Had my first open water swim up in the frozen north. It was simply wonderful to be outside and swim free!! ( no admission costs!!)
I was the only swimmer in the group (14 of us) without a wetsuit but the water temp , 68 or 19, and was surprisingly warm. We did a 80 min workout and I was toasty warm the whole time.
I noticed that focusing carefully on the smaller details of my technique has certainly paid off. And a bonus, with the clear water I could check to see those tell tale bubbles around the hand in the pull and could make corrections.
A great workout. Back in the lake tomorrow. Once acclimatized to this temp, I will move to a cooler lake and adapt to that. I know not all waters are this delightful temperature !
Looking forward to the open water season.
Karlene,
I too use many of the suggestions that Kiwi uses for cold water swims. Since I swim often at higher altitudes, breathing is a serious consideration for me. Breath control in cold water is the key for me to overcoming anxiety associated with the coldness of the water. The tendency is to hyperventilate and often doing this the person breaths too shallow. What I do when entering the water is to enter slow and acclimate my body to the temprature. Once I have done that, then I start to immerse my face and head. While putting my head in I make a concious effort to blow out and relax my face. The exhaling helps me to focus on the relaxing. After doing this a few times I find that I can tolerate the cold and start in ernest the swim. I sometimes will also develop a headache in the initial part of the swim. The headache has always disappeard after swimming about 200-300 yards. I use this technique when swimming in water that is below 65.
I hope for the best with your race. I found that races in cold water added to the thrill of the race for me.
Karlene,
I too use many of the suggestions that Kiwi uses for cold water swims. Since I swim often at higher altitudes, breathing is a serious consideration for me. Breath control in cold water is the key for me to overcoming anxiety associated with the coldness of the water. The tendency is to hyperventilate and often doing this the person breaths too shallow. What I do when entering the water is to enter slow and acclimate my body to the temprature. Once I have done that, then I start to immerse my face and head. While putting my head in I make a concious effort to blow out and relax my face. The exhaling helps me to focus on the relaxing. After doing this a few times I find that I can tolerate the cold and start in ernest the swim. I sometimes will also develop a headache in the initial part of the swim. The headache has always disappeard after swimming about 200-300 yards. I use this technique when swimming in water that is below 65.
I hope for the best with your race. I found that races in cold water added to the thrill of the race for me.
