First open water swim, and I'm terrified!

Question for you. If I can comfortably swim 100's on the 1:15-1:20 pace, how realistic is it that I can do that in my first OW race? I have my first OW race coming up in early August. I am anxious and excited, and really have no idea what to expect. I figure I will wear my watch and try and keep track of some form of time for pace. Thoughts? Being that I've been a swimmer for so long (although I just came back last year) I know my pace/effort pretty well and can tell within a second or two what kind of pace I'm holding on 100's. Another way to know is stroke count. If you can figure out how many strokes you are taking over a given distance (LCM is more accurate than SCY) and a given effort then you'll have a rough idea of distance. You could count from each buoy you pass on your OW swim and have an idea how far you are from/to the next one if they are evenly spaced. I'm more the type of swimmer that likes to just get in a rhythm and just zone out and not think too much...even close my eyes for brief periods (sound nuts?!). Don't be anxious, be excited! I just always know that if I have the training behind me I'll do fine. Its generally not so much the race, but the journey to get there. Like others have said, the race is the icing on the cake. I KNOW that I've put in a good 2-3 months of solid training for this, my first OW event, so I'm confident I'll do fine....where I finish I'm not worried about, let the chips fall where they may on this one. I have two others lined up this summer where I can expect a little more maybe. Good luck! PS. Here is a link to my blog, just to give you an idea what I've been doing. I'm tapering this week. jeffpalm-swimming.blogspot.com/

You will invariably be slower in open water, the degree of slow-down dependent upon the body of water, currents, wind, etc. If this is your first race, I'd recommend NOT wearing your watch and focusing on two things: enjoying the race / event, let your body do what it's been trained to do Caveat: I think wearing watches while swimming is almost never a good idea -- creates a small imbalance in your stroke and the disruption to your stroke rate / technique you will take to look at your watch is a "speed brake" that is not overcome by the knowledge of your pace. If you've been training enough, your body will settle into the right pace. If you've not been training enough, then constantly checking the watch to verify that you're off pace will only mess with your mind. And I think it's illegal to wear a watch in any kind of swim competition. I agree, get in theflow, enjoy and swim. (a simple concept)

Question for you. If I can comfortably swim 100's on the 1:15-1:20 pace, how realistic is it that I can do that in my first OW race? I have my first OW race coming up in early August. I am anxious and excited, and really have no idea what to expect. I figure I will wear my watch and try and keep track of some form of time for pace. Thoughts? You will invariably be slower in open water, the degree of slow-down dependent upon the body of water, currents, wind, etc. If this is your first race, I'd recommend NOT wearing your watch and focusing on two things: enjoying the race / event, let your body do what it's been trained to do Caveat: I think wearing watches while swimming is almost never a good idea -- creates a small imbalance in your stroke and the disruption to your stroke rate / technique you will take to look at your watch is a "speed brake" that is not overcome by the knowledge of your pace. If you've been training enough, your body will settle into the right pace. If you've not been training enough, then constantly checking the watch to verify that you're off pace will only mess with your mind.

You will invariably be slower in open water, the degree of slow-down dependent upon the body of water, currents, wind, etc. I was out this morning for a nice brisk 6 a.m. swim with swimming buddy, and although the water was fairly calm and there was little wind, we both felt we were swimming in molasses. We were moving against the current, and the water felt thick (the way cold water on the point of freezing begins to move "thickly"). Wave propagation extremely slow. Getting kicked in the face--OW swimming as body contact sport--will also slow a swimmer down. :)

If you do get in trouble, you will be told ways to flag the escort boat - wave your cap, or holler - and you'll get a ride back to shore. Pay attention to the safety briefing. This is not the kind of fun that is worth dying for - but what is? If you need to grab an escort kayak, talk to the boater first, and approach from the bow. Hug the bow to your chest and bring one or both legs up alongside or even hook you heels on the deck. You may be surprised that some of the kayakers may not be lifeguards, swimmers or even experienced, like some of the swimmers. Open water is about self reliance. Just keep your cool, keep on swimming and you'll do fine.

Don't start up front, Stay back a bit & follow the group to see where you are . Sight a shore object & have fun.

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! In 2002, I did my first open water swim--at the time, pretty inexperienced... I was swimming to recover from a running injury and missed competing, so decided to see what I could do in a swim. I belonged to no masters' swim group at the time, but got some advice from my pool lifeguard who was a triathlete (whose main interest was swimming... he'd gone into tri's for variety). Since then I've joined a masters swim group (if you're not in one, I recommend it... you can get some great feedback on your stroke and ways to help you swim more efficiently... I'll never be a speedster, but I do find it much easier now to get into a kind of autopilot freestyle rhythm). I've also done several more ow swims including a 5 miler. So, fwiw, IMO, YMMV, etc. etc., here are some thoughts: 1. In the pool, even if you're not stopping, you're constantly turning, which means you could see improvement in your time when you do the ow swim. For my five miler, I did the distance in the pool--and my actual finish time was almost an hour faster! 1a. Check out the results from previous years' swims, especially the last place time. That helped me to determine whether the swim would be a good "fit" for me. In my case, the last place time was about 45 mins. and I was at about 50-55 mins. so I looked for ways to bring the time down, including getting feedback from the above-mentioned lifeguard. I'm not sure I'd recommend my first training to you--at the time, I wasn't in any kind of masters' group and knew nothing about the structured workouts such groups did--but I did practice miles where I gradually reduced dependence on breaststroke which for me was not an efficient stroke and was slowing me down, and worked toward an all-freestyle mile. That got my time to where I thought I wouldn't be way out of touch with the pack. 2. But #1 depends on a couple things: Is the swim set to go with the tide? If so, you'll get an assist, which should help you with the speed. Are wetsuits allowed and if so, do you plan to wear one? (I have mixed feelings about them. I've never worn one for any of my swims, don't even own one--but others swear by them and from what I understand, they can help with warmth and speed. Personally I hate feeling constricted.) 3. Don't get too caught up in going out fast. Every time I've started out too fast, there's this counter-reaction about 200-300 yards into the swim where I'm struggling--but don't panic if you find yourself in that position. Take a breaststroke break and catch your breath, then settle back in. It does feel a bit unsettling to see people pulling away from you, but the kayak patrol is still watching you. As I say I'm no speedster, so I know this from experience! 4. Warm up a little before your swim... go into the water, get a feel of what it's like to swim without the lane lines. That can take a little getting used to. I like the security of black lines under me, but I've also learned that I love the freedom of being out in the open in a natural setting. 5. Have fun! If you find you have to stop before the finish--no worries. It's a race, not a job! In my first ow swim, I was almost sure that I'd be exposed as a fraud who couldn't swim, really, and would get kicked out. But then I reminded myself, "hey, no one's stopping you now. Just keep swimming! If someone tells you to stop, deal with it then." As it turned out, I didn't even finish last... second to last, but not last. ;) I have, in fact, since finished last, and no one arrested me for it. No matter what, safety comes first. If you need to stop, just see it as a learning experience. Good luck with your swim, and let us know how it went!

No need to be terrified at all. Relax and have fun.

Once you have swum a few OW races you will have an idea on where in the pack to start. If you are in the hunt to win, start at the front. If you are not sure, start in the back. I f you are slow and start in the front you will get knocked around at the start. Everyone that is faster than you will pass you. If you start in the back you will find everyone that is slower than you and pass them. Much more fun to pass than to be passed.

Don't start up front, Stay back a bit & follow the group to see where you are . Sight a shore object & have fun. This is great, great advice. Go easy at the start. Many get caught up in the excitement of the start, don't. Find a pack and draft. As the finish line nears begin picking them off, one by one. Good Luck.