I HATE jumping into a cold pool; sure, call me a whimp, but anyway ... Does anyone have suggestions to combat this? I seem to recall that English Channel swimmers used to coat themselves with something (Vaseline?) to protect themselves from the extreme conditions of the channel. Is there a strategy that someone could share with me? Do body suits help?
Thanks for the advice. You can email me direct with an answer if you want at PeoriaBums@aol.com.
I don’t recommend coating yourself in Vaseline, channel grease or other goop, to stay warm in the water. First, most cold water swimmer’s use these substances more to prevent chaffing than for warmth (there is very little thermal protection in the water from a thin layer of goop). Second, it can be a mess to get on and take off. Third, the pool operators might frown on a swimmer covered in Crisco (maybe, that’s why Shakies pool smells like fried chicken).
And if it makes you feel better, most of us don’t like to jump into a cold pool I combat this by getting in a good warm-up and knowing that I’d rather get warmed-up in a cold pool than overheated in a hot one.
I don’t recommend coating yourself in Vaseline, channel grease or other goop, to stay warm in the water. First, most cold water swimmer’s use these substances more to prevent chaffing than for warmth (there is very little thermal protection in the water from a thin layer of goop). Second, it can be a mess to get on and take off. Third, the pool operators might frown on a swimmer covered in Crisco (maybe, that’s why Shakies pool smells like fried chicken).
And if it makes you feel better, most of us don’t like to jump into a cold pool I combat this by getting in a good warm-up and knowing that I’d rather get warmed-up in a cold pool than overheated in a hot one.
