Ok. So I've been a competitive swimmer my whole life. Love the pool but not CRAZY about swimming anywhere else.
I have done 1 OW swim YEARS ago in the ocean. But that was so long ago.
Doing the CB Swim for the very first time (1 miler).
Can you give me some tips? Just anything...I am in the dark when it comes to OW!:dunno:
THANKS!!!!
Former Member
I also have a question if doing a cable swim do you swim a circle around the cable? Is there any particular way to turn?
You swim it as if it was a lane line - just keep it to the one side.
WRT turning: I know of two ways:
1) The obvious way is to just make a hard left (or right) turn and get around it as best you can.
2) The other way (it takes practice) is to wait until you are about 2 strokes from the turn and then flip into a backstroke. When you reach the apex of the turn, roll onto the turn side while reaching with the turn side arm in the direction you want to be going. This should roll you onto your stomach and get you back in the right direction. As a bonus, when you are in the backstroke position, you can get a quick look at the competitiors behind you.
However you do it, be careful not to get tangled in the rope that anchors the turn buoy - there also often is some excess rope hanging off the buoy as well. Not life or death, but it can be annoying, he said from experience.
-LBJ
For your first open water swim try to RELAX, stretch out long and streamline, get in a good rhythm, and enjoy mother nature. If you are the non-aggressive type start wide and in the back to avoid crowd panic. If you enjoy contact and tend to swim aggresively then go front and center and enjoy.
Since it is a cable swim, sighting may not be as important as trying to swim to a large orange buoy. But, learning to sight in the open water is a skill that needs to be practiced. Learning to sight will help you swim straighter and swim closer to distance than not sighting. In open water races I have swam in I try to sight every 15 to 20 strokes. I just lift my head a little higher when I take a breath. My goal is to sight from both sides to correct any zig-zagging I do.
Also, training in the open water as much as possible is suggested. One, so you are comfortable without lane lines and a wall. Two, to just experience the sheer joy of swimming in the open water.
Last, at the start of a well attended race there will be pushing, kicking and hitting as the swimming mass moves out into the open water. Expect to be kicked and have your goggles knocked around or off. Learn to swim in a pack. As the racers, spread out find a pack of same speed swimmers and go with them.:applaud:
