After about 8 years of not doing any open water swims, I found out that I'm going to be on Oahu (housesitting, no less) at the time of the Waikiki swim (2.4 miles) , so I'd like to take part.
I did a 1 1/2 mile swim over the weekend and found myself drifting first to one side then the other. In other words, I probably swam an extra 1/2 mile that I didn't need to.
I swim with a Master's swim team, competed at Nationals in Tempe so I'm in relatively good shape -- for pool swimming. But I've forgotten everything I ever learned about open water swimming.
Any suggestions about training, technique or the Waikiki swim would be helpful....thanks in advance.
The swim is probably the best open water swim in the country from organization, location, competitiveness, and challenge. They start in waves so if you are not sure about your comfort in packs, you can just enter requesting a later wave.
The swim has lots of buoys--which are about every 400 yards, and there are enough swimmers that you can always look at the other swimmers and check what they are aiming for. If you are in Oahu beforehand, check out the start and finish before the day of the race. It helps.
The start can be tight because of coral, and the finish can also be complicated because the waves break outside and there is a boat channel pulling through the area you swim in through.
If you have a chance, try the swim. Good luck. Also, check out the swim website, they have some clinics beforehand, but I don't know when exactly.
The swim is probably the best open water swim in the country from organization, location, competitiveness, and challenge. They start in waves so if you are not sure about your comfort in packs, you can just enter requesting a later wave.
The swim has lots of buoys--which are about every 400 yards, and there are enough swimmers that you can always look at the other swimmers and check what they are aiming for. If you are in Oahu beforehand, check out the start and finish before the day of the race. It helps.
The start can be tight because of coral, and the finish can also be complicated because the waves break outside and there is a boat channel pulling through the area you swim in through.
If you have a chance, try the swim. Good luck. Also, check out the swim website, they have some clinics beforehand, but I don't know when exactly.
