Open Water Training Tip: Blind Swimming in the Pool

Ahh, the dreaded swim for my terrestrial dominant triathletes...

I'm definitely no elite or pro class triathlete (well, at least not yet), but swimming a straight line in an open water swim is a challenging feat, in and of itself...then, add 50-100 people into the mix during your wave in a tri, and you've increased the challenge exponentially.

But, is there a way I can practice maintaining a relatively straight line during my pool swims? One really important training tip I've practiced over the years and has helped me tremendously is to get into the pool and swim with your eyes closed.

Say what?!

Yes, swimming with your eyes closed creates an entirely different swimming experience. Obviously, don't try this during a masters' swim practice or during peak pool times, lest you be thrashed or splashed (and rightfully so) by your fellow poolmates.

The benefits of blind swimming?

1) Improves your feel for the water- Your proprioception (body awareness or sense of space/environment) is enhanced during this activity, so you can feel for the way and degree to which your body rolls, your head and body position, your hand entry, pull, and recovery...even that elusive "holding still water" concept becomes a bit more real to you.

In open water swims, most of the propulsive activity of your stroke should occur below the water surface any way, so it would behoove you to be more aware of what your arms and body are doing underwater.

2) Stroke equalization- you will notice very quickly if you tend to pull harder on one side or the other since you'll invariably snag one of the lane ropes if you have this tendency.

In an open water situation where you may have chops or swells, being able to swim with an equal stroke certainly minimizes the waywardness that we all experience from time to time during the swim.

3) Fear management- Let's face it. there are no lanes, no straight black lines in an open water swim. Heck, sometimes, I can't even see my own hand in some of the waters in which I've swum. Since you can't see what lies beneath the surface, the darkness and depth can be unnerving at times (watch Shark Week on the Discovery channel...or any Friday the 13th classic...).

So, why not acclimate to your fear of the unknown in the comfort of your own pool?? Getting your eyes closed helps you to get used to not being able to see the bottom, which helps you relax better in open water, and focus on sighting or dodging those other swimmers who didn't read this blog on the benefits of blind swimming!

Tri race checklist!

SWIM:
Wetsuit
Body glide
Goggles
Swim cap- provided by race
Sunscreen
Watch

BIKE:
Bike shoes
Bike gloves
Helmet
Sunglasses
Race Belt
Bike jersey/tri-shorts
Water bottle with Nuun
Fuel (Oly distance: Gu, electrolyte blocks, powerbar)
Spare tube with CO2

RUN:
Sneakers/Socks
Hat/visor

TRANSITION:
Helium balloon
Bucket/water
Big towel
Small towels (for T1 and post-race)
Water bottle to rinse during T1

RECOVERY (post-race)
Coconut water
Bananas
Nuts
Recovery drink

Navigation/EZ-Pass
Printed directions
Fresh clothes, clean towel
Race registration confirmation email (just in case)

you know when you're a tri-junkie when...

From Rob Schultz's website. Any empathizers?
http://www.robschultz.com/endurance/2008/03/another-funny-y.html

No aerobars!!

After a long discussion with my bike mechanic, Steve Mancuso, who also happens to be a cat 1, cyclocross guru, I made the decision to remove my aerobars from my road bike for my first oly next Sunday!

I have been a little hesistant, as you might have read in other blogs I've posted (www.mavenpt.com, tri-holics.tumblr.com), but I'm just going to trust that it's the better decision. Certainly, there was an immediate and noticeable difference in the bike weight and feel upon removing the bars. Steve's argument- "Dude, you have a road bike, not a tri bike...and the distance is only 25 miles for the oly. You're not gonna get a whole lot of advantage." This remains to be seen...

"For a half IM or a full IM, however, the aerodynamic bars can be of an advantage as far as energy economy during the race."

I'm excited to participate in CGI Racing's NJ State Oly Tri next weekend because the race is so flat that you can actually get a pretty good time trial "feel", from what I understand (check out cgiracing.com).

Goal time: 2:20 minutes!

NJ State Olympic tri- coming soon. July 24.

So, I'm excited to compete in my first olympic distance triathlon. The training for a longer distance triathlon obviously requires different demands on your system, which I'm currently experiencing. Official "oly" triathlon distances for each even (in miles) are as following:


SWIM: 0.93 mi (1.5k)


BIKE: 24.86 mi (40k)


RUN: 6.2 mi (10k)

Training distances are a bit longer for each of the events, recovery times are a bit different, and of course, the overall strategy is going to be different as well. This is not a race where one can just go all out for each event...well, at least not for me.

My goal time is under 2:20 minutes, which would place me in the top 20 for the race overall (based on 2010 rankings). The goal is lofty, since it's my first oly, but hey, I'll be happy if I can get my time under 2:35.

My goal splits: 24 min swim (1:36/100 m), 1:05 bike (23.3 mph), 46 min (7:30 mi).

I have two concerns before me:
1) After my Wyckoff run catastrophe (read previous blog), my infamous cramps on the run haunt me (yes, I am always well-hydrated and electrolyte-balanced). I'm hoping Wyckoff will always be my one fluke race, so that I can get all the cramps out of the way.

2) My next concern is the swim. Most likely, no wetsuit for the race based on the high water temperature...though, in a way, I'm looking forward to swimming without the suit, because I'll be able to see how I really fare as an open water swimmer.

I'll be incorporating a lot of CFE (CrossFit Endurance) principles and generally higher intensity, lower volume of training strategies . More on training for the race coming soon...

Wyckoff Triathlon 2011. The good, the bad, and the ugly...

Summary:
In 10 years, I've never cramped in my quads/hams during a race or training...save both of my
tries at Wyckoff. I was debilitated during the swim transition to T1, T1 to the bike, and to cap it off, during the entire run. The race was an utter disappointment as a result, as my expectation of a 1:45 was high and well within the realm of achievable.

Ok, ok, all was not lost, however, as there were some notable high notes. :)

Stats:
Overall time: 2:02 (I did beat my Wyckoff 2009 time by 1 minute!).
Overall Place: 250/650 (better than the 406/750 2 years ago).
Age group males: 42/85 (ok, pretty good, all things considered).

Swim-
Swim went very well. My best open water 1/2 mile swim to date- I clocked out of the water at 14 min, but as soon as I reached the shore, the thigh cramps started, so by the time I completed my gimp to the sensor into T1, I added 4 minutes to my swim time...then I gimped some more during the 1/4 mile T1 to my bike. Bad, bad start and a hauntingly possible
deja vu of Wyckoff 2009.

Bike-
Sam's bike strategy helped me INCREDIBLY- average of 20.3 during the 17 miler with hills.
My best bike race pace to date! Thanks Sam! Not sure why I didn't cramp at all during the ride...and, I was so hopeful for a strong run...however....

Run-
I literally had to walk-jog the entire 5 mile run. Bam! Deja vu. I uttered a hysterical giggle at multiple times during the ordeal. My ABSOLUTE worst run to date...ever....even worse than my run time of Wyckoff 2009, which I also had to gimp through. 10:05 pace. I was miserable with hammie/quad cramps, but somehow mustered up a limping jog across the finish line for the fans, and, of course, for the photographers. I think people thought I had some sort of disability by the running "strategy" I chose to employ (if you could imagine a constipated countenance on a bow-legged, galloping, hunchbacked quasimodo, you might get a hint of what I mean).

Coolest part of the run- several people offered their gels, electrolytes, words of encouragement, and a pat on the back.

Ok, off to the next race. NEW JERSEY STATE OLYMPIC TRIATHLON. JULY 24TH!!

happy training!