SwimRun NC is a little over three weeks away, so my wife and I are increasing focused on getting fully prepared for the race.  As part of the race, we will enter and leave water a lot. In fact, there are a total of eighteen transitions during the race; nine going into water and nine getting out.

When you swim tethered together, use buoys and paddles, there is a lot to account for during a SwimRun transition.  My wife and I practiced the transition process a lot today, when we were up at the lake.  We are far from super fast at transitioning yet, but we did figure out a routine for getting ready to swim.

First, I attach the tether to my wife’s race belt, while she begins the process of putting on her goggles.  The tether remains attached to my race belt at all times, so once it is attached to my wife, I put on my goggles. Next we get our buoys out of their lasso mounts and put them into place between our legs.  Finally, we put our paddles on our hands.  We do one final check we are both ready, and then off we swim.  We adopt the reverse process when leaving the water.

By the end of our practice session today, we were certainly getting better at the process.  With eighteen transitions to do on race day, we will continue to practice in the coming weeks.  We aren’t racing to win in North Carolina, but it is important for us to be efficient at getting into and out of the water. We need to ensure we can easily meet the race cut-off times, and finish the event with a smile.