Have you signed up for your first open water swim event or triathlon in 2024? Embarking on these events is very exciting but it can be daunting too. You might have lots of thoughts going through your mind. What’s it like swimming with lots of other people nearby? What equipment can I wear? How do I make sure I’m swimming in the right direction? What happens at the start?
I will be running coaching sessions to prepare you for your event when the water outside gets warmer. Here are a few of the things I will cover.
1. Preparing for the event:
Open water events and triathlons mostly begin with a mass start, where participants enter the water together. The initial flurry of activity when the race or event begins can be overwhelming, so positioning yourself before the start is important so you feel calm and in control. But even before the start there are things you can do to make the swim easier. Familiarise yourself with the course, check your equipment (especially goggles), stretch your muscles (particularly legs) to avoid cramping before you enter, and finally warm up with some easy swimming (if possible) for about 5 minutes before the start, to get used to the water conditions and check your goggles and other equipment.
2. Swimming in Open Water:
For some people swimming in open water might be a new experience. It’s quite different from pool swimming with much cooler water, no sides and lines to follow and much less clarity. Even if you are familiar with open-water swimming, developing an efficient and comfortable technique is vital for completing your event, especially if you are swimming a longer distance than usual. Finding a comfortable breathing pattern is the first thing I look at when coaching all swimmers. Nailing that is vital before moving onto body position in the water and stroke technique.
3. Sighting:
In the open water events sighting – lifting your head to look ahead – is an essential skill to navigate the course. Good sighting will enable you to choose the most direct route to the next buoy, amongst the other swimmers. There are a few tricks that can be used to make I have used myself to make navigating a course easier, and I’ll share some of these with you.
4. Buoy Turns:
Many events use buoys to mark out the route of the open water swim course. Swimming around a buoy requires you to change direction quickly whilst swimming with lots of other swimmers around you. I will show you some techniques to help you navigate buoy turns confidently and efficiently, whilst maintaining your momentum.
In summary, open water swim events can be very enjoyable and addictive especially if you have had the right preparation. My focused event coaching sessions will help with that, making your swim fun and memorable. Please look at my website for details of the sessions.