Omar Nour posted on August 05, 2010 08:25
CycleLife organized an open water swim clinic on the 24th of July. As a CycleLife sponsored athlete, I had volunteered to help out with the workshop. I had a long, hard week of training and I must admit I was not too excited to wake up at 5:00 AM to get to the lake in time for check in. Michelle Harburg, also a CycleLife sponsored athlete, and I ended up going to the lake together.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a large number of participants and a well organized check-in system run by the CycleLife staff. I never had the opportunity to swim open water before my first tri. I must admit that it would have been an extremely valuable experience, not just for the obvious swim technique purposes but also for learning how to swim in packs and not be nervous about it or the logistical side of things which mimicked nicely race morning at the workshop.
Eric and Steve did an awesome job going through the tips and tricks of open water swimming, T1, and getting in and out of a wetsuit. I remember Eric asking how many people had never done a triathlon before and 2/3rds of the hands went up. I smiled as it reminded me of the excitement of the unknown prior to my first tri, the 1,000 questions I had, my obsession with all the details, and my relentless desire to complete it. It is exciting times for these participants and it simplified my view of the sport for at least the next couple of hours.
The swim course ran parallel to the shore about 250 meters off-shore and was marked by buoys very similarly to a race. I offered my services as a "buddy" to any uncomfortable swimmers and they announced that I was going to be out in the water if anyone needed help or had questions. I was assigned to one young lady at first who admitted to me that she did not want to put her face in the water. She doesn't have that problem in the pool but something about the open water scared her. I had a little pep talk with her and within a few minutes she was throwing her head in the water. I was making little deals with her about going a bit further before poking her head out.
Before I knew it, she was swimming free-style in the open water 250 meters at a time. I was so impressed with her and was happy to see that my words made a difference. She actually is going to have a more enjoyable experience on her first tri and I had a bit to do with it! A great feeling.
There were kayaks out for safety purposes but I also had my eye out for struggling swimmers. I helped a few people and then spent the rest of my time looking at the swimmers' forms, giving as many tips as I could. People really appreciated the help. I assisted one girl in switching from breast stroke to free style... it is incredible how people new to the sport can absorb the smallest tips given to them. I was extremely excited to see that she sent an email of gratitude back to CycleLife... it meant a lot to me:
Dear Eric:
Thank you for planning, organizing, and facilitating Saturday's swim. It was fantastic!
I participated in the Sprint in the DC Triathlon in June and swam breaststroke the whole way. This is definitely my most stressful portion of the race. On Saturday I was out there swimming and Omar gave me some coaching and tips and I was able to confidently swim freestyle. I ended up swimming 1500 yards and feel really confident moving forward with my training for the Nations!
Thank you for the opportunity. I hope CycleLife will offer similar workshops in the near future.
Sincerely,
Dana
At the end of the workshop, there was a nice little barbeque where people chatted about their experience, etc. It was truly an enjoyable morning which reminded me of how fantastic our sport is and not to take any of it for granted or too seriously! Looking forward to my next opportunity to be an ambassador to my sport.
Thanks CycleLife for the opportunity!
o.n.
Pro Triathlete