Jocelyn Petrella, professional triathlete Jordan Jones, professional triathlete

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 1) Swim frequently Try to swim at least 3 times a week Infrequent swimming can lead to a decreased feel for the water and your technique will probably begin to deteriorate Shorter, more frequent swimming is better than a couple of longer swim sessions per week The more you swim, the faster you’ll get…there’s a reason I started swimming 4-6 hours a day in high school

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 2) Work on good technique and incorporate drills into every workout When you are getting back to swimming from a long break, just focus on technique Trying to swim fast with poor technique is wasting energy and you are setting yourself up to race with poor technique…break those bad habits! Improper technique can lead to injuries

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 3) Eliminate drag in the water Balance the body so the hips and legs ride as high as the upper body Make the body longer by stretching out your stroke (DPS drills—e.g., Swolf) Roll onto your side with every stroke and breathe bilaterally

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 4) Swim hard some days Once or twice a week, really push the effort Examples 100 repeats at 500 pace 1650 time trial or a T20 or T repeats with short rest 50s hard with 5 seconds rest And my favorite set: 10x200s, 10x100s, and 10x50s

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 5) Swim easy some days Go hard on the hard days and go easy on the easy days Recovery swims are important so that you can go fast when it counts (either in workouts or races)

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 6) Use fins sometimes Fins can help you achieve a better body position and then you can try to recreate that “feel” once you take the fins off Fins can also help with ankle flexibility, thereby improving your kick Make sure to buy the right fins

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 7) Practice in a 50 meter pool or swim in open water There are too many turns in a 25 yard/meter pool which equates to too much rest Long course pool swimming is better and open water swimming is better yet

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 8) Go to a swim clinic or take some private lessons Even just 1 clinic or a couple of private lessons can really help However, it’s easy to slip into bad habits so you’ll have to practice and remember what you learned

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 9) Have a friend take a video of you swimming What you think or feel you are doing in the water is probably not what you are actually doing Backstroke example

Top 10 Ways to Swim Faster 10) Work on core strength Why? To prevent injuries To gain efficiency and power Exercises: superman and sideroll (can be done with an exercise ball), plank, ball plank, leg lifts, abs, med balls, squats, lunges, etc.

Open Water

Is training in a pool fine or should I try to swim in open water? Importance of open water swimming at least occasionally. Focus on race day preparation! Sport is inherently unpredictable. Train for all predictable aspects of triathlon racing. Be prepared for little things that you do on race day but never in the course of training. From a fitness standpoint pool swimming can suffice, but race day preparation is integral.

Challenge of starting swim with possibly thousands of competitors Leaky/foggy goggles Sighting! Particularly when not on feet Tendency to drift to one side Fear of open water Adjust to cold water Learning how to swim on feet Learning how to swim on hip Open water swim challenges

Racing – 4 common questions How do I avoid getting clobbered at the start of a race? No fistfights, focus on the race Be comfortable swimming near others, perceived vs real threats, accept some contact Line up according to ability Newbie on outer edge Get out quickly, first 100y all out, first 300y extremely hard. Train for this!

Racing – 4 common questions How do I gauge my effort in a race? First 300y should feel extremely hard, don’t worry about this Settle in after this period, focus on finding feet and getting into a rhythm Swim should be intense, likely more uncomfortable than bike/run Scout buoys beforehand, gauge distances Check watch, get used to doing this in the pool

Racing – 4 common questions What are some techniques for sighting during a race? Firstly, put BodyGlide on to stay comfortable Head down in normal position, look up before turning to breath Learn your rhythm, one sided breathing early then bilateral breathing Stop if confused, particularly with sun Learn site points other than buoys

Racing – 4 common questions How important is it to draft off of others? Very important. Physical benefits. 5 seconds per 100y. Less sighting. Mental benefits. Maintains focus. Ok to touch feet a few times per minute. Learn how to swim on hip as well.