Far too many athletes have experienced the hyperventilation that can so easily occur at the beginning of a mass start swim. There are compounding factors that seem to align and cause that panicky feeling: cold water, constricting wetsuit, race stress, flailing arms and legs, and sudden increase in activity. It’s a horrible way to start off a race and one that can be avoided by following these suggestions.

1)      Warm up – by entering the water before the start of your wave the first big issue you can cross off your list is the water temperature. If you are racing without a wetsuit you can acclimate your body to the cold, and if you are in wetsuit be sure to get some water down the neck and around your body. That film of water will help loosen the wetsuit as well. You can also get to know the taste and smell of the water – these tiny things can be startling if you plunge in at the gun so get to know the water beforehand. A good warm up might be 10-12 minutes of swimming but even a few strokes can help your body prepare to create the rhythm of smooth swimming.

2)      Seed Yourself – If you are a poor swimmer and need your space then place yourself at the back of the group. This will give you time and space to start off at your own pace in comfort. If you are a great swimmer then you need to get up front and go hard at the gun. This will keep you from having to swim over slower swimmers. For everyone in the big middle the best advice is to start up front, but off to the side (and preferably, the inside line of first turn). This will give you options as you go – to one side will be tranquil, calm, smooth water that you can pull off into and slow down without any contact from the group. To the other side will be the draft of the group that you can slide into and take advantage of.

3)      Build Pace – Even with a good warm up we often end up standing at the line waiting while heart rates drop and tensions rise. Going from a resting heart rate to “red line” once the gun goes off can send a shock to your system. Get into the swim at a pace that you can easily sustain and can control. Pick a pace that can be progressively built upon for faster and faster swimming as the race unfolds.

Other articles in this series:
   » Could Wildflower be showing signs of a decline?
      We got a whiff at Wildflower
   » Big Race Qualifying - Kona, USAT National Championships,
      XTERRA Maui - what's it take?
   » Olympics in Athens and how athletes try and make the grade
   » Another course change at the IM World Championships
   » Put your mind to work in your favor before and during the race with
      visualizations
   » Triathlon, the Olympics, and the Evolution
   » Triathlon Keeps Inching Towards Mainstream
   » Slowtwitch's Kona Survey

 
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