Did my first ever OWS this evening. Very enjoyable. I've swum in pools all my life, but never went more than a few yards in a lake. So I joined a local Tri club and went to their Tuesday night practice, a 1/2 mile loop around a small, quiet lake. There are no motor boats allowed. I'd say it's a little bit tougher than pool swimming.
It was different. I'm not accustomed to a hundred other arms and legs flailing around me, and I probably went a tad faster than I should have. I may have gotten just a bit carried away with the mass start. In the beginning, it was very muddy and weedy but once away from shore it was OK. There was only a tiny chop from wind, but more from other swimmers, and I had to keep looking forward to stay in line with the buoys. After a couple hundred yards though, I was pretty much alone and on cruise control.
We have the same problem in TX with all the boaters. We've found that its good to go at about 6:30-7am, swim for an hour or so, then the crazy rednecks start getting on the lake with their boats by about then. Also, we wear bright caps and this buoy to help other people see us. It doesn't interfere with swimming at all. www.swimoutlet.com/.../
And what I meant by clear water is maybe you'll do a race down in the Caribbean or something at some time. You'll really be hooked then. There's a fantastic 3 miler down in St John USVI in May that it's easy to get distracted by all the amazing sights and forget you're trying to race. :)
We have the same problem in TX with all the boaters. We've found that its good to go at about 6:30-7am, swim for an hour or so, then the crazy rednecks start getting on the lake with their boats by about then. Also, we wear bright caps and this buoy to help other people see us. It doesn't interfere with swimming at all. www.swimoutlet.com/.../
And what I meant by clear water is maybe you'll do a race down in the Caribbean or something at some time. You'll really be hooked then. There's a fantastic 3 miler down in St John USVI in May that it's easy to get distracted by all the amazing sights and forget you're trying to race. :)
