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.
I did exactly what you are thinking of doing in my first chesapeake bay swim. 300 strokes free, 30 ***; for the whole way.
I had a reasonable time too.
Definitely take the wetsuit to the pool and practice with it.
Sometimes if you aren't breathing enough then you will run out of gas at the 200 or 300 yard mark. Make sure your are breathing every 2 armstrokes.
If that is not it, it is probably mental. You just haven't relaxed yet. I went through the same thing, it comes along and even comes when you don't realize it. Extend your sets to 225's rather than the 200s.
Either that or one day you will be warming up and get distracted, then you'll realize sometime later you had just swam about 600 yards straight and aren't dying. That's how it happened for me.
I did exactly what you are thinking of doing in my first chesapeake bay swim. 300 strokes free, 30 ***; for the whole way.
I had a reasonable time too.
Definitely take the wetsuit to the pool and practice with it.
Sometimes if you aren't breathing enough then you will run out of gas at the 200 or 300 yard mark. Make sure your are breathing every 2 armstrokes.
If that is not it, it is probably mental. You just haven't relaxed yet. I went through the same thing, it comes along and even comes when you don't realize it. Extend your sets to 225's rather than the 200s.
Either that or one day you will be warming up and get distracted, then you'll realize sometime later you had just swam about 600 yards straight and aren't dying. That's how it happened for me.
