oldskoolboarder

My wife and I are doing our first sprint next month. I raced cyclocross last year and run pretty regularly. We did a 5K and I was able to keep an 8 min mile while pushing my 2 kids in a Chariot. Not bad for me, considering that my best when I was just a "jogger" was an 8:30 mile. The swim is new, I know it'll be hard, but I'm pretty sure I can tough it out. I'll probably be REALLY inefficient, but that's OK for now. It'll be about 500 yd pool swim anyways.

I have several questions. Please feel free to point me to threads and websites, I have no problem doing research, just not sure where the best resources are.

1) Swim tips? FMU, learning how to breathe properly can make it a hole lot easier.

2) Clothing: What's the thought process? If I wear swim trunks, do I do a full redress into my cycling gear or just put my riding shorts over my trunks? Is it OK to run in my cycling shorts after the ride? (I've actually trained duathalon style like this, but mostly cause I was too lazy to change at home.)

3) Polar 625x HRM question: Yeah, I know it's very specific. I don't suppose anyone knows how to create a bike ride and run into one session?

jennings780

1) Swim - try to focus on reaching as far as you can as you reach forward and then gliding a bit before bringing forward your other arm. Also, try to keep your head and chest down. That will keep you balanced in the water and reduce drag. You should have about 1/2 inch of water flowing over your head.
2) Trunks: buy some tri shorts. Throw on a bike jersey at T1.

jennings780

1) Swim - try to focus on reaching as far as you can as you reach forward and then gliding a bit before bringing forward your other arm. Also, try to keep your head and chest down. That will keep you balanced in the water and reduce drag. You should have about 1/2 inch of water flowing over your head.
2) Trunks: buy some tri shorts. SUpergo has the PI tri shorts on sale for $39. Throw on a bike jersey at T1.

Vuroth

For the swim, I'd say be as relaxed as possible. Rather than just flailing away, try to glide between each stroke, and have your arm be relaxed, not tense, as it recovers over the water.

If bike and run are your strengths, your goal should be to come out of the water feeling relaxed and ready, not anaerobic and panicked. You can always make up the time in your stronger disciplines.

0.02

V

H2OChick

1) Oh, where to begin? Where are you starting from? Can you do freestyle? Can you side breathe? Can you alternate breathe? How's your form? How far can/do you swim before feeling winded? Really we've got to have some notion of your level before we know what kind of advice to offer...
2) Don't wear swim trunks. Wear a speedo. Or better yet, tri shorts. Or bike shorts, if you must. Yes, just wear those for the run. Did I mention not to wear swim trunks?
3) sorry, can't help with this one.

And a few other thoughts... do some searches in the Triathlon forum on swim/swimming/open water, etc. There have been lots of threads over the past several months that will probably be helpful. Another search I found helpful was searching on the term "transition." Learned loads from the sages here. Have fun and keep us posted!

jdtschida

Hey oldskoolboarder. I'm new too. I just bought some Sugoi tri shorts, they are pretty nice. I haven't tried them in the water yet, but for biking and running they are great so far. There was another newbie who posted recently about not having his tri-shorts delivered in time for his race, he used regular bike shorts with the camois, and he said it was perfectly fine. No problems at all.

I also am cramming my swim training in before the race. I'm going about every other day to the lake and just focusing on breathing and pacing myself so I can keep going and not die from exhaustion. Also trying to get my form better, but that's harder without a coach.

oldskoolboarder

I'm a basic swimmer. I won't drown. I can do freestyle but I know I'm not efficient, as exemplified by the fact that I can get winded fast. I can breathe when I bring my head out, facing to the left. (Not sure what side/alternate breathe means, though.) Form is probably not the best. I can do about 1 or 2 laps and I'm winded. But I can do a CX race and maintain 85% HR for most of the race no problem. Weird.

W/ tri shorts, I assume I can swim, bike and run in them OK? Won't the chamois be "squishy" coming out of the water onto the bike?

H2OChick

You won't really feel the squish factor in the chamois. It's pretty thin anyway... yes, wear them for the whole race.

Swimming uses totally different muscles than running and cycling, so there's really very little cross-over in terms of fitness. What I mean by that is you could get an elite marathoner in the pool, and if s/he can't swim worth a darn, s/he will be very winded very quickly. It's got everything to do with becoming efficient. If you're not efficient, your engine's working MUCH harder. You're probably very efficient and cycling and running.

Alternate breathing means breathing to both sides, generally every third stroke. It's a good skill to have for lots of reasons, sighting your target (in open water swims) and symmetry of stroke being two. Side breathing just means turning your face to the side, rather than lifting your head out, which would be considered head-up swimming (and very inefficient!)

Okay, so given your current level of proficiency and the short time before your race, my suggestion is: SURVIVE THE SWIM! (Okay, tongue out of cheek now...) But seriously... 500 yards/meters is 20 lengths (unless it's a 50 meter pool). That will feel very long, especially with a pool full of people doing it at the same time. Take it easy, don't kick too hard, when you start to feel tired, make sure you're not spinning your arms and think long and smooth strokes and glide. And when that fails, breastroke, back float or stand up and take a breather. And then go do what you do best on the bike and the run and have FUN passing people!

oldskoolboarder

Yeah, I'm not going to be delusional on the swim. My goal is to survive and not waste the energy so I can make it up on the bike and run. However, I may even take it easy bike since this is the first tri for my wife, and the first bike race. She's recovering from her 2nd pregnancy in April and she's done 2 5K's already and then wanted to notch it up. I've been trying to get her into CX so I could get a 2nd bike... Since she's "new" to the bike, I might pace her. Which I might have to do anyways, I only have 1 geared bike, the other 3 are either single or fixie. She'll ride the geared and I'll be on a singlespeed 42:16. I can then help her if she has a flat or mech problem.

Thanks for the advice, it's something to get me started. Now all I have to do is find some pool time during the next month, in between work and 2 kids...

oldskoolboarder

Wife and I had our first swim lesson w/ Tim Sheeper this morning. Wow, that was definitely worth it. Getting the breathing technique alone was worth it. I'm not as winded after a single lap. Still have a ways to go on technique, but the breathing should at least keep me sane for the race.

I equate it to golf. You think you can hit a ball until the pro points out all the little things to keep in mind. Then for the life of you, you can't hit the darn ball.

Swami'sPrincess

The chamois in tri shorts is much different than regular cycle only shorts. It still is going to be wet but not like if you tried to run in wet bike shorts. (Imagine running in a wet diaper!)I ride in my swimsuit with a QR seat pad on my seat- it makes up for the lack of padding in your garment. I add shorts for the run normally just because I am a little shy of shakin' my bootie all over the place and scaring people!
Good luck. Triathlon is an addiction as much as it is a sport! =)

oldskoolboarder

My goal is to enjoy myself. Not sure if I'm going to be totally into tri, but hopefully my wife will be. Why? Cause that'd mean another bike I can shop for...and we're the same size...