Swimming in chop

I have that problem on nearly every long swim I enter (and mine are way shorter than Tampa). There is always a "crisis moment", usually near the start, when the shear length and amount of work in front of me gets into my head and I have to just back way off (do breaststroke) and gather myself. Then I just say, the hell with it, swim for 30 minutes and see how you feel. Often I'll look at clouds (I'm not kidding) to focus off the water.

I'm beginning to get frustrated with my weakness or fear of swimming through what I would call extreme chop. I completed some long serious swims in the past, ( the 10 miler last year and Lake Champlain in 2008) But I'm beginning to lose confidence in scary water. Any advice? I have gone through similar issues since having to shorten my Tampa Bay Swim to 9 miles in 2005. In fact it is the biggest thing keeping me from signing up for the long stuff again. But I am coming around and felt great at the Kingdom Swim. I think the first thing needed to do is to make sure you are breathing away from the waves. That's very simple but don't overlook it. The second thing is to work hard in practice on staying focused on your little rectangular piece of water as you swim. Don't think about the whole thing, just your little world. Stroke stroke breathe, and get lost in what you are doing, once you start thinking about how much this sucks and how in the world am I going to make it, I have four miles to go in this stuff, you are on your way down the tubes. Practice this intentionally in practice swims. But mostly for me it has been a steady progression back up. 1. Build distance in long flat swims. The Morse Reservoir swim, I don't really see a way for that swim to be wavy for most of it's length, it is so narrow in the cove there. Also look around for other swims that are almost always flat and challenge yourself there. 2. Intentionally seek out rough swims you know you can handle. Either races or in training. The Chesapeake Bay Swim seems to be rough every 1 out of 4 or so years. Lots of the swims on the ocean can be rough; even though rough ocean is a bit different than rough freshwater. And of course seek out rough training swims. Here in Baltimore, we have an open water swim spot that people like to go to when it is calm, I much prefer it when it is rough. I can swim in flat water at a pool! Neither point 1 or 2 are revolutionary but think it through and you will get back there. And good luck

Then I just say, the hell with it, swim for 30 minutes and see how you feel. Truer words were never spoken about open water/marathon swimming. Thank you Paul.

Thanks to you all for your very sound advice and encouragement. Paul, I thought of you about a half hour later as I did a run around the area to compensate for having bailed on the swim. I thought " He's still swimming, and I s*ck" But I was really a bit freaked out without a wet suit or a personal kayaker in those conditions. No Willoughby for me this year. BRRRR! I have Lake George 10k ( also a loop course!) coming up on the 28th. I may be back to NE Kingdom for the 10 miler next year.

Hi Pattie, You have accomplished some great feats in open water swimming and you should be proud of that, for sure. I know we all want a perfect record, but sometimes you have to trust your instinct and listen to your body. One thing that has helped me in choppy water is just spending time in the ocean when no one sane would go in. I grew up being dragged to hurricane swells in the Atlantic Ocean by my surfer brother. I was just a kid and should have feared those circumstances more than I did, but I just went into survival mode and created a game for myself. It was like swimming in an unpredictable wave pool. If you have the opportunity to get in any body of water under poor weather conditions, don't do a structured swim and set no expectations for distance. Just swim around in the water and get used to that chop throwing your body around. That way, when it comes to competition day, you'll have much less anxiety about not only having to swim in chop but also finish the distance and get a competitive time and all those other pressures that we all put on ourselves. Another thing I do when I'm nervous about the swim is to identify the confident, strong swimmers during warm-up and stay close to them until you're more comfortable. If you can't find access to open water often enough, have a friend or husband swim in the lane next to you for a portion of your workout and have them splash and kick you. It sounds silly but it works! Good luck in your future swims!

At one point in my age group training we swam 7 lanes of swimmers in a six lane 25 yard pool with every other lane circle swimming clockwise. The only swimmers you ever went head to head with were those in your own lane. During stroke sets of 50s the water would get pretty dang rough!!

Pattie, I'll be at Lake George this weekend too. Hoping for a great weekend weather-wise, as we will be camping. And I'll keep my fingers crossed for chopless too, for your sake. Looking forward to some great swimming in just a few days!

Pattie, I'll be at Lake George this weekend too. Hoping for a great weekend weather-wise, as we will be camping. And I'll keep my fingers crossed for chopless too, for your sake. Looking forward to some great swimming in just a few days! Hi Sydne! Yeah, I'm a bit terrified about weather and conditions. It's freezing in the morning here in NE. It'll be colder up there! I am really hoping I can get over this hump and finish the dang thing. But a loop course is even tougher to finish if the conditions aren't ideal. Plus, I'll be pulling up the rear still soaking up the lake while your on the beach soaking up the rays! :cane: Anyway, it'll be good to see you.