Reversing Evolution:
From Land Back to Water
By GREG SAUTNER

My first open water experience came nine years ago during a sprint distance triathlon but it took until this year to understand and enjoy it. Growing up, I was comfortable in water, but never found swimming pleasurable. On the other hand, climbing NY’s Adirondack High Peaks did rank as a favorite activity. In 1998, hoping to “bag” a few dozen peaks, I began building my endurance by taking up triathlon. I’d been running and cycling for years, and figured it should be easy enough to add swimming.

Preparing for my first race – at Montauk Point – I swam the bare minimum, figuring “terrestrial fitness” would get me through. Though the swim was in Lake Montauk, on race day strong winds kicked up a severe chop and there was a jellyfish alert. I remember being intrigued by the other competitors as they pulled on wetsuits, like a scene from “Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

At the start I plunged in with 150 other athletes, and instantly realized the error of my casual preparation. I swam frantically, hoping only to survive, until acknowledging I might drown unless I switched to breaststroke. After finishing the race over an hour later I sat beneath Montauk lighthouse, managing an exhausted half smile, and knew triathlon would become my new mission in life.

I progressed steadily, being named a USA Triathlon All-American in 2004 and entered the pro ranks in 2005. And yet, despite countless hard pool repeats, my swimming remained frustrating, capable of being described by a recurring nightmare: I nervously awaiting the start. The gun goes off and the first minute goes well enough. But soon my wetsuit feels restricting, and swarms of other swimmers engulf me. I lift my head looking for an escape route. I find one and feel better, no splashing, no elbowing. But before I know it, I’ve been left behind and wonder yet again what went wrong. I should be able to swim better than this.

Seven years of little progress finally prompted me to ask Terry Laughlin for help in early 2005. Terry invited me to join him for his thrice weekly 6:00 AM swims in the Endless Pools at the TI Swim Studio. He’d give me 10 minutes of instruction, provide a focal point then jump in the other pool leaving me to practice what he’d taught for the next 45 to 60 minutes. Progress was stunningly quick… as was attitude adjustment: From barely tolerating swimming, I craved more pool time.

I became a confirmed disciple of Terry’s “problem solving” approach to developing stroke mechanics and imprinting relaxation skills. I mostly ceased the usual round of aerobic repeats with the local Masters because I was progressing so rapidly through problem solving.

Because I coached the Cross Country running teams at SUNY-New Paltz, Terry suggested I train as an instructor at the Swim Studio. I have since worked with both emotionally-stressed, career-driven executives and relaxed, playful students and am proud to say that I’ve learned as much from my students as I taught them and that I managed to inspire passion like my own in nearly every one.

This past summer brought my most exciting breakthroughs. New Paltz has regularly made “Top 10” lists of small towns for the athletically-inclined because of the breathtaking beauty and accessibility of Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park – 20,000 combined acres featuring hundreds of miles of 19th Century carriage trails and a string of natural lakes, known as the Sky Lakes atop a 10-mile ridgeline. With pristine water and powered watercraft banned, it’s an open water enthusiast’s paradise.

In June I joined a small group, organized by Terry, who were training and racing together in open water. Terry introduced me to the Tempo Trainer (TT) a small electronic metronome. I’d spent the two previous years developing a high-efficiency SL (stroke length) but hadn’t focused much on speed. Training with the TT, put me back in intensive problem-solving mode. The new problem: How to increase SR (stroke rate) while maintaining SL and minimizing the demand for oxygen. I spent much of the summer working to find a “sustainable” SR – a task that inspired my training to higher levels physically but also mentally as it required constant, keen attention to small details.

Equally important and enjoyable was the regular “rehearsal swimming” we did for a common challenge of open water racing – the fact that it’s often a “contact sport.” Like hundreds of others, I’d already learned how difficult it can be to hold your focus and form while other swimmers are trying to occupy the space you’re in. From June through September, we swam countless miles, with two to five swimmers moving briskly in a tight phalanx.

Swimming in packs with TI coaches Terry, Kate, Dave and Hash transformed what had been a harrowing experience. I learned how to stay in my own “bubble of focus” while actually drawing energy from their presence. We’d set our Tempo Trainers to a common frequency, then swim measured 200-meter repeats at Lake Minnewaska sometimes matching stroke rates and increasing the rate on each subsequent repeat. Other times we’d race. If we all set our TT’s to the same frequency – say 1 second per stroke – whoever had the longest stroke would pull ahead.

Our training culminated in the 2007 USMS National Two-Mile Cable Championship August 18 in Lake Placid, my first-ever pure swimming competition. The day dawned cold, rainy and windy, just 48 degrees at race time. I was seeded in the third wave of 10 swimmers in the counter-clockwise heat. For weeks, I’d been anticipating this opportunity to put our training to the test.

The start had all the ingredients for my familiar nightmare, as 10 swimmers of closely-matched ability immediately converged into a tight pack, jockeying for the inside track on the cable. After initially recoiling from contact, I recalled the miles I’d swum with Terry at one elbow, and Dave or Kate brushing the other. With pack swimming reframed as a nearly-exhilarating experience, the race passed with stunning speed.

My finish was good enough to win the USMS National Championship for 25-29 men. My most important lesson was that, while swimming in the open water brings a wonderful sense of freedom, purposeful practice adds matchless value. While I encourage anyone to jump in and just swim Speedo for the pure pleasure of it, adding a specific technique focus, race rehearsal and/or metrics like SR raises it to another level altogether. Enjoy the journey and I’ll see you at the lake next summer.

Greg Sautner is Director of TI Multisport Programs and will be on the coaching staff for the 2007 Open Water Camp Dec 13-19 in Eleuthera.