I want to be able to do some cold water swims w/out a wetsuit, but now I'm not so sure I'm capable of such things.
In fact, yesterday, I was pretty sure I'd never try a cold water swim again. And it wasn't even that cold by the standards of some of you. Air temp in the 40s, water temp (I'm told) 56... although I also heard low 60s. I'm not yet a good judge of temperature so I don't know. Weather got a bit chilly the last few days, and yet I'd planned to join my masters' group for an open water swim and I wasn't about to pull the plug on that without a fight. ;)
I also had thought I'd be strong, not wear a wetsuit. (I don't even own one.) But at the last minute, I emailed a friend and asked if I could borrow hers--she was going to watch but not swim.
It occurred to me that given my lack of experience swimming in those conditions, I should start gently, not go right to a swimsuit. But I still felt like a wuss.
We swam laps around a buoy placed (I think) about 100-150 yards away from the dock where we went in. My thought was to go four laps (I know, pretty short) and see how I felt. First lap my chest felt very tight and I had a hard time breathing. (That might have been the effect of the wetsuit--I don't wear them normally and managed to swim okay without one a few days earlier--water in low 60s but air temp wasn't as cold.) Then I began to feel more comfortable, swim more relaxed. But I still didn't quite feel as if I was adjusting. On the last lap, I was going off course and hit my head on the dock--luckily at my speed it wasn't too hard a hit, so I wasn't hurt. But I decided that was my stopping point.
It took me a while to stop shivering, but that wasn't unexpected. What concerned me was how long it took to recover--the rest of the day I felt under the weather, sore, exhausted, even with such a small amount of swimming.
Don't know if this had anything to do with it, but before the swim, I thought it might help if I took a run--overdressed so I'd be warm enough to want to jump in (maybe a mistake). So I ran about a half hour w/ a backpack (probably about 4-5 lb not heavy), and yes, I was pretty warm but the dressing room was chilly, and getting the wetsuit on took a bit of time since I'm not used to wearing one.
I'm wondering if the soreness had more to do w/ the running or with the fact that my muscles tightened more than usual in the water or what.
Now I'm rethinking whether I should even consider anything in cold water, such as Boston Light which has been my goal--but 8 miles in what felt like a struggle in a wetsuit for such a short time? I'm not so sure now. I know it's not until next year. Also my longest swim this past year was seven miles (albeit a very slow seven miles) and I was able to PR in a 5.5 mile swim in July (current assisted, but still...) at a pace that would allow me to finish BLS (although overall, I'm not a fast swimmer, so maybe this would be too much race for me now... or at all).
I love trying new challenges, doing what i'm afraid to do--well, maybe "love" wouldn't be the word I'm thinking of, maybe NEED--and despite how I felt yesterday, I don't really regret the swim, more the fact that I was so wimpy that I was the first one out of the water and that I wore a wetsuit. A friend was in for an hour without a wetsuit! And she loved it! I admire her immensely!
But could that ever be me? I don't know.
So those of you who now regularly swim in cold water--did you enjoy it at first or was your experience similar to mine?
Or... is there hope that I could get to like this? I didn't like spinach when I was a kid and like it now, so there's that... and I didn't like running uphill until I heeded the advice of Olympic runner Jeff Galloway during a running clinic to repeat to myself "I love hills"--and lo and behold one day I was running up a hill and thinking how much I enjoyed it... and thought, "Jeff, you rascal!" ;)
What tips do you have for before, during, and after (besides losing the wetsuit, which I know I'll need to do... i saw the wetsuit as a kind of stepping stone).
Thanks for any advice/feedback. I still want to do BLS. Now I know I'm a sick chick! ;) (And I have to admit when the rower I talked to briefly when I came out said I was crazy, I took it as a compliment--but felt I hadn't really earned it.)
Some basic advice for cold water training.
Buy a good pool thermometer. “Someone said the temperature was…” can be a recipe for mishap. Also, you may be swimming near a water data collection site, some report water temp, so check out http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis or www.NOAA.gov
Know the signs of cold water immersion distress. http://coldwaterbootcamp.com/ has some good information. Also check out http://marathonswimmers.org/
Never train alone and for cold water it helps to have on-the-water support. A swimmer rescuing a cold incapacitated swimmer will take much longer to complete a rescue than a kayak rescuer and those minutes can be critical.
Be warm before the swim and get warm after the swim. If you are chilled before you start you will lose body temperature faster during the swim. If you are wearing a wetsuit for you swim keep it on when you get out and if it is sunny lay in the sun and let the wetsuit absorb the heat. Also keep your cap on to retain heat until you get to a warm place. And on cold days put your cap on before you go outside, you can lose heat from your head standing around before you start; a dark colored silicone or neoprene makes a big difference.
Keep the wetsuit. If the water temp is in 50s – mid-60s you are better off using the wetsuit this season and try cold water acclimation more gradually in the spring and next fall.
As you swim concentrate on a strong kick and a faster turnover. Working the larger muscles and elevating the heart rate will burn more calories, generating internal heat.
Some basic advice for cold water training.
Buy a good pool thermometer. “Someone said the temperature was…” can be a recipe for mishap. Also, you may be swimming near a water data collection site, some report water temp, so check out http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis or www.NOAA.gov
Know the signs of cold water immersion distress. http://coldwaterbootcamp.com/ has some good information. Also check out http://marathonswimmers.org/
Never train alone and for cold water it helps to have on-the-water support. A swimmer rescuing a cold incapacitated swimmer will take much longer to complete a rescue than a kayak rescuer and those minutes can be critical.
Be warm before the swim and get warm after the swim. If you are chilled before you start you will lose body temperature faster during the swim. If you are wearing a wetsuit for you swim keep it on when you get out and if it is sunny lay in the sun and let the wetsuit absorb the heat. Also keep your cap on to retain heat until you get to a warm place. And on cold days put your cap on before you go outside, you can lose heat from your head standing around before you start; a dark colored silicone or neoprene makes a big difference.
Keep the wetsuit. If the water temp is in 50s – mid-60s you are better off using the wetsuit this season and try cold water acclimation more gradually in the spring and next fall.
As you swim concentrate on a strong kick and a faster turnover. Working the larger muscles and elevating the heart rate will burn more calories, generating internal heat.
