HELP!! Doing my 1st tri on Sun. I'm very scared and nervous about the swim. I know a lot of the race is mental and being able to believe I can do it. However, I'm having a crisis of confidence. I never ever was swimmer - I just learned how to swim (not very well, mind you) last year as an adult. Now everything I'm reading is telling me I should have been swimming at least 100 yds farther than the race swim. I've perhaps come close to the race distance, but never actually did it. I figured it was a like marathon - you never actually run the whole 26.2 mi b/c it's counterproductive and adrenaline and endorphins kick in and help get you through the rest.

Any tips on how to stay calm and relxed in the water and get through what will likely be the most grueling and difficult event of my life so far??

What happens if I don't finish the swim w/in the required 1 hr.??? Do they pull me out, stop timing me, DQ????

Help please! Thank you thank you thank you

BG from Virginia

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Hi BG,
Thank you for contacting TriathaNewbie.com!

We're so sorry we weren't able to answer you quickly enough, but we want to congratulate you on entering your triathlon.

Anyways, we're sure that you have already found the answers to your questions using the best learning tool of all: Experience.

1. You should be swimming 100 yards further than your distance and should be able to swim this comfortably before the race because you'll have several miles of biking and running to follow.
2. Training for a marathon is a bit different because you can always walk if you get tired during the final race. If you walk during the swim, you'll be hanging out with the crabs on the bottom and that's not where you want to be.
3. Many triathlons are adopting cut-off times for the swim and bike to encourage people to train properly for the race. As much as we we're here to encourage people of all walks of life to try a triathlon, we are also big proponents of being respectful to the sport and being prepared for all three legs individually as well as a whole. In addition, many towns require race organizers to get permits, block off streets and use detail cops. There are time restrictions that go along with that.

We really hope that your triathlon went well and that you are happy with the results. Shoot us an email to let us know how it went.

Be well,
~Jack

TriathaNewbie.com Staff

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