The most incredible thing I have noticed during my career first as a triathlete and then as an Ironman is that triathletes almost never consider themselves to be swimmers. On the contrary, they consider any such comparison to be almost demeaning. They think of themselves as runners and, even more so, as cyclists, but not swimmers. The problem is that to improve at swimming you need to have the mind set and training routine of a swimmer.
Swimming requires more technical skill and basic feel than the other two disciplines of the triathlon. Learning how to balance your body in the water, reduce front resistance, improve your leg kick and learn how to turn are all factors a triathlete should consider before “snubbing” the water section of this three-sport discipline.
The second aspect that athletes should think about carefully is swim technique. Water is approximately 700 times denser than air, which means that any technical mistakes made in the water will be extremely costly. People often think that freestyle requires less attention than the other strokes, but that is a serious mistake for both slower and faster triathletes.
Another thing that should not be underestimated is the kind of physical conditioning you get from swimming. Swimming…
