How much chaos am i going to cause
willtri
Posts: 436
in General Chat
So, it's my first tri in may - sprint in stratford.
The swims the bit i'm most worried about - having plucked a finish time out of the air some months ago - i've just been doing intervals since then - i'm doing the 400m distance on Sunday as a trial run.
The question is: How much chaos am i going to cause if i'm say 1 minute slower than my predicted time. Say 9 mins instead of 8?!?!?
Fingers crossed i'm not but - any tips if i end up being like a Sunday driver doing 50mph in the fast lane??
Cheers,
Will.
The swims the bit i'm most worried about - having plucked a finish time out of the air some months ago - i've just been doing intervals since then - i'm doing the 400m distance on Sunday as a trial run.
The question is: How much chaos am i going to cause if i'm say 1 minute slower than my predicted time. Say 9 mins instead of 8?!?!?
Fingers crossed i'm not but - any tips if i end up being like a Sunday driver doing 50mph in the fast lane??
Cheers,
Will.
0
Comments
Is this a pool swim? If so, just let anybody quicker pass you at the end of the lane. They'll tap your toes if they want to swim through. You'll also see them gaining on you at every turn, so it won't come as a surprise.
If it is an open water swim then just start at the back. Easy!
Honestly, nothing to worry about. All part of the learning experience. Just don't spend too much time with these negative 'what if I'm rubbish?' thoughts. Start to think to yourself about how YOU are going to be tapping the toes of the swimmer in front.
Enjoy your training and the run up to your big day. [8D]
It's in the pool. Really looking forward to it.
Already got the "fear" as i call it! The nervous anticipation.... By the time may 10th comes i'll be itiching to get on with it!!
Stratford is a lovely little sprint tri, i would have been joining you but unfortunately have to go to a wedding the day before so i've decided to give it a miss. I've done tri's with a hangover before and it's no fun for the guys waiting behind me in the queue for the pool [:'(]
Enjoy it
It'll be just like a swim training session, so there will be other people in your lane (possibly up to 5 of you in total) going at 10s intervals. It gets choppy. It can sometimes be an advantage to be comfortable with suddenly switching your breathing side, or to miss a breath if there's sombody very splashy on the other side. Don't worry about it, though. Just a minor point.
If you let somebody quicker go through, make the extra effort to push off hard behind them and get right on their feet. You'll get a useful draft off them.
Practice getting out of the pool with knackered arms! Sounds silly, but if they have you starting from and therefore exiting from the deep-end you'll be doing a walrus impression on the pool-side. I've seen lots of people have 3 or more goes at getting out!
Thanks JoddyBear
That's answered another of my questions - how to count up to 12!! [:D]
Going to give this a go tomorrow.... How close behind them do you swim???
For an open water swim you can actually draft alongside, with your head at about hip level. Anywhere from this position backwards is OK, subject to flailing feet.
In a pool you don't have this luxury, you just have to get as close as you can behind them - being careful not to start tapping their toes otherwise they'll be inviting you to take a go on the front at the next turn.
Some swimmers are easier to draft than others. People who really splash around and churn the water up are difficult to follow because they leave a 'messy' wake and often produce a lot of visibility-reducing bubbles. Smooth swimmers seem easier to draft.
I'd been wondering about exiting the pool after the swim - dunno about walruses I'll be more like a beached whale that can't quite get beached properly! I'm bloody useless at getting out of the pool!
didds
Don't think watford pool is quite ready for that yet!
It is funny, in a very cruel way, watching people plop back into the pool. I also saw the pool marshal make somebody get back in once after they got out using the steps, so there's no dodging it!
I tend to drag my carcass up far enough to flop over the side - at about stomach level - then bring my legs around in a kind of sideways twist. Hence my 'walrus' description.
It is one of those stupid things that I think about, though, because I'm not used to getting out of the pool: the puddle I train in is 1.4m deep everywhere and is a deck-level pool. I can actually shove with my arms and jump to get my feet directly onto pool side. These 2m pools with high edges leave me floundering.
errrr. sounds easy!! [:D]
They line you up down the side of the pool ready for your start time so you get a good 5-10 minutes to see how everyone else is doing it plus I've found the other competitors quite friendly so normally get chatting to somone which helps calm the nerves.
34 days and counting....
I put down 11 mins for a 426m pool swim ( Thames Turbo) and got out the water a minute faster than I expected. Don't worry about the time - you'll be quicker than you think but don't rush and lose rhythm.
Stick with what you have done in training and you'll have a blast.
Oh and as it's a pool swim - don't worry about getting out with jelly arms - they should make the finish at the end with the steps. [:D]
Good luck