As part of the swim series we're going to be posting an article before each race. These articles are written by club members and intended to help people improve as they go along. The first one is from the winner of the april pool time trial event Mairin Laffey. In a new departure for the blog we have it in both English and Irish! It's excellent and well worth a read for newcomers to sea swimming.
I joined the Triathlon club after completing the Tri-a-Tri event last year, I could run and enjoyed a casual cycle but Swimming posed a huge problem I could not swim two strokes never mind a length .Six months later here I was preparing to enter the sea for the first time with my new found friends that I had been training with throughout the winter months, in the sports complex under the expert of guidance of Colm Casey and Shane O’Doherty, as you can see it took two to coach me!!!, seriously though they taught us the basic skills, then technique combined with speed and finally endurance and survival skills for the race. I enjoyed the weekly classes while the personal challenge of putting what I had learned in class into my own practice sessions was slow and challenging but very rewarding…I
I had never intended in doing a Triathlon and always felt that it was something that I would not complete due to the weakness of my swimming. However as the weeks turned into months I found that I was slowly opening up to the idea of possibly competing in July as my swimming technique gradually improved. I cannot emphasis enough that without the support fellow members and swim trainers I would not have completed Mullaghmore not alone Rosses Pt. To share your fears/demons/insecurities with others enabled me to realise that I am not alone. To know that others struggle particularly as a new member was encouraging to me. To know that there are others of similar ability gives me a sense of security, as I found it intimidating when I saw the more experienced swimmers 'take off'.
We had a private fitting of the wet suit in the water at the yacht club pier and to me that was daunting I felt very scared and unable to control my body I felt I was on the moon.
The first time we went into the water - it was so important to go back to the very basics i.e. to sit in the water in the arm chair position in the wet suit and secure in the confidence that I could not drown. There were a few swim instructors who encouraged and supported the group just to get a feel of the water prior to start swimming in the water. This was a huge benefit to me. I was very scared but with the support I did it. The first couple of sessions in the water were about safety and reassurance and not about swimming. I clearly recall one very stormy day and I wanted to run back to the car but we were encouraged to catch hands in a line and enter the waves together, I still recall the scene and am sure others can still hear my screams , that was the turning point for me I knew I had learned new skills both endurance and survival and had moved on to a new level
Each time we went out to swim a person was appointed to keep head count - this ensured that when we reached our agreed end point that all heads were accounted for – again this was very comforting and when the swim series began it was encouraged that you brought along a marshal to assist with the smooth running of the series.
I cannot emphasis enough how the swim series helped me, having had no clue about Triathlons this gave me some sense of what it may be like during the swim part of the Triathlon. Again safety was of paramount - to know that there were people in canoes out in the water restored my confidence, On the first race I was concerned that I would not finish the race , I still recall Ronan Mc Namara close by in his kayak willing me to finish as I struggled to finish and then to hear the applause ok I was last but that didn’t matter the sense of achievement was immense.
Sighting I found was difficult and meant that I invariably went off course which made my race longer and more difficult while I struggled to get back in line, so hopefully this year I will concentrate more to keep on course. Arriving early is very important and remember to leave all jewellery at home, velco towel wraps are handy as we change at the back of our car boots and bring a bottle of water or two
Finally my fears and psychological battles within the water continue to play a part (small) in my uneasiness in the water. I don’t know if I will ever be comfortable in the water, however through discipline, reasoning, control of my thoughts & imagination I continue to be highly motivated to improve my swimming and to enjoy my time out in the sea. Each time I swim the sense of accomplishment that I have when I reach the beech is amazing It makes it all worthwhile - such an achievement :-)
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Thosaigh mé ag freastal ar an Club Triathlon tar-eis dom an Tri-Tri a chriochnú anuraidh. Bhà mé áblata rith agus thaithin liom a bheith ag rothaÃocht ó h-am go chéile ach ba é an snámh an rud ba mhó a bhà ag cur as dom, nà raibh mé ábalta snámh ró-mhaith ar chor ar bith! Ach sé mhà ina dhiaidh sin bhà mé réidh le haghaidh m’aghaidh a thabhairt ar an usice le mo chairde nua. Le linn mÃonna fhada an gheimhridh bhà mé féin agus mo chairde nua gnóthach ag traenáil faoi stiúr Cholm Casey agus Shane O’Doherty san ionad spóirt. Sea, bhà beirt ag teastáil le hagahidh mé a thraenáil! Bhà an traenáil a fuair mé uathu thar barr, mhúin siad na scileanna bunúsacha dom agus ansin na teicnicà a bhà ag teastáil le haghaidh cur le mo chuid luais agus scileanna maireachtála le haghaidh an rása a chriochnú.
Bhain mé an-sult as na ranganna a bhà ar siúl gach seachtain agus freisin ba dushlán pearsanta a bhà ann an méid a bhà foghlamtha agam sa rang a chur in úsáid le linn dom féin a bheith ag cleachtadh. Ba tasc mall agus dushlánacha a bhà ann ach bhà toradh mo chuid oibre le feiceáil gan mhoill! Nà raibh sé i gceist agam triathalon a dhéanamh mar cheap mé nach mbeinn ábalta é a dhéanamh mar nach raibh an snámh ró-mhaith agam. Ach le h-imeacht ama, thosaigh mé ag smaoineamh ar páirt a ghlacadh sa traithalon i mà Iúil agus de réir a chéile, le neart cleachtadh d’fheabhasaigh mo chuid snáimh. Fuair mé an an-chuid tacaÃochta uaidh mo chuid comhghleacaithe agus traenálaithe snámha agus gan a gcuid tacaÃochta nà bhéinn ábalta an snámh i Mulach Mór a chriochnú, gan caint ar snámh Ros Ceite!
Le linn dom aithne a chur ar dhaoine eile a bhà sa bhád céanna liom fein bhà deis agam mo chuid mothucháin a roinnt leo thuig mé nach raibh mé liom fein. Thuig mé go raibh daoine eile imnÃoch agus faitÃoch maidir leis an uisce, mar a bhà mé féin agus thug sé sin misneach dom. Bhà deis againn ár gculaith fhliuch féin a fháil agus bhà ‘private fitting’ againn sa Yacht Club agus caithfidh mé a rá go raibh sé sin scranúil. Nà raibh aon smacht agam ar mo chorp féin agus mhothaigh mé go raibh mé ar an ngealach.
An chéad uair a chuaigh muid isteach san uisce bhà sé an-tábhachtach dul ar ais go dtà na rudaà bunúsacha- suà san uisce mar a bheadh tú ag suà ar do chathaoir le do chulaith fhliuch ort agus tú muinÃneach nach mbeadh aon rud in ann tarlú diut. Bhà cúpla duine de na teagascóirà snámha a spreag muid dul i dtaithà ar an uisce arÃs sula dtosóidh muid ag snámh san uisce arÃs. Rinne sé seo an-mhaith domsa go pearsanta. Bhà an-fhaitÃos orm agus tar-éis dom tacaÃocht a fháil ón ngrúpa d’éirigh liom é a dhéanamh. Sa chéad cúpla ceacht is ag foghlaim faoi sábháilteacht agus cén chaoi a bheith ar ár suaimhneas a bhà muid, agus nà ag foghlaim conas snámh! Is cuimhin liom lá amháin a bhà an-ghaofar agus an-gharbh agus nà raibh uaim ach rith ar ais go dtà mo charr ach moladh dhúinn greim láimhe a fháil ar a chéile i lÃne dhÃreach agus rith isteach sna tonnta le chéile. Sin é an uair a raibh a fhios agam go raibh scileanna nua foghlamtha agam, scileanna maireachtála agus seasmhachta agsu bhà mé imithe ar aghaidh go dtà leibhéal nua.
Gach uair a chuaigh muid amach ag snámh bhà duine ceaptha le haghaidh gach duine a chomhaireamh- chinntigh sé seo gur bhain muid ar fad amach ceann scrÃbe agus freisin bhà muid fein ar ár suimhneas. Ag tús na sraitheanna snámha moltar duit maor a thabhairt leat le cinntiú go mbeidh gach rud ina cheart.Caithfidh mé a rá gur chabhraigh an sraith snámha liom go mór. Nà raibh aon rud ar eolas agam faoi Triathlons agus mar sin tar-éis dom cúpla ceann de na sraitheanna seo a dhéanamh bhà tuairim éigin agam faoin méid a bheadh i gceist. Bhà sábháilteacht fÃorthábhachtach- mhothaigh mé i bhfad nÃos sábháilte nuair a bhà a fhios agam go raibh daoine amuigh i gcanúnna le theacht i gcabhair orm dá mbeadh gá leis. Le linn an chéad rása bhà imnà orm nach gcrÃochnaÃonn an rása, is maith is cuimhin liom Ronan Mac Namara agus é istigh ina chanú in aice liom mo spreagadh ar aghaidh chun an rása a chriochnú. Nà raibh sé éasca agus ba mé an duine deireadh sa rása ach nuair a chuala mé an bualadh bos mór bhà a fhios agam go raibh éacht ollmhór bainte amach agam.
Rud amháin a bhà dúshlánach ná an t-amharc. Nà raibh mé ábalta feiceáil ró-mhaith agus de bhrà seo d’imigh mé den chúrsa cúpla uair agus bhà an rása nÃos faide agus nÃos deacra ach beidh mé ábalta nÃos mó oibre a dhéanamh ar sin i mbliana.Tá sé an-tábháchtach a bheith ag an lathair luath agus do chuid seodra ar fad a fhágáil sa bhaile, bÃonn tuaillà velcro úsáideach mar go mbÃonn orainn athrú amach an trunc cairr agus freisin bÃonn buidéal uisce nó dhó ag teastáil!
NÃl a fhios agam an mbeidh mé ar mo chompord san uisce riamh ach le neart cabhair, smachtú, moladh agus mo chuid smaointe agus mo shamhlaÃocht a choinnéal faoi stiúir tá mé fós spreagtha feabhas a chur ar mo chiud snáimh agus sult a bhaint as mo chuid ama san uisce. Gach uair a bhÃm ag snámh mothaÃm go bhfuil rud fiúntach bainte amach agam nuair a shroichim an trá. BÃonn éacht bainte amach agam agus if fiú an traenáil agus an obair chrua ar fad! :-)
