Australian Triathlete — December 2017

AustrAliAn triAthlete | 87

nick croft
Nick Croft is a former professional and Australian Triathlete of the
year. A two- time Noosa Triathlon winner and coach for the last 22
years. Nick coaches athletes of all abilities in his home town of
Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine coast and runs Noosa Tri Camps
and online coaching through http://www.mscsport.com.au

know the depth of the water

where you are swimming so

you know when you can

start swimming.

As for where to position

yourself at the start - if you

have problems with the

masses, then stay away from

the middle of the pack.

Make sure you place yourself to

one side of the start wave or a

bit further back. Some events

now have rolling starts where

you submit a rough swim time

and you are set off in smaller

groups of the same ability so

that you won’t get hammered

by the masses.

Know the swim course

and what configuration it is.

Make sure your navigation is

‘on’ by lifting the head at least

every 7-10 strokes. Swimmers

that keep their head down for

more than this, and especially

those new to open water

swimming, will usually start to

go off course if their head is

down without lifting to sight

after only 10 strokes. Your swim

catch and pull will also dictate

if you swim straight or off to

one side. Work on a direct pull

and set up your stroke from

hand entry in the water, keeping

your elbow high as you catch.

This will help with swimming straight and not across

your midline.

Once the gun goes, start out strong but relaxed. This is

hard to do in practice, I know, but it is the start of a triathlon

• there is no point in getting a super high heart rate in the
  first few minutes of an endurance race. Those that go too
  hard at the start will falter later on if it is way above what
  they can handle. Starting out too hard in the swim and
  above your swim fitness will cause your heart rate to go to
  anaerobic levels, leaving you in oxygen debt. It is better to
  build your speed throughout the swim. Find your pace first,
  then up the tempo. This will keep your heart rate lower and
  leave you better prepared for the rest of the race.