Next month I will be swimming Lake Tahoe with a relay. Expected conditions are 55 - 60 F and wind and chop, with no wetsuits allowed. Fortunately we will be swimming only 1/2 hour shifts separated by 2.5 hr (6 person relay.) Also, there will be a boat that I hope is big enough to see with by bad eyes and close enough to pull my frozen carcass out of the water.
But I am very nervous. I am a pool swimmer who likes his water 79 +/- 2 degrees, and this will be my first serious open water experience (without fins, mask, and snorkle in the Carribean). Is there a chance of cardiac arrest if I don't prepare correctly? Will it help if I hop in the Pacific ocean a couple of times (the temperature is comparable right now, I think.)? Or will I only be making myself uncomfortable? Am I better off not knowing what I will get into?
I know (in theory) about earplugs and cap, but what is the grease that I hear people talking about? What kind and where should it go? I don't have a lot of insulation. Will those big(ish) mask/goggles keep my face warmer?
Is it better for the boat to hang on my breathing side, where I can see it, or well ahead of me where I can lift my head up to sight it (no drafting allowed, of course). I know I wander if there is no line under me while I swim.
My brain tells me that an in-shape swimmer will not become (seriously) hypothermic after only 30 minutes, but I would like someone with experience tell me that, too.
Hi again Phil,
"Is the altitude an issue, or does the cold overwhelm all senses?" - it's my experience that the altitude is more of a factor for sprinting. Having lived at Tahoe for 20 years, the altitude never bothered me for this swim or the Donner Lake Swim. But even in 1998 when I swam Donner after living at sea level for the previous year, I didn't get bothered by it. When I used to run the SCY meet at the Truckee pool it was my observation that the sprinters were more bothered by the altitude than those who did the 500.
Try to resist blasting too hard when you first start swimming; swim "long and strong" and build your speed during your swim leg. I doubt you'll notice the altitude.
"Is it very crowded, and do boats or swimmers get in each other's way?" - at the start of the race it's a good challenge to get 75 or so boats coordinated with their swimmers who start from shore. If you are not going first then you will not encounter any problem with other boats. It's amazing how quickly everyone gets spread out. I neglected to mention in my other post that I think it's always best to keep the boat to your breathing side - not ahead. You should look at the boat and let them guide you. Presumably they will go straight! It's up to you how close you'd like to be but don't get too far away because it is easy to angle off unnecessarily.
You're making me very envious - I may have to stop reading this thread! Have lots of fun and watch out for Tahoe Tessie - she might bite!
Sally
Hi again Phil,
"Is the altitude an issue, or does the cold overwhelm all senses?" - it's my experience that the altitude is more of a factor for sprinting. Having lived at Tahoe for 20 years, the altitude never bothered me for this swim or the Donner Lake Swim. But even in 1998 when I swam Donner after living at sea level for the previous year, I didn't get bothered by it. When I used to run the SCY meet at the Truckee pool it was my observation that the sprinters were more bothered by the altitude than those who did the 500.
Try to resist blasting too hard when you first start swimming; swim "long and strong" and build your speed during your swim leg. I doubt you'll notice the altitude.
"Is it very crowded, and do boats or swimmers get in each other's way?" - at the start of the race it's a good challenge to get 75 or so boats coordinated with their swimmers who start from shore. If you are not going first then you will not encounter any problem with other boats. It's amazing how quickly everyone gets spread out. I neglected to mention in my other post that I think it's always best to keep the boat to your breathing side - not ahead. You should look at the boat and let them guide you. Presumably they will go straight! It's up to you how close you'd like to be but don't get too far away because it is easy to angle off unnecessarily.
You're making me very envious - I may have to stop reading this thread! Have lots of fun and watch out for Tahoe Tessie - she might bite!
Sally
