|
Debbie
IL
Member Since:
01/20/2006 Total Posts: 8
2.4 Years Ago
|
|
I did my first tri last weekend and had a complete and immobilizing panic in the water. I did finish but had to breast stroke the whole way. It was raining hard during the whole race which didn't help. I couldn't recover for any significant length of time. I did have a wetsuit on and wasn't afraid of drowning, can't really explain it. I'm not giving up yet. Other than more open water swims, would a Total Immersion camp be worth the money or would masters swimming do the trick. Or should I stick to pool starts ;-)? |
|
|
Jimbo
FL
Member Since:
01/03/2005 Total Posts: 667
2.4 Years Ago
|
|
Debbie,
I think there are a few other posts under the two triathlon sections where folks talk about the SAME thing. All the above would probably help but I would not limit myself to pool starts. I'm not a doctor (but I do play one on TV) but I would suggest that the more you do the more relaxed you will become. Total Immersion will help you become more comfortable in the water and masters swimming will give you the confidence in your abilities to conquer the distance but it will take time and experience. I read someone had stripped their wetsuit during the swim because of a panic attack. |
|
|
Debbie
IL
Member Since:
01/20/2006 Total Posts: 8
2.4 Years Ago
|
|
Thanks Jim,
I had read those posts previously and the phrase "underwater chick scream" has sent me into giggles underwater more than once. I'll just keep plugging away, maybe try the master's swimming first since it's cheaper.
|
|
|
Alison
BC
Member Since:
04/04/2006 Total Posts: 349
2.4 Years Ago
|
|
Hey Debbie,
That sounds exactly like a race I did last August. For the first two hundred meters all I wanted to do was turn around, get out of the water and call my mother to have her tell me everything was okay (I didn't think "I want my Mummy" would still be in my vocabulary in my thirties!). I managed to do some freestyle but did about 75% of it with breaststroke.
I would strongly recommend doing some open water swim workouts with a group, doesn't matter if it's a TI training camp or masters club, what's important is getting into the water and getting used to it.
This year I've done a lot of open water workouts with my club and found there are a few things that have helped me be comfortable in the water. I try to have enough time to get into my wetsuit and slowly ease myself into the water and get a feel for the lake and the area and the water temperature. Scooping water into my wetsuit right away helps me get the gasp reflex from the cold water entering my suit out of the way. I take my time putting my face in the water and just do a few easy strokes of freestyle and get used to my face being in the water and again just get a feel for the lake and the water. Once I'm comfortable then I'll do a longer warm up swim. My pre-race swim is really more of an aclimitization than a warm up.
Open water swimming is soooo much nicer than being in a pool, it's worth putting in the effort. This year I've only done one open water tri so far but the swim was wonderful, training in open water definitely made a difference. |
|
|
|
|
Debbie
IL
Member Since:
01/20/2006 Total Posts: 8
2.4 Years Ago
|
|
Thanks for all the good suggestions. Reading the posts about putting my face in the water got my heart rate up so I suspect that may be a good place to start.
Thanks again!
Debbie |
|
|
Debbie
IL
Member Since:
01/20/2006 Total Posts: 8
2.3 Years Ago
|
|
I finished my second tri today and the swim went much better, I followed all the suggestions posted. Just wanted to say thanks again. It was a totally different experience. |
|
|
Alison
BC
Member Since:
04/04/2006 Total Posts: 349
2.3 Years Ago
|
|
Yay!
Eventually the swim could actually be fun.
How did the rest of the race (bike/run) go?
A. |
|
|
Debbie
IL
Member Since:
01/20/2006 Total Posts: 8
2.3 Years Ago
|
|
Actually the swim was fun. I loved not having to turn around at the wall, such a feeling of freedom. The sky was a beautiful blue compared with the hard rain during my first race. The bike and run were great. The brick training paid off! Next year I'll work on my speed.
Deb
|
|
