Swimming Open Water Race in Hot Water

I think Salt water might be a bit safer as far as funky stuff in the water. I am most worried about that. ear, eye, and now the above mentioned brain eating stuff...

I think water has to remain fairly stagnant for it to breed bacteria and amoebae. So if you're in a very small pond, maybe you have something to worry about. Any sort of even small lake should have enough water motion and circulation to stay safe. Also of note, in populated areas the first couple of days after a large rain is when you see fecal bacteria counts spike, and this is true if you are swimming in the Hudson River or the Carribean. I think the heat would be of more concern. If the water temp gets 86 or above, I start overheating quickly -- headaches, cramps, lethargy, etc. The longest I have sustained a swim in such water is 4000 yards and that was with tearing off the swim cap after a mile.

i don't know if antibiotics are a proper precaution, but there is a brain eating amoeba that likes water above 80 degrees. my advice.... go north.

Well, I just did the Key West swim and it was 91. My advice is to obviously hydrate before and depending the type of event drink every 10-15 minutes from a support boat. I felt good for the first hour and then bonked for about 30. My support kayaker at that point gave me some of his stuff (he's a Kona Ironman), which was some kind of electrolyte stuff or something that seemed to help. If in salt water I recommend having some scope on the support boat to rinse you mouth....it really helps with the cotton mouth. I'm also a little heavier (more body fat) than most I'd say. And even in 91 degree water you will eventually get used to it and you body will regulate its temp....at least mine did. As long as the water is lower than your body temp it still has somewhat of a cooling effect, it just might night seem like it!

Does anyone have any good tips for swimming an open water race in water that may be 87 or higher with air temps potentially in the 90's? I am wondering if it would be a good idea to take a course of antibiotics prior to the race or just after.. We have had record high average temperatures for May and June in VA making swimming pools and lakes like bathtubs, the later without chorine. tips please... Send rain... Send clouds.... Send ice.... This past Saturday, I swam a 2-mile practice swim in Saguaro Lake, which is south of Phoenix, AZ. The estimated water temp was 90, but I'm guessing it was a few degrees below that, and the air temp was probably in the low 90's (quite a change from my first AZ swim event on May 1, where the water was 67 degrees). Triple-digits and warm water are unavoidable beginning in the late spring. I experienced no problems during my practice swim, but I'm used to living with the heat. I'm no speed demon, and did the swim in 1 hour and 27 minutes, without taking on any water or feeding. Since I live in AZ, I make sure I am always hydrated. On any given day, I get as much as 100 ounces of hydration (through liquids and foods). My best advice to you is to make sure you hydrate well in advance and try to acclimate to warmer temperatures as much as you can prior to your event. Also, get out there and practice swimming in warm open water and see how it affects you. Better to find out when you're not racing than when you're in the middle of the actual event. Good luck -- report back and let us know how things go for you.

The amoeba is really nasty, but quite rare: edition.cnn.com/.../index.html Also, I've read elsewhere (can't find the link) that the risk to children is greater than to adults. And don't swim around near the bottom, because that's where the amoeba congregate.

I am going to take a scale to the Chris Greene Race (2 miles) I'll ask swimmers to weigh in prior to the race and as soon as they get out before hydrating. I'm guessing now that the water will be 90ish and the air a cool sunny 85. I didn't get any guesses as to how many pints of water will be lost in the pool of my prior post. If you are reading this go there and guess! I will post the average result after the race. warrenton masters swim team VA

I am going to take a scale to the Chris Greene Race (2 miles) I'll ask swimmers to weigh in prior to the race and as soon as they get out before hydrating. I'm guessing now that the water will be 90ish and the air a cool sunny 85. I didn't get any guesses as to how many pints of water will be lost in the pool of my prior post. If you are reading this go there and guess! I will post the average result after the race. warrenton masters swim team VA My teammate Bill and I often weigh in before and after our practices. The water hasn't been too bad of late, but sometimes the pool temp gets up in the mid 80s. Our team tends to take a steam bath after practice, too. Typically, we will lose somewhere in the vicinity of 3 lb. during a hard practice. This is all water weight--sweat, lung vapors, properly disposed of urination! Since water weighs around 8 and 1/3rd lbs , this translates into just a wee bit under 3 pints. A typical practice runs between 3500-5000 yards, depending on whether you swim for only an hour or can tack on some pre-warm up time before practice officially starts. The latter yardage is about the same I suspect we will be swimming at the 2-mile cable swim: 3600 yards for the race, another 1000 or so warm up. The Chris Greene conditions will be different (warmer water and air temperature; sun and heat; nerves), so my prediction for my own weight loss is...3.417 lb. Give or take.

My teammate Bill and I often weigh in before and after our practices. The water hasn't been too bad of late, but sometimes the pool temp gets up in the mid 80s. Our team tends to take a steam bath after practice, too. Typically, we will lose somewhere in the vicinity of 3 lb. during a hard practice. This is all water weight--sweat, lung vapors, properly disposed of urination! Since water weighs around 8 and 1/3rd lbs , this translates into just a wee bit under 3 pints. A typical practice runs between 3500-5000 yards, depending on whether you swim for only an hour or can tack on some pre-warm up time before practice officially starts. The latter yardage is about the same I suspect we will be swimming at the 2-mile cable swim: 3600 yards for the race, another 1000 or so warm up. The Chris Greene conditions will be different (warmer water and air temperature; sun and heat; nerves), so my prediction for my own weight loss is...3.417 lb. Give or take. --------------------------------------------------- OK I'll bet more then that Jim, as the water will be much warmer then what you work out in. I'll go with 4.5 lbs. I'm 195lbs. make sure your belt can go another notch! Charlie

hmmmmm. And yet you claim to be able to do a 6000 yd workout without a toilet break. Or were you just bragging to the bladderially challenged (me)? I doubt you'll wee during a 2 mile race, so if you retain the wee weight, and subtract the mass lost due to snapping turtles (14 of them), you will end up with the following: Actual weight lost = predicted weight loss + retained wee - Snapping Turtlage 3.142 = 3.417 + 0.001 - 0.276 The water will be too hot for the snapping turtle's. They will be all out cooling off on a log. better add that .276 back in. Turtle soup is a great treat by the way.