firstoffthebike.com - Tri 101

The Swim Lesson

The swim leg is often thought of as the poor cousin in triathlon...the necessary leg to endure in order to get to the bike and run. By comparison, it is short, cold, wet and adds an extra layer of gear and complexity to participation - life would be a lot easier without it.



Text by Campbell Maffett

But as long as triathlons are swim, bike, run events you need to deal with the swim leg, and if you're at the competitive end then how you swim can make or break your race.

Over the many years I swam as part of triathlon training I came to learn and appreciate a number of things about swimming. Here are some of them:

Don't under value swim fitness
Swim fitness is not just about being a faster swimmer. Swim fitness is about having a great aerobic fitness and capacity that carries over to the other sports, also. Your swim fitness means the swim leg takes less out of you from the first and shortest component of a triathlon...which is really important in an IM. The geater your swim fitness the more confident you'll be going into the swim leg, and stronger you will be later in the race when things get hard. Gaining swim fitness is also about the discipline and dedication to swim up and down a pool looking at a black line early in the morning.

Swim hard / a lot because you can
Because swimming is non-stressful it means you can train year round because your body can handle it, and you'll benefit from the swim fitness. The amount of time you'll usually spend swimming per week is small, so there is zero risk of overtraining at swimming, which means when you do go swimming not to fluff around hanging onto the lane rope chatting, but actually swim. Save the talk for later. Also, swim hard...there is no comparison between an easy run and an easy swim. The first is a valid training session, and the second is a missed opportunity to improve your fitness.

Do the best with the technique you've got
There's no denying technique is important in swimming, just as it is in running. However there comes a point at which, as an adult, your capacity for technique improvements diminishes so you just need to do the best with the technique you've got and work on something you can improve - your fitness. Drills in a still pool, with a black line and no one touching you are far removed from the real world of open water swimming in a wetsuit. Work with the technique you have and become fit enough to swim well with that.

In rough water, just keep swimming
Sometimes in races the water is rough, and you get tossed around a bit. When that happens, don't stop. Keep your arms turning over and keep swimming. With sufficient swim fitness you'll be able to keep swimming through the waves, much like you keep on pedalling up and over hills, and in wind. Keep your rhythm going and roll with the waves rather than letting them stop you.

In hard sessions, do what is necessary to keep up
Sometimes in hard sessions when you're struggling to hold the repeat times, you need to just do what is necessary to keep up rather than taking time out to rest. What this may mean is using equipment like a pull buoy, paddles, fins or the like. Do what is necessary to finish the session without skipping parts of it. When the going gets tough, "man up" and keep going...it will help your swim fitness.

Butterfly hurts so good
Hands up if you hate butterfly? OK, then do more of it to get better - it will help your fitness no end. As above, do what is necessary to do it, eg, fins, but at least try to do it, and keep trying. Butterfly is to swimming what hills are to cycling and running. Also, being able to do backstroke and breastroke helps your familiarity and comfort in water, and provides variety in training.

A good swim squad is invaluable
Swimming alone sucks. It is boring, unmotivating, less intense and did I mention boring. A good squad could just be some friends you meet to do sessions with, or where there's a coach on deck to set sessions and provide feedback and advice. Either way, swimming in a group or squad is the best way to get in quality training...although this makes it easy to fluff around hanging onto the lane rope chatting. Save the talk for later. Use the group to push you to levels you might not achieve on your own.