We recently were informed Big Shoulder's 5K OW is likely to be cold this year. (60-63)
Due to a very warm summer in central Indiana most of my training was done in water 85-88 degrees warm. This week-end we got a break and out water has been 72 in the pool. (It feels so good!)
My question is how much lower to what I'm used to can I go and be safe?
I am 5'5" and weigh 117. I have done BS 5K in water as cold as 68 with no problem but I'm just not sure where to draw the line and bail into a wetsuit. I do not want to get hypothermia. I'm planning to be in the water somewhere between 1:20-1:30. :coffee:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
