Triathlon swimming made easy (29 page)

I know it can sound scary but, in time, you essentially learn to roll with the punches, to trust your swimming ability and the
safety measures of the race organizers and to relax and find a rhythm in harmony with the swells around you. Three adjustment
s can be particularly helpful in a choppy sea. First, swing your arms a bit higher on recovery. Second, roll farther to breath
e — just as far as you need to find air. Finally, be intently focused
on piercing
the waves, rather than bullying your way through them.

At some point, you'll need to return to shore. If there's a shore break of any size, it will definitely occur to you that you might get
crushed
by a wave sneaking up from behind. A swimmer who knows how to ride waves and how to "read" the ebb and flow of a breaker line can get to shore much faster and more smoothly. Once you've cleared the final buoy and are headed toward shore, don't worry too much about finishing your swim right in front of the finish line. Instead of angling toward the finish line while swimming, swim straight in and then run along the shore to the swim finish.
You'll get there much faster by running than by swimming diagonally
and
you'll handle the shore break much better going straight in.

Once you are in the
breaker zone
again, you'll feel this: A swell will catch up with you and you'll feel your body accelerating.
Swim faster,
using the boost for as long as you can. Once the wave passes you, you'll feel yourself being pulled back in the ebb.
Work hard enough to counter this,
then resume your normal rhythm again. Finally, you'll be close enough to shore that you can sense waves beginning to break. Now is a good time to turn on your back for a few strokes to see if there's one you can catch. When you feel yourself being sucked into a breaking wave, rotate to face down and swim t
hree to four strokes at top speed, then put one or both arms forward, put your head down, and lean on your chest as you keep kicking.

Keep kicking and leaning on your leading arm for as long as you feel yourself in the wave. When it passes, if you can feel the bottom as you stroke, start porpoising. If the tide is out and there's a long shallow zone between the break and the beach, throw yourself ahead of following waves as they catch up to you. It's easier to catch a mini ride than to run and leap through knee-deep shore break.

How to practice this? Simple and fun. More body surfing. Most of the time you won't be at the shoreline at the end of your ride, so you can practice porpoising, mini rides, and high-stepping out of the water. Another good form of practice at the beach is to set up a mini-course, repeatedly swimming out 50 yards or so and then returning, always starting and finishing on shor
e.

In the 1970s, I worked as a lifeguard at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island. At Field Six, where I was stationed, we would set up a mini course by anchoring a milk or bleach jug about 75 yards from the main stand. On down time, we would often practice several dashes into the surf, stroking out to the buoy and then back to shore, finishing each by running to the stand. Whenever the surf was up, we'd spend hours body surfing. It was exhilarating fun — as well as invaluable practice of our rescue skills. I've loved racing in the ocean ever since.

Swim Safely

If you're not fortunate, as I am, to have a group to practice with, don't swim unprotected. Ask someone to swim with you or to paddle or row along. If your swimming partner is less experienced, keep an eye on him or her while you swim. If you swim where there's motorboat or jet-ski traffic, you
must
have an escort boat, and you should always swim with a bright-colored cap. Otherwise, swim on a guarded beach. One of my practice sites, Lake Awosting, offers an enclosed-and-guarded area about 50 meters wide. I practice all of the same skills mentioned above, while crossing back and forth for
40 minutes or more. If you swim in an unfamiliar spot, learn all you can about conditions: currents and riptides, submerged rocks or pilings.

Chapter 22

Putting It All Together on Race Day

You drive into the parking area. It's not even 6:30, and the morning chill won't dissipate for another hour or two. You shrink from the thought of leaving the warmth of your car for water that will feel even colder. You also recall your last race, when you stepped in a hole on the start and fell on your face while everyone splashed past. Still you got up immediately and plunged into a churn of arms, legs, and bodies all the way to the first buoy, where somehow the crowd thickened as five other swimmers tried to squeeze into space for one and your goggles came askew. Finally, y
ou got on course...sort of...because you couldn't see the buoys and feared you were wandering blindly with few clues as to how far you had swum or how much of this unpleasant ordeal remained. After what seemed like forever — and with an extra quart or two of swallowed water — you stumbled on shore (tripping once more) and dragged yourself to the transition area. You have no trouble finding your bike; most of the field was long gone. You stare out the windshield and the thought crosses your mind: "Maybe I should just stick with duathlons."

I expect quite a few of you will shake your head in rueful recognition at this slightly exaggerated account. I've been racing in open water for nearly 30 years and all of this has happened to me, at one time or another. I admit to cringing momentarily at leaving my car to plunge into cold water first thing in the morning. But, mixed with that unease is the anticipation
any runner feels upon arriving at a road race and seeing all the other runners preparing. Without exception, every race I've done has left me euphoric — about overcoming reluctance, the elements, and the unique challenges of open water. Even as I sit at my desk writing about it, I can feel anticipation and excitement rising for the fun I expect to have racing again. So, here's some advice on how to cut the challenges down to size and allow your strengths to come to the fore.

Pre-Race Reconnaissance

Pack extra goggles so a broken strap won't throw you. I use Seal goggles (see www.totalimmersion.net/products.html for ordering info) because of their extraordinary visibility, and bring one pair each of mirrored and clear. I'll use the mirrored if sun glare appears to be a factor; otherwise, it's the clear. I also pack a small tube of toothpaste or bottle of baby shampoo. I smear a small amount inside my goggles then wash and wipe it off when I first enter the water. Both are effective anti-fog agents. I also pack Vaseline or Body Glide. I get under-arm chafing in open water — especiall
y in salt water — if I don't lubricate first. Finally, I drink-and-drive.. .water or diluted Gatorade, that is. Because there won't be any water stops during the race, I hydrate steadily on my way to the race and up until the start.

Arrive early, allowing ample time to check in and set up your transitions. After setting up your bike, ask the lifeguards about wave height, currents, or sweep if you are swimming in the ocean. Unless it's a short course (600 meters or less), you probably won't swim the entire course during warmup. But you can rehearse it creatively. Read the course map and study the course from shore. What shape is it? How many buoys mark it? Are turn buoys a different size or color than those between turns? On which side of the buoys do you need to swim?

If you have the inclination for a pre-race dip, wade out and examine the swim finish from the water. Take a mental snapshot of how the finish area and path to transition will look —
through your goggles.
Then jog easily from shore toward knee-depth water and back several times to learn bottom conditions — sand, rocks, weeds, mud or muck — and
decide where you'll stop running and begin to porpoise, on the way out and on the way in. Next, practice a few ins and outs. Starting from ankledeep water, rehearse the sequence of run-porpoise-swim. After 10 strokes, turn around and do it in reverse. Swim in until your hands scrape the bottom, then switch to porpoise, and finally jog to shore. Two or three of these will provide priceless intelligence.

Warmup

I like to do a fair bit of swimming before I race, so after a few ins and outs, I swim easily to the first buoy to see how the course will look once I round it and whether there are landmarks on the horizon. I also note the position of the sun and whether it will help or hinder visibility. If the final buoy is nearby, I'll swim over to it and see how the finish line will look as I head for home. Remember that the position of the sun will be different by the time you finish.

Another important part of my preparation is to do roughly 200 meters of SSPs, to choose focal points for the race. This prepares me physically by tuning up my muscles and nervous system and helps customize my preparation to race conditions. If the water is flat, I might focus on hiding my head and swimming taller. If there's windchop, I might focus on rotation and
piercing
the water. Rehearsing SSPs can also be an effective way to block out pre-race anxiety. Jitters arise from dwelling on things we can't control. By practicing SSPs in warmup, you shift your focus to narrow te
chnical points that you
can
control, blocking out distractions.

The final part of my warmup will be 200 meters or so of speedplay like those I practiced in Williams Lake (and similar to the pickups runners do in warmup): 20 strokes Silent, 20 Cruise, 20 Silent, 20 Brisk — perhaps two rounds. I try to do just enough to "cue" my nervous system for the task ahead, but not so many that I feel fatigue. This is another narrowly focused activity that will keep nerves at bay and help you dial in the race flow you'd like when the starting horn sounds.

Race starts are often in waves and, at my age, I'm usually in the third or fourth. After the wave ahead of mine starts, if I have five minutes and the starter permits, I'll keep swimming easily near the starting line, checking
my watch every 30 to 40 strokes until about a minute remains, then move into position for the start. The continued swimming helps keep fresh how I want my stroke to feel in the race. It also keeps me focused and calm and warmer than if I stood and shivered with the other swimmers.