What you Need to Know

Joel Enoch, GB age group triathlete

Joel is a triathlete, has represented GB at the World Age-Group Championships on two occasions and at the European Championships on three occasions, as well as racing the Blenheim and London Elite races. He is also a Sports Scientist, a coach, and runs his own company (www.joelenoch.com).

Here are Joel's top ten tips

1. Practice open water swimming before your race

   Cold, dark water will take some getting used to and there is no blue line to follow on the bottom of a lake so good sighting becomes very important – and this can only come from practice. If it’s a good technique, sighting won’t slow you down and will keep you in a straight line. I have seen good swimmers swim offline at a 45-degree angle and lose lots of time because they were only sighting every 50 strokes; try to sight every 6-10.

2. Get your Equipment on your side

   Goggles and wetsuits that work, help you go faster, an ill-fitting surfer’s wetsuit and some foggy goggles will slow you down massively. Good goggles shouldn’t fog up, but you can minimise risk by wetting your face as well as the goggles as you enter the water; making your face and the goggles the same temperature stops the lenses misting up. Also, buy a good swimming wetsuit, use a non-petroleum based lubricant to avoid chafing and make sure that the arms are pulled mid-way up the forearm until there are creases under the arm-pit area, freeing your shoulders up.

3. Warm up – most Triathletes don’t do this, but a good land warm-up will help you to perform better

   Goggles and wetsuits that work, help you go faster, an ill-fitting surfer’s wetsuit and some foggy goggles will slow you down massively. Good goggles shouldn’t fog up, but you can minimise risk by wetting your face as well as the goggles as you enter the water; making your face and the goggles the same temperature stops the lenses misting up. Also, buy a good swimming wetsuit, use a non-petroleum based lubricant to avoid chafing and make sure that the arms are pulled mid-way up the forearm until there are creases under the arm-pit area, freeing your shoulders up.

4. Find a good start position

   If the swim is a mass start in a lake, the faster swimmers will be nearer the front with the weaker ones at the back of the pack. Before the hooter goes, chose where to place yourself based on your own ability.

5. Relax – This is key to good swimming and fast times!

   If you relax you float into a naturally good position in the water, but as soon as you tense your muscles, you sink. As your legs contain a lot of muscle, tense swimmers tend to have a lower leg position, which increases drag and therefore speed. Try to practice swimming with the feeling of relaxing your body and allowing your arms to pull you through the water like paddles.

6. Don’t be scared

   Weed sometimes feels horrible, dark patches scare us and very occasionally, the odd fish might swim by, but remember that there is nothing down there to be afraid of so relax…it’s just water!

7. Pace Yourself

   Go off at a pace you can maintain. Lots of people sprint off the line only to fade within the first two minutes of the race. Break the race up in your mind: 1. Build pace. 2. Hold rhythm. 3. Start to kick legs towards the end to bring blood back into legs for the bike section.

8. Dizziness

   On exiting the water, you may feel very slightly light-headed. Don’t worry this is just a result of standing after being horizontal for a while and it will pass in a few seconds. Just stand or walk until it passes.

9. Get wetsuit off early

   Most people run to their bike with wetsuit on or pulled down to their waist. In most triathlons with a short T1 this is fine; however, if the T1 is long take your wetsuit fully off as soon as you get out of the water. While the water is inside, the wetsuit slides off easily, but wait till it’s drained out and dried off during a run to your bike and you will lose time struggling to get your hands and feet out. Lubricant on these areas will also help

10. Swim your own race

    If you’re Helen Jenkins you get up near the front, if you’re Tim Don or Will Clarke you sit in the pack, if you’re my dad you linger near the back and pray that you won’t have to be rescued during the swim! You know what your strengths are, you know how fast you are, what you want to achieve and you know if you are good on the feet, or if you need to find clear water to maintain a rhythm. Don’t let other swimmers distract you from your plan, go out there and execute YOUR race.