Day 75: Tips for the Swim

The tri is minus 25 days and counting. Gulp. We have over 160 people signed up on Team Juju – Many from the ranks of ABC…. Some friends, family and even inspired viewers. I’m also hearing from people who are sending encouragement and tips. Stan Kroder from ABC… who is an avid tri-athlete sent along really fabulous tips for the open water swim that I wanted to share….   Stan’s Tips for an Open Water Swim: Before · Wetsuits o   Using a magic marker/sharpie, write your name on the inside of the wetsuit.  Using a piece of duct tape to write your name on is fine.  Why? When you leave your wetsuit in the transition area, it look just like the others; you want to make sure you go home with the one you came with. o   Lube the friction points, especially along the neck and shoulders where the most chaffing will occur.  Best product – BodyGlide (Vaseline will stain the wetsuit) o   BodyGlide your lower legs/feet so that you can remove the wetsuit easily o   Make sure you can reach the zipper pull chord (most wetsuits zip up the back) · Sighting o   Stand on beach and visualize the swim course.  Why?  Once you’re in the water, it becomes much more difficult to see the big picture of where you’re going. o   Identify landmarks beyond the last buoy (flagpole, tall tree, building) o   Make sure you know what to look for at the swim finish – often a banner or balloon arch will be your marker.  Again, once you’re in the water, it becomes much more difficult to sight your exit. · Warm up o   Stretch before you put on the wetsuit o   Swim easy for a few minutes to warm up and to remove air bubbles from wetsuit · Goggles o   If your goggles tend to fog up, put a very small amount of water in the goggles.  Shake your head and the fog goes away.  Another anti-fog trick is to spit in your goggles before you put them on. During · Start o   Seed yourself according to your ability §  New swimmers: · If you are a new swimmer, stay to the rear or side of the group · When the race starts, wait until the group is clear before starting your swim.  An extra 15-30 seconds at the beginning really means nothing in the overall time of a triathlon and sure beats getting caught in the middle of a large pack §  Experienced swimmers: · If you are an experienced swimmer, then you may want to be up front to avoid having to pass a lot of swimmers o   Do not position yourself in the middle where you are most likely to have contact with other swimmers · Take your time – triathlons are not won with the swim and can be lost if you exert too much energy · Relax – relaxed swimmers are faster than tense ones · Passing §  Fast swimmers may catch slower swimmers in earlier waves.  The right-of-way always goes to the swimmer in front.  This means the passing swimmer must go around the slower swimmer. §  Do NOT make contact with the swimmer in front.  Do not tap his foot or grab a body part.  Be courteous and pass with a wide berth.  Remember that the person you are passing is slower than you are, so be respectful. · Try to swim in a straight line.  Every 5-7 strokes, look ahead to spot the next buoy.  If you veer off course, you can swim much further than intended. After · Ideally, you should feel fairly fresh when you exit the water.  Get ready to RIDE!