I have my first ever open water swim coming up next month, the Alcatraz Sharkfest. It's not too long, about a mile and a half, but the water is pretty cold (60) and the currents are strong. I got a wetsuit for the swim, but am not going to be able to test it in salt water until the day before the swim.
As a 56 year old novice swimmer, I can't swim that far using continuous freestyle, so I thought I would alternate freestyle and breaststroke, doing maybe 70 - 80 strokes of free (equal to 200 meters in the pool), then 20 - 40 strokes of *** to rest.
I've read a few posts from people saying that they were unable to swim *** in a wetsuit because it made them too bouyant. But I've also read a couple of other posts referring to people alternating strokes just like I'm planning to do.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has some experience with this. If the breaststroke is not going to be workable, what other techniques do you use for resting in the open water?
Thanks.
Parents
Former Member
You can do ***, but just not as well. You might want to try out your wetsuit in a pool just to see what it's like. I used mine 2-3 times in the pool to get used to it. I also think you could do more then 200 yards of free, you might want to try for a lot more, I don't think you will get that tired, but I don't know your endurance.
You can do ***, but just not as well. You might want to try out your wetsuit in a pool just to see what it's like. I used mine 2-3 times in the pool to get used to it. I also think you could do more then 200 yards of free, you might want to try for a lot more, I don't think you will get that tired, but I don't know your endurance.
