my first sprint triathlon...and i really suck at swimming...tips?? (running, woman)

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by wendylady

thank you all for the words of encouragement!! i have been doing much better since i posted originally... i am doing freestyle and breastroke when i get tired.. im not a big fan of having my face in the water though. i still haven't gotten any ocean time i but i have a month to practice...just need to get through the race... no one expects me to be a stellar swimmer, right? ;>broadbill- i am doing the maniac tri in biddeford...when is lobsterman??

Thanks for getting back to us.

Here's a funny tidbit: I grew up in San Diego CA, swimming and surfing in the Pacific. Pools, with all of that chlorine and cement, terrify me.

Salt water is more buoyant. You should be OK.

When the strong cyclists and runners catch the swimmers in a tri it is called "fishing".

Good luck and have a blast!

[Fishy]

Originally Posted by wendylady

i am doing the maniac tri in biddeford...when is lobsterman??

i almost signed up for that one. i believe its in an area with no or very little waves, so the swim shouldnt be too bad. i almost want to say that youd be ok with no wetsuit

[broadbill]

Lobsterman is the 19th in Freeport....and if I thought about it for a minute I would have realized that Lobsterman is a an Olympic Distance race and you are doing a sprint...duh

Anyway, more good tips have been posted. About doing breaststroke: if you know that you are going to switch over from Freestyle to Breaststroke sometime during the swim, I would suggest starting and staying to the side (and possibly behind) the main pack. The Breaststroke kick takes up alot of water and can get pretty dicey when you are swimming in a pack (nothing worse than catching a foot to the head from someone swimming breaststroke).

Even if you are planning on swimming the whole thing freestyle, but slowly...starting to the side/back is good advice...minimize the number of people swimming over you!
Good luck!

[broadbill]

Originally Posted by Fishy

i almost signed up for that one. i believe its in an area with no or very little waves, so the swim shouldnt be too bad. i almost want to say that youd be ok with no wetsuit

In my previous post I said the water was 55 degrees....I was wrong!

My wife told me last night that is is closer to 65 degrees now! Definitely warm enough to swim without a wetsuit. Although I might still consider one for its floatation, especially in wendylady's case.

[wendylady]

i did get a wetsuit already...its not tri specific (because they are priced around $300). i just picked one up from L.L. bean...more like $130...especially being my first tri... i didn't feel like the time spent in the water warranted the expense...i have found a few people willing to jump in the water with me in the next few weeks...

[broadbill]

Originally Posted by wendylady

i did get a wetsuit already...its not tri specific (because they are priced around $300). i just picked one up from L.L. bean...more like $130...especially being my first tri... i didn't feel like the time spent in the water warranted the expense...i have found a few people willing to jump in the water with me in the next few weeks...

Here is my 2 cents....utilize L.L. Bean's awesome return policy and return that wetsuit. Its a waste of $130 for what you want to use it for. You need a tri-specific wetsuit....they are designed with neoprene of varying thickness and with flexible sections to allow swimming.


The LL Bean version is for splashing around in the waves and you find swimming in it very difficult. You'd probably be better off swimming with no wetsuit than with that wetsuit.

I'd look into renting a tri-specific wetsuit- have you been to Peak Performance on Marginal way in Portland? They rent wetsuits $75 for the weekend:

Peak Performance - Rentals

Hope this helps!

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Where is the OP at? You can find cheap farmer john shorty wet suits at surf shops and resale shops. Now that wind surfing is popular you can find them across the Country.

A good wetsuit can help you calm down swimming.

[wendylady]

so the mainiac tri was last weekend!!
here are my results:
224th place total time 1:47:53 swim: 12:20 t-1: 5:00 bike: 55:11 t-2: 1:59 run: 33:25
not the happiest with my results but i happened to get really sick the week before...and i am still sick now. unfortunately all of my illness is in my lungs only ( kinda need them to breathe)
i pushed through it anyways having put so much effort into training..
the local moms in motion group had a test drive the tri the wednesday before the race so i went to swim with them... it was just about sunset with 3 foot waves.. if i made it through that i could certainly make it through the race...
race day was bright and sunny and much calmer so all things were much better than the test drive night... swimming with a large group is so much less intimidating!
the race director reccommended i wear a bright pink swim cap so i was more visible to the support staff.
i just took my time and just focused on having a good time...
and i will be taking some swimming lessons this winter

Broadbill- i did take your advice and return my L.L.bean wetsuit. i ended up getting a tri specific suit from xterra... they had a great deal through active.com. i got a $400 suit for $150...
how was the lobsterman??

[wendylady]

also, i thought i would add that as i was swimming, i heard several women apologizing as they bumped into each other... not sure if the men were the same or more competitive. i'm guessing they weren't as nice to each other. ;>
and all along the whole race, competitors would shout words of encouragement to other racers...it was such a great uplifting exprerience!!

[Fishy]

Originally Posted by wendylady

also, i thought i would add that as i was swimming, i heard several women apologizing as they bumped into each other... not sure if the men were the same or more competitive. i'm guessing they weren't as nice to each other. ;>
and all along the whole race, competitors would shout words of encouragement to other racers...it was such a great uplifting exprerience!!

congrats on the tri! finishing them is hard enough!

if you havent already, check out BeginnerTriathlete.com - Triathlon Training for Beginners

no, i got no apologies when i was kicked. i have in the past started in the back of my heat. but i am actually faster then most so next year i will start in the front