One more reason to NOT do triathlons!

When I saw this article and decided to post it I wanted to see what kind of reaction it would get from some Triathletes who hang out on this forum. As a coach I continue to allow my frustration to build when multisport athletes attend my workouts and opt out of what I would consider helpful workouts...which most of the time (IMHO) I fell do just the opposite. A perfect example the other day was a gal who refused to do any drill/technique work and in the past has also bailed on quality sets. Instead slipping off to an open lane to do a long swim (my quality workouts are often between 1500-2000 yards with a lot of rest). My thoughts are that this person would be better served working on the efficiency of her stroke so as to be able to complete aa long swim not fatigued...she doesn't see it that way. Even worse is when I see triathletes training on their own at my gym...to me these folks are the higher risk candidates for having problems on the swim. So often working so hard and not progressing... I'm glad to see that the overall climate of this forum is changing. I am a swimmer who does triathlon. I see the same thing where triathletes just don't want to put the time in to swim well. I was first out of the water in 11/12 tri's last year. The best part is that I get to cruise the swim, basically a stretched out swim at sunrise. out of the rest of the field I am again off the bike usually top 3, why? because i am efficient enough in the water to not go anerobic in first 20 minutes of a 4 hour race. These same athletes put a good whoop on me come training time tho. I tell them, spend more than 3500 yds/week in the water and work on your stroke. Everytime it's the same thing. They would rather spend 6 hours on the bike on saturday. I have never spent more than 3 hours riding, no more than 100 miles in a week. But I do take the time to do drills in every discipline. Lastly, I do take great pleasure in exploiting the competitiveness of many triathletes by swimming along side of them and over working their ability but, of course I'm in the pool 4 days a week from 530-715 so I deserve that:)

This has been an interesting thread. There are others here with more experience with triathlons and triathletes than I, but I will make a few observations for what they are worth. -- Not meaning to brag, but when I enter USMS-sanctioned OW swims, I often have the fastest overall time. I have entered four triathlons (swim-bike only; awful knees prevent me from running) and have never had the overall fastest swim time, though I was always in the top five. Three of the triathlons were large, at least by my standards (2000+ entries). I could complain that I usually get stuck in one of the last waves, and am forced to run over/around people, while the pros get clear water...but facts are facts: there are some really fast swimmers at triathlons. -- Triathlons are a lot of fun, though generally more expensive than OW races and swim meets. There are exceptions, of course. But you do get what you pay for: good swag, good food, significant awards -- I won a nice lounge chair once and the plaques are huge by swimming standards -- and after-race socials worth sticking around for. -- Sorry, but I was generally more impressed with the physique and the apparent fitness of typical triathletes than with typical masters swimmers. Just my unscientific impression and I'll probably catch grief about it. Cycling and running punish you more for that extra baggage than swimming does. -- On the other hand, masters swimming is more friendly to the elderly and that counts for a lot in my book. I am still amazed by the feats of many 80+ year-old swimmers. I love the applause that an elderly swimmer gets when finishing a tough race. -- Although many are excellent swimmers, I am amazed at how poorly SOME of the top triathletes swim and how uncomfortable they can be in open water. I know of one local athlete, a podium finisher at Kona, who is still subject to panic attacks during the OW leg of some races. I don't think this makes them bad athletes, just bad swimmers compared to the typical masters swimmer. My own view is that it is too bad such people don't get penalized more for their ineptitute in one of the three disciplines. But many triathlete friends assure me that, if the swims were longer, the sport would be significantly less popular and that there would be more accidents. -- A good triathlete friend of mind, a multiple Kona competitor and president of the local tri club, tells me that triathlete interest in swimming is always very high. Whenever they put on workshops or similar things, there is high demand. Although clearly the least important leg (by a lot), it is incorrect to say that triathletes are not that interested in swimming. -- This is an observation from the same triathlete friend, who is a very strong swimmer and sometimes competes in local OW races. When he goes to such races, he said that he notices far fewer entrants who are just in the race to complete it. All the swimmers seem quite serious to him. In triathlons, however -- even some of the top races -- he states that there will be a large percentage of people whose only purpose is to brag about completing (say) a half-IM at the water cooler. They don't care how fast (or rather, slow) they go. I noticed the same phenomenon myself...although I am not a particularly strong cyclist, I would zip by literally hundreds of people, most of them on bikes much more expensive than mine.