Take on the Heat Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 3)

Got mine today too, hope I don't choke and go slow that morning or else you are going to be madd dogging me haha.  #10.  Swam it in practice, hope I can do it race day.

Here is a random thought I have thrown around in my head, what is the worst part of a pool swim?  The submitted times.  Why not for an extra $5, they use an official time from a previous race within 1 year and have a group of verified seeded times go first (and cap it at a certain time or maybe the top 75 verified).  They could also offer a trial the week before for $10 and you could use that time in the verified group (maybe add a penalty to that time since it is just a swim).  I would gladly pay that to be in a group that is seeded correctly.

They might be still taking sign ups since the late date change probably caused quite a few cancellations.  If you want to try, call the race director or go to packet pick up.

#50.     Just call me mr lane hog  




NOT
I'm almost thinking of signing up since I"ll be put at the end... then I get to swim over everyone,

Then again at the st paddy tri this year I was number 90 something, had a 1:30/100 avg and only passed a couple people while being passed once.. Lots of college kids did the race on their break... so who knows?/  it's where the masters swim group swims in the morning and at least half of them are ex college swimmers who did the race last year for fun or part of a relay.  so there might be some really speedy people there

Edited by Gaarryy 2009-08-21 2:22 PM

Would be good to see you out there.  What is it you taught me.......Ankle, Hip, Shoulder....

You did listen !!!! outstanding !!! 

Based on your workout times... you should be ahead of me. Rightly so.

I'm stuck at 1:32 per 100 meter. And that's me hauling all out. If I'm not sprinting a 1:40 is more realistic. And I go slower in a race bccause I can't do a perfect flip turn with a stream line position off the wall.

See, the problem with sprints and a pool swim is that there are a lot newbies. They put in a time without ever having swum the distance. At my last tri, the guy who was in first put down a world record time for his. He was seated #1 and didn't go because he had only swam 7 times before that race. Yep.

Anyways, if they are newbie, you can't verify their time.

Hey, if all those people in front of me can swim... I have no issue with it. But I do have an issue with someone in front of me breast stroking... hanging on the wall... doing a back stroke, etc. If you are seated in front of me, you better be able to swim the distance... without resting... and if you do something other than freestyle it better be fast.

AND if that person can't swim without resting... I just hope they don't hold me up in the pool.

And what if they can't swim faster than you? What you going to do about it?

I hope I get number 54 or 55 and I'm going to swim side to side down the whole lane and prevent you from passing. Hahahaha.

What do you do in open water when someone slower is in front of you? I'd just do that and not worry about it.

Well in open water I go around them. Which is easier to do when there aren't lane ropes.

I have been known to politely place a hand on the side of someone to shove them off to the side though. I do it in a nice way though. I'm not all mean about it.

As for you holding me, I would swim over you buddy.

Otherwise, if there are people hanging on the wall... and I can't push off the wall... I have been known to yell at them, "GET OFF THE WALL PEOPLE!"

This is a 50m pool. Shouldn't be that hard to pass someone in an entire lane.

And, of course, this all depends on you swimming the exact time you put down as well. If you swim faster than the time you put down, then you can't complain about having to pass people. So what time did you put down?

It seems you have some sort of pent up anger problem. Maybe you should see someone about that. Ha!!!!

I have no clue what I put down. Trust me, I'll be slower than what I put down. Even if by a few seconds.

I get annoyed quickly with pool swims... thus I try to avoid them, but haven't done a good job of it this year.

Ahhh, so what about #57 who is going to have to pass you because you estimated too fast? What about them and having to deal with swimmers who can't swim as fast as them? The humanity...

Edited by tajsss 2009-08-21 4:05 PM

Uh, I don't hang on a wall... and I don't breast stroke. I even stop at the wall and look back to see if someone is close enough that I'll hold them up if I go. If they are close, I stop and let them go at the wall.

I also hug the lane rope so people can pass me easily.

I have found that MOST people who put in a time that is wildly off their accurate swim time, do not understand how to allow others to pass them.

Note: My swim time was not wildly inaccurate.

Now hush up and go get your packet dork.

I was wondering how long I could go back and forth with you before you realize I'm screwing with you!!!!

I'm going to go up and back in the same lane to mess with everyone... my time be dammed

I typically post the same number for each pool swim tri (4:00 for 300 and 4:40 for 350). At St. Pats I was right on the dot and was marked 25th. For this swim time I'm 7th! Seems there are more newbies in for this swim then others!

See, I'm trying to figure out how the heck I got #56. It's just weird. I'm usually top 30... even top 20.

What the heck time did I put down... I wonder. I know I put down under 5:00. ????

Maybe  someone just read your time wrong.. can you check at packet pick up ??

Get a room you two!

Naw, already got my packet. Trust me, I looked on the list to see what I put down... but the times weren't there.

Oh well it is what it is. I'll just see how it all shakes out.

Heck, I'll probably be dead tired from my 55 mile ride I'm doing Sat. and it won't even matter!

Ok..so I am a newbie, and you have me worried all of a sudden.  This is my first race, and I was excited until I read your rant about the new racers.  I have said it before...I dont want to be THAT guy...but at the same time, I can only put down the times that I have swam in practice...after all this is my very first race.  Will the jitters cause me to go slower?  Or will the adrenaline kick in and help my fly? 

I won't be anywhere near you if you swim a 1:40 pace (I registered with a total time of 8:40), but what if the person behind me is faster?  I certainly dont want to someone off on my first day...

Are you just blowing off steam?  Or is this something that I should be concerned about? 

Good luck this weekend...I promise to stay out of your way!!!  Thanks for any advice...

Don't worry about it. You'll be fine. No one predicts perfect. And there is always passing going on. The idea behind picking accurately is to limit the amount of passing required.

On race day, you'll be excited and swim faster. That is why most people estimate faster. Plus they don't want to be at the back. Problem is some people get carried away. What also happens, is some people don't know and put down their pace for a 100m, not the whole distance. This puts them up at the front, when they should be in the middle or back.

Karens real concern is not having to pass people, it is having people in front of her who don't know common etiquitte.

A quick guide:
1. Don't swim breast stroke if you can help it. That frog kick is super dangerous with a bunch of other people around. A solid kick to the face or chest is going to hurt. If you must do breatstroke, modify the kick to save those around you.
2. Don't swim down the middle of the lane. This is great when you are training and by yourself. In a race, it makes it tough to pass. Swim towards the right of the lane so those faster can pass. It is common to tap peoples feet in front of you to let them know you are going to or want to pass. If you have someone constantly hitting your feet, they may be scared to pass. Generally this means, at the next wall, please wait a moment and let the person by. This is usually not a big deal in 50m pools where we have a whole lane to swim and pass, but in a 25m pool where you must swim up and back in each lane, there is less room to pass so the tapping and passing at the walls is common.
3. Don't hang out in the middle of the walls. If you need a rest at the wall, that is fine. A lot of people will go out too fast or simply not be good swimmers and need a break. When resting, move to a corner if you can so those still swimming can hit the wall and push back off cleanly.

If you estimated even semi-correctly, you'll be near others with the same ability as you and there shouldn't be any big problems. Generally all the real fast people at the front are near all the other real fast people and they can all swim together cleanly. The problem really comes up with the 8 minute swimmer(no offense to anyone) puts down 4 and is doing the breast stroke and other common issues mentioned above after 50m.

This is your first race. Have a great time out there. Try not to stress and just enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun for everyone and I'm sure you'll have a blast. Karen is number 56. I got number 96. Look for us before or after and come say hi. My wife is doing massage at the race so I'll likely be hanging out near her tent after the race. Post your number up when you get it and we can try and look for you.

Don't worry about it, you did exactly what you should do. You timed yourself in practice and submitted that time. Like the previous post said, you will be around mostly similar swimmers.Everyone is different, the hardest thing for me is to pace myself correctly with all the adrenaline pumping. I tend to feel like Aquaman and fly my first 150 and I blow myself out and struggle the last half of the race. The thing that got me a little on the first race was not knowing how to start. You have to enter feet first so you either jump out as far as you can, drop in the water and push off the wall, or do a cannonball if you want to make yourself relax and laugh a little.Good luck and relax and enjoy. See you out there.

Oh yea, go for the cannonball man. I did that one once. I recommend it when you get to jump in the deep end though. Mine was a shallow pool and I jumped high to for entertainment value and went straight to the bottom and hit my @ss pretty hard. It was well worth it though.

I was thinking about doing a cannon ball, but thought that at #7 the folks would get very mad... So I'll just get my quick swim in and then take it easy the rest of the race. Make sure I dont injure myself before we leave for Ironman Canada on Tuesday.

See you guys out there!

Just picked up my packet...#257, so I'll be out of everyone's way!!!  Stop by and say hi...I'd love to meet everyone who has helped me along the way.  Thanks for all hte advice and I look forward to racing with you tomorrow.