How much do triathlete need to learn about swimming?
Former Member
I do not mean this as a heartless criticism of triathletes. I actually enjoy the sport. But many of them start doing triathlons with almost no knowledge or experience in swimming. Here are a couple of choice comments to the thread I linked below. Thank goodness I knew how to ride a bike and run before I started doing tris - but not well. Give them credit for taking it on, but I do think they should learn to swim before entering one.
"The swim is short ( 150 yards ), and I can make it..not without stopping a couple of times at the end of the pool."
"A lot of pool sprints are so newbie friendly that they let you get through the water any way you can. I have seen people water walk the 300 meters in a pool swim in my area."
"My wife did an indoor tri a few months ago and I think 1/4 of the people walked the swim."
I recommended that the person do breaststroke.
www.beginnertriathlete.com/.../thread-view.asp
Parents
Former Member
Some protested that they wouldn't get into trouble, and I said that everyone eventually gets into trouble with each part of swim/bike/run -- be it a live event or just practice.
I have been swimming in open water nearly 45 years and there has never been a time when I went in the water before going over a mental checklist of what I would do if things went wrong. The best always do this. It could be boats or jet skis, high surf, strong currents, just feeling bad or being surrounded by a lot of yahoos (happens more frequently than I'd like when body surfing sizable waves). You're simply foolish if you don't, and that is another thing I consider before I get in.
Some protested that they wouldn't get into trouble, and I said that everyone eventually gets into trouble with each part of swim/bike/run -- be it a live event or just practice.
I have been swimming in open water nearly 45 years and there has never been a time when I went in the water before going over a mental checklist of what I would do if things went wrong. The best always do this. It could be boats or jet skis, high surf, strong currents, just feeling bad or being surrounded by a lot of yahoos (happens more frequently than I'd like when body surfing sizable waves). You're simply foolish if you don't, and that is another thing I consider before I get in.
