Thread: First Tri - Swim Questions

Hi everyone.
This might seem like a pretty stupid question - but I am running my first tri in August of this year. I've never even watched one on TV, so I have no idea how this works. I'm a little - okay - a lot - nervous about the open water swim and being shoved under water and all that good stuff. I made my husband sign up for this with me so I had a partner in the water - but now I'm hearing that he might not be able to swim with me anyway.
So how does this work? I'm 35 and female- so does that mean I HAVE to go in the water with other woman my age? Or can I wait for every single person to get in the water - regardless of age or gender - and then get in and swim?
After I complete my first tri, I will worry about being competitive. For the first one, however, I just want to accomplish it, get a feel for it and then next year I'll jump in and not worry about getting knocked around during the swim.
Also, this will be done in the waters of Lake Michigan where water temps will probably be between 60-70 degrees. Probably closer to the 65 range. Do you recommend a wetsuit?
Thanks for any help you can give me.

a bit long.
1st, the race / race director will determine if it is wave or mass start. mass start you will be able to swim with your husband. if it is a wave start it depends on the type of waves. some are by ability, some are by age/gender and others are by self selection to get a certain number in each wave. in the last option you can also swim with your husband. if it is by age/ gender you will be with woman around your age, usualy +/-5-10 year divisions. if it is by ability, this is rare, you and your husband can say you are the same lvl swimmers and get in the same wave. if it is a tri-4-fun type event it will most likely be self selection to fill waves. if it is a major race like Ms.Ts then you will be in age/gender. it is best to know what type of race before.
as for tips. first swim the distance in the pool to get a rough idea what your speed is. if you know you are not fast the swim will be easier. most important in the water is stay calm and remember everyone is trying to get to the finish. next, if you can, during your warm up try to swim the last 50m of the swim so you know what the swim exit looks like from the water. in open water this is important. practice in the pool looking at the clock from the middle of the pool (kick hard pop your head up and look during your breath, if you don't see it, take a few strokes and try again) in the open water waves and other swimmers may impeed your sight lines but if you check every 10-30 strokes you wont get too far off the line.
as you approch the first turn bouy try to cut about 5-15 feet away from it, every one trys to get there shoulder to touch the same spot and 100 people in the same spot is very tricky, so give a few feet and you will pass many that target the bouy (i am guilty of this). at the start if you are a bit nervous (very normal even for experienced triathletes) i have recomended you count to 10 after the wave starts to many people, and they have all come back after the race and said it helped. reason is, it gets the crazy, competitive, gung-ho fast swimmers out of the way, and lets you relax and find your own pace. also you will be bumped less, and be passing those that did not have a swim plan (usualy bunched up at the first turn bouy).
as for wetsuits, this is a preferance issue. i live in CA, swim in lakes, rivers, pools, and the ocean for various triathlons. if the water is over 76 do not wear one. if the swim is longer than 600m (and water under 76) i will usualy wear one (i have a shortie and a full). if the swim is under 600 i only wear it if the water is under 65. and if it is 400m i will only wear one (the long at that) if the water is under 60. but that is partly do to me being very exothermic (i put off a lot of heat). if you don't like the cold, bring the wetsuit. if you plan on using it, practice in it at least 3-5 times before the race. first you need to be comfortable in it or you will think it is restricting your breathing. second you need to be able to get in and out if it quickly. (practice on and off in the bathtub) third you need to know it fits and is right for you. fourth, never change anything on race day from what you have practiced. invest the time to feel comfortable, make a plan, practice the options, stay calm, and you will have a great swim and a fun triathlon.

Actually I would have suggested that on the first event you get in towards the side of the field and accept that you are going to be knocked about a bit. Once in the water I don't know how much difference it is going to make for your husband to be there because you won't be able to have contact with him in any event. I would suggest that you join a swim squad pronto and prcatice with them the art of making a start in a swim like this. Many swim squads cater for these kinds of issues and practice swim starts in pools so that you can get a feel for people swimming over your back at the start of an event. I see that you say you will worry about getting knocked around next year but actually you will just be in the position you are right now, so why not practice what it will feel like now? Also I think that if you are not that confident in the water (and you don't sound like you are) then I would suggest a week or two out that you swim the course and get a good feel for it.

Thanks both of you for your advice.
Actually, I am pretty comfortable in the water - just not used to people "swimming over your back". Thinking that might be a little weird!!
I have looked into masters swim and stuff like that but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything in my area so I think the first experience at this will be during the tri.
You say that my husband won't be able to have contact with me in any event. Why? He's entering the tri just like me - just curious about that.
The tri is taking place about 6 hours from my home but we are going to be in that area for a week in August at which point we plan on swimming/running/biking the course to get a good feel for that.
Sounds like I'm right on the edge of using a wetsuit as far as weather coditions go. I am used to swimming in a pool so I do think that a 20 degree difference in temperature will probably affect my swim. Again, planning on working in the lake a month before the tri but not enough that I would be accustomed to it.
Thanks again, don't mean to sound like a baby about the swim thing - just haven't experienced anything like that before and I think it's strange that somebody would push you under like that - even if unintentional. I'm sure it will make more sense to me once I have experienced it for myself and who knows - maybe at my next tri I will be the more aggressive one!

go to google video and search triathlon you can see a race on it

I had the same problem and what I did was got in the water at the back of the pack and when the gun went off I counted to 7 and then started. That got the pack a little in front and gave me time to get in my flow before I started passing people. I figured I was giving up only 7 seconds for some peace of mind.