Immersing into The Swim

The Swim. The one leg of the triathlon which can quickly make or break you no matter how long the distance. Recently, Triathlete Magazine (January 2012) had a graphic which showing how much effort goes into each leg of the triathlon. Swim: 10%, Bike: 50%, Run: 40%. Considering the mileage involved? Yes, I agree. Considering the fear factor? No, I don't. 

In my constant quest to learn more about the swim and what I can do to come out of the water before The Legend, I found the Total Immersion videos which are on YouTube. 

I spent almost two hours watching the "Work Less, Swim Better" series as well as the "Total Immersion Perpetual Motion" series. I liked these DVDs by Terry Laughlin because there were specifically for long distance training not sprints. Here are some of the things I will focusing on in the water:


HANDS: Hands pierce the water with a relaxed (not stiff hand). Fingers are separated. The hand reaches out in front of the shoulder, not to the midline. The arms drops slightly so you have a natural slope in our arm. Fingers are below the wrist. Wrist below elbow. 


ROTATION: Rotate just enough to clear your shoulder from the water. The rotation is less than you would think. Don't stack hips & shoulders on top of each other. This only creates instability. The propulsion is created as the weight rolls from side to side. As the elbow comes up out of the water, it should be outside the center line of your body, not directly above the shoulder. Don't worry about pushing the hand past the hip. It's just a waste energy which you need to conserve for the bike & run. During most of the swim, the legs are in a drafting position just relaxed behind the body. The kick is a 2 beat kick which is best for long distance swimming. Do not activate the leg muscles. Think of just flicking the toes. As you rotate to the right, the right foot flicks as the right arm comes back to the right hip. (Left foot drives as my right hand pierces)


Based on my height my PERSONAL EFFICIENCY RANGE (PER) would be 16-19 strokes per 25 yards. So I guess I will focus on counting my strokes and perfecting my technique over the next few months, but especially during MARCH: THE MONTH OF THE SWIM. 


After watching the videos, I went to the Riverplex for a swim workout. I felt like I flew through the the workout. So now that I have a plan for my swim workouts I will focus on my technique completing the correct amount of strokes per length.