Alcatraz Challenge this May - First Time Open Water
Former Member
Hey all,
Just registered for an 1.5 mile open water swim in May - part of me thinks I'm nuts, but part of me is excited as hell for this.
Had a few questions for more experienced open water swimmers out there...
1) Open water swimming - How does it differ from closed pool swimming? I've read a number of people mention "sighting", which is where I assume you look where you're going, but unsure how to incorporate that into normal breathing (where I look to side).
2) Open water training - I was a state / varsity level swimmer in high school, but afterwards have only sparingly swam. So, I don't think I could swim the full distance easily right now. My plan is to build up to 3 miles in a closed pool over next 2 months, then start training in open water over next 2 months. I found some plans (below), but what training programs have other people used? I have about 4 months to prepare...
100swimmingworkouts.com/
3) Wetsuit - what do you look for in a wetsuit? Where do you normally find these? Besides the "who knows where this has been" factor (which presumably could be fixed with a wash), is there anything wrong with used wetsuits (seem significantly cheaper)?
Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
Wetsuits--if you can find a used one and can try it on, great. Just make sure the rubber still feels supple and stretchy, not cracked or stretched out or brittle anywhere. Also make sure the seams are intact. The main advantage to buying a new one for me was that I don't live in an area that sells them, so I had to mail order, and the sizing charts have a lot of leeway. The one I bought even let you try it out for a swim and return it if it didn't feel right. A wetsuit SIGNIFICANTLY improves your speed--at least that was my experience. It feels like cheating. For that reason I don't like them for open water swims (I only bought mine for long triathlons where you basically need one to be competitive because 99% of the field wears one). For swim-only events I prefer to be more of a purist. On the other hand, if there is a wetsuit division and it's really cold water, I'd probably need one just to be able to participate because I get cold easily.
Sighting--I develop a pattern. I breathe every third stroke, but I sight every ninth or so breath. It feels weird at first, but you can incorporate the sight in with your breath so you turn to the side, breathe, then look forward, or do that in reverse--look forward, then turn to the side and breathe, all without interrupting your rhythm. You can practice this in the pool. The thing I'm working on is sighting by aligning two points. For example if you look forward only at the buoy, it still doesn't mean you aren't going crooked. It's better to look at the buoy and also a landmark beyond the buoy and keep those two things lined up to ensure you really are taking a straight line. It's hard to judge all this from down in the water, so it's not my strong point, especially when the sun is in your eyes, when there's fog, or if you're doing a race where they only set a buoy every mile or so, which is how most of my races have been. Hopefully you'll have more things to sight off of than that.
Wetsuits--if you can find a used one and can try it on, great. Just make sure the rubber still feels supple and stretchy, not cracked or stretched out or brittle anywhere. Also make sure the seams are intact. The main advantage to buying a new one for me was that I don't live in an area that sells them, so I had to mail order, and the sizing charts have a lot of leeway. The one I bought even let you try it out for a swim and return it if it didn't feel right. A wetsuit SIGNIFICANTLY improves your speed--at least that was my experience. It feels like cheating. For that reason I don't like them for open water swims (I only bought mine for long triathlons where you basically need one to be competitive because 99% of the field wears one). For swim-only events I prefer to be more of a purist. On the other hand, if there is a wetsuit division and it's really cold water, I'd probably need one just to be able to participate because I get cold easily.
Sighting--I develop a pattern. I breathe every third stroke, but I sight every ninth or so breath. It feels weird at first, but you can incorporate the sight in with your breath so you turn to the side, breathe, then look forward, or do that in reverse--look forward, then turn to the side and breathe, all without interrupting your rhythm. You can practice this in the pool. The thing I'm working on is sighting by aligning two points. For example if you look forward only at the buoy, it still doesn't mean you aren't going crooked. It's better to look at the buoy and also a landmark beyond the buoy and keep those two things lined up to ensure you really are taking a straight line. It's hard to judge all this from down in the water, so it's not my strong point, especially when the sun is in your eyes, when there's fog, or if you're doing a race where they only set a buoy every mile or so, which is how most of my races have been. Hopefully you'll have more things to sight off of than that.
