i need to learn to swim!

[swiss miss]

so i decided that my next challenge, after running the marathon, would be a mile open water swim (at some point im going to do a triathlon but i dont want to get too carried away just yet!)

so, i can swim vaguely well but ive never done it in open water, apart from messing around in the sea on holidays.

Has anyone any experience, any triathletes here?? They recommend wearing a wetsuit.... its here in blighty so i think its a given that it will be cold so i think i will take up that recommendation!! Is swimming in open water really anything like in the pool?? any training tips from anyone??

thanks!

[Calienta]

I am a water baby and live my entire summer life in my pool or on the many lakes/rivers around my house. Here are some pointers:

Keep your fingers together. It seems like something minor but you'd be surprised how much faster you can go when your hands are cupped.
THINK ABOUT YOUR LEGS! It is very easy to paddle along, thinking about your arms and their position and how sore they are (lol) and accidentally let your feet dangle or barely do anything. You need to kick powerfully with them the whole time. What I do usually is practice laps doing several laps using just my legs, then several with both arms and legs. It gets you thinking about what your back end is up to and also lets you train your legs harder in a shorter period of time.

And regardless of waves, if you're only 'vaguely' good in a pool, you need to practice more in a pool. If you can't be powerful in still water, it'll be extremely difficult to be powerful in open water.

Hope this helps ...

[Chronic]

plus you ever see the two movies named open water? Thats some scary, freaky shit there, and true.....ill stay on the beaches and in the swimming pools

anyways jen, get strong in the pool then start edging towards open water swims, with friends and a boat right with you.

[Ridgeback]

I spoke to my triathlete friend who told me this...


you'd be lucky to do any organised open water swim over here (especially if you move on to triathlons) without wearing a wetsuit. They also help with your buoyancy. He says an Orca S2 is quite nice and doesn't break the bank (he swears by this website... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Triathlon/10/Orca_S2_Ladies_Wetsuit/5360034816/)
like Cali said, with open water swimming, you need to practice in a pool first as you'll need to concentrate on each individual part of the stroke (bilateral breathing, keeping your head and shoulders down, timing the arm/leg movements etc etc etc) until it's second nature - it will help with pacing yourself over the longer distance.
he recommends reading/registering with http://www.220magazine.com/. This month it looks like it comes with a triathlon training guide in pdf
If you have any more questions, let me know and I'll ask him.

PS - where will this event take place? :whistle:

EDIT: Actually Jen, you might want to question wetzelsix (http://forum.oddthought.com/member.php?u=460) as he's done a full ironman (http://forum.oddthought.com/showthread.php?t=3169) and could probably help more than anyone.

[swiss miss]

thanks everyone for the advice. i too have been speaking to a friend who does triathlons and a wetsuit definitely seems the way forward!! she gave me a couple of websites but i will defo check those ones too Ian.

She also recommended a book that i should buy "Total Immersion" to help with my swimming technique.... and i think i saw some swim coaching sessions at my gym so i will try to sign up to them if theyre convenient.

thanks again everyone, this is truly a challenge for me: i was scared of swimming in the sea until last year...... ive always been fine in pools where there is obviously a bottom and some sides but open water has always filled me with dread. Its an irrational thing that i have to get over and this will be a big part of my rehab!

[vixen]

I used to teach swimming lessons and am a former lifeguard. Let me know if you need any help :-)

[XXX]

I used to teach swimming lessons and am a former lifeguard. Let me know if you need any help :-)

:snuggle: Vixen could you teach us your breast strokes?

[Flashman]

thanks everyone for the advice. i too have been speaking to a friend who does triathlons and a wetsuit definitely seems the way forward!! she gave me a couple of websites but i will defo check those ones too Ian.

She also recommended a book that i should buy "Total Immersion" to help with my swimming technique.... and i think i saw some swim coaching sessions at my gym so i will try to sign up to them if theyre convenient.

thanks again everyone, this is truly a challenge for me: i was scared of swimming in the sea until last year...... ive always been fine in pools where there is obviously a bottom and some sides but open water has always filled me with dread. Its an irrational thing that i have to get over and this will be a big part of my rehab!

two words..............Oxygum

[Spork!!!]

We have 2 really good training aids here in Australia for salt water swimming. Sharks and crocs. :whistle:

[Stinger]

I'm with you Swissy on the whole "dread" thing when it comes to the open water deal.
My only advice is don't dress like a seal and swim in shark feeding grounds.

Although I immensely enjoyed snorkeling near the shores in the Carribean.
Silly woman. *shrugs* Go figure.