TRIATHLON OPEN WATER SWIM
A triathlon open water swim with another 2000 swimmers all on the same course takes a bit of planning.
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For some people who can out-swim 99.9% or so of the 2000 plus wetsuit clad swimmers who toe the start of a triathlon swim course it might be traffic-free swimming, but for most it's the furthest thing from "open."
For instance, take a good look at this picture and tell me if you consider this "triathlon open water"? The only thing open is the swimmers mouth in preparation for swallowing half the lake and the open hand that is about to come crashing down. DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!
You can easily avoid the situation that has unfolded in this picture. I can pretty much guarantee you that this happens in every single Ironman race no matter what part of the world it's taking place in.
There are several things involved here that can all serve to make your day out on the race course longer and harder than it has to be. FEAR This situation often happens to novice ironmen, but it certainly is not restricted to the first time Ironman. Personally, I was bashed around for a good 6 or 7 Ironman races before I finally figured out that it didn't have to be that way. In many of those early races, there were times where there was actually an overwhelming fear of being pushed under the water and really getting in trouble. There were also times when I swallowed water and in the ensuing mayhem the water goes down the wrong way and you begin to choke and hyperventilate and even panic. EMOTIONS There are several emotions other than fear that raise their ugly head in the cramped quarters of some triathlon open water swim courses. Anger and frustration work hand in hand and the result sometimes ends up in physical confrontations in the ironman swim.
Some people just reach a breaking point and have had enough of the swimmer behind them slamming them on the legs and back at regular intervals and they lash out. LINK BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND ENERGY It takes a lot of energy when you are over-whelmed with emotions and you lose control of your destiny out on the Ironman swim course. This is "valuable energy"that you simply cannot afford to lose. I mean think about it. An event that might take you anywhere from 10 to 17 hours is in it's earliest stages and already you are burning through your stores of energy like you have a limitless supply. I can almost guarantee that you will pay for it at some point later in the race.
As I've often said, "I believe there is a direct link between a poorly planned Ironman swim and the Ironman shuffle out on the marathon course". DISENCHANTMENT All you need to do is have one bad experience like this and suddenly you become disenchanted with triathlon in general. Many people new to the sport have cut their Ironman career short simply because of the encounters and experiences they have had out on the triathlon open water swim course somewhere. There are those with tons of Ironman experience who have given up on the Ironman because of a particularly harrowing situation out on the open water of the Ironman swim course, so it is not something that is restricted to the novice Ironman only. The first thing I suggest to people is to refine their swim stroke to the point that it's long, smooth and energy-saving. Once you have developed a front-crawl stroke that is idea for triathlon open water swimming you have reached the first step toward having an enjoyable and relaxing open water swim experience. You can learn from the best like Terry Laughlin who created the "TOTAL IMMERSION" swim technique that has helped thousands of triathletes around the world develop the perfect swim technique for staying relaxed and conserving energy. TOTAL IMMERSION is the perfect system to incorporate into your swim training as your career develops. If you are completely new to swimming, then you have the advantage of developing a great stroke from the very beginning without having to break bad swimming habits. TOTAL IMMERSION....Simply one of the best swimming techniques in the world today for triathletes of any level. TOTAL IMMERSION is offering all ironstruck visitors a 10% discount on Books, DVD's, and all other TI teaching tools. Simply click on this linktotalimmersion.net/store/go to the store page and type ironstruck(all small cases)into the shopping cart coupon box and you receive your 10% discount automatically. Learning a great relaxing, economical stroke is the first step, but if you get yourself into open water swim traffic problems, then you are only half way there. The other half of your plan is to figure out an Ironman "swim strategy" and have a plan in place long before the starting gun sounds. If open water swimming doubts and fears are holding you back from enjoying, or possibly even "doing" your first triathlon or ironman, then I may have the other piece of the puzzle to help get you through your open water swim.
Images on this page by Art.com
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