So, I've signed up for a couple of open-water swims this summer (the total will be 3, once signups open for the 3rd one), and I'm very excited and very nervous, as I haven't done a "race" with other humans in ... like 20-odd years.
I've been diligently working at my endurance and speed for several years after that long hiatus, but the kicker is that my freestyle/front crawl is still quite pear-shaped (I can do 100yds at a steady, not fast pace, and 200yds in a pull-set), and breaststroke is my pick for any kind of distance. Last year I spent a lot of time in the local lake tooling around the periphery of the "adult only" area (About 6 rounds equals 1 mile) making reasonable time, and my warm-up in the pool is a nice 500yd BS. I'm not breaking the lifeguard test requirement of 500yd in 'm not taking 20 minutes like I did when I first got back to swimming either.
Long story short, while I've signed up for 1/2 miles in all of these races (and might even be middle-of-the-pack, judging by other folks' times in past years), I just don't think my freestyle will be up to it. Is it ok to swim breaststroke, as long as I keep knees and feet out of other people's way? I have seen nothing on the race websites forbidding it or requiring a specific stroke, but I wasn't sure if there was a sort of gentlemen's/women's agreement that you just don't do that.
(also, any other advice for my first time in 20ish years "competing" with a bunch of folks would be appreciated. One is a lake swim in early June, two are ocean swims in relatively calm coves later in the summer. They're all in Massachusetts.)
Thank you! Breaststroke is my thing, and a majority of what I do while I work on not getting exhausted doing freestyle. (it's a process). The funny thing is, I seem to be faster (in general) swimming open water than in the pool! (I was timing myself in the lake last year, doing 1/3 of a mile). Those turns must kill me.
Tomorrow (tomorrow!) the city opens the lake (and the pool!), and they have very conveniently mapped out all the distances within the swimming areas (they have an actual, physical guide that tells you how long each length/lap is, and how many equal a mile), so it becomes easier to practice and I can hopefully acclimate to swimming a full mile (6 circles of the adults-only area). Last year I would do two circles, rest, two circles, rest, etc. The September swim is a little scary because it's an ocean swim, across Provincetown Harbor, and so very, very Atlantic. I suppose I could sign up and hope for the best... once I get to swimming in the lake I think it will be easier to adjust and practice.
Next two races happen to be over the same weekend (Saturday/Sunday) in August and both are ocean swims, very much looking forward to those.
Thank you! Breaststroke is my thing, and a majority of what I do while I work on not getting exhausted doing freestyle. (it's a process). The funny thing is, I seem to be faster (in general) swimming open water than in the pool! (I was timing myself in the lake last year, doing 1/3 of a mile). Those turns must kill me.
Tomorrow (tomorrow!) the city opens the lake (and the pool!), and they have very conveniently mapped out all the distances within the swimming areas (they have an actual, physical guide that tells you how long each length/lap is, and how many equal a mile), so it becomes easier to practice and I can hopefully acclimate to swimming a full mile (6 circles of the adults-only area). Last year I would do two circles, rest, two circles, rest, etc. The September swim is a little scary because it's an ocean swim, across Provincetown Harbor, and so very, very Atlantic. I suppose I could sign up and hope for the best... once I get to swimming in the lake I think it will be easier to adjust and practice.
Next two races happen to be over the same weekend (Saturday/Sunday) in August and both are ocean swims, very much looking forward to those.
