Triathlon - Advice for a new swimmer.... Swim Training questiolns here.

Hi all...I am new to the triathlon world but am enjoying myself so far....except for the swimming part :( the running and biking are enjoyable and i am able to progress. The swimming is just a losing battle it seems. I can only complete a 50m swim and i am dead in the water. I can swim i have been swimming for years, just not swimming for a purpose. Now as i try to swim my legs sink and my arms just arent "flowing". It seems as though im just tiring myself out and going nowhere. I look at the other people in the water and they seem to glide through with ease. I dont even want speed just not to labor so hard. My question is this....what have you found to be the best way to learn to swim. i cant afford a coach right now, but was there and book, dvd, pointers in general that helped you learn to swim the proper way.

Thank you all,
Greg

i don't know what you're background in swimming is, so if you already know any of this then I mean no disrespect. It really helps if you keep your head down in the water, if you pull your head up then your butt sinks and you're swimming vertically and that really tires you out quickly. That's one thing that I see people doing wrong all the time. Also there are a couple videos on youtube on how to swim that are really good and show great technique, I highly recommend them. Here is one on freestyle/backstroke/kicking, this guy is us marine and has really good technique and a great teaching style, check out all of them if you have a chance.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IYuSMumlUk4&feature=related

That video was really cool. Thanks for posting it.

Are you the same ryon graf that is the skimboard photographer?

Yessir. Just havnt been out skimming and shooting much as of late. I took up cycling and triathlon because its more accessable and consistent stress relief than waiting for good waves. Have we met before?

no, I've just seen a lot of your photos on skimonline.com and recognized the name. I actually haven't skimmed in about a year, the surf in san luis obispo is better then the skim, but now I'm getting more into triathlons. Damn its a small world

I would recommend Total Immersion, book and dvd. I was about like you last year. By doing the drills and just staying in the pool trying to follow his recommendations I'm down to 14:30 for the 1/2 mile open water and not fatigued at all. I don't know whether I can get much faster using his techniques but I'm satisfied.

no, I've just seen a lot of your photos on skimonline.com and recognized the name. I actually haven't skimmed in about a year, the surf in san luis obispo is better then the skim, but now I'm getting more into triathlons. Damn its a small world

Yeah for real. Small world. Let me know if you're ever in the socal area. I might actually be visiting SLO sometime later this month to ride some of the routes with a buddy of mine.

I would recommend Total Immersion, book and dvd. I was about like you last year. By doing the drills and just staying in the pool trying to follow his recommendations I'm down to 14:30 for the 1/2 mile open water and not fatigued at all. I don't know whether I can get much faster using his techniques but I'm satisfied.

+1 for Total Immersion

thank you all for your responses and advice. hopefully this will help others as well....i think im gonna give total immersion a whirl....not much else is workin

I know you said you couldn't afford a coach - I assume you meant a private coach. You may want to check out a local masters swim team. You'll find a mix of swimmers and triathletes of various abilities.

Check out this site: http://www.usms.org/placswim/

Another vote for Total Immersion! :thumb:

Just remember that you need to practice the drills. Just reading/watching won't change a thing.

I also highly recommend training with a "buddy" since it is much easier when you are two.

My GF Kajsa could not finish 50 y without being totally out of breath.
The video below is after a few months practice + 1 weekend workshop.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JfoPmqeIzXw

Good luck!

Which Total Immersion book are you guys recommending? It looks like he has a few of them. There's a Tri specific one, then there's one that goes through the four major strokes.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/products-books.html

Thanks!

Another option if you live in a metropolitan area is to check out city or town swim classes, and try a group class for adults. I live near Austin and am about to take a Swim Fitness class offered by the city's Rec dept. I am similarly challenged by tiring after 50m of freestyle. I didn't feel I could keep up with the Master's class they offered, and thought I might get more individualized attention to my issues in a smaller class (they limit it to eight).

After getting done with the class, I am also probably going to go the TI or similar program DVD/book route.

One thing to remember is, you don't start out with 500m endurance, and it won't happen overnight. When I first started running a few years ago, I could barely run for 5 minutes without my lungs burning and having to stop and walk. After 3 months of training I completed a 5K race in very challenging conditions (close to 90 degrees on a Shea stadium's asphalt parking lot in NYC). I wasn't fast, but I ran the whole way. A few months more, and I had a 5K down to 28 minutes, and could run 4 miles easily in practice. Now I'm in my late 40s and will never be fast, but my endurance increased so much with training. I remind myself of this when training. I too had to re-learn freestyle, and discovered I was swimming the wrong way for years. I have already gone from only being able to swim 25m correctly to 50m in little over a week.

Another thing to remember as a newbie is that the name of the game is to finish. If you have to do some breaststroke or backstroke during the race to regain your energy, that's ok.

My goal at present is to increase my distance without stopping. If I can add 25m a week, or even if it's every 2 weeks, I will still be progressing. And like running, I expect at some point for the increase to be greater each week, as I continue my cross training and strength training.

I also do some breathing and kicking drills when the pool is empty. Bi-lateral breathing has been tough for me to get, since I was so used to only breathing on one side. I also have a somewhat small lung capacity, tend to get winded easily and have had pneumonia before. It's just a weakness that training will help, since training correctly increases endurance.

Be patient, keep working at it, don't freak out and hang in there!

Thanx moonmaid that is good advice and some good training ideas. I do need to just be patient, lol, but thats the hardest part.

I went ahead ans stuck this one for future swim training questions.

I would like to echo some points people are making about this being a LONG process for beginners. I am coming into swimming with no experience except for the survival type swim classes you get when you are little kid. I felt before this that I could swim pretty well and hold my own as far as not drowning goes.

Man, what a shock it was to find out that I could only swim 25 yards before I had to pull up and breathe like I just ran a 400m sprint on the track (I'm a runner first).

It's been almost 3 months now, and I can now swim about 150 yards without stopping, and can swim about 1000 yards in a 40 minute session. Now that I've gotten some base fitness, I'm moving to doing intervals. A typical training session for me lately is like this:

200yd warmup (rest whenever you need to during this, go slow and easy)
4x50yd drills (catch-up, hesitate, reach, quick, etc.) feel free to rest whenever on these, even halfway across :-), it's about technique!
5x50yd intervals (shooting for 1:00 each with 30s recovery)
3x75yd intervals (shooting for 1:30 each with 45s recovery)
200yd cooldown

I'm planning on moving to some 3x100yd intervals, maybe even a bit longer too. But I'm going at it the way my girlfriend is taking up a "Couch to 5k" program. Start with Run-Walk-Run before you just Run. I know it's frustrating that progress takes so long, but you will get there.

Another thing, be careful getting advice from books and really experienced people who have never coached raw beginners. They often say things like "keep a high elbow" when you have no idea what the heck they are talking about. Watch videos on YouTube and work on one thing at a time. It will come.

Peace!

Which Total Immersion book are you guys recommending? It looks like he has a few of them. There's a Tri specific one, then there's one that goes through the four major strokes.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/products-books.html

Thanks!

I would go with the DVD, Easy freestyle.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/products-dvds.html

If you are really interestedin total immersion, better you have actual lesson than reading in a book or watching a video...good luck

gerg10...You and I are on the same boat. I just recently started to swim and currently working on my first tri on september 30 here in las vegas. Kakman another member here gave me a great link regarding swim training. I found this site very useful since at the end of each training you feel that there has been accomplishment. Here is the link:
http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html
Hope this helps you out as much as its helping me.

Hey great link Kervindale!!!

Hey guys, I'm very new to biking, but I am old hat at swimming. I swam competitively for 16 years, and have several open water swims under my belt ( er suit). When start swimming there are a few key things to remember; 1) Your lungs are full of air, much like a balloon. If you are having problems with legs sinking think about your head is placed, you don't walk around looking at the sky, so don't swim looking straight ahead, look down. That way you are forcing your chest down and elevating your hips. 2) Swimmers actually spend very little time flat on their belly. Remember to ROLL. This will not work without proper head position. 3) Since you are cyclists, your legs are very strong I'm sure. When kicking, which I would suggest trying by itself with a kickboard to start then moving to kicking on your side without one; try bending your knees 50% less. One of the biggest problems with new swimmers is they bend their legs way too much. Use the plane of your foreleg as propulsion, if you feel it in your hip flexors you're doing fine.


Use some of those to start off with, if you have more feel free to let me know. I was a distance swimmer, so I know how that start will feel. :thumb:

I did my first (and only to this point) Triathlon in May '08. It was a mile swim and I finished in just under 28 min. I was shocked. I had never swam in open water before, minus my practice swim the day before. A good half of it I spent in the backstroke position. I felt embarrased at first but once I saw others doing the same I felt more comfortable doing it.

The point of keeping your head down is huge. I tend to swim with my head up in backyard pools and so that carried over to my training as well. I got better at keeping my head down but the breathing never came to me. I think I tended to panic. So when the day came for the race I started out fine but a few hundred yards out I paniced and started raising my head. I hope that my next race will be better.

Question: What out of pool training is good for the swim? Breathing, strokes, whatever. What can I do to help my swim when I can't get into a pool?

Thanks, Fred

With the breathing I would recommend choosing a side and sticking to it. Make sure to stretch your neck. Also, when recovering, think of the looking through the window. Your arm should make a triangle , you want to look backwards through it. Once you get used to proper breathing, you should panic less. When i swim in murky waters, I keep my eyes closed while my face is underwater. It keeps the panic at bay.

In terms of out of water training, the best thing would be a vasa trainer. If you can't get that, try stretch tubes, you can simulate the movement. A huge part of swimming is triceps, so make sure to make them strong.

Good luck and feel free to PM or IM or whatever it's called, with any questions. I'm happy to help.

There are a few things that you can do:

1: Get a pool buoy and use this to help you develop good body position awareness in the water. It a compressed foam floatation device that you put between the thighs and helps keep your legs in a more desirable position.

2: Strengthen your Core Stabilizers - this will help you to maintain the ideal body position when you eventually start to transition away from the pool buoy.

3: Develop your kick - if your legs are active, they won't have time to sink.

4: I try to imagine that I am swimming "Downhill" which forces me to pull my legs up an inch / 2 higher behind me.

5: Read Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin - easy to read, concepts are simple.

6: Subscribe to my Blog for all your Multi sport requirements (http://mypypeline-triathlon.blogspot.com/)

I hope this helps you a little bit

Thanks for the last two posts, that is what I am looking for. I haven't jumped back in a pool since the race in May and so I will have a lot of catching up to do. But, with the help and advice I have discovered here I think the swim might start to feel more comfortable.

There is a small pond that I have access to and a lake as well that I might try to swim in once the water begins to warm up and as the May '09 race gets closer. I do plan to compete in at least one Sprint before my Olympic in May (Memphis in May Triathlon) and then hopefully a few more afterwards.

Sure wish I had gotten into this about fifteen to twenty years ago.

When you swim freestyle, your body should be in a 'neutral' position in the water - don't swim 'uphill' or 'downhill'. When you swim 'uphill', your legs sink and you are presenting a larger incident area relative to the oncoming water. Something similar happens when you swim 'downhill'. Your head and shoulders are down and serve as a plow.

The plane of water should break right where your forehead and scalp meet. Your focus underwater should be at a -45* angle to the surface of the water. Kick. Kick. Kick. Three times for each arm stroke. Kicking your legs with a regular, smooth motion that starts with your hips will keep your legs up - try this with a kickboard with your arms out. If you don't kick, your legs sink, but as soon as you get a kicking rhythm down, your legs will come up to the surface.

When I teach beginners, the problems I see most are swimmers taking too many breaths too quickly or swimmers taking huge breaths and holding until their next breath. Hyperventilating will make you lightheaded and drain your energy. You should breathe in a similar fashion to any other sport that requires a great deal of oxygen - you need to exhale.

Think about when you run/bike - you don't completely hold your breath and explosively exhale just before you inhale - this isn't powerlifting. Get accustomed to blowing bubbles (not a lot, only a small leak) underwater as you swim - this will help with your brain's desire to take another breath and reduce fatigue in your upper body.

The recovery stroke should be quick but controlled. Keep your elbow high and your hand close to your torso.

Remember to glide after each and every stroke. Think about ice skating or rollerblading - there's no need to constantly push, since you can glide on your planted foot after each push. Swimming is the same way - at the end of each stroke, one arm should be stretched out in front and one down by your side. At this point, you should be on your side 'laying' on the outstretched arm.

Try standing in front of a wall with both arms out in front. Keep your hands 6-12" away from the wall. Now drop your right arm and twist your HIPS (not your shoulders!) to the right and you should be able to touch the wall. Do the same with the other arm. That extra 6-12" of stroke there will help you become more efficient in your stroke.

Remember that all of your motions should originate from the HIPS - everything else will follow. If you stand in shoulder-deep water with your arms relaxed, rotate your hips left and right and your shoulders and arms will move without any effort in a rocking motion. Use this to your advantage when swimming freestyle.

Keep it fluid - after all, you are in the water.

A lot of this is "Eureka"-type stuff that you'll only get by actually going to the pool and concentrating on form rather than endurance or speed. The best thing I can tell someone who is interested in swimming is to take a class on proper technique - there is far too much to learn than what can be communicated through a message board.

Best of luck, and keep up the effort.

My background: Competitive swimmer for 8+ years - Child and adult instructor for 2 years

It's my opinion that only strong swimmers should try open-water swimming - it's not a good place to practice for a beginner. Open-water swimming can be very dangerous to those who are not extremely comfortable in the water - there's nothing to hold on to, and people can easily miss you if you require help.

man she has a great stroke. I struggle with the swimming too but I am no quitter and will figure it out.

That was the most impressive post on swimming or anything I have seen to date, thank you so much for taking the time to so eloquently convey what it takes to be a good swimmer. I couldn't agree more about the open water swimming thing, I am an extremely good and experienced body surfer and I wouldn't consider swimming beyond the break without some serious backup to watch over me. I also struggle with swimming and will have your advice in my head when I hit the pool tomorrow well actually today.

Sincerely
Rick the insomniac :thumb:

Man I never knew how freaking complicated swimming could be. I to am new to swimming properly and it is is a B**** but I know that if keep showing up I will get better. At the moment when I am swimming I will have maybe two or three really good strokes in which I get it right. When that happens it almost makes half drowning and drinking water with other peoples urine in it worth it. :cheers:

Really concentrate on form technique and use a bouye to keep your hips up and train your body to rotate in the water. I used to be the worst swimmer and I am just now starting to feel good about my swimming. More than anything you just gotta do it, swim no matter how you feel about your progress and then if you concentrate on your technique you will have little breakthroughs. For a while I would swim 800 meters and maybe have a total of 1 or 2 laps in which I felt my stroke and form were good the rest of the time I swallowed a lot of water and struggled. Now a days I still swallow a little water but at least half my strokes are good and my breathing is getting closer and closer to normal. Breathing is very important by the way eventually your breathing should feel normal like when you run or bike. Finally iI suggest using this method to increase your endurance slowly and consistently over time (this is based on one length or touch across a 25meter pool). Swim 1rest,2rest,3rest,4rest 20 seconds...,3,2,1 touches that comes out to 400 meters, do it twice if you can or change the middle number to 3 on the second series and your just under a half mile. Over time increase the middle number and eventually you will be swimming distances that you thought you never could or would do before. I actually look forward to swimming, I can't believe that I am saying that I enjoy it but it's true. I enjoy it because it stresses my body the least out of all the things those of us who hope to become good triathletes have to do and avoiding injury is half the battle. I seriously doubt I will ever injure myself in the pool. Good luck to all who read this and let me know if this helped you or anyone else who reads it.

I swam competitively in high school, nearly thirty years ago, so I know how to properly swim. Trouble is, I don't swim often enough to have any endurance. I went to the pool today to practice for my twice a year navy reserve physical readiness test. Normally I do the run, but, I am currently mending a torn calf muscle so I'd rather not try the run.

Man, did I stink. First 2 lengths in the 25M pool feel great. Stroke is as smooth as it was in highschool, but, then my arms turn to lead quickly and my form becomes miserable. I think part of the problem is that since I feel so good those first 2 lengths, I swim at a fairly quick comfortable pace. Maybe if I hold back on those first few laps I might not deteriorate so quickly.

What can I do (other than find more frequent pool time) to fix this. I suspect the answer is, not much. Wish I had access to a pool nearby in the cold weather. In the summer I swim a bit in my above ground pool, but, that is pretty much 4 or 5 strokes and turn. Not really a good workout.

trekker, I'm just getting into swimming as I've signed up for my first tri too. I have a few thoughts, but hopefully someone more experienced can answer.

Couple questions to think about: do you have a fairly strong core? do you drag your hips in the water? Are you lifting your head too high to breathe? those are the mistakes that tire me out.

If you can't get in the pool more often, really work that core!!

Do you have swim fins? I picked up a pair, its a good way to really concentrate on stroke and form without tiring too quicky when you are first getting started.

Start with sets. Do those first two laps, 20 second rest, do it again. Each time you get in the pool increase the number of laps in your set.

Without videotaping myself, it's hard to say exactly what is going on other than i am just getting old and out of shape.

I think breathing is part of it. I remember working on that back in high school. I seem to recall that if you were doing it properly, you would be doing all of your exhaling while your face is in the water. That way, when you turn for a breath, it was quick as it only involved breathing in.

I do have a set of fins. Maybe I'll give them a shot.

BTW, is that hottie in the avatar you? ;)

hi pete,
yup, its me!

if you can't get in the pool, try breathing through a straw (I do it in my car on the way to work & back)... gets you used to oxygen deprivation. Exhale slowly through the straw, and take a quick inhale. No cheating! As it gets easier, tape the straw to limit the hole, or if you're really awesome get one of those little stir sticks.

What can I do (other than find more frequent pool time) to fix this. I suspect the answer is, not much. Wish I had access to a pool nearby in the cold weather. In the summer I swim a bit in my above ground pool, but, that is pretty much 4 or 5 strokes and turn. Not really a good workout.

You're right - not much to do but get in the pool more. If you swim a couple times a week - it will come back fast.

Good luck!!!

Am training for my 2nd triathlon, on May 25 (Cap of Texas) this time with a group, and I have really benefitted from coaching. I am finding that drills are making a huge difference in my technique, which in turn is making a huge difference in my endurance. If you swim with better technique, you will be able to swim longer.

This morning I did a 2K meter practice. When I first started - last June -- I could barely swim a length without being exhausted.

I keep my chin down, rotating my body from side to side when swimming, so my bellybutton faces the wall. When breathing I simply rotate my head with my body. I make sure to keep my legs straight - bent legs were making me exhausted, and using way too much energy.

Some of my favorite drills for technique: Catchup (with our without a swim buoy); one arm alternate lead (on side, facing wall, 1 arm extended, alternate arms with each length); Speed drills: sprint down, slow back.

Also, make sure you do a very slow warmup; start with 50m, work up to more. Then execute all of your drills slowly. Then if you do speed drills after that, you will be using good technique, as you will with the endurance part of your practice. And start the endurance practice at a distance you can handle, while gradually ramping it up. Make sure you do a nice slow, cooldown set of 50-200m, depending on your ability.

trekker, I'm just getting into swimming as I've signed up for my first tri too. I have a few thoughts, but hopefully someone more experienced can answer.

Couple questions to think about: do you have a fairly strong core? do you drag your hips in the water? Are you lifting your head too high to breathe? those are the mistakes that tire me out.

If you can't get in the pool more often, really work that core!!

Do you have swim fins? I picked up a pair, its a good way to really concentrate on stroke and form without tiring too quicky when you are first getting started.
Start with sets. Do those first two laps, 20 second rest, do it again. Each time you get in the pool increase the number of laps in your set.

That is good advice for swiming in general but not so good for people doing tri's. Almost all your movement and speed come from the arms. Legs and kick move you only a little. Competitive swimmers need every bit of speed they can get so working on the kick might make provide that edge. But for tri's, save your legs for the bike and run. Use the kick just to maintain a level body.

I have always swam by beginning one stroke as soon as I have completed the previous stroke, as I learned when I was 12 years old. Although I'm fairly tall - 6' 1" - I use 26-27 strokes to do 25 yards. People have mentioned the concept of gliding, which I'm not familiar with. Is there any rule of thumb for how long to glide? Should it be a 1 count, a 2 count, or some other measurement? Is there any rule of thumb for the number of strokes to complete 25 yards?

I have always swam by beginning one stroke as soon as I have completed the previous stroke, as I learned when I was 12 years old. Although I'm fairly tall - 6' 1" - I use 26-27 strokes to do 25 yards. People have mentioned the concept of gliding, which I'm not familiar with. Is there any rule of thumb for how long to glide? Should it be a 1 count, a 2 count, or some other measurement? Is there any rule of thumb for the number of strokes to complete 25 yards?

Do not glide. Gliding is basically stopping and starting again (or slowing and speeding up). Would you do that on a bike in a race? It is far worse swimming. Now some people windmill, long powerfull strokes that are fully finished are more efficient, that could be what someone is calling gliding.

Thinking about it one of the big problems 'non-swimmers' have is they stop (even if for only 1/10 of a second) when they breath.

Thinking of the kick. It can be worthwhile when learning to kick medium-hard. If nothing else it minimizes the problems with pauses when breathing. But distance swimmers do not kick much except for the last 100 meters of so. In fact many have a kick wher their legs actually cross. They kick enough to hkeep the legs and hips from dragging and also to keep the body in line, not for speed. I'd say tri swimmers have one more reason not to kick too much, their lags will be working soon. On the other side they should kick enough to keep the legs warmed up.

I have not swam competitively in 30 years, but had close to 20 years experience before that. It is very very difficult to communicate technique over a typewriter. Anyone who has the chance to work with a real coach or even a competitive swimmer (current or past) grab it.

What type of triathlon would be considered a "swimmer's race"?
I'm doing my first tri this summer, 1.5k swim, 30 mi bike, 10k run. A big jump to start with- my goal is really just to finish, but I'd be proud to place in the top 50% of my age group.

For the past 2 months I've been in the pool 2-3 days a week. (Some weeks more) I can tell its going to be my weakest point... I have an efficient stroke, but I'm just s-l-o-w, my lungs have a hard time keeping up. 8 weeks from now to the tri.

I'm a strong cyclist/runner.

Any thoughts? Advice?

from what I understand no triathlon is a swimmers race unless it is a draft legal race, in which case if you're not out of the water and on the bike with the lead pack you're not winning. I've heard a lot of stories about guys breaking the swim record on a course and not finishing because they ran out of gas or just finishing really poorly.

Do not glide. Gliding is basically stopping and starting again (or slowing and speeding up). Would you do that on a bike in a race? It is far worse swimming. Now some people windmill, long powerfull strokes that are fully finished are more efficient, that could be what someone is calling gliding.

Whoa. Are we talking training or racing?

If you're just beginning or training to increase endurance, you should be gliding. Swimming is a muscle memory skill. Gliding will help increase the number of repetitions one is able to do in a session and also help slow the swim down to allow more focus on technique (this is a training thread, after all). By no means should your body be still while you breathe. The remainder of your breath should be expelled at the end of your pull and the breath should be taken while you are in the 'recovery' part of your stroke.

If you're racing or training to increase your sprint speed, then by all means, wheel away (but be mindful of your technique!).

And gliding is not like stopping and starting (as long as your glides aren't overly long). Think of it more like ice skating or roller blading. Like Keith said, you're slowing down and speeding up a bit, but you're still going, and with the slower pace, you can think about your technique. Speed follows technique - and your joints will thank you later.

any recommendations for transitioning from pool/lap swimming to open water? i.e. how often or when should i incorporate open water swim into my training? if i have a late-july triathlon planned, would it be ok to wait until sometime in july to attempt open water and focus my training right now on getting endurance in the pool? (i can barely do 100m freestyle without stopping.)

Wow this thread has been very informative. I am doing my first triathlon this summer, a spring (1/2 mile swim, 10-15 mile bike, 3 mile run) I am not worried at all about bike or run, but I know swimming will be hard for me. I am definitely going to practice everything that y'all said, but I have a question. If you can't do the 1/2 mile without stopping, can you pull off to the side and rest for a few minutes in the middle of the swim? Or is that not allowed? I would feel much safer if I knew I could stop halfway through.

If it is a pool swim you can rest but if it is open water I don't think you'll be swimming to the shore for a breather. Your best option is to just flip over and backstroke. But depending on how much time you have until race day you should be able to get in some good practice sessions. 1/2 mile isn't that long but if you don't conserve your energy in the swim it will hurt you later on.

And just to clarify...I think you mean a sprint not a spring.

IM training for my first sprint-tri in July, Im starting to get nervous about the swim portion. I only learned to swim a couple of months ago and no matter how hard I try, Im only good for about 1 pool length before I have to stop.

Obviously this could be a problem during the actual triathalon :).

Im hoping these tip will help me out, thanks to everyone for the advice

IM training for my first sprint-tri in July, Im starting to get nervous about the swim portion. I only learned to swim a couple of months ago and no matter how hard I try, Im only good for about 1 pool length before I have to stop.

Obviously this could be a problem during the actual triathalon :).

Im hoping these tip will help me out, thanks to everyone for the advice


1. keep swimming. The more you swim the easier it gets. how often are you swimming? daily, weekly?

2. In sprint tris, there are a lot of folks who need to rest frequently. Is this an indoor or outdoor swim? Several people in the two indoor swims I did this year (including myself) stopped to rest a couple/few times.

I am new as well and was swimming a couple hundred max. The other day I went to a Adult or Masters swim that was just 4 dollars. Yea sure there were some bad A$$$ swimmers but everyone was very cool. The coach took some time to show me some balance drills and just from a half hour of practicing these drills I felt more efficient when I swam laps. Look it up online. Im sure there is a similar thing in your area. If not, be patient, go often, go more often, and it will come. Also, there is a bunch of youtube vids on freestyle, tri swimming, Total immersion swimming. Study all those and try to incorperate it in your swimming. Good luck

Yes Greg, there is a cure. 1st off. The sinking legs is a balance issue. There are simple drills to cure that. Do them and do them 4 to5 times a week. Once the balance is there things will chance. I am just getting it now. Was in the same boat as you and can swim a half mile or so at this time. Ok. I found a masters swim program. Its 4 dollars a session and there is a coach and a bunch of very friendly people. Now, check out the links to these Youtube videos. They will get you started. You may as well not even go swim if your pounding the water and not swimming the right way. It's a waste of time. Go every day. Practice these balance drills first. Swim slow and incorporate the balance into your slow swim. Over a few months it will change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6eHZ4P3ykw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gth6DPIYbsM&NR=1

Good luck