Absolutely this. I know I’m swimming well when I feel balanced in the water. The speed then comes a lot easier.
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Yes I have balance drills and have been in contact with the coach today, think I was getting carried away with the fins and just powering (relatively speaking) through the lengths.
He’s advised me to slow down and find a way to float in the water and not expend much energy as I’m swimming along
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I’m not the swim expert here but that sounds like good advice.
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For a first sprint race, you can always fall back on a bit of breast stroke for a length or 2 to catch your breath. Bit like a run/walk strategy.
When I first used fins I found myself flying up the lane like a motor boat and nearly drank the pool at the same time as I couldn’t get my head above the bow wave. 
Keep at it, with regular training I’d expect it’ll start to fall into place and you’ll be good in time for race day.
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5.6k in 38 mins avg pace 6.48 - This is the furthest I’ve ever actually ran in my life so really happy with it and progressing nicely.
Back at it with the swiming at lunch today, fingers crossed for the epiphany moment!
Thanks @jockhaggis will definitely practice some breast stroke to have that to fall back on
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Nice work 
For pool sprint, you’re quite welcome to hold the ends to catch your breath.
They’re totally chill events.
People do them on shopper bikes and all sorts.
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that is the problem, try to convince a traffie he should get to the pool at least every other day, more if possible and you will see a traffie make some biggish gains. You will never break that barrier with 2 * 2k a week. The other issue is when actually at the pool many dont swim enough especially with purposeful practice, they do a 400 WU as hard as they can, “oh yer pb today, well done me”, a load of drills as someone told them on the internet to do them, something fatiguing like 10*100 on 2 minutes (as it has to always be 2minuts right) but holding > 1:50 then getting more and more fatigued and stroke breaking down then get out thinking “Good Jawb I’m knackered, but why don I improve”.
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catch your breath? its the hardest of the 4 strokes … oh you mean Granny Breaststroke 
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Did they ask for your estimated swim time when you entered?
Endorse Poet’s comments but also, if it’s run like most events, they’ll seed you with swimmers of a similar ability who’ll be doing exactly the same thing so it won’t look out of place .
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We use them in swim squads to get the body used to the feeling of a set speed with less stress, then try to replicate that after without fins, ie 3 * 50 with fins off 1:30min holding sub 30, then try and do a single 50 at that pace without
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The Sprints are in open water and it’s too warm for a wetsuit so got to suck it up, alternatively might have to drop down to the super sprint which I really don’t want to do as 10k bike and 2.5k run seems a bit pointless.
Was a bit better today focused on floating with the fins and was getting 100m unbroken on drills and freestyle which I hadn’t done before so swimming cardio is getting better, this didn’t translate to the no fins unfortunately.
I’d be happy to just take my legs off and stick them on my back, think it would genuinely be easier to swim without them dragging me down, even without the propulsion they would offer.
Only real update today is I binned the Wahoo Element Rival - it really is a piece of s**t, first one would track HR or pace properly on the runs, second one is better at that but doesn’t track any data when lap swimming.
Picked up the Garmin Forerunner 965 instead - looks like it has way more functionality to it
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Training Update:
Saturday was a rest day with a bit of golf and splash park with my son.
Sunday - golf in the morning and some family time then headed out and did 46k on the bike and straight into a 5k run.
Bike was quite tough as was into the wind for around 30k of it but got through it and finished in 1.46 at an avg pace of 26km/h and avg power of 162W.
Straight out for the 5k and was focused on keeping my HR below 150, avg was 143 but this meant the pace suffered, 5k took 40mins at 8.02 pace.
This was the longest continuous session I had ever done and felt it afterwards and felt pretty weird on the drive home and at home, think I was dehydrated quite badly so must work on that.
Tried taking a gel after 1 hour on the bike and that was ok.
Feel pretty good this morning, swim at lunch and a 1 hour cadence work on the bike this eve indoors
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You’d think in Dubai there would be some welcome ‘distractions’ in the pool. No?
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Training update:
Monday Lunch - swam - was horrific - very demotivated
Monday Eve - had a 5k run and completed it in 35m 4 sec which is good for me.
Tuesday Eve- had a 1 hour cycle in segments between 80 and 120% of FTP for 2-5 mins and a 2 min at 55w in between, was nice and easy and recovered really quickly after.
Today Lunch - just came back from a swim lesson - much much much better, had me go through some drills, I did drills with the buoy between my legs and then drills with the flippers then we worked on gliding and kicking smoothly and having a steady count to keep my stroke and pace consistent. All worked nicely to have me swim smoother and not flail or gasp for breath. Still hard but at the end of the session we did 8 laps of freestyle with 5-10 breaths between laps which is a record for me!
Tonight got a 40 min run, tomorrow some cadence work in the eve and swimming at lunch and a group ride Fri morning before golf.
Rest day Sat
Then my first event - Sprint Duathlon Sunday
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Same time?? Is that a thing??
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No - sorry was meant to read - I did drills with the buoy and then drills with the flippers Edited now
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There’s a guy in my local pool who swims lengths in flippers, with pool buoy and sometimes paddles. I’m sure he would wear buoyancy shorts too if he could. Does it to flatter himself, he’s not working on technique, just trying to be the fastest in the lane.
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Sounds like he’s too busy dominating you to care buzz.
You gotta stamp that out. Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.
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Can you please advise how long this epiphany may take - it may have happened to me, but quickly got amnesia
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