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Beginner Triathlon

Joey L. Joey L. Sendmail

Any tips for swimming in a murky lake?

asked 9 months ago | Report

I'm doing my first triathlon in a week. Until very recently I was not at all worried about the swim, being a swimmer. Today I tested out the lake the tri swim will be in and it is so murky I can't see a thing and it totally freaks me out, I feel a panic I've never felt before in the water. I think I might try to swim the whole thing head up, buts its a 1000m swim so that takes too much energy, especially if I'll have to bike 30km and run 7.5km after.
Does anyone have any tips or advice for swimming in such murky waters and not freaking out because you can't see where you're going?
*UPDATE*
Thanks for all the great advice guys!!
I ended up doing the swim in about 7 more minutes that I can in a pool; I swam nearly the whole thing backstroke because I would freak out so much swimming with my face down in the water!!
I am definitely trying swimming with eyes closed in the pool - HARD, same freaky panic, but will be good practice to get over this. Next tri should go a bit better :)

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10 answers

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  • Jim W. Jim W. Sendmail

    Maybe just look up every 4 or 5 strokes to sight the markers, otherwise put your head down and go. Look up more frequently in the beginning to make your way through the crowd and avoid flailing feet until you get some clean water.

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Jennifer A. Jennifer A. Sendmail

    No real advice, but I freak out in the water with each tri. It makes it easier, because there are a lot of other people there with you, so it's not as bad once you get there. Do NOT swim the entire thing looking up. That will be a major waste of time and energy. I just remind myself to settle down and that I can do this - that usually works. I talk a lot to myself in my head during it too.

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Carl I. Carl I. Sendmail

    I had a similar experience last year when I swam my first open water swim. I couldn't see anything or anybody in the water unless I was already running into them. As a life long pool swimmer, accustomed to crystal clear water and lane lines on the bottom to guide by, it was a weird experience. Like Jennifer, I talked to myself the whole time to keep going, especially when it felt longer than I expected.

    One thing I learned was that I used WAY more energy than I expected by periodically lifting my head out of the water to look ahead. I had not taken that into account when preparing. So I tired out a lot quicker than I expected.

    I'm swimming the same event this year (July 26) and I got a good tip from a discussion elsewhere on here. The person said to look up without breathing. Only look up enough to get my eyes out of the water, not my chin and neck. I will continue to breathe on the side like I normally do, and then every so often (for me, about every 5 or 6 breaths) I will tilt my head forward just enough to look up like a crocodile, just lifting my eyes above the water line, and then put the head down and breathe on the side next stroke. I've practiced it a little in the pool, and it seems to work so far.

    We'll see how it works on a 1.2 mile in a murky lake!

    Good luck!

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Destiny I. Destiny I. Sendmail

    Assuming you are not claustrophobic in general, it is totally normal to feel panicky! But when you have other people around you, it is a bit easier because you just have to go with the group. I know it seems weird. If you are the leader in your heat you will need to practice sighting when you breath. Try closing your eyes when you swim in the pool and when you breath direct yourself to look at the same landmark, i.e. lifeguard chair. Good Luck! Try not to psych yourself out too much. It will scary at first but once everyone gets some space you will figure out where to go.

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Jen L. Jen L. Sendmail

    I keep my eyes shut when I face down and open them to sight, especially when there are weeds grabbing at me. I am also a long-time swimmer, but you get used to the open water.

    Try to get back out there, even if you already raced. It will get easier.

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Carl I. Carl I. Sendmail

    Thanks for the update, and good job doing the swim! You DID it, and that's what matters. You didn't quit, you found a way to manage it, and you finished! Congratulations.

    answered 9 months ago |Report

  • Ole Kristian B. Ole Kristian B. Sendmail

    As in anything I found that practice makes.. well.. better anyway. at first I had panicy experiences and at one time actually tried to pull of my suit in the water because I felt that it was suffocating me. I have now learned to relax more and to recognize panic/(irrational-thoughts about what may be down there) as going to hard or bad form. i found that gliding more(less frequency/posing like superman more/ staying on the side in the water), not using my feet for anything but balance, and relaxing (only comes with practice I'm affraid) takes the sting of both murky waters and seaweeds.

    Well done anyway!

    answered 7 months ago |Report

  • Mary Mary Sendmail

    Good going on your tri. Thanks for asking the question--this has me worried too. My first one is in the spring.

    answered 7 months ago |Report

  • Brodie B. Brodie B. Sendmail

    Come train with us in Madison, WI. All three of our lakes are so full of S%$T you can't see anything starting in June. Just have to realx and site more. Think of it this way. There really isn't anything below the surface in a lake that will eat you like the ocean. I struggled living in Hawaii for a year. Not the top of the food chain in the ocean. I think I watched Jaws one too many times as a kid.

    answered 7 months ago |Report

  • Leslie S. Leslie S. Sendmail

    swimming in open water is a whole new experience for sure, definetly worth practicing as much as you can. Each time you go into open water it gets easier and less scary. I did have a total freak out moment, thought I was going to die in the middle of the lake. It actaually was not about the murkiness, for that I just convince my self it's a really in-expensive spa treatment, people pay big bucks to put their toes in that kind of mud. When I did my first 600 yard stretch in practice It was the distance that I freaked out about. I was sighting every third stroke, doing the crocidile technique just enough to get your goggles out of the water. The problem was I wasn't not making much ground in 3 strokes and the tree I was sighting did not appear to be getting any closer. About 100 yards from the end I COMPLETELY WIGGED OUT, was convinced that I was never going to make it to the end and I was going to die right there 100 yards from any shore. Obviously I calmed myself down thanks to a friend and made it to the slightly closer shore. The best advice I was given at that point, was do not sight forward every time, sight to the side several times so that you can see the landscape is moving and reassure yourself that you are getting closer, then sight straight ahead to make sure you stay on course. The other advice is to look back where you came from and see that you really have come a long ways and that the other shore is not that far away afterall.

    As for the mass starts I learned pretty quickly to stay to the far outside edge so you can get away from the flying legs, feet, fingernails pretty quickly. I made the mistake at Tri for the Cure of being on the edge but the inside of the course, I got plastered by other swimmers. I would much rather lose a bit of time and swim a bit farther and know I can actually do my freestyle stroke than get stuck in the crowd trying to shave off time/distance by swimming the inside.

    I also use diversion tactics, like singing Christmas carols or I have a game that I make up words for every letter in the Alphabet. It really helps me get through the distance and not focus on the flying arms and legs around me.

    answered 6 months ago |Report

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