Don't Fear the Water
By Bruckner Chase

At my first triathlon 24 years ago, I remember standing on the shore and looking at a line of buoys that disappeared into the sunrise. It felt as if I was about to embark on a swim across the English Channel. Years and countless mass swim starts later the old fears still creep up, but they are far less of a drag on my race performance and swimming is no longer synonymous with surviving.
As you move from the pool to the open water, swimming smart can transfer that winter pool speed into faster overall triathlon times, and you can again put off flip turns until next year. Starting a race with more confidence will positively affect your performance in each event. Aside from the obvious benefit of a faster swim time, emerging from the water less rattled and with more energy in reserve will set you up for stronger performances on land.
There are countless articles about swim techniques, wetsuit choices, and how to use the latest equipment to get faster, but what follows are just a few musings from my own experience. Assuming you already know to wear sunscreen, you may take or leave what you wish from the rest.
A word on the water
There is not a lane line in sight and the bottom may quickly fade from view, but most of the fears we bring to an open water swim have more to do with “Shark Week” than anything else. Chances are the only animal hitting and biting you during a triathlon swim will be one of your competitors. As 100-plus athletes charge into a body of water, most wildlife is going to follow the flight response and get away fast. In late summer along the Atlantic coast, your most likely wildlife encounter will be with the less cerebral—jelly fish. Their stings can be painful and the intensity of the pain will vary by individual, from just a painful sting to an itchy, bothersome rash. Most lifeguards can treat the stings when you get out of the water, but in the heat of competition, you’ll usually find that the pain subsides on its own within a few minutes.

A few thoughts before the start
As you check in on race day, take a look at the colors of the swim caps. Sometimes the swim caps are the same colors as the race buoys. You don’t want to spend the first half of your swim trying to reach the turn buoy, only to realize you’d mistaken it for a wayward competitor. In most cases, the buoys will be the orange things that don’t have arms and legs…or fins and teeth.
After you get checked in, take a few minutes to get to know the water you are about to swim in. By the time most of us arrive at a race site, the swim course is laid out, and taking a few minutes to check the
direction of the course and verify the buoys you are aiming for is time well spent. Prior to the crowds descending on the start area, take a minute to walk down to the water’s edge, and if conditions permit, swimming out to the first buoy is usually a good idea. This pre-event dip will let you acclimate at your own pace without being helped along by a mob of eager athletes. For ocean swims, watch the waves for a few minutes. Know where the waves are breaking and plan to get past the breaking waves before you settle down into your usual race pace. As you plan your start and the swim out to the first buoy, take into consideration any currents that may sweep you past the buoy. Sometimes when there’s a current, starting on the outside of the masses and taking a longer line to the buoy may actually get you there faster. Your breathing and heart rate will spike when you hit cold water, but stay calm and relaxed. Splashing a little water on your face, arms, and the back of you neck may help alleviate the shock most of us mammals get when we hit cold water. That physiological response and the initial panic feeling will soon pass and you can
settle into your pace.
Finally, this pre-event trip to the water is the time to look around from a swimmer’s perspective. Views of the course markers and landmarks look a lot different from five inches above the water’s
surface than they do from five feet. If you do swim out to warm up, look back at the swim finish and the entry into the first transition area. Even the largest banner can be hard to find with small waves, so look for another large inland landmark, like a building or distinctive set of trees. When you are done with the warm-up swim or coming back from the water, pay close attention to your footing and plan those steps up the beach to the transition area. Pick out landmarks for the entrance to the transition chute and know which way to go. You will be pulling off a wetsuit amongst the throngs later, so plan now.
A nod to competition
First and foremost, relax. A lot can happen in open water swimming with just one or two people, so expect the unexpected when you are swimming among hundreds. The strong swimmers can take off from the front, establish position, and then settle in. If you are not sure where your swimming abilities fall, then focus on staying comfortable and let the rest fight it out in the middle of the pack. I am a firm believer in picking a spot on the outside of the crowd, building into the swim, and picking off the people who went out too fast. Push yourself, but remember that finishing strong and confident will set you up for even greater gains on the bike and in the run.
Regardless of your swimming speed, the best thing you can do is swim as direct a line along the course as possible. How often to sight depends on each swimmer. How straight you normally swim and how strong the weather and waves are pushing may mean sighting as often as every four to six strokes. As a backup to looking for buoys, try to sight on a landmark beyond the buoys. Remember the high school geometry fact that two points determine a line and not just one. Sighting on something larger will also mean a minimal disruption of your stroke.
Drafting is a great way to save energy, but make sure the person you choose to draft is swimming a straight line. Getting a few yards off course can cost you the time gained drafting a faster swimmer. If you do find an ideal drafting situation, try not to follow too closely, coincidentally hitting the draftee’s legs on every stroke. A mile or so of constant striking can make your draftee angrier than a Great White. Finally, monitor your effort and how you feel. There may come a time when your best strategy is to pull out of the draft and pick up the pace.
Wetsuits seem to be as essential to many competitors as their bikes. But, in races where wetsuits are optional, they may not always be the fastest way to go. Urban legend says that wetsuits make swimmers about 10 seconds per mile faster per 100 yards. Many races these days have swims as short as a quarter mile, or about 500 yards, which means wearing rubber could shave about 50 seconds. But, unless you to can get in and out of the suit in less than 50 seconds, you may want leave it on shore for those warmer swims. One easy way to keep warm without the burden of a wetsuit is a 1mm or 3mm neoprene cap worn under your colored race cap. This can make an amazing difference in how comfortable you feel in borderline conditions.
Think before you sprint. After battling the competitor next to you throughout the swim course, it might feel good to redline it and sprint to shore; however, you may find yourself panting and struggling in that critical transition time. You have a lot of things to do to make a fast exit on the bike, and many of those things require higher functioning motor skills. Get to land feeling strong with a clear mental picture of the next two minutes. Chances are you will get on the bike faster and be on your way to the finish.
A final point to ponder
There is a saying that you are only as good as your last race. For me, training and racing is a passion. I am not here for my “last race,” but I am here for a lifetime of racing. Race smart and have fun this season. Often the best finishes come from the races that feel the easiest.
For more information check out www.oceancityswimclub.org.