You have an early-season triathlon and need to put some open water time in. What can you do to get prepared?
I’ve been a triathlete for many years and even I dread the early season swims. The cold water temps are never easy to deal with regardless of your experience, but there are things you can do to make your early season swims more enjoyable.
Let’s first discuss what is happening in the body when it is immersed in cold water. There are three potentially hazardous physiological responses associated with going into cold water.
Each of these responses varies in the amount of time it takes to “acclimatize” with repeated exposure to cold water. But as few as six, three-minute immersions in cold water can reduce your cold shock response by 50%. This reduction in the response to a repeated constant stimulus is called “habituation”.
So it's safe to say that planning to get into the water at least 2-3x a week is going to help. Here are some other things to consider:
All you have to do now is find a swim buddy as crazy as you, set a location/time, schedule it, and get in.
Happy Swimming!
Julia Aimers
CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist
CSEP High-Performance Specialist
Certified Triathlon, Cycling, Yoga and Swimming Coach
USA Cycling Level 2 Coach
Training Peaks Accredited Coach
I wanted to let you know that the Perth triathlon was a great experience, I somehow placed third in my age group! What a supportive group of participants (including Team Triumph athletes), cheering bystanders and volunteers.Thanks to your swim lessons, I learned the technical basics and gained confidence to get back in the pool after decades. And it was really special doing this with Ann Laidlaw, my bestie for many years. We did a couple of additional swims with Kevin and Team Triumph people, also a great way to continue learning and practicing good technical form.I will continue with lane swimming and who knows, maybe there's another triathlon in my future!
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman
My coach Kevin Willis is amazing. His swim practices have been a real game-changer for me. A great communicator regardless of your swim level. The whole club is supportive of everything you do. You don't need to be an Ironman to benefit from their programs. 5 stars all around!!! - Denise Pittuck