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newbie or regular swim wave?
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 2012-09-09 3:05 PM |
Member  12 |  Subject: newbie or regular swim wave?Hello, I am a newbie triathlete/experienced distance runner with a couple of questions. Background: My second triathlon is scheduled for next week-end. It is a sprit tri and the swim will be in the long island sound. My first was a pool triathlon, so this will be my first time in a competitive swim event in open water. I grew up in a house with a pool and had several years of swimming lessons as a kid, but never joined the swim team, etc. I only swam occasionally as an adult until this year. I feel pretty confident swimming in the ocean: very comfortable when the water is calm and in a moderate chop I find it manageable but stop for the larger waves to pass. 1) This race has a newbie wave for the swim. Based on my level of experience, should I join the newbie wave or stay near the back in my age group wave? 2) Does it bother you if you can't get all the get sand off your feet in T1 or is it a non-issue? Thanks in anticipation of your replies |
| 2012-09-09 3:08 PM in reply to: #4402301 |
Expert 1375    McAllen | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? Keep a water bottle that you can pour on your feet right before you step on your towel to dry them off that way you take ~5-10s to get all the sand off, and you won't get blisters or anything from friction. Well, if you're going just for completion might as well start with the "newbie" wave. I don't like swimming around people in front of me especially if they were in a previous wave. However if you think you can do it in under 20 minutes just stick with your age group |
| 2012-09-09 3:19 PM in reply to: #4402301 |
Member 12 | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? Paul: Thanks for the tip about the water bottle, great idea. I think my time will be around 20 minutes, it's hard to tell how much the current/waves will affect my swim. Edited by bendy wendy 2012-09-09 3:25 PM |
| 2012-09-09 4:15 PM in reply to: #4402301 |
| 21 | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? I'd probably go newbie because it is an ocean swim. Ocean swims are very different from lake swims which are different from pool swims. Unless you plan to compete for a podium spot then I'd go AG. Lots of storms out there so the water could be choppy. I was quite surprised at the difference between ocean/lake race swimming! Have fun! |
| 2012-09-10 8:35 AM in reply to: #4402301 |
Veteran 217 Clemson | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? I wrestled with the same dilemma earlier this year. In the end I chose AG because I wanted to see what it was like. In hindsight, I would have placed 1st or 2nd in Newbie but was ~10th overall in my AG. I was very proud of that. I will say though, my AG (40-45) was in the biggest wave and that just about crushed me, people swimming over me, bumping me etc. just like you hear about and that was really rough on me, a couple times I just had to do a couple breast strokes or tread water for a second to let them by. I almost decided not to do any more tris because of the swim, now I'm training to be a little more aggressive and fight through it and/or surge ahead when needed. My advice, if you don't mind being in Novice do it, if not, be prepared to bump around a bit. |
| 2012-09-10 9:47 AM in reply to: #4402301 |
Veteran 1384 Panama City, FL | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? i did the newbie start for my first 2-3 races. If that makes you feel better, do it. RE: sand- can squirt water on your feet, wipe on towel with baby powder- baby powder clears sand right off. I put baby powder in my bike shoes and wipe clean debri off best you can. It'll be fine. Some people bring a "tray" or tupperware "pan" with water in it to dip your feet. I have my shoes clipped in and run to the border mount line barefooted, so I just reach downa and wipe whatever sand/dirt off with my hand as I put foot in. It's usually minimal and not a factor. |
| 2012-09-10 7:14 PM in reply to: #4402301 |
| 24 | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? If the newbie section is mixed sex and the AG is Females I'd be tempted by the AG group. (assuming you are female with the name 'bendy wendy' Reason being, the start of a newbie race can be a mass of arms and legs with people doing different stokes. I got kicked/punched (accidently) by a few large blokes and despite being a strong swimmer found it pretty rough. The AG seems a bit more civalised as people know what they are doing and you tend to get more freestyle swimmers so less kicking. Really depends on the race though. |
| 2012-09-18 10:47 AM in reply to: #4402301 |
Member 12 | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and report back. I ended up going in the newbie wave. I swam faster than I thought I would and felt very confident in the water, next time I will go in the regular wave. It was a really great experience, and I am looking forward to my next race! My times were: Swim (0.5 miles): 18:35, T1: 1:57, Bike (13.5 miles): 52:26, T2: 0:38, Run (3.86 miles): 29:22 Obviously, I need a lot of work to improve my speed on the bike (and I guess investing in a good bike will help too). |
| 2012-09-18 10:55 AM in reply to: #4416479 |
Master 2167 Livonia, MI | Subject: RE: newbie or regular swim wave? bendy wendy - 2012-09-18 11:47 AM I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and report back. I ended up going in the newbie wave. I swam faster than I thought I would and felt very confident in the water, next time I will go in the regular wave. It was a really great experience, and I am looking forward to my next race! My times were: Swim (0.5 miles): 18:35, T1: 1:57, Bike (13.5 miles): 52:26, T2: 0:38, Run (3.86 miles): 29:22 Obviously, I need a lot of work to improve my speed on the bike (and I guess investing in a good bike will help too). Great job on your first race! Welcome to triathlon |
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