I can sort of swim now...but in a Lake ??!!

Even though, in my own mind at least, my swimming was progressing well, each Monday I visited the pool and jumped in, thinking 'wow, that is colder than last week...' I knew that for me, the 'ultimate' challenge would be moving from the 'safety' of the pool, with its nice marked out lanes, black line to keep me straight and what I now know, it's relatively warm water, to the lake.  Just those words 'the lake' played on my mind....how cold would it really be...how deep is it...what will I be able to see when I put my head under...what will I be able to hold on to after 400m when I need to take a rest !

If my fledgling triathlon adventure wasn't to falter before it even got going, I knew that at some point, I was going to have to conquer the lake swim, or any open water swim for that matter.  Of course, there are some events where the swim takes place in a pool, but the majority of the events I wanted to have a go at, all involved open water swims.

I think what helped here, was to enter an event that contained said lake swim.  Otherwise I could have quite easily put it off forever.  So, I duly entered the Lidl Bananaman (http://humanrace.co.uk/event/lidl-bananaman-triathlon/) and selected what I thought would be an easy distance to take on - the Banana Fritter (Super Sprint distance) which included a 400m lake swim (more on how 'easy' that first event was in a different post).  

So now, the challenge was laid down, I had the focus I needed.  I'd just spent 60 quid on my first triathlon event and I couldn't see that money go to waste by not being able to swim in the open water.

What next?  I had no idea what my next steps should be.  Where was there a lake, what about a wet-suit etc.  This is where friends and friends of friends come in handy.  At the local pool where I was taking lessons, I was told that there was a guy who often came who had done Iron Man and I also found out that you could hire wet suits for a season.  Lee (Iron Man) did come to one of the Monday sessions at the pool and I duly introduced myself and made sure I got all the information I could on open water swimming local to me.  

Other friends had mentioned a good place locally to look at wet-suits, that had an 'endless pool' so you could actually swim in the suit you selected.  Both Gill and Dawn at Tri N swimwell (http://www.trinswimwell.co.uk/) were so helpful.  I decided to take the plunge and buy my suit - something about wearing a second hand one didn't appeal.  The girls gave me a lot of their time, getting the right size suit, asking me what events I was planning to do and taking time to make sure I had the right suit.  I was  even lucky enough to get about half an hour of free instruction, such was the sorry state of my swimming at that stage, I'm sure they felt sorry for me !  They also explained about repairs if I damaged my suit and that they would buy my old one back should I want to upgrade.

I went for a HUUB suit, their entry level one (HUUB Apperitif) as I was trying to keep costs down, plus as this point, didn't know if I would actually take to the open water or complete in a Tri, so didn't want to spend massive amounts.  I'm really impressed with this suit and for the money, seems to be superb value 

In terms of the lake, luckily for me, there is a lake around 20 minutes from me called Stubbers (http://www.stubbers.co.uk/) complete with a triathlon and open water swim team that ran open water sessions there (http://www.swimfortri.co.uk/).  Again, I cannot praise the team at SwimforTri enough, from telling me how it would all work, from my first 'skills' lesson to being able to swim on my own in the fitness sessions.  That first skills lesson was invaluable, as it helped to ease the nerves and worries, there was a fairly sizeable group which brings an element of comfort, from not being the only first-timer.  After registration and getting our numbered band (to check us in/out of the water) we were taken through how to put our suits on, use of products such as bodyglide which would help prevent rubbing, we covered land-based warm up, how to stop our goggles steaming up on entering water. Eventually we were ready for the water, which was advertised as a balmy 14 degrees.  I had no reference point whatsoever as to what that was like, other than remembering the local pool was always advertising the main pool at 29 degrees and that always felt cold initially. Well, for reference, 14 is COLD !

Needless to say, there were a number of strange and perhaps unexpected noises emitted as we all entered the lake for the first time and that icy water filled our suits.  Initially, I was taken aback with the buoyancy of the suit.  I really hadn't expected it to float me in the water and it felt quite odd.  We made our way to the centre of the lake and by the time we were there, a few minutes in, I didn't even notice the cold. I was surprised how warm the suit kept me.  Even my feet were fine as were my hands.  In the centre of the lake, we were introduced to the specific needs of open water swimming.  From getting attention if in trouble (roll onto back, raise hand), to swimming in a straight line and how to swim 'head up' briefly for navigation. Types of breathing to deal with swell/waves etc.  It was a really useful session.  In all the session lasted around 45 mins, by which time my hands were frozen and I was glad of the decision to call it a day.  Back on land, there were hot drinks and biscuits provided.


Yet again, another massive sense of achievement washed over me.  I'd done it.  I had actually swum (ok not very far) in a lake !  What struck me again was the enthusiasm of the swimforTri team, their depth of experience and ability to make you feel at ease and like the pool, the friendliness of everyone else who was there for the first time, or who was there for the 100th time, how easy we talked about it being first-timers, how silly we looked in wetsuits and rubber hats...how we were worried about the cold, what was underneath us...but all this chit-chat does matter.  It is important not to feel like the outsider, to be welcomed.  This is most certainly the case at Stubbers and I'm sure at many other open water venues around the country.

So, now having completed my skills session, I could swim on my own.  The first couple of times I went, it was still a learning curve for me.  I managed one lap, which depending on how good my navigation was, should have been somewhere around 900m or so.  Gradually I moved up to two laps and that sense of achievement was there again.  Not that long before I was just finding my feet in the pool, now I was swimming over 1500m in open water, non stop.  I do not think I've experienced a bigger sense of achievement in anything sports related before, even finishing my first Marathon.  And that was it, I was hooked. Open water swimming beats pool swimming hands down.  No contest.  Even if you do not plan on entering a Triathlon, I can't recommend the open water enough.  On some mornings at Stubbers, the lake is totally calm and flat, the sun just coming up over one of the banks, its just perfect, you never get that swimming in an indoor pool.

Now I've moved on to the open water, the pool still plays a big part in training, its a must during the winter months.  But, as with those first pool sessions I took, for all the worry and fretting I did, there was no need...everyone is so friendly, the instructors are great, the sense of security is comforting (there are boats placed around the lake and you are counted in and out of the lake) and the enjoyment of the open water is fantastic.  I tell anyone who will listen how good it is and how they should be doing it.  I'm sure like me, you may have many reservations about the open water, but really, if I can do it, anyone can.  

Find your local lake, get a wetsuit and get out there....and dont worry about there being no edge to hold on to...you really dont miss it.

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.