Tag: swimming

Swimming inspiration from Shinji Takeuchi, with Total Immersion Swimming Method

A couple weeks ago, I was feeling pretty good about myself after racking a 2:44:06 at the Lifetime Olympic Triathlon in Tempe.

But even though all three of the sports seemed to go well, when I dug into my race stats, one thing glared back at me: a super slow swim.

Now, I’ve always been a slow swimmer. And part of my Total Immersion strategy focuses on swimming effortlessly to conserve energy for the bike and the run.

However, I shouldn’t be swimming so effortlessly that nearly my entire age group gets out of the water ahead of me.

Indeed, I have found my hurdle.

Want to suck at open-water swimming? Here are five tips.

What if I told you, you could dramatically increase your heart rate, stress levels, muscle strain and overall race time?

Unbelievable, right? Wait, there’s more! At the same time, you also can decrease the amount of enjoyment you derive from swimming, competition and the sport of triathlon.

I know. Your mind = blown.

Well, everyone knows the swim is the easiest leg of the triathlon. But what this article presupposes is, maybe it isn’t.

Keep reading to learn five ways to help screw up the open-water swim at your next triathlon.

Or: How I learned to stop fighting and trust the water, with Total Immersion

When I talk to non-triathlon folk about triathlon, the conversation usually goes something like this one, featuring my fictitious friend, Jessie.

Jessie: “Yo, what are the distances, again?”
Me: “For Ironman, its a 2.5-mile swim, 112-mile ride and a 26.2-mile run.”
Jessie: “For real? You’re crazy, man.”
Me: uncomfortable laughter
Jessie: “Yo, I could never do a triathlon.”
Me: “It’s not as bad as you think.”
Jessie: “Like, I guess I’d be ok on the bike and run, you know – but I wouldn’t be able to get through that swim, yo.”
Me: “Dude. That’s what everybody says. And that’s what I thought at first, too. But once you learn the right technique, the swim is the easiest part of the race.”
Jessie: “I don’t know – I just ain’t all that comfortable in the water. And yo – there’s nothing to hang on to out there in the open water. What if I panic or something?”

This gets me riled up because fearing the swim is such a common misconception – and one that I fell for too.

“But if you swim properly, you won’t get tired!” I retort, as Jessie rolls his eyes.

I go on to explain how when I went from fighting and hating the water with every flailing stroke, to swimming silently, efficiently and – most importantly – happily.