As I've gotten more precise about measuring distances in open water, I've been shocked to find out how SLOW my open water practice pace is.
The problem is that I don't have a visual cue in open water for how fast I'm going. I swim with other people, but I don't have a consistent OW swim buddy who is near my pace.
A few data points:
In the pool, my long-distance cruise speed is about 1:50/100 yards. I can hold that for at least an hour.
My OW 1K race pace is in the 1:50s--high or low 1:50s depending on conditions and how the course is measured.
My OW practice pace is 2:00-2:10 (Yikes!)
Yesterday, I did an experiment:
OW practice swim with a friend who is close to my pace. We stayed together the whole time and varied the intensity of our practice. Our average pace was 1:55/100 yards.
After he left, I waited about 30 minutes for some other friends to arrive. I got back in the water with them. (We were all in the water together, but not swimming together.) I used the tempo trainer and set it at 1.1 sec/stroke (54 strokes/minute). In the pool, that setting would keep me in the low 1:50/100 range. The chop had died down, and I felt great. I was disappointed to find out that my average pace was 2:07/100 yards.
When I'm pacing off of someone, I can visualize exactly what it will take to pass them. I'm sure I get a little adrenaline boost from the competition, but that's not the main thing. When I see someone ahead of me, my body just knows what to do to pass them. I don't necessarily give it a big physical effort, I just concentrate on letting my stroke close the gap.
I wish I knew more people who swam at my pace and wanted to practice regularly in OW, but I have a hard time finding them. Most of the people who want to get out there regularly are slower triathletes.
So how do you guys pace yourselves if you don't have a buddy to pace off of? I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
When I'm swimming in OW, I perceive Happy vs. Unhappy far more acutely than I perceive exertion. In the beginning, I feel Unhappy, especially if the conditions are tough. Even though I *love* OWS, and I'm out there at least 1-2x/week, I usually feel scared in the beginning. The longer I swim, the happier I feel.
Agreed. But, don't you think it's strange that my OW 100-yd pace would increase by 12 seconds when I don't have anyone to pace off of? Or that I'd be off by my pool pace by :15/100 using a tempo trainer under easy conditions? My OW race pace is only about 5 seconds off my pool race pace. It's the non-pacing practice swims where I really slow down.
I like your writing style, and you don't use smilies, the sign of an adult.
Anyway, happy/unhappy can be considered perceived levels of exertion. For me, I know the pain point and how long I can hold at each pain point. The good thing about that in OW is that it is condition neutral. So, whatever mother nature throws your way you always know how hard/easy you need to go, based on how you feel.
I think you can probably drive yourself nuts comparing pool to open water. I used to get frustrated by the disparity in times until I realized that the same faster and slower people in the pool were also the same faster and slower folks in the OW. So, I just stopped worrying about the translation of times.
I've never fully understood open water swimming in Arizona. Where do you do it? It would seem that in the mountains it would be cold and in the valley/desert it would be boiling and nasty? I'm probably wrong so tell me how it is out there please. My bro lives in Cave Creek but he thinks swimming is stupid so he is of no educational value to me.
When I'm swimming in OW, I perceive Happy vs. Unhappy far more acutely than I perceive exertion. In the beginning, I feel Unhappy, especially if the conditions are tough. Even though I *love* OWS, and I'm out there at least 1-2x/week, I usually feel scared in the beginning. The longer I swim, the happier I feel.
Agreed. But, don't you think it's strange that my OW 100-yd pace would increase by 12 seconds when I don't have anyone to pace off of? Or that I'd be off by my pool pace by :15/100 using a tempo trainer under easy conditions? My OW race pace is only about 5 seconds off my pool race pace. It's the non-pacing practice swims where I really slow down.
I like your writing style, and you don't use smilies, the sign of an adult.
Anyway, happy/unhappy can be considered perceived levels of exertion. For me, I know the pain point and how long I can hold at each pain point. The good thing about that in OW is that it is condition neutral. So, whatever mother nature throws your way you always know how hard/easy you need to go, based on how you feel.
I think you can probably drive yourself nuts comparing pool to open water. I used to get frustrated by the disparity in times until I realized that the same faster and slower people in the pool were also the same faster and slower folks in the OW. So, I just stopped worrying about the translation of times.
I've never fully understood open water swimming in Arizona. Where do you do it? It would seem that in the mountains it would be cold and in the valley/desert it would be boiling and nasty? I'm probably wrong so tell me how it is out there please. My bro lives in Cave Creek but he thinks swimming is stupid so he is of no educational value to me.
