The following set of race-tested guidelines comes courtesy of Matthew Wong, whose blog is a very good read. After I wrote my set of 10 considerations for Ironman triathlon participation, I requested his inputs. Matt leads the once fortnightly open-water swims we hold at Tanjung Beach, Sentosa Island, Singapore. Those who attend are those who enjoy a morning dip, and actual open-water swim training. You can turn up in your tri-suit, Speedos or wetsuit. During our brief breaks – we wait for the slower ones to reach shore – we exchange experiences and observations on racing and training. Here you go, in Matt’s words:
1) Try your new goggles at least one week before your big race day. This allows adjustments and replacement, if necessary.
2) Race at your training pace. If you are a 1:30 swimmer in the pool, follow that pace [during the race].
3) Have a sachet of spare gel under your swim cap. This is not a joke.
4) Be comfortable with the 76 laps in the pool, first; be comfortable swimming in open water later.
5) Apply lubricants on your main contact points during the swim (armpits, inner thighs) There are also other lubricants that can replace BodyGlide IF you are sufficiently adventurous.
6) Learn to suit up and strip off your swim gear by yourself. Most people are surprised when they could not reach the zipper or string behind their back. Ensure that you are comfortable in your race clothes underneath the wetsuit.
7) Stretch everyday. Period.
8) Get a swim- instructor if you need stroke correction. Get a coach to 'torture' you in the pool with insane swim sets (e.g. Pyramids) to get you faster. Faster must mean, firstly, right strokes.
9) Learn to draft swim, it is the only time you can draft legally in the race.
10) Learn to count your strokes (when I first introduced this, I was sure I had people laughing), it is your pacing and the only way to swim your desired swim spilt.
Special Swimmer Illustration: Tan Boon Fong
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