Swimming

The swim being the first ‘event’ in triathlon is also the shortest section (in olympic anyway) so a lot of folks don’t put enough training in for it thinking that they can make the time up on the bike and on the run.

However if it’s an open water event then the swim can really take it’s toll on you and leave you flagging on the bike and crawling on the run.

So what should you be doing in the pool before an event to make sure that you don’t sink?

Well firstly you need to make sure that you can cover the distance in the pool. 1500 meters might not sound like a long way, but with choppy water and bodies all around you, plus the stress of the event; you can soon find yourself tired.

Next you will need to make sure that you are comfortable swimming with people on your feet and swimming in close proximity to you. Can you cope with being swam over (yeah this really happens) or having your legs pulled (again this has happened to me)? The best place to build this confidence is in the pool. If there are two of you in a lane, practice swimming up and down next to each other.

Another good drill is to sprint for 50 meters and instead of leaving the normal 5 second gap, leave a couple of seconds and aim to catch the swimmer in front. This is amazing practice for the surge at the start of the swim.

Finally (and this drill can make you look like a bit of an idiot) you need to practice navigation and sighting while you swim. I personally pull my cap half way over my goggles. This forces me to lift my head every 10 strokes to make sure that I am on track. The cap over the goggles makes you lift your head even higher so that it becomes very natural when you are swimming.