How Cold Should A Person Go?

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sun, 29 May 2011 10:08:39 GMT

Because of the weather, the water quality of the Hudson hasn't been good enough to swim in. ... until today! water quality is a very localized issue. study the info available on riverkeeper's site.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

MikeGarr — Sun, 29 May 2011 09:16:50 GMT

I swam 50 minutes in Cold water Friday sans wetsuit. variable, 59-65F. Definitely took alot more out of me. Pretty simple. The body is working hard to stay warm at this temp, no matter what. We only prolong our ability to stay alive by raising our temp swimming. No way I can hang out at these temps. Gotta swim!

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

swimmerb212 — Sun, 29 May 2011 04:23:14 GMT

water quality is a very localized issue. study the info available on riverkeeper's site. That is a great site. Our decision was also based on some basic visuals, there were entire trees floating down the river after that last big storm.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

swimmerb212 — Sat, 28 May 2011 09:42:59 GMT

how is it going? Because of the weather, the water quality of the Hudson hasn't been good enough to swim in. ... until today! The temperature was about 63, and my swim buddy and I swam up and around an island near the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club, about 1.5 miles total. We floated for a while to talk to a friend on his sailboat, and to look around, and to swat away sticks, devilheads, and weeds. It was beautiful, I was cold only for about 5 minutes before I got used to it, and my breathing normalized. My only complaint was that we didn't have a boat to watch us, and had to use rescue tubes that kept getting caught on my feet. But they were nice to have when we stopped. Also, I ate some ice cream afterward. Yum! Tomorrow, we're swimming in a lake in Carmel, which might be colder than today.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:14:14 GMT

but I noticed that I burned alot more calories during that short swim. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerrys (1600-2000 cal) last night and was still 1lb lighter today than yesterday ;) Definitely welcome to the Dark Side :)

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:33:57 GMT

I swam in the lake it was just under 59F at the first bouy. and slightly colder about 400m south of that bouy. welcome to the dark side

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Rykno — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:45:09 GMT

I left my wetsuit at home yesterday. I had two options. let the others know I was going to swim in the pool instead or man up and swim in the lake with just my jammers. I swam in the lake it was just under 59F at the first bouy. and slightly colder about 400m south of that bouy. we only swam 2km, but since the others I was out with swam at a slower pace than me I wound up waiting on them every 200m or so to keep the distance between us to a min. It felt great. I would never had just tried that without reading what others here have done. I had always thought 64-68 was my min temp, but now I know I can handle 59 too. but I noticed that I burned alot more calories during that short swim. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerrys (1600-2000 cal) last night and was still 1lb lighter today than yesterday ;)

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:29:25 GMT

Did 40 minutes on May 7, at 52F, no wetsuit. Air temp was warm and it was sunny. Took me about 10 minutes of slowly getting in before I set off on the swim. After swim it was about 2-hours to get core temp back to normal. Second OW of the season last Sunday, water at 55F went for almost 80 minutes, this tie around 3-hours to get core temp back to normal, air temp not as warm as earlier swim. Honestly, I'm not sure it's fun. My ultra-marathon swimming buds and training partners have been doubling this with no wetsuits. But then there truly crazy. I've had my best race finishes at around 62-66F, when temp is in that range I've beaten many in OW that kick my butt in the pool.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Rykno — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:55:34 GMT

I won't swim below 65 with out a wetsuit. but with a wet suit my first swims this year were 8-13C (46-55F) the water around here is around 60F now, feels good with a wetsuit on. but until it's above 65F in the water and preferable over over 70F in the air i will keep my wetsuit on.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:33:14 GMT

oops, looks like I posted my comment in the wrong thread. Oh well, I think most of my posts are ignored anyway. As for water temps, I'm not going below 70 anymore. I don't know about safety but I certainly don't enjoy it and I've got enough health issues not to push it. BTW, I was recently told I likely have Raynaud's (a circulation problem where my hands and feet turn purple). It doesn't seem to bother me in general, but does anyone know something about it and whether this would cold water swimming extra risky?

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

swimmerb212 — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:20:28 GMT

been swimming in the hudson (between beacon and new hamburg) for 3 weeks. send me an e-mail. perhaps we can combine groups! Thanks for the invite! I'd love to tag along sometime this spring. I'd like to share some offline advice from Swimsuit Addict, who told me that the hot feeling is OK, it usually passes as you acclimate in the first few minutes of cold water. What one should test for is being able to touch your thumb to your little finger, because hand rigidity is a sign of the start of trouble. Shivering, slurred speech, and not being able to feel your feet while swimming are also signs of trouble. Next time, I'm going to try swimming for a slightly longer period of time to test this out. Shrinkage, not so much an issue for us ladies... Unless you're telling tales of people who worked out so hard that they lost that natural layer of fat insulation and became skinny little triathletes with high stroke counts.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:02:08 GMT

High SR helps you stay warm in cold water. Not sure if it does much for shrinkage, though. not gonna touch that one.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sat, 14 May 2011 11:37:07 GMT

hey, i think you guys wandered onto the wrong thread.... this on is about frostbite, shrinkage and shivering.....

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sat, 14 May 2011 09:31:12 GMT

I found the swim smooth site a few months ago and dig what they are saying. I think I am an overglider and they helped point me towards exhaling better and bilateral breathing which indirectly helped get rid of some pause in my stroke. It seems a bit odd though that they would be preaching high stroke rates to an audience of triathletes when many of them seem to take 20+ strokes per 25. They preach a high stroke rate because all those skinny triathletes are always SHIVERING.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sat, 14 May 2011 09:12:13 GMT

I'm curious if anyone knows how to properly gauge how safe one is in the water. I hopped in the Hudson River this morning (56 degrees) in my regular suit and two caps. It was cold, but I could move, with some tingling in my extremities. But after about 200 yards, I started to feel really hot in my chest. I know that extremes of temperature can feel like each other, and I don't know where the line is of strange sensations and hypothermia risk, so I got out and let the wetsuit guys finish the swim while I was in the shower. We're going to try again next week, any advice out there of what I should do to stay safe and what warning signs to look out for and what's just a weird feeling because it's really cold? been swimming in the hudson (between beacon and new hamburg) for 3 weeks. send me an e-mail. perhaps we can combine groups! dvdbarra@yahoo.com might be going out tomorrow.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Sat, 14 May 2011 08:42:01 GMT

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

evmo — Sat, 14 May 2011 07:49:13 GMT

High SR helps you stay warm in cold water. Not sure if it does much for shrinkage, though.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

swimmerb212 — Sat, 14 May 2011 01:27:41 GMT

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 08:38:55 GMT

How cold you can go simply depends on what you're used to and how well you adapt! I've swum in 45 degree water before... It wasn't fun, but I survived a hundred yards or so. I recently did 1.15 miles in 55 degree water. I didn't get overly cold until I got out of the water in the mid-60s air! My comfort level goes into the upper 50s. Much cooler and it becomes more of a sufferfest. I can tolerate salt water colder than fresh water, and I'm not sure why!

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Former Member — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:48:39 GMT

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Patrick W. Brundage — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:35:49 GMT

I did the LaJolla Gatorman on Sunday. I was surprised at the time differences from last year to this year. Last year was a "rough" year but water temps were 70-72F (if I remember correctly). This year wasn't as rough but water temps were reported at 62-65F. The race times seemed to be down across the board. Random comparison of 50th place: 2009 1:11:17 2010 1:18:19 Personally, I was 8 minutes slower than last year but finished in about the same over-all position. Does cold water slow us down that much? Other factors?I last did it in 2008 when the water was definitely warmer, but I was also not in great shape. I was about 4 minutes faster then versus this year, as were a couple of other guys I know who beat me both years. I would think that times on this race year-to-year should be pretty comparable since we swim to a fixed point and aren't therefore subject to buoy missplacement / course marking. What I don't know is how much influence both temperature and tides/waves make? This race felt rough out in the open water even though the shore seemed milder than last year.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Patrick W. Brundage — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:39:15 GMT

...On the other hand I saw a number of people including much better swimmers than I shaking and shivering. We all have different metabolisms and body types So while I now believe I could swim in water temps inthe 50's with some prep, others may find sub 70 a challenge.For sure, my experience was different -- fine for 1 mile in 62-65, but 3 miles was too long: forums.usms.org/blog.php.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

srcoyote — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:17:22 GMT

I did the Big Shoulders after a year of training in water that never went below 80. My post-swim observation: This is indeed a highly personalized decision. Many chose to exit the water early. Many donned wetsuites, and some chose not to get in at all. I pressed on through some trepidation, and found that I was fine. I had a harder time with the rougher water conditions than I did the water temp. I got out, and an Irish coffee was all it took. I was good to go. On the other hand I saw a number of people including much better swimmers than I shaking and shivering. We all have different metabolisms and body types So while I now believe I could swim in water temps inthe 50's with some prep, others may find sub 70 a challenge.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

sarah_q — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:27:10 GMT

...but on race day temps had dropped back to 62 and it. was. cold.

RE: How Cold Should A Person Go?

Patrick W. Brundage — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 06:35:03 GMT

Not yet a race report, but here's my pre-race test-the-water swim reactions in La Jolla today -- forums.usms.org/blog.php. Bottom-line: neoprene cap under regular cap with ear plugs worked wonders in 62-65 degree water for a warmup swim. Granted, we only did 0.5 miles and were in the water around 25 minutes (floated around a lot just to spend time in the water), but both my middle daughter (like 5'7" and '4" and 185 lbs) did well. I'll post back again tomorrow with any additional thoughts