Swimming Faster for Triathlon NewsletterDear Friend,

The short answer is, No, it is NOT necessary to be fast in the water to have a great race!

Swimming is the shortest part of the race, and no matter how fast your swim is you can easily be caught by lots of people in the rest of the race (trust me I speak from experience!)

Read on for an example that proves my point!

Enjoy,
Kevin

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”
-Frank Lloyd Wright

Taking 8th place in the Great Floridian despite being last out of the water

Tri Swim Coach subscriber Jeanette Padilla of Guadalajara, Mexico was a long time marathon runner- until she met her husband, a 7-time Ironman finisher, who convinced her to step it up and take up triathlon!

Just 2 years into the sport, after doing a few sprints and one Half Ironman in Mexico, she signed up for the Great Floridian Half Ironman (Florida Challenge Triathlon) which took place last weekend in Clermont, Florida.

Although she began to panic at the beginning from the chaotic start and surprisingly rough conditions for a lake swim, she quickly thought of some of the Tri Swim Coach tips from the newsletters, settled into the race and kept a steady pace throughout.

She came out of the water far behind the pack, and later found out that she was dead last in her age group after the swim! However, having saved enough energy, the bike and the run were a total success- Jeanette was able to move up to 8th place in her age group (40-44), she finished the half marathon run without stopping to walk even once, despite hot, humid conditions!

Jeanette now plans to work on her swim in the coming months, and I even talked her into picking up the Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming to prepare for next season!

Congratulations Jeanette Padilla, and good luck with future endeavors in triathlon or marathon (although I think you sound like a true convert to the multi-sport race now!)