We know that you want to begin 2012 with a bang! Here are some great swimming tips for your triathlon training.

Gear

First, unless you live somewhere where the water is always warm, you will need a wetsuit. Wetsuits also make you swim faster by making you more buoyant. Wetsuits work by trapping a thin layer of water between your body and the wetsuit. Your body can easily warm this small amount of water and keep you comfortable. It’s important to make sure your wetsuit fits well – if your wetsuit is too tight, it can feel restrictive, and if it is too loose it can let in too much cold water. The wetsuit needs to fit well between your shoulders and crotch. The length of the legs and arms isn’t as important.

Training

If you’re able to, practice swimming in open water to become more comfortable. You can practice in a pond or lake. When you start swimming, pick an object to “sight” – like a building or a tall tree. Every few breaths, you will need to “sight breathe” to make sure you’re swimming straight towards the point you picked out. To sight breathe, when you take a breath you will slightly lift your head up in front of you, look at the object you picked, and then roll your head to the side and finish your breath as you normally would. As you practice, you will figure out how often you need to sight breathe. If you swim straight, you won’t need to sight breathe as often.

You can also get ready for your race by open water swimming with friends. Start close together, pick the same point to swim to, and don’t be afraid to bump into each other! This helps you get used to the start of a race where you will be in close contact with other swimmers. This drill can also be done in a pool if you don’t have access to a pond or lake.

Racing

Race day is here! Before the start, make sure you understand the race course, and take time to warm up. Do some easy swimming, or swing your arms in circles if you can’t get in the water before you start.

When you get in the water for the beginning of the race, think about where you want to start. If you are a beginning swimmer or not yet comfortable with open water, you should start in the back of the group. This way you will not have other athletes swimming over you, and you can start out at your own pace. If you are a confident swimmer, feel free to start out in the front of the group. Start out to the sides if you’re a good swimmer and want smoother water to swim though.

During the race, sight often enough so you can swim straight from buoy to buoy. You don’t want to swim any extra. You can also draft – this means swimming close behind another swimmer to cut down on your resistance going through the water. But, be careful! Don’t touch their toes – this is annoying and you may get kicked! Also, don’t trust them to swim straight. You still need to sight.

As you’re nearing the end of the swim, think about the steps you will take as you transition to the bike. (Goggles off, unzip wetsuit, etc.) Keep swimming until your hands touch the bottom. It’s faster to swim than to run through deeper water. Then, stand up and run out of the water. You’re done!