Ironman training is a steep learning curve. Especially for someone like myself, whose never done a triathlon or hasn’t previously been the most confident for swimmers. My previous post on what I’d learnt about cycling left some people debating about whether cyclists do jus drink coffee, so let’s see what you all think about my lessons from swimming.
1. There’s a reason why swimming caps are bright, overly-loud colours Have you ever wondered why the swimming caps for swim-related events come in loud colours – you know, bright pink, bright green, bright yellow, bright orange?
I can’t remember where I found this out, but it turns out it’s for safety reasons – so that officials can see whose possibly in difficulty in the water. After I discovered that, I felt like I had been trying to solve “2+2”.
2. Eau de chlorine is your new perfume No matter how much minty shower gel you apply post swim, the smell of chlorine will just not fade away. Bye bye Chanel No 5. It’s all about Eau de Chlorine.
3. Swimming makes your bladder go into overdrive Always, always need to wee after swimming. Just me? Too much information?
4. 400m swim versus 400m run versus 400m cycling Swimming any distance, whether it’s 400m or 3km, feels very different to running and cycling. The first time I had 400m interval sets for swimming n the plan, I was left feeling brutally broken. Running 400m and cycling 400m felt a lot easier.
5. So many accessories… Thought there’s only one type of timer for swimming? No honey, there’s a hundred different types: lap counter worn like a ring, a swim timer, multi-discipline sports watches ( I use the Garmin 910XT) and many more…
Don’t get me started on the different types of fins and hand paddles, floats and pull buoys available…
Do any of these ring true with you?
