I was incredibly fortunate to be a part of filming and stroke mechanic analysis today with a South African Olympian (a Paralympian for that matter, but still competes on the normal circuit) for Part 1 of a 5 part series.  We were analyzed by an incredibly knowledgeable Olympic Swim Coach.  His set up and system to track velocity and weakness in the stroke is unparalled.  (www.swimmetrics.com)

We swam a series of 25 yard swims past a camera.  (And by series, I mean a lot...)  One person was wearing a belt that was hooked up to a machine that captures accurate velocity of the swimmer.  We tested different drafting positions, left, right, center, 1 meter behind, 3 meters behind, etc, all to compare and find out where the 'sweet spot' is to swim during an open water swim or triathlon.  By drafting, you greatly reduce energy output required to swim at the same speed.  Consequently, you are not working nearly as hard as the person in front of you that you are drafting from.  Therefore, you can expend less energy throughout the race, and hopefully blast by them at the very end of the race, or for triathlon, save your energy for the bike and run, which is at least 80% of the race anyway.

The Open Water Swimming world is literally opening up for swimmers and triathletes alike...more people are swimming open water, more people are watching races, and more doors happen to be opening up for me in the sport each and every day.  I cannot wait to see where the tide takes me!