had practiced sighting. 2) Someone else on this site said to try to forget you are racing...maybe this doesn't work if you are planning on being FOP and winning your AG but if you are MOP trying to have your best race possible I really think this works. I just swam...I went out steady and not crazy fast and was able to build speed as I went and as I realized that I was having a great day...I paid no attention to the people around me I except to avoid hitting them...and had what for me was a great swim |
| 2009-06-17 5:21 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Veteran 334 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri race like you train, In the pool you never start off as fast as you did in the race. So remember to slow down at begining and relax. Theres a great articlie in one of the tri magaznes this month about that very issue. Also try to swim about 200-400 meters before the race starts so your body is ready. I found that works great for me. I was even slower then you in my first tri - over 19 minutes for 750, this is very normal for us noobs  |
| 2009-06-17 5:41 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Expert 774 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri I have done 4 sprints and a HIM. In all 4 sprints, I freaked out during the OWS, got frazzled, blew several minutes recovering and getting a groove. On my last sprint tri a couple of weeks ago, I realized after 100 yards that I wasn't exhaling underwater and was trying to exhale and inhale as I came up. Even after realizing the problem, it took me another 200 yards to settle down and get a smooth stroke. |
| 2009-06-17 5:47 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
| New user 476 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri Haven't done a tri yet, but from what I've read is many bomb their first swim. OWS is MUCH different then pool swimming to begin with. Throw in the mass chaos of the race.... I wouldn't sweat it. Get some more experience in OWS and I'll bet you'll be good to go for the next race. |
| 2009-06-17 5:53 PM in reply to: #2225090 |
| Lafayette, CO | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri skarl - 2009-06-17 2:27 PM Sorry, no advice, but if it makes you feel any better, I bomb every OWS, especially in races. Sounds like you already know what you did wrong and will probably fix that by your next race. Even if it doesn't make the OP feel better it helps me. I bombed a practice open water swim this morning.  Hoping to get another in before my tri next weekend. |
| 2009-06-17 6:48 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Member 65 New Haven, CT | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri I'm hoping for the best with my first tri, and am going to do a bunch of OWSs, but i'm definitely expecting less than stellar performance on the swim. I'm going to make up for it by doing the run on roller skates. |
| 2009-06-17 7:24 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Member 84 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri To the OP - if nothing else, take solace in knowing that you've helped those of us who haven't done our first tri's yet - clearly you've made us realize how important it is to get a good bit of OWS training in before the big day. I've been looking for 'lessons learned' and stuff like that here as I begin training for my first tri in August - great info, and I'm sure you'll CRUSH the swim in your next one, knowing what you know now... Good luck, and keep your head up!! |
| 2009-06-17 8:21 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri I bombed a 750m OWS one week before my first HIM (2000m swim). What to do? I did what it sounds like you should do -- go out much much easier than you think you should. There's plenty of time to accelerate at the end. Worked for me. I was very MOP on the HIM swim, but felt as though I'd won the whole thing right there, just because the swim went so well for me in comparison to the previous week. Bottom line: it happens. Learn from the mistake, as others said. |
| 2009-06-17 8:27 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
| 26 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri But look on the bright side: You finished under 30min so you were able to complete the race!!!! Maybe another person couldn't so,, congrats to your first tri, that you finished and you are already thinking about your next one!
My first tri is the 8th of August,, how was the bike portion of it??
Kelly |
| 2009-06-17 8:59 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
| 126 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri practice and remember to race your race... there will ALWAYS be people WAYYYY faster than you and faster than you can imagine...... |
| 2009-06-17 9:16 PM in reply to: #2225069 |
Expert 908 Niskayuna, New York | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri that sounds almost EXACTLY like my first race. about the same training, all pool/no ows practice, started way to fast. you pretty much nailed the solution yourself, just keep up with the good training and try to get in some OWS practice before your next race. |
| 2009-06-18 12:03 AM in reply to: #2225069 |
Master 1325 Lake Oswego, OR | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri You went out to fast. Start off to the side. DO NOT sprint at the start. It makes no sense. Find your own rhythm and you'll do fine. |
| 2009-06-18 6:09 AM in reply to: #2225865 |
Expert 1123 Falls Church, VA | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri E=H2O - 2009-06-18 1:03 AM You went out to fast. Start off to the side. DO NOT sprint at the start. It makes no sense. Find your own rhythm and you'll do fine. it makes no sense, yet it happens all the time. I had a serious brain-fart last weekend for my first race too, and I had at least done an OW swim, but that was on a different type of body of water, and the waves were only 25 people, so there wasn't as much of a mass start in that practice. Nerves/fear/overexertion put me at almost 170bpm, and my HR didn't really recover much until the run.(every time I did start to recover on teh bike, it was time to climb a hill). |
| 2009-06-18 7:15 AM in reply to: #2225069 |
Master 1887 Loveland, Ohio | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri msingley - 2009-06-17 4:22 PM I just completed my first Sprint Tri. Trained for about 3 months before the race. Felt prepared for all 3 legs, although I was most nervous about the swim due to lack of open water swims. Was swiming around a 14:20 in the pool for 1/2 mile. For the Tri, got in my wetsuit, warmed up a little in the water and then got ready to go. The gun goes off and I'm on my way thinking I'm swimming a good pace. Well, now I realize I started out way to fast and was probably more at a sprint pace to start. Halfway to the first buoy I realize I'm already very tired and can't get enough air. So I stop for a couple seconds, in disbelief that I'm off to this bad of a start. I look around and see that I'm somewhere in the middle of the pack. All my confidence is gone from having to stop so soon. I push forward, stopping every couple minutes for 5-10 seconds to get my breathe because I'm dead tired. I continue to look around to see if everyone else around me is struggling as well or if it's just me. I was so busy worrying about how crappy I was doing and comparing myself to those around me I forgot to concentrate on my race and my stroke. Ended up getting out of the water in 18 min. My neighbor who I am 1 1/2 minutes faster than in the pool ends up beating me by a minute. When I saw him in the transition area I realized I really blew it on the swim. Lots of great advice already given, but I would also recommend starting out more slow. Oh, and, congratulations on completing your first triathlon!!!! |
| 2009-06-18 7:19 AM in reply to: #2225069 |
Expert 770 Long Island, NY | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri Get in line! I went out too fast my first time and thought I might drown when I tired VERY quickly. Key is to not do it again.
Did I mention that it was in a POOL? Yeah, it was ugly. |
| 2009-06-18 7:19 AM in reply to: #2225069 |
Expert 715 PA | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri totally in the same boat. i can swim the 1/2 mile in ~15 minutes in the pool no problem. i even had a few times of open water swim practice before my race. and i totally blew it. it took my almost 26 minutes to get to T1, so, dont feel that bad about your time. i hyperventilated from the excitemement and adrenaline of my first race. i agree with the others saying to just keep practicing. at least now you know that you can finish the OWS part of a race, which to me, now seems like the toughest hurdle! best wishes! |
| 2009-06-18 7:21 AM in reply to: #2225069 |
Champion 6931 Bellingham, Washington | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri It's called learning. Experience. Get back in the water for OWS. Practice practice practice. swim your own race, and don't worry about others. |
| 2009-06-18 8:09 AM in reply to: #2226021 |
Master 4119 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri BellinghamSpence - 2009-06-18 8:21 AM It's called learning. Experience. Get back in the water for OWS. Practice practice practice. swim your own race, and don't worry about others. x100000 It's not really about how others did - keep focused on yourself and being relaxed and in good shape for the next leg of the race! |
| 2009-06-18 8:16 AM in reply to: #2225865 |
Member 106 | Subject: RE: Bombed the swim in first Tri E=H2O - 2009-06-18 1:03 AM You went out to fast. Start off to the side. DO NOT sprint at the start. It makes no sense. Find your own rhythm and you'll do fine. I'm not a great swimmer, but I'm going to slightly disagree here. I took this advice and several times got stuck behind the breast strokers, side strokers and just plain really slow people. It is significantly harder to pass during the swim than any of the other legs. I had a really tough time getting arround them, because I was hemmed in. Now I go pretty hard for about 100 just to get beyond the really horendous swimmers, then relax and try to find my pace. |
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