Why improve your triathlon swim?

I had a client tell me about how his races have changed since becoming a better swimmer.  All the good things about controlling pace and being efficient, well trained and ready…  Well all that was good.  The bad thing was it became much harder to find the bike in T2.  

After the Redman Aquabike swim I have decided to get a pocket added to my wetsuit to carry business cards. On my second lap of the Redman Aquabike swim I noticed several, maybe 25 or more people standing (not swimming) in the shallow water side of the swim course. That’s right – standing up during the swim.

I can’t imagine getting in to swim a mile or more in a lake and truly not being able to.  What a scary and unsettling way to start a race.

Please get with your local tri club or fitness center and find a coach to help you learn to swim.  It’s a life long skill that could save your life, besides the fact it will make your triathlons way more fun.  Also teach your children to swim.  I’m so glad my Mother got me in lessons at 5 years old.  I spent most my youth at the local pool playing.  I raced in High School for the small local team and several years later raced again in a masters program in St. Louis.

I’ve have great success with beginning swimmers in just 3 to 5 lessons.  Sometimes even one session gives someone a breakthrough.  My first goal is to get them efficiently swimming and then to control the pace, find and complete their goal distance at a comfortable pace.  From there we work on more technique and swim strength, endurance and speed.  Good swimmers are built in my opinion.

Get in the water!