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2014-08-26 11:28 PM


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Subject: First triathlon done / swim question
I completed my first sprint triathlon on 8/10 after having lost 55 lbs while still having a goal of losing another 55 lbs. my swim time was almost 2 minutes faster than my best pool training time for the same distance so that was exciting (this was an open water swim. I do have a question as it relates to longer distance swims such as 1.2 and 2.4 mile open water swims. I have been working on my sim and have made it to a mile twice. My question relates to race day and for the Long distance swims do you just swim the whole distance and take no breaks or do you stop in the water and take a break. Do you switch to a different stroke for a break ? I ask this because I noticed that I swam much faster than normal on race day but also felt out of breath at the end. This was only a 400 yard swim and like I said I have done a mile albeit with breaks along the way. So how do you convert " interval training" to a straight long swim with no breaks ?

Thanks for any insight


2014-08-27 6:29 AM
in reply to: Chitwnnole

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Great question. I am almost exactly where you are, except my first Sprint Tri is this weekend. I can do 1.2 miles in the pool, but open water tires me. watching for info and advice.
2014-08-27 6:55 AM
in reply to: #5043984

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Congrats on the weight loss and the race!

Regarding the longer swims, it depends on your swim fitness and your pacing. The athletes that are FOP to MOP will not stop because they have enough experience with pacing and that type of volume to manage a consistent effort for the whole swim. I'm sure there's lots of folks that go out too fast and have to take a breather to regroup. The trick is to get enough volume in training so you'll know what pace you can maintain for the distance.
2014-08-27 7:31 AM
in reply to: JoelO

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question

Congratulations on your weight loss and 1st tri!

This is the first year where I have been able to swim an entire race freestyle.  In the past, I would tire and resort to breastroke until I was ready to pick up freestyle again.  Inevitably this would happen halfway through 1500 meters and I ended up doing 20 strokes freestyle and then 20 strokes breastroke.  This kept me moving the entire time.  

I don't think stopping and treading water is necessarily a good idea until you absolutely must do this.  For me breastroke was/is a good solution.

2014-08-27 8:37 AM
in reply to: Chitwnnole

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
There's a few variables why your race time was faster. The course could've been short, you were swimming with a current or my guess since it sounds like an OWS taking the turns at the wall out of the equation cut your time down. Good job regardless!As you build swim fitness you we be stronger at longer distance. Also pacing in intervals compared to straight swim will make a difference. So if you're doing say 100's on 1:40 you would probably be doing longer swims at a 2:00 + pace so you could hold the effort longer. Even in sprints people breaststroke , float, hold onto kayaks and last race I did I swam between two lady's floating along chatting.
2014-08-27 8:42 AM
in reply to: jareed58

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Originally posted by jareed58Great question. I am almost exactly where you are, except my first Sprint Tri is this weekend. I can do 1.2 miles in the pool, but open water tires me. watching for info and advice.
Do you practice sighting in the pool? If you're new to swimming and don't practice this while training in the pool could be one of the reasons you are getting tired in OWS.


2014-08-27 8:48 AM
in reply to: Chitwnnole

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Originally posted by Chitwnnole

I completed my first sprint triathlon on 8/10 after having lost 55 lbs while still having a goal of losing another 55 lbs. my swim time was almost 2 minutes faster than my best pool training time for the same distance so that was exciting (this was an open water swim. I do have a question as it relates to longer distance swims such as 1.2 and 2.4 mile open water swims. I have been working on my sim and have made it to a mile twice. My question relates to race day and for the Long distance swims do you just swim the whole distance and take no breaks or do you stop in the water and take a break. Do you switch to a different stroke for a break ? I ask this because I noticed that I swam much faster than normal on race day but also felt out of breath at the end. This was only a 400 yard swim and like I said I have done a mile albeit with breaks along the way. So how do you convert " interval training" to a straight long swim with no breaks ?

Thanks for any insight


I have the same question. My second tri coming up is a continuous swim. I read one race report and the participant said that she needs to practice sighting. I wonder if "sighting" is kind of a break to minimize running out of breath.

To simulate the continuous swim, I wonder if I should just swim in loops during my swim training instead of open turns.
2014-08-27 9:13 AM
in reply to: Chitwnnole

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question

First, congratulations on your first race and your weight loss!

Your ultimate goal should be to swim the entire race freestyle because it's the fastest and most efficient stroke. 

That being said, there's nothing wrong with switching strokes if you need to catch your breath, get you sighting, etc.

If fact, you should spend some time practicing your 'backup' stroke during training, so you feel comfortable doing it.

Learning to properly pace your swim is something that comes from your training and experience.  Many beginners make the mistake of going out too fast at the start and end up spiking their heart rate and breathing, forcing them to stop or slow down until they can get things back under control.

As far as converting interval training to long, continuous swims, I like to do sets of 100's in the pool with decreasing rest intervals.  Maybe start out with 15 seconds rest between 100's for one set, then 10 seconds, then 5 seconds and then eventually swimming continuously.  I wouldn't shorten the rest interval until you can maintain your pace and good form over the entire set.

Again, congratulations and good luck with your training,

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014-08-27 9:25 AM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Even many BOPers will swim the entire distance freestyle without stopping.

It takes awhile but you just need to work on form and endurance and you will get there. I went from doing some weird backstroke to .5 miles in an hour to doing 5k open water swim races. I just worked on my form and swam a lot.
2014-08-27 9:34 AM
in reply to: Phebes

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question

Originally posted by Phebes
Originally posted by Chitwnnole I completed my first sprint triathlon on 8/10 after having lost 55 lbs while still having a goal of losing another 55 lbs. my swim time was almost 2 minutes faster than my best pool training time for the same distance so that was exciting (this was an open water swim. I do have a question as it relates to longer distance swims such as 1.2 and 2.4 mile open water swims. I have been working on my sim and have made it to a mile twice. My question relates to race day and for the Long distance swims do you just swim the whole distance and take no breaks or do you stop in the water and take a break. Do you switch to a different stroke for a break ? I ask this because I noticed that I swam much faster than normal on race day but also felt out of breath at the end. This was only a 400 yard swim and like I said I have done a mile albeit with breaks along the way. So how do you convert " interval training" to a straight long swim with no breaks ? Thanks for any insight
I have the same question. My second tri coming up is a continuous swim. I read one race report and the participant said that she needs to practice sighting. I wonder if "sighting" is kind of a break to minimize running out of breath. To simulate the continuous swim, I wonder if I should just swim in loops during my swim training instead of open turns.

'Sighting' in freestyle is lifting your head to take a glimpse ahead without disrupting your stroke rhythm too much.  You can practice in a pool by putting a water bottle or some other object at the end of your lane as a sighting target and practice looking for it during your lap.  How often you sight is a function of how straight you can swim without getting off course.  A lot of folks will try to practice a set rhythm, like sighting every six strokes so it becomes second nature to them.  There are a bunch of videos on YouTube demonstrating sighting techniques if you do a search. 

There's also notthing wrong with switching to breaststroke if you need to get a longer look at things (or if you need to catch your breath).  Just be respectful of other swimmers if you suddenly pull up and switch strokes. 

You don't necessarily need to swim in loops in a pool to train for a long swim, just do your normal turns but don't push off the wall too hard.

Mark

2014-08-27 9:52 AM
in reply to: jareed58

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
If you do switch to do breast strokes. Careful with the kicks. they hurt.


2014-08-27 12:35 PM
in reply to: chirunner134

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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
The swim is just like running .. you weren't able to run 6 miles without stopping the first time you ran, right? It's a matter of getting in the pool often and working on your endurance. You'll build strength and endurance quickly if you stick with it (3 times a week or more). And mix in some open water swim practices to get used to going without touching a wall.
2014-08-27 5:39 PM
in reply to: #5044018


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Subject: RE: First triathlon done / swim question
Thanks for all the replies I really appreciate it
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