The swim of a triathlon might not win you a race but it could lose your race.

It's that time of year when you are heading into your first triathlon.

And for many of you these will be open water swim (OWS) races.

OWS requires a different set of skills than pool swimming because there is no line to guide you through the distance. Throw in other people, buoys and various swim starts and things can get chaotic. OWS can be really enjoyable if you build the right skills.

Practice these 5 things before heading into your first triathlon of the season.

1. Try a swim with your wetsuit. This should be obvious but you need to do some swimming with your wetsuit on. In particular note if you have any hot spots (areas where it is rubbing). Over the course of a race these can cause issues. Use body glide to minimize any rubbing.

2. Learn to sight twice between strokes. Something new I picked up from Gordo Byrn is the pattern of sight-breath/stroke-sight-back to bilateral breathing. The double sighting allows you the chance to sight and adjust based on what you are looking at.

3. Pick 2 objects to set your sights on. Sighting works best when you line up two objects. For races this works well if you sight off the next buoy and then off something in the distance (tree or second buoy). You can line yourself up in a straight line this way.

4. Get comfortable drafting and swimming in a group. Before race day try to practice swimming next too and right behind someone. You will swim faster in a draft then if you are off on your own. You also want to practice the feeling of being in the washing machine at the start of the race with everyone trying to get into their rhythm and pack. You will get kicked or hit if you are in the pack.

5. Practice various swim starts. There are many different types of swim starts that can be possible for a triathlon. The three that are most common are an in-water swim, a beach run, and an edge of water. Each one is different in how you start, take some time to practice each one.