Today I was lucky enough to go for an ocean swim today with my triathlon team (P5 Racing). It was the first open water swim we have done as team training. The day was beautiful. We met around 6:30 AM and drove out to Zuma Beach. Everyone got their wetsuits on and we headed into the water. The beakers were pretty big but once we made our way out it ocean was lovely. The water was really clear which was nice. We were going to try swimming in line and practice drafting off the person in front. We quickly realized that we were all swimming at very different speeds. It is harder to modify your pace when swimming in a group as opposed to cycling or running, so staying together is very difficult. As a result we broke up into two groups. I went off with one other woman and the other 4 swam behind us (this is one of the few things I can do better than many of my teammates). My friend/teammate led and I followed. She is a stronger swimmer than I so the purpose of my swim was to just stay on her heels.
While I swam I thought about how important training with others is. Because she is stronger than I she would wait for me; and when I would catch up she would take off again. Thus, I was never allowed to rest. This is common when I train with the team. They are all stronger riders than I. When they stop to regroup I am commonly the last one to show up. I thought I would find this discouraging but I have grown to appreciate it. When I train with the team I am extra motivated to keep up. This helps push me harder and harder. I want to be as good as my teammates. I want to ride and run like them. Being with them on a regular basis helps me push myself to a different level. The last 6 months training with this team has been amazing. I have made more progress than I ever thought I could!
See Becca Try to Tri 
Although I love running alone, just me and my thoughts, I really enjoyed the team rides and swims. Made the time go by so much faster and did push me to do better. However, the past couple years I have been unable to fit the team trainings into my schedule so did not renew my member ship this year. Wish I could find another local team that had trainings a little closer and more manageable. I’m bummed too that I can no longer wear my team kit.
I am on my second team for almost the same reason. The people and workouts great but they were just a little too far away to be convenient. I am lucky because I live in an area with many teams!
I could not agree enough. This year my New Year’s Resolution was to make my training and racing more social. So far this has been a great year for me. I look forward to the people I meet at each race. But better yet, I spend a lot off time trying to arrange my runs or rides with other people. If I don’t do it ahead of time I try to latch on to a lone rider or runner that looks of similar ability. It has made for a much more enjoyable training season so far.