It is race jitters. I do fine in OWS not in competition but the minute I hear the gun, my heart rate is through the roof and I cannot swim to save my life. In the Half Ironman I did in August, I turned over and backstroked the entire 1.2 - allowing myself to breathe the whole way.
Believe it or not, I had a PB in swimming that day. I think it is more about race confidence than your swim skills. Stage fright almost. The cure is repetition. I read a great quote somewhere that said, "You trained a long, hard time not to end up a wall flower in your triathlon - so put the doubts aside and do it."
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Thread: Open Water Panic
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10-16-2006, 10:56 AM #1
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10-16-2006, 03:19 PM #2
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Bella, how do you sight when backstroking? I cannot backstroke in a straight line to save my life.
Run like a dachshund! Ride like a superhero! Swim like a three-legged cat!
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10-17-2006, 09:48 AM #3
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I first try to make sure my stroke is equally powerful on both sides - so that one isn't dominate and cause me to drift to the left or right. In the Steelhead, it was a point to point and the lighthouse tower was at my feet. Every several strokes, I lifted my head up slightly to see I was in line with the lighthouse and that there were other swimmers behind me or around me. Even freestyle swimming requires sighting and popping one's head up every now and then - so this is the same. It is pretty unconventional for a race, but it saved my skins that day.
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