In the Swim

Swimming a triathlon is a different animal for several reasons!

New-to-tri people have primarily swam in a pool where the bottom is visible, the side is readily available for rest and a push off, standing up is quite often an option, and there is little risk of having to share a lane with too many people.

Lake swims change the rules. Goodbye bottom of pool, lane ropes, polite swimmers, rests at 25 or 50 yards.

The fun of it is having the experience! Suddenly though, becoming efficient becomes your best friend. Save energy, keep yourself focused on the moment and then readying yourself for the next event!

If you're already swimming a 50 in a minute or less- you can benefit from fitness swimming as you ready for your first tri- more endurance based sets and preparation for longer distances without breaks. If your pace is slower than that however, you will benefit from spending a greater proportion of your time doing drills to get more efficient with better technique.

Catch up: Swim like superman with both arms in front and take one stroke at a time, slapping the hand at the top before taking another stroke with the other hand. It helps with body position, learning to glide where you have the least resistance to the water, and will help you become more powerful in each arm stroke.

Single Arm: Keep one arm extended the entire time, swim with just one arm stroke, breathing as you need to- two or three strokes between breathes if you can.

Fist Swimming: Literally close your fist and swim that way. You can also open up one finger at a time with each 25. You'll learn to really use the most optimal arm pattern.

These are just a few to get you started- perform drills consistently when you swim- some days spending much more time and focusing on the purpose of the workout as a technique-enhancing session rather than a cardiovascular workout. You'll get better- faster, and have more economy resulting in less fatigue after the swim- with more technique work!