Heart beware: triathlon is coming

A friend recently sent me a link to an article in USA Today with the headline "Study: Triathlons can pose deadly heart risk." At first, I thought, here we go again with another insignificant study that some random college professor decided to implement for his research. While I don't necessarily agree that triathlons pose a heart risk (even the study said the rate is 15 of a million) the article had some good advice for triathletes or anyone interested in doing a triathlon.

The article states that the most probable time during a triathlon where one suffers from heart failure is during the swim. Or at least, the swim is where most fatalities have occurred. Let's face it: the swim can be the scariest part. You're among a sea of people who are kicking and swimming, and everyone is moving in the same direction to finish. The pure nerves and adrenaline during the swim raises your heart rate. Then you add the physical exercise and the cold water -- you're body is in hyperactivity mode.

That's why the article says you should practice swimming in open water. Many people don't -- they do their laps in the pool and think they're ready. But open water swimming is vastly different and here's why:

• Pool: a guiding line helps you stay straight. Open Water: frequent spotting is necessary to make sure you're not going off course.
  
• Pool: water is a warm temperature and you don't need to wear a wetsuit. Open Water: water is usually colder and you need a wetsuit, which can sometimes alter your stroke.
  
• Pool: you swim in your lane and nobody bothers you. Open Water: you swim among hundreds, sometimes thousands, and you're in their way. You'll get kicked, punched, elbowed...and you have to fight back or you'll sink.
  
• Pool: you can see everything. Open Water: you see nothing, not even your hand in front of you.
  

So, what I'm trying to say is that if you're training for a triathlon, you should swim in open water at least a couple times. And you can do this by taking a friend to a nearby lake and swimming in a cove or entering a smaller practice race leading up to your race. Either way, you will learn how to spot, swim w/ a wetsuit and get used to colder water. And, always, always go for a practice swim in the actual place where you will swim during the race -- it eases your nerves because you know what to expect and how the water feels. Come race day, know where you should be when the swim starts. If you're a fast swimmer, get up front. But if you're not, stay in the back and to the side so that you stay out of the way and can focus on your stroke.

One more point the articles makes is that you should consult with a doctor before pursuing a strenuous activity like triathlons. Before I started triathlons, I assumed these multisport athletes were a group of muscular, zero-percent body fat machines. But when I volunteered at Ironman Arizona to see what a triathlon was all about, I saw people of all shapes and sizes. Anyone, no matter if you're overweight, underweight, muscular or flabby, and whether you are doing a triathlon or some other exercise, you can be at risk of heart failure. So, always get a health checkup before taking on such a challenge as a triathlon.