Last night I had another opportunity to get in the open water with a group. The clinic was a great opportunity to get more prepared for what is to come. We focused on many of the aspects of a triathlon open water swim that you can never get in a pool. It definitely put many of the group at ease and I picked up a few great tips thanks to a great coach Tom Manzi.

As I learned in my first open water swim direction is a challenge. Staying on course can save you time and energy needed to complete the race. In the pool it is easy to get used to clearly defined lanes and lines to follow at the bottom of clear water. These luxuries do not exist in the open water so sighting becomes very important. We drilled on how to count out a buoy sighting while swimming. This was a great tip and really helped me stay on course because it is easy to become disoriented which I am sure will be exaggerated in a race environment.

The second drill we did was a race start and exit. Tom explained several types of race starts on how to position yourself for a good start and set some expectations. While we were only 15 people when we crowded together and ran into the water you can get a good feel for the potential problems. In the first drill I ran into the water and dived but my goggles were not tight enough so I had an annoying amount of water inside them which was disruptive. The tight swimming and mass of people in the water can be intimidating but now I feel I am more prepared.

This was really helpful and I learned so much. I am more enthused now than ever before. Thank you Tom!