Swim time questions

[Iris616]

I am trying to estimate how long the swim leg might take me for my first Tri.

Last night I swam in the pool for 600 yards, which is slightly more than the distance of the race. It was the first time I've timed myself, because I didn't want to be focused on "beating my time" every time I get in the water.

I'm wondering how my time in the race might compare to my pool time. I will be renting a wetsuit, and I am pretty comfortable with OW swims. I spoke with one of the race coordinators, and he indicated that we'll be swimming with the current.

In general, is the pool time a good estimate, or are people usually faster/slower during the actual race?

Thanks.

[Urlea]

I didn't time myself in the pool training sessions for the same reasons leading up to my tris.

My first triathlon was a pool swim and I was a few minutes faster than the training sessions.

OWS go even faster for me because I have no wall to stop at if I start feeling tired. Just keep on swimming til I reach shore.

If you need to give the race director an approximate time for you to complete the swim I'd suggest allowing yourself some wiggle room. If that means passing people, so be it. It's better than feeling rushed by other waves catching up on you.

HTH! :D

[KaceyDC]

In my experience, my OWS usually takes a bit longer than in the pool. First, though I try not to push off from the wall too much, there is always a little free speed at each turn. Also, the race distance is measured by the most optimal route in the water - ie. following the buoys closely. If your sighting is off or if you position yourself wide around the buoys, you can tack on a bit of extra yardage.

All in all, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully! Enjoy your first tri! :)

[NbyNW]

I've got only one race under my belt, but I found that my pool time was pretty close to my OWS time. I wasn't timing myself very precisely; I just know that I need to get out of the pool by a certain time in order to get to work on time.

I was figuring on a 25-30 minute swim including rests. I took one big rest during the swim and ended up finishing around 25 minutes. It was a small lake, very little wind, so I don't think currents were a big factor.