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Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training!
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| General Discussion | Triathlon Talk » Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! | Rss Feed  |
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 2010-06-27 8:35 PM |
Champion  10471    Dallas, TX |  Subject: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training!All right, I am starting this thread because I see post after post, after post about... "I can't swim the distance... should I do the tri?" (Open water swim) "I have never swam in open water... should I do the tri?" Listen up, and I mean this as tough love... WATER KILLS! Yes, it kills. If you can't swim the distance... GET THE PROPER TRAINING! Learn how to SWIM properly to be able to swim the distance without resting! Until you CAN, do NOT do a triathlon! If your "plan" is to swim kayak to kayak, you have NO BUSINESS doing a triathlon! Let's say it again folks, WATER KILLS! Plan on swimming in OPEN WATER more than a couple of times BEFORE RACING in open water! Never swam in that wetsuit? Don't do it for the FIRST time on race day! Practice in it before race day! While it's unlikely you will "drown" in a wetsuit... it can constrict your breathing and make you panic on race day. Get ready for it by practicing! And while I'm focusing on open water, be safe in a pool swim too! Yes, there are walls, and lane ropes... but know how to swim. OK? It blows my mind that people will spend thousands of dollars on a bike... but REFUSE to spend a couple of hundred on SWIM LESSONS. Also, let's face it... the swim portion of a tri is short... and while it's short people take it for granted... but they need to be proficient enough to SWIM a SHORT distance! Gosh, 300-500-800 yards... is a SHORT SWIM! If you can't even swim that far without stopping, and you are doing an open water swim... GET SOME LESSONS! I can promise you that your form needs work! I am a strong swimmer, I swam competitively, and I was intimated by the open water. So I spent the money on taking group lessons to learn how to swim in open water with a tri club. It was the best thing I did. I went into my race confident. But yes, I know that even I am not 100% safe in the water. I too can drown. Too many people seem to have NO FEAR of the water. Get some fear. Get it now. Respect the water. If you get tired, can't make it to kayak, swallow too much water from the waves, get knocked around and it makes you panic... you could DIE. WATER KILLS. Gosh, I wish to heck this could be a sticky thread in the forum. Every new tri person needs to read this and UNDERSTAND it. Thanks for letting me vent. Hearing about another death (in the water!) in our sport got me all upset and on a rampage. FINALLY... if you want to be safe... buy a swim safe belt. (Looking for a good website link!) It is approved by USAT. So if you get in a dangerous situation in a race, you can pull the cord and save your life. Edited by KSH 2010-06-27 8:44 PM |
| 2010-06-27 8:41 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Expert 774 | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Great post. Here is the Triaids link: http://www.triaids.com/SwimSafe.htm Edited by greyg8r 2010-06-27 8:45 PM |
| 2010-06-27 8:42 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Extreme Veteran 590 Sioux Falls, SD | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! PREACH IT, SISTER! |
| 2010-06-27 8:45 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Bob 2194 Binghamton, NY | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Good vent Karen. After doing the PHLY Duathlon today due to a drowning in the sprint race yesterday your timing couldn't be better. It's just a matter of putting in some consistent time in the pool or pond to gain the confidence and strength in the swim. I have been towing around a noodle hooked on a bungee with me on my solo OWS's. |
| 2010-06-27 8:45 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Master 1858 Salt Lake City | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! http://www.triaids.com/SwimSafe.htm That one should work until the OP can fix her link. ETA: Nevermind, someone beat me to it while I was reading the OP.... so um... yeah as a poor swimmer, I can vouch for the huge effect lessons can have on swimming progress even in a short amount of time. Edited by JZig 2010-06-27 8:47 PM |
| 2010-06-27 8:46 PM in reply to: #2947110 |
Bob 2194 Binghamton, NY | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Now I got the VeggieTales song in my head!!! THANKS!! |
| 2010-06-27 8:49 PM in reply to: #2947119 |
Elite 4048 Gilbert, Az. | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Thanks for posting this. I was about to post something similar considering Philly and the proliferation of "Should I do this tri" posts we've had lately. Well ranted....er, said! John |
| 2010-06-27 8:56 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Master 1404 Saratoga Springs, Utah | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Nice post. I was thinking the same thing this morning when I got on here and read all of the swim posts that seem to have hit the boards all of a sudden. |
| 2010-06-27 8:56 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Master 1402 Highlands Ranch | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Well Said. |
| 2010-06-27 9:07 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
| Lafayette, CO | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Excellent post. I'm so lucky that I grew up swimming in lakes from Alaska (yep, they're very cold!) to Idaho to Michigan and have swam with friends here in lakes (who are freaked by how far out I'm willing to go) and don't get too nervous out there but add in the mix with all the people and it's easy to have it surprise you. Not only do you risk your own life but you put other people's lives and races at risk. I helped a girl during my tri last year and lost at least a couple of minutes while I helped hold her up until the kayak could get there. It's not fair to make other people have to make that decision. |
| 2010-06-27 9:12 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! AGREE!! It's harder than it seems. It's hard to explain to people how difficult it is to swim with so many people kicking water in your face every time you lift your head to breath. Or how difficult it is to continue swimming when someone else is off their line and swims into you HEAD ON!! Or the water is cold and you swallow it and your lungs uncontollably contract until you feel like you are going to hyperventilate. These are all minor incedents to me but could have been major to someone who wasn't comfortable in the water. One more thought: don't only learn to swim, learn how to correctly tread water, learn how to easily roll to your back to float, and learn how to lift your arm to signal for help!! Learn what you need to do if you are in trouble. I took beginning swimming when I could already easily swim 2 miles. I just wanted help with my stroke, but I also learned all of these other important skills I was taking for granted. Don't mean to sound like a know it all or anything, just another suggestion. |
| 2010-06-27 9:15 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Veteran 197 | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! I was in the Philly Sprint yesterday morning and was surprised to hear this morning about the man who didn't make it out of the water - very sad. Anyway, at this point there has been very little said about this in the news. Do we know if this was his first triathlon? Do we know if he did not consider himself a strong swimmer? |
| 2010-06-27 9:20 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Expert 1456 Central New Jersey | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! I agree - and I am waiting for the day when one not only has to have a USAT license (or one day license) but PROOF that they have completed an OWS with a mass start and PASSED the class. Accidents will always happen, but then again, why do people ride their bikes without helmets? |
| 2010-06-27 9:26 PM in reply to: #2947195 |
| Master 1468 Montgomery, Tx | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! ToeKnail - 2010-06-27 9:15 PM I was in the Philly Sprint yesterday morning and was surprised to hear this morning about the man who didn't make it out of the water - very sad. Anyway, at this point there has been very little said about this in the news. Do we know if this was his first triathlon? Do we know if he did not consider himself a strong swimmer? another thread said he was heavily into triathlons |
| 2010-06-27 9:28 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
| Master 2460 | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! I agree - great post and good message. I still would add the small caveat that even though most of the rare triathlon deaths have occurred on the swim portion of the tri, most of them at autopsy have been shown to be due to cardiac events (heart attack or arrythmia). It's true that being a strong swimmer likely would have decreased the risk of these events happening, but it's also true that no matter how good you are, your heart will race i the chaos of the start. I don't know any triathlon swim fatalities that have occurred because an obviously unprepared swimmer flailed in the water to their doom - the myriad lifeguards throughout the course are ready to intervene, and have administered CPR sometimes within minutes of seeing someone go down in the water. In summary, while I definitely agree that swim lessons and OWS lessons can be extremely helpful for race day and are highly recommended for the newbies in terms of having a more enjoyable and faster race, I'm not certain that the rare fatalities would have been bettered by such lessons and am not sure that pushing newbies to take lessons to avoid "death" is an accurate statement considering the data which shows that pretty much none of the deaths were a consequence of simply not knowing to swim. |
| 2010-06-27 9:31 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Master 2538 Albuquerque | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Newbie here. FWIW, I won't consider any sort of OWS until I can swim it comfortably in the pool, and right now I can't. I'm a confident swimmer and have been my whole life, but the endurance is lacking. Until it's better, I won't enter a race with a lake swim. Hopefully it won't be much longer, though  |
| 2010-06-27 9:38 PM in reply to: #2947189 |
Regular 167 | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!!! I am new to triathalon and just ordered that emergency flotation device. Like my helmet on my bicycle, I will never swim without this thing. Thanks again! Matt p.s. Someone sticky this thread. I didn't even know this type of device was an option till now. I"m sure many will follow my ignorance. |
| 2010-06-27 9:43 PM in reply to: #2947235 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! czeqm8 - 2010-06-27 9:38 PM Thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!!! I am new to triathalon and just ordered that emergency flotation device. Like my helmet on my bicycle, I will never swim without this thing. Thanks again! Matt p.s. Someone sticky this thread. I didn't even know this type of device was an option till now. I"m sure many will follow my ignorance. Good job! |
| 2010-06-27 9:44 PM in reply to: #2947214 |
Extreme Veteran 536 Millersville, MD | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! agarose2000 - 2010-06-27 10:28 PM I agree - great post and good message. I still would add the small caveat that even though most of the rare triathlon deaths have occurred on the swim portion of the tri, most of them at autopsy have been shown to be due to cardiac events (heart attack or arrythmia). It's true that being a strong swimmer likely would have decreased the risk of these events happening, but it's also true that no matter how good you are, your heart will race i the chaos of the start. I don't know any triathlon swim fatalities that have occurred because an obviously unprepared swimmer flailed in the water to their doom - the myriad lifeguards throughout the course are ready to intervene, and have administered CPR sometimes within minutes of seeing someone go down in the water. In summary, while I definitely agree that swim lessons and OWS lessons can be extremely helpful for race day and are highly recommended for the newbies in terms of having a more enjoyable and faster race, I'm not certain that the rare fatalities would have been bettered by such lessons and am not sure that pushing newbies to take lessons to avoid "death" is an accurate statement considering the data which shows that pretty much none of the deaths were a consequence of simply not knowing to swim. I remember reading a story last summer of a swimmer who drowned while flailing while his family watched. The lifeguards could not get to him soon enough before he slipped under. If a swimmer is in the category of being drastically under-prepared for the swim, either physically or mentally, so that they require the attention of the kayakers, they distract attention from those with medical issues who might be saved if the kayakers were not dealing with swimmers who figured they would swim kayak to kayak. A panic attack might happen to the best of us, cold water, wetsuit constriction, etc, but, a healthy fear of open water is a good thing to those who think their running fitness will make up for lack of swim training. |
| 2010-06-27 9:44 PM in reply to: #2947203 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! wwlani - 2010-06-27 9:20 PM I agree - and I am waiting for the day when one not only has to have a USAT license (or one day license) but PROOF that they have completed an OWS with a mass start and PASSED the class. Accidents will always happen, but then again, why do people ride their bikes without helmets? Interesting thought. I looked into joining a rowing club in here Dallas. They wouldn't let me join the club unless I had passed a 500 yard swim test put on by the YMCA (or some place like that). So, I would be in a boat, and I had to pass a swim test. But yet, I can sign up for a tri... that involves up to 2.4 miles of swimming... and I do not need to have any proof that I can swim. Hum. |
| 2010-06-27 9:51 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Extreme Veteran 555 Carrollton, TX | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Well said. I did an OWS before my first tri and did well in that practice swim, but the actual tri (including a lot of chop according to the RD) was a different story. Would have felt much more confident with that device and will order one before my next one. |
| 2010-06-27 9:53 PM in reply to: #2947235 |
Veteran 165 Whispering Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! czeqm8 - 2010-06-27 9:38 PM Thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!!! I am new to triathalon and just ordered that emergency flotation device. Like my helmet on my bicycle, I will never swim without this thing. Thanks again! Matt p.s. Someone sticky this thread. I didn't even know this type of device was an option till now. I"m sure many will follow my ignorance. x2 on that!! There is an article on BT about this also. Purchasing one as well!!! I don't care how comfortable I feel in the water, this is still my first year in tri's and ANYTHING could happen! I would much rather be SAFE than VERY SORRY!! Great thread!!! Thanks for the link also!  |
| 2010-06-27 9:56 PM in reply to: #2947260 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! laurie2829 - 2010-06-27 9:53 PM czeqm8 - 2010-06-27 9:38 PM Thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!!! I am new to triathalon and just ordered that emergency flotation device. Like my helmet on my bicycle, I will never swim without this thing. Thanks again! Matt p.s. Someone sticky this thread. I didn't even know this type of device was an option till now. I"m sure many will follow my ignorance. x2 on that!! There is an article on BT about this also. Purchasing one as well!!! I don't care how comfortable I feel in the water, this is still my first year in tri's and ANYTHING could happen! I would much rather be SAFE than VERY SORRY!! Great thread!!! Thanks for the link also! Great job! I am sure your kids and husband will be glad to know you will be safe as you can be in the water. |
| 2010-06-27 10:27 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
Member 73 Virginia Beach -- Rudee Inlet | Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! Ok, for the record, I am just now training for my first Tri, and although I am not a "strong swimmer" in the elegant, glidingly beautiful competition sense, I am a very strong "not drowner". I have been a scuba diver for 24 years, have a healthy respect for open water. I do all of my training swims in the Chesapeake Bay. Building endurance HAS been a challenge for me, and it is one I am working on...solo. As of today...a solid 13 weeks from my upcoming race date...I would indeed be the lowely "kayak to kayak" swimmer you so disparigingly describe, but certainly have aspirations of great improvement prior to race day. Having said that, and with the understanding that any competition swimmer worth their salt would kick my butt coming and going right now, I do not see how there can be ANY benefit to encouraging potential competitors to fear the water. Water doesn't kill. PANIC in water kills. There are 800 ways to survive any situation, and they all start from the point of having a clear head, calm demeaner and confidence that you are able to "work the problem". Anyone willing to make the effort to get to race day for a triathlon is a driven, follow-through, probably Type-A personality, and I sincerely doubt the majority will respond well to the hyperbolic nature of your "encouragement". If the questions keep coming up on the boards, that's because they are universal...this is beginnertriathlete.com, is it not? I'm certain your statements are coming from a place of deep concern and abiding love of this sport, but please don't be so critical of newbies, and persons trying to reach a new goal, and any references to fear are just going to turn people off. |
| 2010-06-27 10:52 PM in reply to: #2947098 |
| Subject: RE: Water Kills! Can't swim the distance? Never swam in open water? Get the proper training! if ksh's post leads to a single newbie not to enter a tri until they can swim adequately for the race, it's a job well done. don't be so quick to take offense. her post wasn't about you. good post ksh |
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