Todd's Tri Turtles 4 (Beginner, Sprint, 5K, 10K) CLOSED (Page 38)

Well, I survived my open water clinic last night. It was 47 degrees out, so the water was actually warmer than the air. I was slow and did lots of breast stroke, but I got through it. The clinic was put in by the organizers of my race in June...they told me I should go for it with the race, that I would be fine. They also told me my stroke was beautiful. If only I had some endurance! I'm going to do a one on one coaching session in open water before my race.

Congrats on the swim because sometimes working your way through it is more valuable they not struggling at all. Also I would not have finished because this Texas boy would not have even started. 47 are you freaking kidding, 47! You need to move to somewhere warmer!

So very IMPRESSIVE!!!!!

I held off an outdoor swim this am due to temps being in the 50's!!!! Didn't have the courage you do!

Great job on the open water swim!

I'm planning to attend an open water swim clinic tonight in Connecticut. It's been very cold here so without a wetsuit I'm not really sure how manageable this will be. I know at least one other person going who is training for an Ironman. Since I am just entering the world of sprint triathlons I am intimidated despite being a pretty good swimmer. But I am going to jump right in.

Good luck this evening! Will be curious how this goes for you. I guess I'm gonna just have to bite the bullet and start some open water work. Hopefully the upcoming string of warm days will warm up the water at the outdoor pool I'm supposed to go to for early am swims.....not good to back out again like I did today.

You'll do well!!

Great job Catherine on your swim! Planning on going to a pond this weekend to try swimming outside of a pool...pond counts as a OWS, right? I was trying to decide if I should rent a wetsuit for my upcoming Tri. Do you think it's overkill to wear a wetsuit for a sprint Tri? I'm only swimming a 1/2 mile but I'm pretty slow, maybe the cold water will make me swim faster? Lol

If it is for the cold, I would consider renting one. Guess it depends on how cold.

At the end of the season, places sell off their rentals so that might be a good time to purchase.

So on the topic of wetsuits...

I did an open water swim clinic last night and thankfully had a wetsuit to borrow from a friend. the clinic was great, i felt really confident good. The wetsuit, OH MY GOD< THE WETSUIT! It was amazing! I was so buoyant I couldn't sink down in the water! It made the swim in cold choppy water much easier, for sure. I am now trying to figure out how to get myself one without letting my husband know I spent a dime on it! Man, these tris are expensive, huh?

So there is a wetsuit for sale at Ocean State Job Lot, which is a junk store, if you ask me. they are $20... i'm tempted bc anything is better than nothing, right? The $20 is short pants and tank top. for $30 I can get a full length but it was hard to swim with the full sleeves.

any tips?

My 2 cents is that wetsuits are AMAZING when it's 47 degrees out AND decrease your work. Make sure it's a Tri wetsuit though...the wrong kind of wetsuit will increase your drag.

Ok so what is the guidelines for a "Tri wetsuit"? Also, how do you decide between sleeves vs no sleeves? If it's cold wouldn't you want the sleeves?

There are variations in the thickness of the neoprene to aid in boyance or flexiblity in the shoulder for turn over. Here is an informative piece a couple of years old
http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/06/gear-tech/14-triathlon-wets...

or

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...


Edited by peto_primo 2015-06-05 12:56 AM

Good info in the links provided. Friend of mine suggested sleeveless version for better arm movement. But, what do I know....haven't done open water yet and obviously not purchased a wetsuit. Hope to one of these days..Local Tri club has it's sprint event tomorrow morning at a park nearby. My plans are to go observe. I'll try to see what folks are wearing and pass along.

Good swim today! My first session in the outdoor pool at a nearby park. Water was just about perfect, clear skies, no wind, temps in mid to upper 60's. I was the only one in the pool (although others had been in earlier since it opened at 6 am). Since I was the only one 2 guards had to come out of their comfortable office.....I'm guessing they got a good laugh watching me..... ! Plan is to be back there on Monday and through the rest of the summer while the pool is open. My daughter claims there's nothing better than doing a swim practice in an outdoor pool.....based on this first one, I have to agree with her!!

Glad you enjoyed your outdoor swim, Bill. It's still too cold in MA to truly enjoy an outdoor swim yet.

I have an open water swimming lesson tomorrow. I hope it will help me build my confidence. It has not been s great training week for me. I started off OK but got off track with a whirlwind one day work trip to DC followed by a 30 hour shift. Back on the wagon tomorrow....

I had an AMAZING open water swim lesson today. Here were the big wins:
1) we worked on breathing - fully exhaling, keeping neutral head position, and rhythm. Super helpful.
2) I am now officially in love with my wetsuit
3) practiced a strategy to keep calm but keep moving if I am feeling tired or panicky during the swim : 20 strokes freestyle, on to my back for 10 strokes back stroke, back 2 my front with 2-3 breast strokes to re-orient and then right back into 20 strokes freestyle. I practiced these transitions and felt great.
I feel ready for my Tri next weekend. I will be slow, but my plan is to use this to boost my confidence

Outstanding!!!! Congrats on the very successful open water swim!!!

I observed the local event Saturday morning; the athletes had to swim a 600 yard segment (300 yards out and 300 yards back)....just seeing the buoys so far out really got my attention and put it into perspective; made the 50 meter pool look like a bathtub!

Observed the local event here Saturday morning; mixture of long sleeved and tank top tri suits; actually, there was a number of competitors not wearing a tri suit.

Weather was super nice; 60's light winds out of the east; water temp 72 degrees. The swim segment was 600 yards; 300 yards out and back; I have a photo and will post if there's any interest on the part of the Turtles. Needless to say, the buoys so far out got my attention. I have a long way to go; just need to do some open water swims like many other Turtles have already accomplished.

Bill, 600 seems like forever to me too...fortunately the race I am doing puts out multiple buouys, so I can just take it one buouy at a time. I think if you look at it altogether it seems very overwhelming! I'm just going to break it up into chunks of 20 strokes and focus on my breathing.

Wow You Go Girl!! open water swims. I have only pool swims lined up this year. I need to get out and practice at the lake. 45 degrees ugh I am sorry but I can't even think that cold anymore. I love that drill to keep you going. I think I am going to try that as well.


I think I will be struggling in the heat soon. I got in a ride at 7am by the time I was finished it was 8:30 and well into the high 80's. I might melt on my tri but I think I will feel great being wet. Also it is in the base of some hills/mountains so it might be cooler.

You all inspire me! It is amazing how great I feel when I train and bummed out when I miss a training.
I got in a swim today, while my boys were training for the swim team. It was great. I listen to what their coaches tell them and then work on that as well.

I think I over think my swim too much. They tell the children out and back 4 laps go! I am thinking wow it is hard for me to keep going. Maybe the children just don't know any different or maybe more energy. I don't know but I was trying to stop thinking and just work.

Good Luck on your upcoming open water swims everyone. Stay warm.

Hey thanks for the link on the wetsuits. I think I am going to get one in the future but for my Tri this weekend I've decided to suck it up and swim without..nothing new on race day if you haven't trained with it.

So I did make it to the pond this past weekend so that I could try swimming in something other than a pool. The water temp was 68 so yes cold but it didn't kill me My goal was to make sure I could swim a 1/2 mile without stopping and I did! Not going to break any speed records but I'm ok with that. Now as long as I can stay calm during my swim on Sunday at the Tri I'll be fine.

I also met an amazing group of people to ride with this past weekend. They were so welcoming that I am looking forward at riding more in the future with them. They ride all the time anywhere between 20-60 miles. I rode with them this past Sunday before my swim at the pond. Then when I was at the pond, I met a group of Triathletes training for a 70.3 that they are doing this coming weekend. I was surprised at how encouraging they were when they were training for such a big Tri and my own was a sprint, it didn't matter to them. They invited me to join their Tri Group and try it out and see if I would want to become a member. I'm considering it but I'm going to see how this weekend goes first for me.

Everything seems to be slowly falling into place. Some days I have better workouts than other but I guess that is to be expected. I find that I am hungry all the time or at least I think I am, lol!

I've been reading all of your posts and everyone has been doing such an amazing job! I wish that there was a way we all could meet and do some training together. Everyone is so encouraging and motivating that it helps me when I'm lacking and finding reason why not to get a workout in. Thanks for all of your great posts and have a excellent weekend! I'll be at the Tri Goddess Tri on Sunday so wish me luck

Way to "bite the bullet" and jump in that cold pond!!!!! Amazing.

Just as everyone here is, I'm finding the "Tri Community" very supportive regardless of a person's skill level. That's exactly how it sounds with the 2 groups you just met.

Best of luck on your event this weekend; so impressive doing the open water 1/2 mile....you are setting the bar high for newbies like me!!!


Edited by 2NewKnees 2015-06-11 10:55 AM

Thanks Bill! Not sure I am setting the bar that high with my swim, since it's S..L..O..W, lol! I was told to "just keep moving" and that's half the battle so that is what I did.

Well, I've got my first Tri of the season tomorrow (sprint, 1/3 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 5 K run). I am definitely undertrained for this event, but I am in it to finish it. It is the early season goal that will keep me going for events later this year. I'm most nervous about the swim. I only made it to the pool once this week, but I am going out for a quick open water this morning. My swim coach told me not to swim too much and tire myself out the day before the race, but just to get it and do a couple hundred yards to feel comfortable. I am working hard n my head game, trying to remind myself of how good the swim felt last weekend. Breathe out all the way, find a rhythm, slow down my stroke (I stroke faster when I am panicky), and remember 20 strokes freestyle then a break then back to another 20 strokes freestyle. For me this race is about gaining comfort and confidence, not about my time. Maybe I will think about my time for the next race

You have a good plan for your swim segment!!! And a great approach to your results for this event! Best of luck!!

Edited by 2NewKnees 2015-06-12 10:47 AM

You sound like you are ready to me!! Your swim is the smallest part of the event. You have this. Good Luck on your race!!!