I'm thinking of participating in an open water relay event simply for the fun of it.
Those of you that "do" open water in addition to pool swimming, can you predict in any meaningful way the difference in speed?
I realize the water conditions make a huge difference. I'm talking about a relatively calm freshwater lake.
If I can swim 1000 yds in 15 minutes in a pool, how fast might I swim that same distance in a lake?
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Former Member
In my experience, if you rule out currents and wind chop the biggest factors are:
- (in)ability to sight, that is to plot a course and swim straight
- the need to detour around people (sometimes groups of people) in order to pass them
The first can be countered by practicing swimming towards things in a lake, without looking up too often. The second is hard to avoid. Seems like sooner or later I always end up having to swim over around or through someone. I suppose you could avoid that by seeding yourself at the very front with the elites, if it's a self-seeded race. Assuming you're fast that is.
Edit: to answer the question, it's a safe bet you'll end up going slightly slower than a comparable distance in the pool. For example, if you can swim 1:20 100s in the pool, you might end up with a 1:30 pace in open water. That's what happened to me recently. Even though I know I was swimming at a good pace, I also know I swam more yardage than originally intended!
In my experience, if you rule out currents and wind chop the biggest factors are:
- (in)ability to sight, that is to plot a course and swim straight
- the need to detour around people (sometimes groups of people) in order to pass them
The first can be countered by practicing swimming towards things in a lake, without looking up too often. The second is hard to avoid. Seems like sooner or later I always end up having to swim over around or through someone. I suppose you could avoid that by seeding yourself at the very front with the elites, if it's a self-seeded race. Assuming you're fast that is.
Edit: to answer the question, it's a safe bet you'll end up going slightly slower than a comparable distance in the pool. For example, if you can swim 1:20 100s in the pool, you might end up with a 1:30 pace in open water. That's what happened to me recently. Even though I know I was swimming at a good pace, I also know I swam more yardage than originally intended!
