Brendon Downey – Endurancecoach.com

You’ve done the training, you’ve got yourself a nice new Orca wetsuit, and you’ve paid the entry free - now it’s time to hit the start line! There is often a fair amount of apprehension as people approach their first open water event, but there are a number of small things that can make a huge difference to your experience.

SAFETY
Open water is not your safe pool environment with a lane rope and a lifeguard nearby. Make sure you swim with others in training or better yet, have a support kayak or boat with you. If it’s too rough, consider going to the pool or altering your session, for example swimming along a sheltered bay in waist deep water. Try and avoid swimming where the current or tide is going to take you away from the beach (i.e. outgoing tide with a wind blowing you out to sea). If in doubt check with the local lifeguards and also check the marine forecast.

WARMING UP
One of the big things you need to do is warm up. The main muscles you’ll use when swimming are: shoulders, pecs, lats, hip flexors, abs, quads and calves.

Now if it’s cold it’s not always the best thing to get in and swim pre-event - you might be better off to go for a run and then do some “air swimming” (it’s like air guitar only it’s normal to see it on a Sunday morning at a beach near you). A set of swim cords is a great investment for this sort of thing, providing a small amount of resistance and allowing you to work the lats and pecs and get them firing up properly.

Also for some events you might be able to warm up at a nearby swimming pool - I get a lot of the World Cup athletes I work with to do that where possible.

Make sure that you focus on being smooth and efficient. That is full strokes pulling right past the hip, not a shortened stroke. Also focus on getting your chest and head into the water. Notice your feet coming up onto the surface when you do that - this is a more efficient position and is the opposite of what you do if you get tense.

If possible, you can also do a bit of pre-event recon, check out what you can see while you swim, what the swim exit is like and also the start area – make sure you pay particular attention to any dangers like rocks or slippery sea weed.

WETSUIT SWIMS
Of course if it’s cold enough then you’ll be using a wetsuit. You need to take the time to get the wetsuit on properly, making sure that the arms and legs of the suit are aligned correctly (seams not twisted) and that they are pulled up on the legs and arms correctly - you don’t want gaps at the shoulders or the crotch, both will reduce the comfort and performance of your suit.

Also make sure that you have a spare towel so that you can dry your hands and keep any lube off your goggles.

NON WETSUIT SWIMS
If it’s non-wet suit swim then it’s likely that it is hot, but it might be that you actually cool down during the swim, especially if you end up standing around prior to the start. Remember your local pool is heated to around 80F (28C) whereas you’ll be without a wetsuit in open water as cool as 72F (22C), so keep some warm clothes handy before the start. It might pay to consider warming up in a wetsuit if you are susceptible to the cold - many pros do that, especially if it is overcast or windy.

THE START
Getting the start right in an event can be tricky, even for experienced people. The first rule is to keep calm (think “breathe and relax”). Focus on getting the air out.

Beach Starts
If it’s a beach start then it’s actually a bit easier to get the start right in terms of seeding. If you’re a good swimmer then you go in hard and fast - the run-in usually helps to self-seed people, plus it also spreads the competitors out. If you are a slower swimmer then you can watch everyone take off down the beach and jog in and get going in your own time.

Deep Water
A deep water start can be a bit daunting the first time. If it’s in a wetsuit then it’s not so hard as you can float around in the suit and not use too much energy. If it’s non-wetsuit then you need to be careful that you don’t use up too much energy pre-start - treading water can be very tiring if you are no used to doing it.

DEALING WITH THE BUMP AND BASH
If you are doing an event then bump and bash IS going to happen - you WILL bang into other competitors, it’s just a fact of life. But you can do a few things to make it less stressful.

Firstly, understand that people don’t go into these events with the deliberate intention of banging into you, you just need to relax and get on with it. Swimming as straight as possible helps, and that only happens with practice, as does swimming towards the right targets (swim turns, or the swim exit).

Try to relax and if you are getting bumped a lot consider moving away from the person or group you are bumping into (a good idea if they aren’t swimming straight). It always amazes me how often people swim on top of each other for so long when there is plenty of clear space around. Just taking a second to think about that can be very helpful.

NAVIGATION
Yup you need to learn to navigate - that means learning to swim with your head up and sighting where you are going - also sighting clear water if you are stuck in a group or objects that you need to swim around (ie mid course marker buoys). Practice this in the pool - do an 8 x 50 metre swim, taking the time half way down each length to sight something, like a clock or the lifeguard. Navigating uses different muscles and places different pressure on your body, especially your head, neck and shoulders. Doing some training will make you stronger.

WAVES
If it’s windy or if there is a rolling sea, you may have to modify your stroke timing - that is time your swim stroke by making it longer or shorter depending on the waves. You can do this by using a catch-up type approach - i.e. delay or shorten the time the hand is reaching out front before the catch phase begins. This is something that can only be learned with practice in rougher open water. Time your stroke so that you can breathe at the top of the wave. Also work on good body roll - you need more when it’s rough, so that you can get air without water in your lungs. BUT, no matter what, be prepared on some occasions, get a mouthful of water and no air!

THE EXIT
The last part of a swim can be tricky - often it seems closer than it is and the depth is deeper than you think - the rule of thumb is don’t try and stand up until you can touch the bottom with a normal arm stroke. As suggested earlier, check it out before the start, watch out for uneven, loose and/or slippery surfaces. Get the goggles up so you can see and move to the exit/swim finish.

So there you go - get out there and make the most of your fitness and get into some events.

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