Hello!
I've never swam in the open waters before, but I've had some folks in my masters program who have and love it. I'm thinking of doing a swim across america open water event. But have some questions:
Is this considered a race or more of a relaxed charity event where you can go as slow as you want? I tried doing a 2k non-stop in the pool, but my pace was really terrible.
I don't have any opportunities to swim in the open water as practice, how will I know whether a wet suit is required?
What should I bring for such an event?
I've heard that I need to learn how to do a "sighting", and since I breathe on my right, to stay on the left end so I can "look" at people and the direction they are going. Any other tips?
My 2 main fears of open water: taking in water while breathing and getting kicked in the face. :afraid:
thank you everybody!
There are a lot of sites to find a pool where you can swim at, is there an equivalent site for open water swimming? I really would love to go and try it out before this event. I will be doing the long island sound event, and it looks like you need to be members of these fancy clubs to get into the water.
Look for triathlon clubs. We have one that offers open water swims in a lake once per week, weather permitting. We also used to have another club that swam in the river, but the organizer of that moved on and nobody has picked up the reigns (that I know of). My point is, that's where the opportunities are around here. We also have a state park that has a 150 meter lap lane set up. It offers all the discomfort of cold water and seaweed, all within a 5 ft deep (and very wide) lane. So you can check your local park services for info.
thank you everybody!
There are a lot of sites to find a pool where you can swim at, is there an equivalent site for open water swimming? I really would love to go and try it out before this event. I will be doing the long island sound event, and it looks like you need to be members of these fancy clubs to get into the water.
Look for triathlon clubs. We have one that offers open water swims in a lake once per week, weather permitting. We also used to have another club that swam in the river, but the organizer of that moved on and nobody has picked up the reigns (that I know of). My point is, that's where the opportunities are around here. We also have a state park that has a 150 meter lap lane set up. It offers all the discomfort of cold water and seaweed, all within a 5 ft deep (and very wide) lane. So you can check your local park services for info.
