I am currently training for a triathlon relay in late July (a mile swim in a river). I can swim a mile in the pool in about 35 minutes - any idea how that translates in an open water swim?
My first goal is just to finish under the 50-minute limit so my teammates can continue on - 2nd goal is to not be the absolute last person! :)
Thanks!
One obvious questions is: are you swimming down stream? I have done the Deschutes Dash triathlon in Bend, Oregon. It's a down-river swim. SUPER fast (at least for me).
Remember, down-river swimming is generally faster. Practice sighting so you stay on course. You should be fine.
I swim about a 30 - 32 minute mile in the pool; 34 - 36 for a 2k (1.2 miles). My first open water event was the Chattanooga River Rat Swim (well organized and a lot of fun)... I entered the 2k swim with my teenage daughter. I was excited/nervous, didnt sleep well in the hotel, and had a terrible start to the swim. Plus, the water was filled with swimmers, so I was bumping into people. It took me about 10 minutes to settle down, get into a rhythm, and pull ahead of the slow folks. I found myself zig-zagging and adding distance to the total yardage. My daughter swam way out into the river and had to swim back in at the end (she still beat me). I swam that race in 43 minutes, almost 10 minutes slower than my goal. Won my age bracket, but didn't feel like I did as well as I could have. Since then, I have learned how to relax prior to the race, how to pace myself correctly in practice so that I fall into a good steady rhythm early on (Kaizen is RIGHT!), and how to sight correctly. I agree with Kaizen and the other posters... it depends on your training, the water conditions, and your physical/mental state at race time. I'm still slower in OW, but not by too much (depending upon conditions). I use the OW swims as a personal challenge, an excuse to push myself harder in practices, and for fun, but try not to compare myself (too much) to other swimmers... I'm never out in front. Just dont want to be at the tail end, either! GOOD LUCK and ENJOY the swims!
I don't think you'll have any problem beating the 50 minute limit, and you won't be the last person out of the water if that is your mile pool time.
You might want to practice sighting. I do this by picking a hard to see spot on the wall (say the second hand on a small clock) -- must be something that is relatively in sight line at end of pool. I then sight that object by lifting my head once per pool length.
