I'm signed up for the Swim Across America event at Nantasket Beach, MA next week. For those not familiar, it's a 1-mile OWS to raise money for cancer victims. Since I lost my mom to cancer last year, I'm excited to use my one athletic talent (swimming) to raise money for this worthy cause.
So I went swimming in the ocean with others from my master's swim group this weekend. It wasn't what I hoped. :(
I hated the taste of salt water in my mouth. I just spent the whole time wishing I could drink some water to get that nasty salty taste out of my mouth. I hated that when I turned to breathe, a wave would often smack me in the face. I hated feeling like I was swimming as hard as I could but I was going nowhere (not true, I know, but that's how it seemed). It didn't help that I was with two very nice but very good swimmers who had to wait for me to catch up every few minutes.
Don't get me wrong - I'm still doing the SAA event next week. But I'm wondering if, after this event, I should keep trying to swim in the ocean in the hopes that I'll get used to it, or should I just accept that I'm more of a freshwater kind of gal?
Clear water is all you need. You have already ingested plenty of salt, don't compound the effect by drinking gatorade.
Salt in the mouth is also simple to avoid in large part by altering your breathing technique. Explosive exhalation with your face in the water combined with a little extra turn to inhale will usually do the trick, even if the chop is banging you around. And don't take time to breathe while your face is turned. As you start to breathe, turn your head back to neutral quickly, creating a trough allowing you to inhale (again quickly) without any water getting into your mouth. Try it in the pool, it works! If you can do it, breathe away from the chop. Much better.
Clear water is all you need. You have already ingested plenty of salt, don't compound the effect by drinking gatorade.
Salt in the mouth is also simple to avoid in large part by altering your breathing technique. Explosive exhalation with your face in the water combined with a little extra turn to inhale will usually do the trick, even if the chop is banging you around. And don't take time to breathe while your face is turned. As you start to breathe, turn your head back to neutral quickly, creating a trough allowing you to inhale (again quickly) without any water getting into your mouth. Try it in the pool, it works! If you can do it, breathe away from the chop. Much better.
