Top Swimming Tips for Triathlons

Every triathlete has his or her event that is considered a weakness. But swimming by far is the most troublesome event in a triathlon for 95% of athletes. For a beginner triathlete, this worry is even greater. But whether you are established or just starting out, there’s a remedy for getting better at the swimming section (or leg) of the triathlon. Stick around and we’ll explore it together.

A good place to start in terms of your appraisal is “how good you are at the basics of swimming”. You’ll need to have some confidence in ‘open water’ as most triathlon swimming events take place in lakes, rivers etc. It’s a good idea to speak with your local swimming instructor and have them gauge your abilities—this will give you an objective opinion about ‘where you are at’ and what you need to improve things.

The first thing you’ll want to work on is your technique. Swimming can be a very taxing event and it’s even worse if your technique is poor to begin with. By working on your technique early, you’ll give yourself added cushion in the other events as you’ll conserve energy during the swimming leg of the triathlon.
When starting out with improving your swimming ability is the key is to start slowly. Gradually build up your capacity for long distances and never go full on at the beginning. Not only will you risk injury, the stamina needed to complete races will not become a part of your overall preparation. Swimming is pretty much like riding a bike—the more you practice, the better and lasting the proficiency.

In terms of training space, nothing beats a swimming pool in the early stages. It allows you to build up your distance gradually and gives you the added comfort of being able to stop and climb out when you can’t continue. Contrast this with being stuck 200 meters out in a lake and you can see the immediate benefits. The overall goal of your training should be an increase of 10% on your target distance. In other words, a race day distance of 600m would require you to be completing comfortably a distance of 660m. Of course getting to this level will take time, so slowly build up your stamina to this level.

Your swimming routine should be so structured to prepare you across multiple areas. Beginner triathletes tend to train by aimlessly swimming the length of the pool, neglecting the important areas of strength, conditioning and technique. Without training in these areas you’ll find that on the day when emotions set in, you won’t be able to keep up. Consider incorporating some interval training in your routine, it will help build stamina. If you are unsure about how these elements look in practice, consult your local swim coach or take a look online, there’s a wealth of information about swimming techniques and routines.

Nothing beats the ‘real thing’ so as soon as you are comfortably completing your race distance in the pool, you really need to move to some open water to test your new found abilities. When you take this step, try and mirror your swimming environment to the actual race day environment. If you are going to be swimming in a lake, try and find a body of water that has the same constitution.
When you are doing the actual swimming training in open water practice navigation as on race day you’ll need to stay on course—and there are no lines to guide you as in a swimming pool.
The swimming leg of the triathlon may be the toughest for most people but you can conquer it. Use the tips outlined above, work on your technique and build your stamina—you’ll find the real thing a breeze if you do.

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