What to Expect When You're Syracusing- The Swim

My intent is to pass along knowledge based on experience for any and all those who are planning on doing IM Syracuse 70.3 (even if you have no intention of ever doing this race, maybe you'll find it interesting). If, at any point along the way, please feel free to raise your hand and ask questions. (I suppose you could also leave a comment.)

Links to other posts in this series
Pre-Race
The Swim (viewing)
The Bike
The Run

Pre-Swim
If you've done everything efficiently, you have made it to the race site before transition closes. According to published information, transition actually opens around 4:30 am (I, typically haven't even awoken by this time). It closes near 6:45 am (if you're lucky, you can bribe a volunteer to let you stay in a little longer- I know this from experience).

While in transition, make sure your gear is taken care off. Get your fluids and nutrition on your bike. They will have some of those large, orange coolers filled with water and with a sports drink (supplies by whoever is this year's sponsor). There will be lots of pumps in transition, either from fellow athletes or from the race support sponsor.

Borrowing a pump is as simple as asking, "Can I use your pump?" which is 100% of the time responded in the affirmative. The race mechanics, just like Hans and Franz, might pump you up without any work of your own. If you are too shy to ask the question, of course you can bring your own.

The race "starts" at 7:00 am. Don't worry, you won't actually be starting at that time. That is, of course, unless you are a male professional triathlete (then one would have to wonder why you are reading anything posted here...). Syracuse 70.3 is a wave start. In 2013, there will be 13 total waves, separated by about 5 minutes. The older and more feminine people will start earlier than the younger, virile males. I, for example, will be hitting the drink at 7:50. As if the pros need a 50 minute head start against the likes of me.

One aspect that I think is well done at Syracuse is that they have a morning bag check. This means that you don't have to stand around in your wetsuit, shivering in the cold (should the morning temps be cold enough to cause shivering). You can wear shoes to walk around. You can have your favorite hoodie. You can jam the tunes on your music player.

As your time nears, you can dump all of this in your official Morning Clothes bag, which was given to you when you checked-in yesterday, and hand it to the nice volunteers manning the tent. "You don't need to worry about your morning stuff during the race. We'll take care of it for you."

There is a warm up area, should you be the kind of person that likes to waste his/ her energy splashing around in the water before your race. There is a 97% chance that the swim will be wetsuit legal during any given year. In fact, the swim hasn't even been close to the temperature cut-off. In case you didn't know, the WTC is a little odd in their wetsuit temperature policy. The rules say that wetsuits are fully legal up to 76.1º. They are fully illegal above 83.8º. There is a gray area between those numbers. If the water happens to be in the midst, you may decide to wear a wetsuit but will forfeit your eligibility to win anything. No age group awards. No slots for the World Championships. You only get a finisher's medal, hat, t-shirt, and post-race dinner (all of which is probably what you would have gotten anyway).

The Swim

Congratulations, you have been patient enough to make it to your wave start. Everybody in your wave will have similar colored caps, which were given to you yesterday. Sadly, there is no official start line. You enter the water until it's about waist deep. Someone in the group will stop. Current scientific research has failed to identify the exact reason why that person stops where they do or while the rest of us idiots accept that decision. We all form a line in the vicinity of the stopper but are careful not to venture out further then that person.

Eventually, someone will yell go. If you're lucky, there may be something more official, such as an air horn. If you miss it, that's okay. You'll recognize the commencement of your race because everyone else has gone horizontal and started flapping their arms.

The swim is a clockwise swim with the buoys on your right (perfect for right-side breathers like myself). Since the swim is in a reservoir and protected on 3 sides, there will be minimal chop. The first leg is roughly 800 yards. You'll know when you've reached the turn buoy as it will be a different color. Turn right.

In my experience, the first turn is greater than 90º. It's closer to 110º. Should you only turn at a right angle, you'll start to add yardage onto your swim (again, it's been my experience). This leg of the race is about 200 yards and you are swimming directly into the sun, which is not as reliable a marker for spotting as you would expect.

Again, the turn buoy will be seen as a different color than the ones you've just been seeing. You turn right and head for the beach. Pay attention here. The buoys on the 3rd leg of the swim do not lead you directly towards the swim exit (at least they haven't in the past). The buoys make a 90º turn but the exit is directly at about 70º. If you choose to swim near the buoys, you will go out of your way by about 25 yards. Spot the swim exit arch. It'll be big and white. From a 1000 yards away, you would be able to read the words "Swim Exit" but it will be the only white archy-shaped thing against a green background. Swimming straight for the swim exit arch has a second benefit as the masses will be following the buoys where as you, and really I mean me, will be in clean water. Sure, there may be people to draft off of but there will also be slower swimmers from earlier waves to slalom through.

The Strippers
Exit the water onto a sandy beach. After a short 50 yard jog, you'll come across a slew of strippers. No, not the sexy, Gentleman's Club kind, but the kind that will remove your wetsuit for you. What's the difference? You are not expected to hand out dollars for services rendered. These people will give you attention for free.

Should you wish to take advantage of their talent, run up to a couple of volunteers. Make sure you have peeled your suit to the waist. You must do this part yourself (sorry). It's best to communicate your intention to the strippers. I tend to spot a likely victim who is available and point at them. They will acknowledge your presence. Run up to the couple and sit down in front of them. They will grab to top of your suit and yank it quickly. Just like a magician ripping a table cloth out from under the dishes, your suit will magically disappear from your body. Sometimes, they will help you off of your butt and onto your feet. They will always hand you your suit and send you on your way.

Transition is still quite a distance away. I haven't actually put the Garmin on the task, but I believe that the transition area is about 300-400 yards away. Remember that the clock doesn't stop because you are between the water and the bike. Also remember that it's a long day and you are only 10% or so of the way finished with the race. Plan your energy expenditures wisely.

Now that you've successfully made it to your bike, I'll tell you how to tackle the bike course. Stay tuned.

Tips for a Good Transition 1

Don't let the name 'triathlon' fool you. On its surface, the sport is swim-bike-run. However, you don't magically get out of the water and appear on your bike. It takes work to transition from one discipline to the next. Work takes time and the race clock does not stop for you once you enter the transition area.

It would be excellent if that were the case. Suppose everyone got a 2 minute grace period. You enter transition and your 2-minute window of opportunity started. If you took care of business quickly, you would wait until your 2 minutes were up before being allowed to leave. I would do considerably better under those circumstances. Alas, it is not the case. Once the whistle blows, time does not end until you cross the finish line and some unlucky volunteer has the responsibility of plucking your sweaty, smelly, gross timing chip firmly attached to your ankle.

Getting from the water and onto your bike, with all of the necessary accessories, is a skill and needs to be practiced. Before you practice, you should have some idea of what you are doing. I am going to tell you.

Why should you listen to me? Great question. Especially when you recall that, at my most recent race, my 2:55 transition time was one of the slowest in the race. But, look at this from a different perspective... I have made all of the mistakes. I know now what should NOT be done. Basically, if you want a fast transition time, do the opposite of what I did and you'll be golden.

Step 1- Run, don't walk.

There's some simple truths we cannot ignore. For most people, running is faster than walking. Remember, the goal is to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. Point A is the edge of the water. Point B is the place where your bike is sitting. Most race directors do not allow personal transport systems. USAT rules clearly forbid outside assistance, such as a shuttle buses or Star Trek style particle beams. Therefore, you are basically stuck doing the work alone.

In my last race, my legs were spent from climbing stairs. This is completely my fault. I did not run from the water to my bike. I sort of strolled. Walking adds time versus those who run.

Advanced technique: Run really fast.

Step 2- Be a minimalist
The more stuff you put on your body, the slower you will be. Most of the time, triathlon is a summer sport. This tends to yield pleasant temperatures. Unless you live in the New England area. Then, it's anybody's guess. Last week, we had highs in the 90's and lows in the 70's. On race day, the high was 62 and race temperature was 59º. Once the race has started, the temp started dropping slightly as the wind picked up and the front moved in.

I made the decision to be warm instead of fast. I put on the arm warmers I got for Christmas (thank you Mommy!) These things are skin tight and have grips on for my wrist and biceps. They are sticky and tricky especially when you sport huge guns like mine.

I made the decision to wear socks. These are not needed for triathletes. Sure, if you hang out with a bunch of roadies, socks are a cult-like requirement. So be it in their sport. Mine wants speed and my bike shoes are quite comfortable without needless material. Socks, on the other hand, do provide a significant wind barrier and thermal trap. Since I am a pansy whose feet get cold just by looking at pictures of cool weather, I opted for socks.

Advanced technique: Race naked. (Technically against the rules but has the potential for super fast transitions.)

(Please send pics.)

Step 3-No sitting on the job

Sitting down is a waste of time. Don't do it. You have to travel all of that distance down and then back up again. Let's also not underestimate the amount of energy taken out of your quads by doing plyometric squats in the middle of a race.

I have not mastered this trick yet. Getting out of your wetsuit should be as simple as peeling the neoprene down past your knees, stomping one foot out, using that as an anchor while you stomp out the second foot.

Some say you should Body Glide your ankles. Guess what? It doesn't help. Some say you should remove your wetsuit in the water. Guess what? It helps. Unless there is a specific rule forbidding it (the KLT has such a rule).

I am at the point where I am ready to take a knife to the wetsuit. I'd like to shave a few inches off the lower legs in hopes that my massive calves will free themselves of their black rubber prison. That's right! I am ready to cut my couple-a-hundred-dollar swimming tool in an effort to shave 10 seconds off my transition time. It would be worth it.

Advanced technique: Bike with your wetsuit on. Your transition will be fast. Your bike time may suffer, depending on your training.

Step 4- Have everything ready
Okay, this bit I actually do correctly.

• My shoes are pre-attached to my pedals. I can efficiently slide in my feet on the go.
• My helmet is on my handle bars, upside down, with the straps out.
• My glasses are inside my helmet.
• My jersey is already on, under my wetsuit.
• My race number is already on, under my wetsuit.

All I have to do is make it to my bike and get through steps 1-3 efficiently (not an easy task for the Banter). Then, I'm in the money. Put on my glasses. Helmet on head. Strap in. Grab bike and go.

Advanced technique: Okay, that's a farce. My Step 4 is as good as you can get.

So there you have it. Tips on how to make a better T1 from a guy who's made almost all of the mistakes (most of which in his last race). Remember, a good T1 is like adding an extra mph on the bike ride without the need to pedal. T1= Free speed.