MIRACLE SWIMMING®

New Lessons for Adults Afraid of Water: Triathletes

This triathlete started at the beginning: he overcame his fear in water. Survival is no longer an issue. Now he can focus on learning proper freestyle technique and getting faster.

"It's crunch time for me to get comfortable enough in water to participate in a Half Ironman on September 9.

I've done 2 open water triathlons and the swim was a disaster in both. Although I made it through with the help of the kayak and kayaker, I never want to feel like that again in water, i.e., scared to death, feeling like I am going to drown if I don't get to a buoy or kayak, can't breathe, you get the picture. I can swim quite well in a pool, but put me in open water and it is panic with a capital P!!!!!"

Triathletes are some of the hardest working athletes we've met. At MSI we've done tri's, ourselves.

Many triathletes push themselves too hard with everything about the swim: they push to get into the water, push to get air, to put out of their minds the fact that they're in deep or dark water. It makes swimming the most difficult sport of the race. It doesn't have to be so hard.

It may be more difficult to say, "This is scary" than it is to train. However, let's face it, pushing yourself through fear in water when you don't feel (and aren't really) safe doesn't help you improve this part of your tri. You need to be safe and feel safe.

You need to be comfortable in the water. It's the only long-term solution. And it may be the only thing that can make your tri and your swim training really fun. If you're okay in a pool, but not in open water, what are the differences? One list is: the water's dark, it's deep, you don't know what's in it, you don't know where the bottom is, there are no sides, it's big.

None of these things matters to someone who understands how the water works (except wondering what's in the water with you, which you just have to let go of).

None of these things can get the best of you if you know how to remain in control. These two skills, learning how the water works and how to remain in control are what make our work different from the rest of the swimming instruction that's out there.

You don't have to push yourself to get air. Nor do you need to push yourself to stay afloat or get through the water. The water does most of the work for you. Come and learn how to be at ease in water—open water or pool—to let the water hold you up, and to move through it without effort. Then train and get faster.