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Out of the pool and into the lake

PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World

Published: July 29, 2019

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard horror stories from triathletes concerning their lake swims. And one of the biggest was from my girlfriend, who during her first triathlon got so totally freaked out in the dark, open water that she ended doing back and side strokes for over half the swim. She pretty much “washed” ashore in sole possession of last place during that paralyzing fiasco.

Now I totally get how intimidating it can be going from swimming amidst crystal clear pool water, where you have a big black line under you, a bottom you can stand on, and sides to cling to when you’re tired…to swimming in murky, brown water where you can’t even see your hand in front of your face, where people are kicking and jostling you, and where the bottom of the lake can’t be touched until you exit.

Hey, I’ve been there, and those are the makings for some pretty frightening situations if you’re not a swim specialist. It actually took me half a triathlon racing season to get used to the controlled madness of those lake swims.

That’s why I’m suggesting that you get off the fence right now and get out there for at least one lake swim every other week - just to make sure you don’t end up paralyzed by all the hubbub that surrounds this leg of the triathlon.

Basically, what you’ll be doing is training in the swim like you’ll be racing in the swim - thereby putting yourself in the same situations you’d encounter at an outdoor racing venue.

Okay, now let’s start from the start with open water swimming. You’ll first need to get comfortable swimming short distances in a lake - where lifeguards are on hand of course - so start with a couple hundred crawl strokes where you’re swimming in shallow water (shallow enough to stand in) and parallel to the shore. Gradually build up your distance/time to racing distance/time as you become more at ease in open water swims. Next, add intensity to the mix. Do some interval training where you start to push yourself.

After that, get used to swimming with people (your tri-buddies) in close proximity. I’d also highly recommend learning to swim bilaterally - breathing on both sides. This is an awesome asset if you’re swimming in water where the waves are lapping up over a specific side of your body and/or when you’re trying to sight the proper line on the swim course from both the left and right sides.

Now this sighting thing is really an important component of open water swimming, whether you swim unilaterally or bilaterally, because you’re going to have to lift your head often enough to see where you’re going.

Thus, you’ll want to practice this motion during your lake swim sessions, for not only muscle memory, but also for stretching and strengthening those neck muscles. Practice sighting certain landmarks to prevent yourself from zig-zagging across the water. Picking a tall tree, or a man-made structure and using it as a reference point is a great way to straighten up your swim lines.

Unfortunately, triathlon swims can sometimes resemble a aqueous version of roller derby, so that’s where your buddy swimming practice comes into play. Get used to contact.

What’s more, sometimes all that chaos in the water can cause your goggles to go ajar, get knocked off, and/or fill with water. I had this happen in numerous races, so you have to lean NOT to freak out. Therefore you’ll want to practice swimming without goggles on, and practice treading water while you put your goggles back on. Be prepared and you’ll deal with these situations with calm, cool, and collectiveness.

Finally, I’d like to mention a thing or two about placing yourself in the water for the start of a race. One: Immerse yourself in the water, get wet and warm up a bit. You warm up for running and cycling races, right? Two: If you’re totally new to the sport, once you’re warmed up seed yourself in the back of your swim group.

When you feel more comfortable in open water swims, begin to seed yourself in closer proximity to fellow swimmers. As your confidence grows - and your open swimming improves - begin to line up closer to the front.

Okay, no more excuses. Time to get out of the pool and into the lake.


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