5 weeks to go to the 20th Annual Chicago Masters' Big Shoulders Open Water 2.5k and 5k swim.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway of Swimming! But without the flags!
www.bigshoulders.org
This swim is also part of the USMS H2Open Series and the Great Lakes GLOWS series, all compelling reasons to attend the church of the 5k butterfly.
For those unfamiliar with the venue, swimming can be done at Ohio Street Beach any day (short of bacterial counts high enough to close the beach), so a trial swim along the seawall in the days preceding the meet is easily done.
Lake Michigan temp has been much warmer this summer. We don't need woollen leggings and ski caps after a 6 a.m. swim.
:)
Words like "tough" and "sissy" don't apply if there is no chance to acclimate even a little to swimming in colder, rougher water.
Agreed. That said, I think sometimes people underestimate what they're capable of in this domain. Physical acclimation helps, as one's body learns to redirect blood flow from the extremities to the core. This requires actual cold-water practice.
But mental acclimation is, I think, more important than commonly realized. The knowledge (and acceptance) of extreme discomfort for the first few seconds and possibly minutes after entering the water. The knowledge that loss of sensation in your extremities is not necessarily dangerous. The acceptance of post-swim shivering, and knowledge of best practices in dealing with it.
I know Lynne Cox has written/spoken about this at length, though I don't have links handy.
I keep thinking about the distinction between "comfort" and "safety." I doubt the water at Ohio Street Beach Saturday morning was "comfortable" for anyone - especially with the wind and cloud cover. In fact it was probably moderately to severely uncomfortable for most. I know a few people visited the medical tent afterward... but I'm pretty sure nobody went to the hospital.
It should also be noted that 586 people finished the race - 394 in the 5K and 174 in the 2.5K. Assuming all 800 registrants showed up, that's over 70% who took the plunge - and finished. Given the conditions, that's pretty impressive.
Words like "tough" and "sissy" don't apply if there is no chance to acclimate even a little to swimming in colder, rougher water.
Agreed. That said, I think sometimes people underestimate what they're capable of in this domain. Physical acclimation helps, as one's body learns to redirect blood flow from the extremities to the core. This requires actual cold-water practice.
But mental acclimation is, I think, more important than commonly realized. The knowledge (and acceptance) of extreme discomfort for the first few seconds and possibly minutes after entering the water. The knowledge that loss of sensation in your extremities is not necessarily dangerous. The acceptance of post-swim shivering, and knowledge of best practices in dealing with it.
I know Lynne Cox has written/spoken about this at length, though I don't have links handy.
I keep thinking about the distinction between "comfort" and "safety." I doubt the water at Ohio Street Beach Saturday morning was "comfortable" for anyone - especially with the wind and cloud cover. In fact it was probably moderately to severely uncomfortable for most. I know a few people visited the medical tent afterward... but I'm pretty sure nobody went to the hospital.
It should also be noted that 586 people finished the race - 394 in the 5K and 174 in the 2.5K. Assuming all 800 registrants showed up, that's over 70% who took the plunge - and finished. Given the conditions, that's pretty impressive.
