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.
Triathletes love wetsuits. Actually, they seem to like equipment in general. Something about them shaving 30 seconds off their mile time (the swim is 400 yards and it takes 5 minutes to peel the thing off!). I don't like wetsuits, but I find it necessary for me if water is much below 70 and the swim is long. I have been at swims where I was one of a few in a wetsuit and triathlons where I have been one of a few not in a wetsuit. Go figure. I am glad you are enjoying open water swimming. It's the best. Drunk boaters are the worst...
Drunk boaters are the worst...
There are a few small lakes hereabouts that prohibit motor boats. This is one of them. Others are in State Parks. Decades ago, they had gotten so polluted that they became unswimmable and unfishable, so the towns passed ordinances banning engines on the worst ones. Magically, they cleaned up.
2nd OW session last night. I felt much more comfortable this time. Got in the groove from the start, mostly because I waited and began way back in the pack. I could get to like this.
But here's what I don't get. Maybe because I'm something of a purist. I train with triathletes and they all wear wetsuits. It was 85 degrees and the water was not the slightest bit chilly, maybe mid 70s. When I looked around the crowd, there were probably only 3 or 4 people out of 100 without a wetsuit. Why?
Purist open-water swimmers and swim marathoners tend to look down upon triathletes who always wear wetsuits. The added buoyancy is seen as an unfair competitive advantage. The open-water 5k that I've swum the past couple of years allows people to wear wetsuits if they want but those who do are no longer eligible for awards, which seems like a fair compromise. In triathlons, where nearly everyone is wearing a wetsuit, I suppose those who wear the most expensive suits might also have a competitive advantage, just as those who have the more expensive, lightest weight bikes. I rode a 20-year-old 40-lb Trek hybrid in my first tri (and no wetsuit).
The 1 & 2 mile OWS in Lake Placid NY defines 2 categories. As far as I can see there were only 6 of 100 with wetsuits last year. www.betsyowensswim.com/.../swimwear-rules
Congrats! That sounds like a great start! I have not done open water swimming in many years and recently started with some short 1KM swims in the Adriatic. Luckily I have been able to avoid the groups of jellyfish and the waves make things much more sporty! I need to find a nice lake but I just love saltwater.
I recently returned from swimming the Henley Classic in England. It's a 2.1K swim upriver in the Thames on the course of the Royal Regatta (rowing). It's swum on the rowing course the Sunday before the regatta begins. Water was about 65F and, as I understand from others, the current was much stiffer than in years past. Out of 590 entrants, only 50 of us swam without wetsuits. I noted that open water swimming is more popular in the UK than in the US for all levels of swimmer. If you have time and access to water you get in -- but with a wetsuit. A wetsuit seemed to be a given for almost everyone. While there were some triathletes in the swim, most weren't. I stuck to my skin and garnered plenty of awe for it.
Later that week, I swam in Queenford Lake with an open water swimming club. Out of about 80 people who entered the lake at some point, I was one of two who entered in skins. Water there was about 67F. I loved every minute of the 5K or so I chose to swim.
OK, I did it, signed up for the 1 mile OWS in Lake Placid, NY, Aug 13. I have never done a swim race of any distance in any water before, so this will be something completely new at age 68. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Oh yeah, and there's another one in Lake George, NY, Aug 27, 2.5 Km. I'll wait to see how I feel after this one before deciding on the next.
Good for you, Jack! A 1-miler was my gateway drug into OWS, so welcome to the club. :) Please do let us know how you do!
My advice would be to get some time in open water by yourself a few times at least before this race. Start at the back of the mass of people and wait until you're ready to go. It saves you from all the melee at the beginning. If you start to get exerted or panicky, either do some *** stroke or back stroke, breathe, breathe, breathe, then roll over and continue. You can do this!
OK, I did it, signed up for the 1 mile OWS in Lake Placid, NY, Aug 13. I have never done a swim race of any distance in any water before, so this will be something completely new at age 68. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Oh yeah, and there's another one in Lake George, NY, Aug 27, 2.5 Km. I'll wait to see how I feel after this one before deciding on the next.
I'm cheering you on, and I'm excited for you.
I agree with flystorms. Let the pack duke it out at the start. Hang back for a few seconds and enjoy the lake, the sky, and all that you can see every time you breathe. Swim on!
