Open water tactics

I've always raced "faster" in the open water than I should've based on my times in the pool. I'm giving myself a left-handed compliment. I'd have given anything to have been a faster pure swimmer. But, alas, I've never been one and I'm not likely to become one now.

I didn't grow up as a swimmer. I was a fair swimmer as a kid––I was a Junior Lifeguard, and you know what that's all about if you grew up in a West Coast beach community––but I was never a "swimmer." Whatever speed I did have was gained through years of 12,000 and 15,000 weekly swim sessions, afterI became a triathlete.

My fastest ever 500-yard freestyle in the pool was 5:50, my fastest 1000-yard was 12:25, and I could never quite make it to the lane in which we repeated on the 1:15.

That's not bad, of course, I'm not complaining. But I'd never have a shot at coming first out of the water. Not even close. That said, I always came out further up in the pack than I should've. It used to really chap the hide of some of my friends when they'd tumble up onto the sand and there'd I'd be, right on their feet.

While most of the articles featured in Swim Center are penned by extremely accomplished swimmers, it's almost counterproductive to have a swimmer like that write about tactics. How would they know? They don't need tactics. They have talent.

Then there's me––scraping, clawing, hanging on for dear life, shifting from one set of feet to another––engaging in any sort of behavior short of cheating in order to gain an advantage in the water. Here's my methodology…

DRAFTING

The first and foremost thing you need to understand is that you are immediately elevated into the next level of swimmer by virtue of swimming behind the next level of swimmer. Drafting in the water is at least as beneficial as drafting on the bike. While you can't legally draft on the bike, drafting behind another swimmer is kosher. So do it. It's worth perhaps 5 or 6 seconds per 100 yards. That's a minute and a half over an Olympic-distance swim. That's equal––or close to equal––to the advantage you get with a wetsuit.

This takes a little practice, because you've got to be as close to that person's feet as you possibly can, while at the same time not making contact. If you do make contact every, say, 8th or 10th stroke, you'll annoy the person in front of you, but not enough for him or her to take it up with you in the water. If you're slapping that person's calf with your hand every stroke, well, I had a maneuver for people like that, and it wasn't a pleasant experience for the person behind me.

If you're properly swimming in the draft, it's turbulent water most likely. If you're lucky, you'll find a nice, quiet two-beat kicker to swim behind. That's like water skiing behind a flat-bottom boat. If you're swimming behind a backstroke specialist, it's like swimming behind a washing machine. No matter, though, so long as he or she is fast.

The way you know there are feet in front of you is you'll see the bubbles. Always look for those bubbles. If you all of a sudden stop seeing bubbles, quickly figure out where those bubbles went and get back on those feet.

If you think you're swimming too easily––not swimming with enough effort––while drafting, consider how you got to be in the position you're in. Did you swim up to this person you're now drafting behind? Or did this person swim right past you, and you jumped on? If it is the latter, you're not swimming too easily. Just sit back and enjoy the draft. The only reason I'd get off a person's feet is if somebody came swimming by and I thought I could put out a little more effort and jump on this faster set of feet. I've been frustrated swimming behind a "slow" person, and as soon as I jumped out to go past, I got dropped.

That said, be careful not to put too much trust in this person. If he or she gets gapped, and you're swimming pretty easily, you may have to make a dash for the pack that's leaving your "puller" behind. It's just like bike racing. Trial and error will tell you whether and when you have the strength to bridge.

THE TURNS

Realize that if you employ this method, you're swimming faster than you ought, because the person who's pulling this train is faster than you. That means that you need to watch out for trouble, and trouble is anything that puts you out there on your own. You never want to be left to your own devices. You don't want the swim to be a time trial. No race of truth here. You want to glom onto somebody else's ability. With that in mind, be mindful of the buoys (or anything that marks a turn). Whether it's cycling or swimming we're talking about, turns are problematic because of the accordian effect. People bunch up in the turn, and they spread out on the other side of the turn. Once you've completed the turn be ready to take it up a notch or two, because everybody in front of you is trying to "get back on the train" as the accordian contracts. This is the place people often get dropped. If you know that this is coming, and are prepared for it, you'll be less likely to get spit off the back of the swim pack.

THE CORRECT DEGREE OF AGGRESSION

In general I'm not one for getting physical with others during a race, but I'm jealous about feet. If a good set of feet come by me at the right pace, I might be inclined to move onto them. But, there's a very good chance those feet are already "inhabited." I've perhaps been known to nudge that person off, and take possession of these fine feet myself. This has never gotten out of hand.

I do remember one particular time, though, when it did cost me. It was many years ago, in a race in Canada. I had grown fond of super-master Bill Leach's feet over the years, and although I hadn't a prayer of keeping with him on my swimming ability alone, swimming behind him was like swimming behind the Queen Mary. He moved a lot of water out of my way. The only problem was, my friend Scott Zagarino had designs on Leach's feet as well, and for a good half-mile we bashed and bumped each other, side-by-side, trying to take sole ownership of those feet. Finally, Zag saw his chance, and peeled me right into a metal buoy. I still have a bump on my forehead a dozen years later.

STRAIGHT-LINE SWIMMING

It is helpful to be able to swim a straight line. Funny how quite a few really good swimmers just can't. You can't tell in a pool if you've got a hook in your swim. Two things can help. One, learn not only to bilateral breathe, but to be able to breathe on your "off" side as easily as your natural side. I say this because I've found myself in situations where I'm swimming next to somebody and getting a mouthful of water every stroke. If you can breathe on the other side you might find it nicer going. You also need to make sure you're not overreaching during the catch phase of your stroke. If one arm crosses the centerline of your body during the catch, you'll probably be swimming in an arc in the open water. If this happens, it is likely to happen when you breathe. If you're a left-side breather, let's say, your right arm might have a tendency to cross over to the left during the catch each time you take a breath. You can't tell this by feel. You have to have somebody on the pool deck tell you.

I can pretty much swim in a straight line, only sighting once every eight to twelve strokes. It's good if you can get to that point.

LOCAL CURRENTS

All this is stuff I describe above you do while you're in the water. I've sometimes had great swims based on things I did before the gun ever went off. Take ocean swimming in Southern California for example. You can have some wicked side currents in this ocean. I––and most others––are just not strong enough to plow through a side current. If you've got a 2-knot northbound current and you try to swim from the beach straight out to a buoy a half-mile offshore, you'll never make it. I've seen plenty of people retire from a triathlon before the race is 10-minutes old because they get swept downshore. Best thing is to talk to the local lifeguards the day before, and the morning of, the race. Ask them about the currents. Do the geometry. You may have to triangulate. I've lined up 50 or 100 yards downshore, people looking at me like, "What race is he doing?" I did that once in a race in Huntington Beach, and I was the first one to the buoy. I led the swim in a field with some very good pros, and I didn't get passed until halfway through the swim. I never should've been ahead in any segment of that race.

THE LINEUP

Then there's the lineup. You've got to be aggressive, but not overly so. If you're big and strong and can hold your own, you might want to get behind the person or people you think you might want to swim with. But if you're a weak swimmer, or if you're smaller––women have a particular issue with this––you might want to be wary of lining up in the middle of the pack. It is often preferential for women to line up near the front, but off to the side. In this case, you've got to be very careful that you don't end up swimming by yourself. You've got to be aggressive enough to get on the feet of a strong swimmer, but have clear water one one side of you if the men start getting overly aggressive.

I've done okay in the past just keeping an eye out for just such a strong pro woman swimming on the outside of the pack. Once in a race in Utah I was about 200 yards into a race and Karen Smyers swam right past me, breaking her own water outside of the group. I jumped on her feet and she towed me past the pack and through almost the entire course.

In all of these situations, the single common denominator was that I had no business getting out of the water where I did. Treachery and sleight of hand are not illegal. Only breaking the rules is illegal. Once I get out of the water and onto the bike, I'm clean as a whistle.