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OWS practice really *is* important
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 2010-06-18 2:52 PM |
Extreme Veteran  395   Philly Outsider |  Subject: OWS practice really *is* importantI consider myself a good swimmer, so the swim part of the tri never concerned me. I haven’t worried much about the OWS portion, figuring it’ll be fine. But I went to an OWS practice last night anyway, because I like to thorough, and found out exactly how wrong I was. Lessons learned: Spotting is hard! The lake was surrounded by trees, so spotting to the side/shore was useless. And I had to really pick my head up high to see the lone bouy in the distance. I am incapable of swimming in a straight line. I must have done an extra 50 meters per lap just zigzagging all over the place! This got better the more I swam, but it was hard to maintain. Apparently I hang to the left. Wow that water is dirty! I could only see my hand down to my elbow in the water. I might as well have been swimming with my eyes closed. I’m going to bump into people, they’ll bump into me. I knew this was going to happen, but figured it’d be more of a hands to feet thing. I didn’t realize that someone swimming diaganolly towards me would hit me in the ribs! (or was he swimming straight and I was way off course?) Wow I'm slow(er)! All of the swimming off course, spotting, going around people, and taking the bouys wide - really took it's toll on my pace. I might have also popped up for some extra breath via breast stroke more than I ever would in a pool. Plus I wasn't pushing my speed too much, for fear of going of course that much faster. Still, it was a wake up call. |
| 2010-06-18 2:58 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Master 1770  Bedford, MA | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Well, my first OWS is tomorrow - and it's also my first tri. I know I'm committing a big 'no-no,' but since it's my first, I'm just concerned about finishing. I'm planning on arriving around the time that registration opens to get in 15-20 minutes of swimming before my wave. We'll see how it goes.  |
| 2010-06-18 3:08 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Extreme Veteran 395 Smyrnasty | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Apotheosis - 2010-06-18 2:52 PM I’m going to bump into people, they’ll bump into me. I knew this was going to happen, but figured it’d be more of a hands to feet thing. I didn’t realize that someone swimming diaganolly towards me would hit me in the ribs! (or was he swimming straight and I was way off course?) LOL...yup almost spit my pb&j out at this point |
| 2010-06-18 3:20 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Member 93 | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important I agree. I never worried about the swim, figuring it was my best leg of the tri. Did an OWS last night (first tri is Saturday) and I agree with everything you said. Spotting IS hard. The water IS funky. I hope to do better tomorrow but know my stroke is hampered by the continual lifting up of my head. Oh, and yeah, I did the breaststroke thing too! |
| 2010-06-18 3:27 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Pro 6520 Bellingham, WA | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important OWS is so different than swimming in the pool. I much prefer to OWS so that is pretty much where I train all summer. It is so second nature to me now that all the distractions and adverstities in the water do not unsettle me. Things like wind, waves, other people, sun in your eyes, sighting, swimming straight, rounding bouys, boats, even fish nibbles are just taken in stride. The sooner you can be at peace in OWS the better and less stressful the swim leg of the race will become. |
| 2010-06-18 7:42 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Master 1348 Gurnee, IL | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important LOL I recently did my first OWS too. DURING HIM-KANSAS! It was also my first time in my wet suit. I had gained weight since i bought it too. I could hardly breathe to begin with and when added to the waves, peeps bumping to me and all I'm surprised i did not drown. it was quite stressful. But it certainly made my first OWS a memorable one. he he I truly thing I swam like 1.5 miles versus the 1.2 that I was supposed to I zig zagged from the extreme RH side to the extreme LH back and forth zig zagging. it was comical. Edited by oriolepwr 2010-06-18 7:43 PM |
| 2010-06-18 8:59 PM in reply to: #2930778 |
Expert 608 St. Louis | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important natethomas2000 - 2010-06-18 2:58 PM Well, my first OWS is tomorrow - and it's also my first tri. I know I'm committing a big 'no-no,' but since it's my first, I'm just concerned about finishing. I'm planning on arriving around the time that registration opens to get in 15-20 minutes of swimming before my wave. We'll see how it goes. first of all...you are not committing a big no-no...The only no-no is that some people try doing a triathlon without knowing how to swim /or do it very very poorly and can't make the distance(not talking about people who just use two strokes). The first ows tri I did I was amazed at how poorly prepared some people actually were. |
| 2010-06-18 9:18 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Ha ha, YES! I was swimming in lakes for years before I ever thought about a triathlon. One time my husband and I went boating. I was just swimming away, doing the backstroke, staring at the clouds in the sky when BOOM. I swam smack into the boat. Definately need to work on swimming in a straight line as I thought I was swimming away from the boat. Needless to say, I don't swim the backstroke in a triathlon |
| 2010-06-21 9:56 AM in reply to: #2930765 |
Extreme Veteran 395 Philly Outsider | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Got to the shore this weekend and did some OWN workout in the ocean. If I thought the lake was hard, the ocean is a whole different animal. It wasn't safe to go far enough out to get past the breakers, so I was getting pummeled by waves. No wetsuit this time, but I didn't feel I needed it. Still, the amount of effort needed was so much greater than the pool or lake swim, this is an eye opener! (But not nearly enough to dissuade me from doing an ocean OWS race in July!) |
| 2010-06-21 11:15 AM in reply to: #2930765 |
Master 1286 Mt Pleasant, SC | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Hello I figured out that I need to sight every tenth stroke of my right arm. Last year I curved to the left and this year I have been curving to the right. It does make the swim interesting. Kevin |
| 2010-06-21 11:34 AM in reply to: #2930765 |
| Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Yeah, it's funny but even excellent pool swimmers I know say they got their butts kicked by their first swim in a lake. It's a completely different animal. |
| 2010-06-21 11:40 AM in reply to: #2933903 |
| New user 88 Central, NJ | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Apotheosis - 2010-06-21 9:56 AM Got to the shore this weekend and did some OWN workout in the ocean. If I thought the lake was hard, the ocean is a whole different animal. It wasn't safe to go far enough out to get past the breakers, so I was getting pummeled by waves. No wetsuit this time, but I didn't feel I needed it. Still, the amount of effort needed was so much greater than the pool or lake swim, this is an eye opener! (But not nearly enough to dissuade me from doing an ocean OWS race in July!) Funny, I thought the exact opposite this weekend (I was in Long Branch) I thought OWS in the ocean was MUCH easier than in the Navesink. But I had a wetsuit on. You sure the coldness didn't play into it without a wetsuit? |
| 2010-06-21 12:40 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Master 2277 Lake Norman, NC | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Ha ha! Yeah. I actually prefer OWS to pools. Spotting: Here's a trick I sometimes do. - Before you start, target your goal in front of you and then look back to each side and find two reference points BEHIND you about 15-degree from dead astern. Then as you swim, spot BACKWARDS to each side! This will do two things; 1. As you breathe, to spot behind you, you have to keep your head down and tucked in order to look behind you. This will improve your form. 2. With the two reference points behind you, if you keep each one in sight on each breathing stroke, it will keep you going straight. If you can no longer see your back-left mark, you're drifting right and vice versa. And when I do pool swim, I'll occasionaly do a "blind drill". I know it takes me 16 strokes to do a 25-yard length. I'll sometimes swim laps with my eyes closed. Hit a lane rope and you're drifting. On the 15th stroke I open my eyes. It'll help you to swim in a straight line without sighting. |
| 2010-06-21 3:22 PM in reply to: #2934309 |
Extreme Veteran 395 Philly Outsider | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important RPMcMurphy - 2010-06-21 12:40 PM Apotheosis - 2010-06-21 9:56 AM Got to the shore this weekend and did some OWN workout in the ocean. If I thought the lake was hard, the ocean is a whole different animal. It wasn't safe to go far enough out to get past the breakers, so I was getting pummeled by waves. No wetsuit this time, but I didn't feel I needed it. Still, the amount of effort needed was so much greater than the pool or lake swim, this is an eye opener! (But not nearly enough to dissuade me from doing an ocean OWS race in July!) Funny, I thought the exact opposite this weekend (I was in Long Branch) I thought OWS in the ocean was MUCH easier than in the Navesink. But I had a wetsuit on. You sure the coldness didn't play into it without a wetsuit? Nah, it was pretty warm, about 88 out, and maybe 78-80 in the water. The issue was with the current and the waves. |
| 2010-06-21 3:56 PM in reply to: #2935058 |
| New user 88 Central, NJ | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important Apotheosis - 2010-06-21 3:22 PM RPMcMurphy - 2010-06-21 12:40 PM Apotheosis - 2010-06-21 9:56 AM Got to the shore this weekend and did some OWN workout in the ocean. If I thought the lake was hard, the ocean is a whole different animal. It wasn't safe to go far enough out to get past the breakers, so I was getting pummeled by waves. No wetsuit this time, but I didn't feel I needed it. Still, the amount of effort needed was so much greater than the pool or lake swim, this is an eye opener! (But not nearly enough to dissuade me from doing an ocean OWS race in July!) Funny, I thought the exact opposite this weekend (I was in Long Branch) I thought OWS in the ocean was MUCH easier than in the Navesink. But I had a wetsuit on. You sure the coldness didn't play into it without a wetsuit? Nah, it was pretty warm, about 88 out, and maybe 78-80 in the water. The issue was with the current and the waves. What ocean? Do you mean the water temp was 78? If so, respectfully, the water will rarely hit the high a temp and usually late in the season. Unless you were at the tip of sandy hook, but even then the water temp this weekend was low. In Long Branch, I'd have to look it up, but I'd venture to say that the water temp was in the low-mid 60's and took your breath away when you jumped in w/o a suit. |
| 2010-06-21 4:38 PM in reply to: #2930765 |
Master 1929 Midlothian, VA | Subject: RE: OWS practice really *is* important I did my 3rd tri this weekend. I consider that my first two were my OWS practice. Start like I did, with your first OWS in a race in 60º water, no wetsuit, with chop and after that it'll all get easier! (The second race ended up having a shorter swim, but I was too tired from lack of sleep and running late, so it wasn't great either. The 1 mile swim this weekend just clicked and my pace was WAY faster.) I did less sighting this weekend too, paying close attention to the position of the sun to guide me. If you want to nail your first race, by all means get some OWS in ahead of time, but for me the first race was about finishing and figuring things out. The second race I made some actual mistakes, so the race this weekend was better. (Not accounting for the sore knee and downpour, but hey I didn't have to deal with any significant self-induced screw-ups.) -eric |
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