Converting Lap times to Open Water

Bill, I was asking the same question last spring when I signed up for my first open water swim. Unfortunately the answer "it doesn't convert" is accurate. My first swim was a one mile cable swim, 2 laps of a 1/4 mile long cable. The water was pretty flat, almost no wind and no currents. However I swam at least 20% slower due to the grouped start and problems sighting. The grouped start was interesting as everyone starts off in a quasi-sprint for the first 100 meters or so, I saw this happening in earlier heats and told myself I wouldn't participate - that I was here to "complete", not "compete". But let me tell you when folks are flying past you, you get caught up in it and before I knew it I was swimming WAY too fast for my cadence and breathing. The second problem was sighting. I didn't think this would be any problem since I wear perscription goggles and breath every three stokes (alternating sides). I figured I'd get a view to each side and be able to keep straight as an arrow.....HARDLY. Being use to swimming in a pool; I didn't take into account the abstruction even small swell can have on sighting. Secondly, sighting straight out to the sides isn't worth a crud because you really can't tell when you get off course, unless you're WAY off course. I thought I'd be able to judge if I was drifting to one side or the other, but I couldn't. Go stand in the middle of a big parking lot; look to each side....then move 10 feet to one side or the other and look to the sides again....you can't tell you've moved - same problem I had in the water. So I had to *** stroke a couple times to get re-oriented. The other disorienting feature is the dark water, when you're head is down you have absolutely no frame of reference, I didn't realize how nice that black line on the bottom of the pool was until I was in water so dark I couldn't see my outstretched hands. I eventually figured out that I could sight if I brought my head up at a 45 degree angle, instead of 90 degrees to the side, as I took a breath. I now practice this when I lap swim by "sighting" on the corners of the pool. For your first open water swim I'd suggest you be able to swim twice the distance of the event you enter....but just for the first one. I entered the mile swim even though I swim 2 miles a day, knowing I could swim twice the distance really helped me deal with all the new things I encountered and not having to worry about swimming the actual distance was reassuring. I hope your swim goes well. ECT P.S. I finished 2nd to the LAST in my event, my two elementary school age boys met me on the dock screaming and yelling. The crowd was cheering - it was FANTASTIC.

Bill, I was asking the same question last spring when I signed up for my first open water swim. Unfortunately the answer "it doesn't convert" is accurate. My first swim was a one mile cable swim, 2 laps of a 1/4 mile long cable. The water was pretty flat, almost no wind and no currents. However I swam at least 20% slower due to the grouped start and problems sighting. The grouped start was interesting as everyone starts off in a quasi-sprint for the first 100 meters or so, I saw this happening in earlier heats and told myself I wouldn't participate - that I was here to "complete", not "compete". But let me tell you when folks are flying past you, you get caught up in it and before I knew it I was swimming WAY too fast for my cadence and breathing. The second problem was sighting. I didn't think this would be any problem since I wear perscription goggles and breath every three stokes (alternating sides). I figured I'd get a view to each side and be able to keep straight as an arrow.....HARDLY. Being use to swimming in a pool; I didn't take into account the abstruction even small swell can have on sighting. Secondly, sighting straight out to the sides isn't worth a crud because you really can't tell when you get off course, unless you're WAY off course. I thought I'd be able to judge if I was drifting to one side or the other, but I couldn't. Go stand in the middle of a big parking lot; look to each side....then move 10 feet to one side or the other and look to the sides again....you can't tell you've moved - same problem I had in the water. So I had to *** stroke a couple times to get re-oriented. The other disorienting feature is the dark water, when you're head is down you have absolutely no frame of reference, I didn't realize how nice that black line on the bottom of the pool was until I was in water so dark I couldn't see my outstretched hands. I eventually figured out that I could sight if I brought my head up at a 45 degree angle, instead of 90 degrees to the side, as I took a breath. I now practice this when I lap swim by "sighting" on the corners of the pool. For your first open water swim I'd suggest you be able to swim twice the distance of the event you enter....but just for the first one. I entered the mile swim even though I swim 2 miles a day, knowing I could swim twice the distance really helped me deal with all the new things I encountered and not having to worry about swimming the actual distance was reassuring. I hope your swim goes well. ECT P.S. I finished 2nd to the LAST in my event, my two elementary school age boys met me on the dock screaming and yelling. The crowd was cheering - it was FANTASTIC.