Hi all,
I just joined USMS and have committed to doing my first open water swim (1 mile) in two weeks! I'm way out of practice and have just recently gotten back into it. I've been swimming just about every day, but it takes me nearly an hour to swim a mile at the pool.
Am I in over my head?!??! Should I be this nervous and scared? I've been told I can do it, but I worry that I can't!? Right now, my goal is to finish...? Haha. Is that reasonable?
Any tips from you seasoned (or not!) open water swimmers would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you thank you and happy swimming!
Parents
Former Member
How do you OW psychos evaluate your times?
There's no perfect way, but the most accurate is to do the same swim in subsequent years. Of course currents and other conditions will change and effect the times, but you can at least get a rough idea. I'd guess that someone who's just starting out will show a huge improvement after a good year of training.
Also, checking the results and seeing how your placement relative to other swimmers changes can give you a sense of how you're coming along.
You're absolutely right that comparing two different races, even if they're supposedly the same distance, will not give you an accurate picture.
How do you OW psychos evaluate your times?
There's no perfect way, but the most accurate is to do the same swim in subsequent years. Of course currents and other conditions will change and effect the times, but you can at least get a rough idea. I'd guess that someone who's just starting out will show a huge improvement after a good year of training.
Also, checking the results and seeing how your placement relative to other swimmers changes can give you a sense of how you're coming along.
You're absolutely right that comparing two different races, even if they're supposedly the same distance, will not give you an accurate picture.
