What do you do to keep your mouth from getting sore/pickled from longer ocean swims. The first hour of so is okay but after 3 my mouth is gettign very sore and stays that way for a few days. I think its from salt water getting in when I breathe. I'm now recovering from a 6 mile swim-my mouth is the only hting that hurts, and contemplating a 10mile swim and I need HELP so my mouth can make it! I was drinking water/sports drink every 20-30 minutes although i don;t always have that opportunity.
Thanks!
Sure, they work great during a swim where you have support. They won't cost you any time because you can chew and swim at the same time...do try them during a training swim so you can determine that they won't bother you...and don't overdo them just a couple......another tip for when you finish your 10 mile swim:
buy your support a few nice cold ones!
good luck....
Another suggestion is to take a swig of mouth wash every 3 or 4 hours. But don’t drink it! It helps to reduce pickled tongue and the fish really like that minty fresh smell.
Hey I offered my support a few cold ones after 6 miles and she wanted a pasta dinner, I did too so it worked well!
Now if I can manage to chew and swim without choking! I also have to work on feeding faster as I just don't swallow that quickly.
Right now my mouth is still sore from friday's swim but I think its too late for jellybeans. SOmeone else suggested chocolate but jelly beans sound safer!
Thanks!
A rinse, gargle and spit of Scope or similar mint flavored mouthwashes helps to eliminate the salt from the mouth, tongue and the back of the throat. I have never had problems with mouthwash making matters any worse.
To your comment “I also have to work on feeding faster as I just don't swallow that quickly.” What you may want to try is smaller feedings more frequently. I personally prefer to chug 16 to 20 ounces every 30 minutes and take 5 to 10 seconds to see what’s going on. However, I know a few people who down 4 to 8 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes almost without breaking stride. They grab the cup as the arm recovers out of the water, then practically pour the drink in their mouth as the hand/cup are passing by, drop the cup as the hand is entering the water, and swallow the drink once their head is back in the water.
"the fish really like that minty fresh smell." maybe it will convince the sharks I'm not a fish? THis is my reasoning for using the watermelon scented sunscreen.
WOuldn't the mouthwash further irritate my poor mouth? Its not the taste of the water but that my mouth and tounge get so sore and pickled feeling. Well afterwards its the taste too.
From the USMS Open Water Clinic Manual, available at www.usms.org/longdist/owclinicman.pdf
907 How to Feed
Swimmers may not hang on to the feed boat, feed pole, or a person in the feed/escort boat so a method of feeding must be determined.
A Cup: Use when you can get close enough to your escort craft to be handed a cup of feed.
B Water bottle: In rougher conditions, swimmers often use a water bottle attached by a string. The trainer will hold one end of the string so it can be retrieved. It is slower for the swimmer to feed this way, but if conditions are rough it is better so that the water you are swimming in doesn't get into your feed, and you can't really spill it either if it is in a water bottle.
C Stick/pole: If conditions are such that getting close enough to the boat to be fed is not possible a feeding stick/pole is necessary. You need something like a broomstick with a basket or cup holder on the end (something that the cup can be securely placed in). Conditions that necessitate this are high side boards on the boat, large waves that could potentially push you into your boat, oars if rowboats are used or a swimmer’s fear of a motor.
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And another suggestion when training – instead of leaving your food and drink on shore why not bring it along? Take 2 kickboards, wrapped with a bungee cord. Attach this to one of those Stretch Cord Belts (I prefer using 8-12 foot stretch cords). You can tuck a couple of water bottles along with a zip lock bag of jellybeans, nachos or whatever under the bungee. And just drag everything along. This way you don’t need to go to shore to feed. If you get it set-up right (keeping the nose of the board up) you hardly feel any resistance. It also gives you an opportunity to rest, if you are getting in trouble.
Thanks for all the great advice! I'm stocking up on mouthwash and jellybeans. I guess I should practice bieng escorted more often so I can train on the feeding part. My previous training method was to swiim 3 miles along the beach stop for water and a soda then siwm back! I could leave mouthwash and jellybeans on the beach to try that but as far as feeding faster I'llneed to train with my paddler! Still I think practicing drinking a lot at once would be helpful too, i'm usually a sip sort of person.
One more question-if you drink out of a cup how do you keep the salt water out of the cup? I've been usign sports bottles.
Thanks!
For puffy mouth, try a bit of soda mixed in with your gatorade or whatever you drink - I mix half vanilla coke with half red gatorade (I know, I know, sounds disgusting when you're on land, but is surprisingly tasty during lengthy swims). The slight carbonation kind of "cleanses the palate" of that saltiness and helps seasick folks like me.
