In about a week and a half, I will have to stop swimming in the nice warm indoor pool and start swimming in the cold outdoor pool. The indoor pool is over 80 degrees with air 75-80, and the outdoor pool is closer to 65? (not heated) with air 70-75 most days. Is there anything I can do to make the transition easier? Cold showers, maybe? Or will it just be miserable no matter what?
We go through this every year at our pool here. We swim outside year-round, it is heated in the winter. When they first shut off the heater a few weeks ago, it was definitely noticeable. Now they have started using the aerators at nights, and the water is pretty crisp when you first get in. However, in a few weeks when the heat really hits, I'm sure we'll be wishing the water was this cool. In summer, our water can easily hit 85-88, making a workout difficult.
Our pool manager finally realized that we shouldn't be swimming in 83-degree water, especially when the days get up to 99 degrees.
Now, it's a comfortable 78. If I loved workout, I'd stay in the pool all day.
But I'm a sprinter. So I'm out as soon as possible.
Last summer the pool was being aerated when we got in at 6 a.m. and most likely was being aerated after the last workout in the evening.
The bubble over our outdoor pool came down two weeks ago. Water temp has been as low as 73 in the mornings. Your pool down in Atlanta shouldn't be any colder than that. However, 73-74 is pretty uncomfortable, especially with an air temp in the 60s. Your body tries to maintain your core temp, so blood flow to your muscles is impaired. I have trouble warming up, and my pace per hundred is off by as much as five seconds during sets. When the age groupers are off, we swim in the indoor pool (since we don't have to worry about looking weak).
tell me about it. We just moved to the outdoor LCM pool here in Corpus and we recently had a cold snap to where it has been geting down in the high 60s in the am with a wind blowing. For some reason, the water temp is in the low 70s. Although it feels good after about 500M, it is hell getting to that point.
Hook'em
Blue
gull, the bubble really does help keep it warm. It's not just the weather that cools it off, it's more the rain. Last year, it was so cold for a week that I went numb after a 100 or so. I may be overestimating how cold it is, but it feels like jumping into ice water. It doesn't help that I have very little built-in insulation.
Try a bubble cap, They will keep your head much warmer and thats where the heat go out the most, With a warm cap you can stand much colder water.
You may have seen this page but heres some details
www.geocities.com/.../coldwatercaps.html
Also take a look at the English swim site where they swim year round in a lake near London you can see some of them use the bubble caps and no wetsuits and thats some really cold water their swimming in
www.serpentineswimmingclub.com
I agree, you most definitely want a swim cap, even if you don't normally wear one. It makes a big difference, as you will notice the first time you take it off, and feel wash over you the water warmed by all the gears grinding as you try to figure out your coach's crazy jargon and irregular intervals.
If it's any comfort, most any swimmer can get accustomed to water temps in the high 60's pretty easily for an open water event. Just tell yourself this is no worse than , jump in, and just do it. What really kicks my butt is when the air temp is even colder. That is a deadly duo.
Matt
