you should know you can go the distance before race day but the good news is you are allowed to do any stroke you wish and can stop to treadwater or float on your back to catch your breathe. so if you know how to swim there's a good chance you cover the distance question is how long it'll take. but for your first tri it's about going the whole distance not breaking the course record. good luck and have fun.

A question I would have is whether the swim is in a pool or not. Pool swim + 700m + a month training ----you'll do fine because if you get winded you can rest (a little anyway). I did my first tri with a 750m open water swim and it nearly killed me (evident by my record slowest time of anyone in the race) because I did not heed the rule of thumb to practice open water swimming. Flip turns or not in a pool, you're getting a little break every 25/50m. In my swim, I was looking for a little break after only my first 25m. If you're comfortable in the water (no fear or drowning, sharks, other people's feet in your eye socket), you should be able to finish the swim with any stroke (and even new ones you'll create) if you dedicate a good amount of your available time to it. Don't discount the oppurtunity to pay a few bucks to swim at the local Y when traveling just to get the "feel" back. I'm reluctant to tell you wait until next year because that'll mean once less year of having you in the sport. Best of luck!

You CAN do it!! You have swum before so it's not like you are trying to learn to swim in a month. Just a caution, you really still need to do your taper the week before race day, so don't try and overdo it just because you have to start swimming later.

Hi Sarah,

don't sweat it. 700m is a piece of cake, if you've been on a swim team as a kid.

I used to swim as a kid as well, didn't see a pool up close for the last 15 years, and just did 2.8km on my first swim class yesterday.

Enjou your training.

LIVESTRONG

Stefan

All you have to do is get through the swim. I would guess most of the anxiety about triathlon is swimming in open water. If you are comfortable in the water it doesn't matter how you get to the transition. Lots of people have responded about that, but I'm here to tell you that it's true. I did my first sprint last summer seven weeks after having a baby. I had spent some time in the water while pregnant but never swam more than 3 or four laps. (I was just there to get the weight off my joints. I had sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome.) Anyway, my point is...If you are comfortable in the water and mentally prepared to finish, you will do great. I trained for 27 days and had very little endurance but what pulled me through was a strong desire and motivation to finish. Like you, I didn't want to wait another year. By the way, I swam breast stroke for 90% of the race. For me, that was less work for my upper body, but you should do what works for you. Go for it!! You won't regret it.