Hello All...
My name is Elizabeth and I have a quick question. I used to be a swimmer but haven't since high school because I do not do well with competing for time.
But I love the distance... so my question is this....
Is there long distance swimming that is more based on endurance than on time... if so, what is this called? Is this a professional event thing, or is there ameteur... What's the longest distance out there... etc. etc.
Thanks, I appreciate any comments.
Parents
Former Member
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, I have swum many open water races since I joined Masters. First, out in the SF Bay area as they have a series of open water lake and bay swims and now ocean swims here in Florida. Gotta admit to liking the lake swims best. While I have never had any close ocean encounters with big fishies with teeth - the thought has crossed my mind and limits me to mostly pool training. I have had a few jelly fish incidents! I just like the fresh water and will take my chances with trout and bass! To be honest, I find the most dangerous part of open water swimming to be the start! It's often a mass of tangled swimmers and it's hard to avoid getting kicked or swam on top of. This alleviates itself once the pack has spread out. Best advice to newbies doing their first open water swim - stay towards the back of pack or out on the sides to avoid the pile up at the start. Oh, and be sure your goggles fit well and don't fog up! If you can't sight the buoys or some other landmarks along the way - you will swim off course and probably add a lot of unneccessary time and effort. I've lost many places in ow swims to ill fitting goggles that made me constantly stop to empty out water or defog! You want to swim the most direct route you can!
Sharon
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, I have swum many open water races since I joined Masters. First, out in the SF Bay area as they have a series of open water lake and bay swims and now ocean swims here in Florida. Gotta admit to liking the lake swims best. While I have never had any close ocean encounters with big fishies with teeth - the thought has crossed my mind and limits me to mostly pool training. I have had a few jelly fish incidents! I just like the fresh water and will take my chances with trout and bass! To be honest, I find the most dangerous part of open water swimming to be the start! It's often a mass of tangled swimmers and it's hard to avoid getting kicked or swam on top of. This alleviates itself once the pack has spread out. Best advice to newbies doing their first open water swim - stay towards the back of pack or out on the sides to avoid the pile up at the start. Oh, and be sure your goggles fit well and don't fog up! If you can't sight the buoys or some other landmarks along the way - you will swim off course and probably add a lot of unneccessary time and effort. I've lost many places in ow swims to ill fitting goggles that made me constantly stop to empty out water or defog! You want to swim the most direct route you can!
Sharon
