Last year when I finished my first triathlon, my main concern during training was being able to finish the 0.9 mile swim. After all, the last time I had completed a "mile swim" was in boy scouts. I did it at Camp Friedlander outside Cincinnati, Ohio, in a 25 yard pool. About 70 lengths of the pool, all swum doing breast stroke which was my strongest stroke when I swam competitively. So, fast forward to last year, and here I am an "ageing fitness geek" wondering whether I can train to swim the faster "freestyle" for nearly a mile in open water with no walls to hang on to, if only for a moment, or push off of to give my muscles a short respite. Well, in the lead up to the triathlon in Philly I was able to get enough pool time, coaching, and encouragement to refine and smooth my freestyle stroke to be comfortable about finishing the swim portion of the event. In Philly I finished the swim in under a half hour. Yes, it was down stream but even though the current helped a little it wasn't very strong.
Next Sunday I will attend my first session of a swimming clinic which is geared
specifically to improving the swimming stroke of triathletes. Who knows, maybe I will even develop a decent kick. Although, I have heard that one strategy is to "save" your legs during the swim for the bicycle and run portions of the race. I'll be interested in hearing what our coach, who comes highly recommended, has to say.
What are my concerns for the wildflower triathlon? In a nutshell, leg cramps and hills. And I have 175 days to work that out. :-)
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