Swimming can be intimidating for triathletes, especially open water swimming.  The biggest fears I hear from athletes are: Coldwater is breathtaking, not being able to see the bottom, having no lane makers or walls to rest on and swimming in close proximity with others. Click here to read more about What Lies Beneath.

In this video I discuss

• If you are a strong and experienced swimmer, start in the front and start off at a strong pace to get away and into your own space
• If you are a strong and less experienced open water swimmer, start off to the side and work your way to the front
• If you are “slower” less experienced swimmer start off in the back off the pack and learn from your experience.
• If you are a slow and experienced swimmer, try something new and start in a space you have not in the past and see how it works out for you

Each venue will provide a different experience and you can always predict what will happen. What you can do it learn from it to continue to set you up for success next time

• what do expect in a rolling start
• Depends on the race venus and director and how they structure the wave starts
• Back in the day mass and age group or male female
• These days rolling start meaning your line yourself up according to your predicted finish time
• Breath control and relaxing
• Warm-up before your start
• Sighting every stroke
• The best place for inexperience start outside and move in towards the race course venue
• it is okay to start behind, and know if waves behind you they might catch up before you.

What to expect: 

technique short and choppy

breathless anxiety and you are gonna start faster then you should practice in the pool 

acclimate to cold water 

warming up

Dont kick much as your will be in a wetsuit

Start as fast as your can to catch a draft

Sight ing every stroke

drafting 

Drafting touching toes and having your toes touched

Practice makes progress

Click here to listen to Dave and I discuss more.