Race Rehearsal Tips for The Swim Leg

I'm not the best swimmer and I don't put the time in the pool to correct it.  So I go into the swim with the mentality that I have to do as many things right on the swim to make up for this.  The quote above from the article describes to of the most important things IMHO.  When my swimming is good it is not unusual for me to sight about every 100 yards.   When I do sight, I take a snap shot.  The snap shot can be practiced in the pool really easily.  Lift your head and create a picture, and then analyze the picture when your eyes are back under water.  When you have it mastered you will barely lose any time to sighting. 

My other two favorites are to find clean water and swim easy.  They go hand and hand really.   I know that I have to take it easy in the swim.  Raising my HR in the water will start the clock ticking and I will have a bad run.  Easy for me is obviously slower than easy for the captin.    When I find myself in the washing machine part of the swim I waste a lot of energy trying to get out of it.  This inevitably raises my HR.  I have learned to hang back for 3-5 seconds, find where the other swimmers are not, and swim there.  It's hard to stand there for 3-5 seconds because it feels like eternity, but trust me, you will swim around the field rather quickly.  btw, the other alternative is to get to the front of the swim start and sprint out in front.  This works for great swimmers, but not for most folks.