My local pool has just raised the water temp to 30 ' C ( 86 ' F ) ! At this temp I am exhausted after 4 lengths. A full workout of 60 to 90 mins is impossible without suffering heat exhaustion. They have already had 1 swimmer collapse on poolside after swimming hard for 40 mins.
This has happened because a ' disabled swim group ' who use the pool for 45 mins once a week keep complaining about how cold the pool is. The pool management can't figure out the pool temp software so the temp is set that high for 24/7. It used to be 27' C ( 80.6' F ) and was then raised to 28'C (82.4 ' F ) 1 year ago.
I can't set workouts for my club that cause heat distress if carried out so it is a nightmare. My training is on hold until i can change this and I will have to move my masters club to another pool if not changed. Maybe ' Shaky's ' pool has space for us ?
Emmet Hines in his book says that 82 ' F ( 27.7' C ) is ideal for training, and that anything over 84' F ( 28.4 ' C ) is too hot.
Does anyone else suffer through hot water temperatures ? Can anyone recommend online research that I can use to prove the dangers of excercising in hot water ?
Fran Crippen died of heat stroke in 84 degree water.
Skin temperature will vary widely, with many factors, internal (i.e. one's own body) and external (i.e. ambient temperature).
But, if the water feels cool, you are experiencing heat transfer. 82 degree water feels cool, but 82 degree air feels hot......because the water can absorb over times as much heat as air. WHich is, of course, why people wear wetsuits when the water is 70, but shorts when the air is 70. If the water does NOT feel cool, then you are not going to experience any heat transfer.
I've tried to swim in 90 degree water. Got maybe half of my workout done, and I had already been through a quart of water. I usually drink half to 2/3rds of the quart.
Our primary way of regulating our temperature is through sweating, which works by heat of vaporization, which is a couple of orders of magnitude higher than just normal heat transfer. In water, you can't cool off that way, because the sweat won't evaporate. 2 degrees of water temperature is like 8.5 degrees of air temperature. That's a big difference, particularly when you are exercising. If anyone runs or anything, I'm sure they'd say there is a big difference between 81.5 degrees and 90.
It isn't just having SOME heat transfer, it is through ENOUGH heat transfer. It is about an equilibrium. You swim, you burn calories. Your body produces heat (as in energy, not just "temperature"). IN order to keep your core temperature at a safe level, you need to be able to shed that excess heat through some means. When you swim, the water absorbs it (and yes, you exhale some, too). So if you want to use 90 degrees as a baseline, then at 82 degrees, the water will be able to absorb 33% more heat than it can at 84. What happens to that extra 33% heat? Well, again, an equilibrium. Your core temperature will rise some, which will change the delta T, which helps the heat transfer. But at some point, it rises to a dangerous point. That's heat stroke, and that is how people die swimming in warm water.
According to this site, the Red Cross actually recommends 78 degrees, and 81 for recreational swimming. Unfortunately, the references are no longer working links, so I can't find the real source. www.livestrong.com/.../
Fran Crippen died of heat stroke in 84 degree water.
Skin temperature will vary widely, with many factors, internal (i.e. one's own body) and external (i.e. ambient temperature).
But, if the water feels cool, you are experiencing heat transfer. 82 degree water feels cool, but 82 degree air feels hot......because the water can absorb over times as much heat as air. WHich is, of course, why people wear wetsuits when the water is 70, but shorts when the air is 70. If the water does NOT feel cool, then you are not going to experience any heat transfer.
I've tried to swim in 90 degree water. Got maybe half of my workout done, and I had already been through a quart of water. I usually drink half to 2/3rds of the quart.
Our primary way of regulating our temperature is through sweating, which works by heat of vaporization, which is a couple of orders of magnitude higher than just normal heat transfer. In water, you can't cool off that way, because the sweat won't evaporate. 2 degrees of water temperature is like 8.5 degrees of air temperature. That's a big difference, particularly when you are exercising. If anyone runs or anything, I'm sure they'd say there is a big difference between 81.5 degrees and 90.
It isn't just having SOME heat transfer, it is through ENOUGH heat transfer. It is about an equilibrium. You swim, you burn calories. Your body produces heat (as in energy, not just "temperature"). IN order to keep your core temperature at a safe level, you need to be able to shed that excess heat through some means. When you swim, the water absorbs it (and yes, you exhale some, too). So if you want to use 90 degrees as a baseline, then at 82 degrees, the water will be able to absorb 33% more heat than it can at 84. What happens to that extra 33% heat? Well, again, an equilibrium. Your core temperature will rise some, which will change the delta T, which helps the heat transfer. But at some point, it rises to a dangerous point. That's heat stroke, and that is how people die swimming in warm water.
According to this site, the Red Cross actually recommends 78 degrees, and 81 for recreational swimming. Unfortunately, the references are no longer working links, so I can't find the real source. www.livestrong.com/.../
