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?
Former Member
Eh, you'll get used to it. I like pool swimming OK, swimming in a lkae is pretty nice too, but there's nothing in the world like swimming in the open ocean :) Sounds like you were breathing to the side where the chop swells were, maybe try some bilateral breathing?
For that "I'm not getting anywhere" feeling, I get that. We do a weekly pier to pier and the far pier just never seems to get closer at times. I just pick out a landmark on shore, a tree, or a house, or a hill, and work towards that, it's a great way to see progress when you aren't feeling it. Reach that landmark, pick the next one.
And bring some gatorade to rinse out your mouth post swim. It's always a bummer when I can't really taste the post swim coffee cake because the salt has killed my taste buds :)
How was the swim?
And bring some gatorade to rinse out your mouth post swim.
I suggest avoiding Gatorade or any electrolyte-enhanced drink after swimming in the ocean.
"electrolyte" = salt.
If you swim like me, you have enough salt in your system when you are done.
Do you have a cite to anything stating that gatorade following an ocean swim is harmful, or that electrolytes are dangerously high after doing so? I'd be curious to read that. As would a lot of triathletes, I'd suspect.....
I was advised by a more experienced swimmer to skip Gatorade or other sports drinks when swimming in salt water--just b/c the swimmer ingests enough salt from the water--and more would likely make one nauseous. I took his word for it, and I can't say I missed having it. But then, I grew up learning to swim in salt water, so the taste doesn't bother me all that much.
Robin, sorry you had such a bad experience with your swim. The bilateral breathing definitely helped me. Also, it might be worth mentioning to one of the volunteer kayakers that this is your first ocean swim. I did that for my first/only ocean swim (all others were bay swims)--told a volunteer that I normally wasn't an ocean swimmer and she was WONDERFUL! She stayed with me as I went through the breakers and a little way past the start marker. After that, I began to feel more confident. When it was time to turn back to the beach, she suddenly appeared again and again was very encouraging and reassuring. The volunteers are there to help and want your experience to be a good one!
I'm likely a slower swimmer than you--and once you're more comfortable in salt water, you'll love it! You're more buoyant, which has helped me in some swims!
And your mom would be proud! Hope you have a great swim!
Interesting. I've done numerous triathlons over the last 5 years with ocean swims of distances from 1500 M to 1.2 miles, followed by either Gatorade or my Infinit custom mix (which has a good amount of sodium) on the bike and run, and never had ill effects, nor have I read this viewpoint on any other triathlon based web board. In fact, the sodium mix is an integral part of my nutrition planning.
Sea water has about 35 grams of salt per liter. Full-strength Gatorade has about 1 gram of salt per liter.
An ounce of seawater contains as much salt as a liter of Gatorade.
Chances are you don't imbibe all that much saltwater in your swims and you would want to use Gatorade for most of your running/biking hydration.
I imagine that for the first half-liter or liter you drink after the swim, though, you would be better off with water, juice, or maybe some other sugared/non-salt drink.
I'm just speculating here and can't provide a cite or anything.
I'd be interested in hearing the results if you experiment with a little water on emergence, though. I rarely swim in salt water.
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.
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.
spent 15 hours , 37 minutes , 11 seconds in the pacific brine yesterday...
my throat and sinus are sore and salt burnt.... my tongue feels like a foreign object in my mouth. during the swim, i puked 5 or 6 times, got bounced around a bit by the wind and waves and swam nearly in place against some odd currents for hours.
today (still sore) i couldn't be happier.
it ain't for everyone..............
Interesting. I've done numerous triathlons over the last 5 years with ocean swims of distances from 1500 M to 1.2 miles, followed by either Gatorade or my Infinit custom mix (which has a good amount of sodium) on the bike and run, and never had ill effects, nor have I read this viewpoint on any other triathlon based web board. In fact, the sodium mix is an integral part of my nutrition planning.
Maybe I just don't swallow enough salt water to have any effect.
Congrats David!!!!! I heard the last mile was tough
