But I cant swim.....

And to a degree that is still true....but I'm getting better (sort of).

So, after years of running and biking and biking and running, I decided that Triathlon was what I wanted to do next.  The one sticking point was, the swim.   I guess I could have tried multi-sport events that didn't include a swim but it was really Triathlon that I wanted to do.

I had no choice therefore but to confront my 'cant swim' dilemma.  After much deliberation, I decided the best approach was to take advantage of the adult lessons provided at a local pool, where both my boys learned to swim.  At least knowing the instructor might prove somewhat less embarrassing for me !

I was so nervous before that first 'lesson', not knowing what to expect, not wanting to be the slowest, or the worst swimmer, yet resigned to the fact this was how it would be. The pool was divided into 4 lanes and it looked as if the objective was to make it to the 'fast' lane where all the 'real' swimmers operated.  So to give some perspective to where I started with my swimming, the opening conversations went like this....

'Ok Brian, we'll start in the slow lane' - nothing out of the ordinary so far.  

'Where are your goggles?' - 'I don't own any....never have'.  'ok, well how will that work then with putting your head under water?'  

'Aah, well there's a thing, I don't like my head being under water...'

It was going to be a lot of work to get from here to being able to swim well enough to start thinking about entering a triathlon.  To start off, that first session, no goggles, not liking to have my face in the water and having to stop every 2 lengths to get my breath back...I wondered if I might have picked the wrong sport !  Here I was, someone who a month or so previously had run a Marathon and a couple of months later couldn't make 2 lengths of a 25m pool without stopping.  I didn't get it.

Over the next 4 to 5 weeks as the instructors worked with me to correct and remedy my 'style' I actually began to feel more like a swimmer, rather than someone trying to get from one end of the pool to the other without sinking, drinking the water or crashing into someone coming the other way !  As a result of feeling this progress, I resolved to carry on with this weekly session, bought myself a book to read (Swimsmooth) and watched a number of youtube videos to try and take on board as much as I could.

I had acquired a Triathlon watch so was able to sit in wonder after my swim and study a plethora of numbers and statistics I had no idea of the meaning of (SWOLF for example).  I could also share such confusing statistics with my mates on Strava.  My instructors insisted on doing it the old way, and counted strokes in a length and told me what I should be aiming for....I think my fellow swimmers preferred this approach as they all looked round in annoyance as I hit the multitude of buttons on my watch and made lots of beeping noises. 

Despite all this new information on my wrist, I was still the slowest in the pool by a wide margin and never once finished the sets we were tasked to complete in the 30 mins we had. That said, every week, I managed to get closer to finishing a set, or reduce the number of times I was lapped.  Gains were small and at the margins...but I had grown to love the weekly swim, the challenge it presented and the seemingly endless technique there was to master.  But no one was ever critical of my slow progress, or lack of speed, totally the opposite.  Instructors and fellow swimmers alike were nothing but positive and supportive. After a while, I got quicker than the other two in my lane, I wasn't the slowest anymore.  My swim fitness started to improve, it all started to come together.

In or around April, I had enough confidence to attempt my first open water swim - more about that in a separate post.  I remember going back to the pool the first Monday after that open water swim and being so pleased with myself and telling my instructors, who were just as pleased for me and the progress I'd made.  This spurred me on to improve further.

After a few more weeks of the Monday sessions I decided to take myself swimming at the local council run pool and continue by trying to coach myself.  I needed to swim twice a week so would mix this with a session in the lake as my second swim.  Unfortunately for me, the second swim with the group I started with was an 'invite only' and my progress hadn't been good enough to warrant such an invite (fair enough).  The Thursday carrot was dangled as I continued to progress... 'at this rate Brian, you'll be able to come to the Thursday session soon...' but alas, I never quite made the grade.

To conclude, even if you think you can't swim, like I always did, I think as adults, we are more concerned about joining a group where there will be others better, faster etc. than us. Yes, that is true, there will be those people...but they aren't ogres, they will be nice people, they will encourage and support, give tips, advice etc.  

So if you are thinking of taking up triathlon, but keep telling yourself, '...but I can't swim' don't let this put you off.  Find your local adult swimming classes, get yourself down there and get into it.   To my own surprise, despite the swim being the weakest of my three disciplines, I actually tend to enjoy it the most.  I love the challenge of learning, progressing and also the very technical nature of swimming.  I plan to post more on swimming as there is so much to cover.

Don't be afraid to start...go on, dive in !

The Mighty Tri's first ever post.

So here we go, the first post on the mighty tri.  

Why start a  Blog? Last year, having got quite bored of running Marathons, I decided to try Triathlon.  It was something I had been thinking of trying for a while.  I've always ridden and enjoyed bikes (road and MTB) and my running had got to a reasonable standard...but I kept telling myself I couldn't swim  (some would say I still can't !), let alone take on an open water swim.

But, I resolved to try, so last January I took up some swimming lessons and that same year completed my first two events, a short sprint and a longer Olympic distance triathlon.

With those first two events, I soon realised that this new sport I had taken up was quite a lot more involved than just entering and completing say in a marathon.  There was so many things I was learning as I went, so many things I learnt on race day and other things I learned from friends who had previously competed in events.  

I found myself writing down these things I'd learned so I would remember for future events. 

Recently a friend asked me a few things about getting into triathlon, the sort of questions I found myself asking when I was starting and I remember writing my friend a big long email about Triathlon, outlining the different distances, where to get into open water swimming, where to get a wetsuit...etc.  I realised I actually enjoyed sharing this information and more so writing about it.  It also got me thinking that, as I first started, I struggled to piece together a lot of the information I wanted to know and was now able to share with my mate.

Instead of writing that big long email, I thought how neat would it be to write it once and then be able to share it, just by giving out a link....and here we are. 

What am I going to write about here?  To be honest, I'm not sure.  Anything triathlon or triathlon related really.  Training, nutrition, racing (well, participating in events and hopefully finishing), equipment and just general triathlon chit-chat.  I'd like to provide reviews on kit, gear and anything else I buy to use in triathlon.  I'll ask friends and fellow triathletes to contribute as well. 

So here we go, push the 'publish' button and get going - and like the events I enter, see what happens.