Triathlon Training
Wow! This is going to be tougher than I at first anticipated. The biking and running aren’t presenting a problem for me, but this swimming is kicking my a**. I have a new-found respect for competitive swimmers. Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps are animals. Swimming looks so easy - deceptively so. You see lean, lithe bodies slicing effortlessly through the water, and you think, "How hard can it be?" Well, I’m here to tell you that it can be very hard indeed. I know a lot of it has to do with never having been in the water for any length of time and the fact that I’m starting this at an age when most people are abandoning the sport. Still…
The hardest part is keeping my head in the water while controlling my breathing. It’s a whole ‘nother skill, my friends. Blow out when your face is in the water; breathe in by turning your head to one side, all the while trying to remember to keep kicking my legs; keeping my stroke constant; and NOT swallowing a gallon of water in the process. Whew! Is it too late to change my mind about this triathlon thing? Would it label me as a wuss forever? Enquiring minds want to know….
July 16, 2009 at 5:50 pm
no i admire you matter of fact i would like to try that triathalon myself but i’m still in the learning to swim phase keep me posted on your out come .i’m rooting 4 ya
July 16, 2009 at 5:57 pm
im competing in a triathlon aug 16th. good luck. and swimming is my toughest part as well
July 16, 2009 at 6:10 pm
man i give you credit for competing, i am planning on doing my first mini tri next june, thank god i got some time to practice swimming i totaly understand the not trying to drink water part. good luck to you
July 16, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I think the swimming is pretty much everyone’s toughest obstacle when training for a triathalon. Most triathletes are former runners or bikers who decide to give it a try, and then they find out that swimming is actually very difficult. Don’t worry, it’s like driving a stick-shift, at first it’s really weird but as you keep practicing it becomes like second nature.