It was a great session on Sunday in Spiddal.  A few individual questions came up that are probably of interest to all those racing.

Sighting on the open water

swim sighting for triathlon

A few people asked about sighting and how often you should do it.  As a guide you shouldn’t need to sight more often than every 4th breath and you should at least sight every 10 or 12 strokes.  You may find that at the start with lots of people around, you might sight ever 4th stroke, but after you get a round the 1st buoy you can relax into a look up ever 8th or 9th stroke.  Only very confident swimmers should consider taking less that one sight every ten strokes.

Water temperature

While the water temperature close to the beach was mild (as the tide was coming in across warm sand), in the deeper water beyond the pier, the water temperature is closer to 13degrees.  It’s likely to be above 14 degrees on race day (18th of May).

The cold spring has had an effect on inland rivers and lakes, but it’s the gulf stream that largely dictates the water temperature in the sea.

Top tips for staying warm

We’ve got beach starts for both the sprint and olympic triathlon.  This means that while you should get into the water before the start to get a feel for the water, you don’t need to spend 10 or 15 minutes in the water before the start.

Wetsuit fit:  a proper fitting triathlon wetsuit will minimise the amount of cold water getting into the suit.  In fact for a 750m sprint swim, it’s not uncommon to see dry patches on the back of people’s wetsuits as they exit the water, so water has no even reached all areas inside the suits during a short swim.  A loose surfing wetsuit will not keep you nearly as warm as a well fitting triathlon wetsuit.

Open water practice

The more you can get into the open water the better.  If you can aim for once a week, you will see the benefits.  The point to note is that you should not swim in the open water alone.  Always have a swim buddy in the water or some kind support.

Know the triathlon swim course

Race preparation is vital, make sure you know the entry and exit points and the course, look for landmarks that you can use for sighting. For the start of the race make sure you position yourself in the right place, do not start at the front if you are not a strong. If you are unsure start at the outside.

Start time is midday at the Spiddal pier, the location of the Spint triathlon start.  Below the form is a great video showing how most triathlon swimmers struggle to swim straight in open water.

Diving into the Atlantic at Spiddal.