How to start fast in an open water race

We all know that starting fast can give athletes a great advantage in any race. In an open water race where a lot of people are competing is even more essential because it will help you get a better place in the racing terrain. That means that if you don't start fast you will find yourself stuck in the middle of a huge group of swimmers without the ability to slip out of this situation without getting bumped or tripped and losing a great deal of time and precious seconds of your time. A fast start is also good for triathletes too, although many of them approach the swim as a warm up for the bike and wun work they have to do later on their race. A part from the psychological boost they'll get, keep in mind that a few seconds lead in swimming translates into a lot more seconds in the bike part of the race because cycling is much faster than swimming.

For you open water swimmers who want to start finish in your race, follow these three tips that will give you an edge against the other swimmers:

• Train the lactic acid system. Unless you purposely stay at the back of the pack and let all the other swimmers go first, you will go into oxygen debt at the start of the race. Once the gun goes off, you'll scramble to find a quick group of swimmers before reaching at the first buoy and trying to make a turn in a bit of clear water. So, what should you do to be physically ready for it? The answer is simple, train for it. Add a 100m spint to your race pace sets to teach the body to process lactic acid before recovering and settling into a sustainable pace. A weekly set like that will help you become able to tolerate fast paced starts.
• Do a good warm up. A good warm up will help you get used to the water temperature and ensure that your muscles are loose and ready for action. It'll also give a good opportunity to check out the water conditions. You should also try to swim to exit and check out the bottom and make note of any obstacles that may reduce your ability to run to the exit. 
• Find a good spot. Whenever the first leg of the swim is long (more than 300m to the first buoy) it's better to start a little wider and angling in so that you have less traffic and limit your chances of getting bopped in the head by someone's arm or foot. Moreover, practice your navigation no matter haow fast you swim. Navigation is vital for your race, so incorporate sighting into your stroke. Lastly, try to swim your won race and take advantage of a draft for as long as you're able. The ideal person to draft behind is someone who is just slightly faster than you, does not kick much and swims straight - a difficult combination to find in another swimmer. 

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