I will be turning 50 this year, and in celebration of this I would like to start doing open water swims. Never done any real swimming except in a pool and was wondering how to get started. Do you just pick an event and show up and hope for the best in such a foreign environment or are there ways to train or are there any clinics to attend specializing in open water. I am in Northern California but would love an excuse to travel some place for a clinic. Thanks. Paul
Parents
Former Member
Don't worry Paul sounds like you'll finish the race as you can swim well enough.
My last experience had been that at the starting line I placed myself at the outer edge AND SO WAS EVERYONE ELSE! It was too late to go somewhere else so i just had to rough it out. I like your spirit Aquageek that you've just got to deal with it - I don't see any other way.
By the way, being able to look out to your left by breathing part of the time on the left helps if you are not a bilateral breather already just to not run into other swimmers so you might want to work on that too.
Over here (Italy), the tris are pretty fast (and they have to be part of an affiliated master swimmers club to participate in the OW races in the first place) so I DON'T have the pleasure YET of blowing past them.
Don't worry Paul sounds like you'll finish the race as you can swim well enough.
My last experience had been that at the starting line I placed myself at the outer edge AND SO WAS EVERYONE ELSE! It was too late to go somewhere else so i just had to rough it out. I like your spirit Aquageek that you've just got to deal with it - I don't see any other way.
By the way, being able to look out to your left by breathing part of the time on the left helps if you are not a bilateral breather already just to not run into other swimmers so you might want to work on that too.
Over here (Italy), the tris are pretty fast (and they have to be part of an affiliated master swimmers club to participate in the OW races in the first place) so I DON'T have the pleasure YET of blowing past them.
