Open water swimming

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Ian A

Ian A

Über Member
Location
Leicester/Keighley
Is anyone still swimming open water? I decided to try none wetsuit for as late in the year as possible this winter. Started non wetsuit in the summer and stuck with it. I'm just about hanging on in my swim jammers and single silcone cap. The air temperature makes a big difference. I did 40 min in the water around 10 degrees twice this week but only managed twenty minutes at 5.7 degree water at the weekend with 1 degree air temp and was suffering at the end. It also takes a surprising amount of energy to warm up after. I'm fine swimming then running or cycling normally and have cycled an hour each way to open water swimming in the past. Warming up after a cooler swim takes some effort from your body. Going from a swim to a league XC running race turned out to be a terrible idea :laugh:.
 
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jay clock

jay clock

Massive member
Location
Hampshire UK
Ian A said:
Is anyone still swimming open water? I decided to try none wetsuit for as late in the year as possible this winter. Started non wetsuit in the summer and stuck with it. I'm just about hanging on in my swim jammers and single silcone cap. The air temperature makes a big difference. I did 40 min in the water around 10 degrees twice this week but only managed twenty minutes at 5.7 degree water at the weekend with 1 degree air temp and was suffering at the end. It also takes a surprising amount of energy to warm up after. I'm fine swimming then running or cycling normally and have cycled an hour each way to open water swimming in the past. Warming up after a cooler swim takes some effort from your body. Going from a swim to a league XC running race turned out to be a terrible idea :laugh:.
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#nutter
I struggle in trunks under 20 degree water temp!
 
Tin Pot

Tin Pot

Guru
Ian A said:
Is anyone still swimming open water? I decided to try none wetsuit for as late in the year as possible this winter. Started non wetsuit in the summer and stuck with it. I'm just about hanging on in my swim jammers and single silcone cap. The air temperature makes a big difference. I did 40 min in the water around 10 degrees twice this week but only managed twenty minutes at 5.7 degree water at the weekend with 1 degree air temp and was suffering at the end. It also takes a surprising amount of energy to warm up after. I'm fine swimming then running or cycling normally and have cycled an hour each way to open water swimming in the past. Warming up after a cooler swim takes some effort from your body. Going from a swim to a league XC running race turned out to be a terrible idea :laugh:.
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Whilst I admire the bravado I'm not sure these efforts actually improve your swimming..!
 
Ian A

Ian A

Über Member
Location
Leicester/Keighley
It's just an exercise in seeing if I can adapt more than anything else while I have the opportunity to try it. In cold water you slow down significantly without cold adaptation and a lot of the triathlons I do have colder swims so it helps from that perspective. I've put on weight on purpose but looking at the swimmers who are better in the cold than I am it wasn't really necessary, more another way to deal with my concerns. I've also found out I'm still in the realms of normality in this type of swimming. The people who can swim a mile in water under 5 degrees (lots of people can and that is apparently nothing special! :ohmy:) are the ones who are the hardy ones. I don't see me doing that any time soon!
 
Ian A

Ian A

Über Member
Location
Leicester/Keighley
Stephenite said:
Here's a little video of a bloke who swims long distances. Martin Strel.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLtAsC2smfo
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That's crazy! Very impressive.

I had a go at some of the events in the big chillswim at LAke Windermere in December and saw Sean Conway there who is another impressive athlete. I kind of expected him to be 10 feet tall but was a normal looking guy who does impressively tough challenges.
 
Stephenite

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
Went for a dip yesterday. COLD. It was bearable if you moved about but after 100m of crawl i had to come out. Getting brain freeze.

Fevik, southern Norway

539154
 
jay clock

jay clock

Massive member
Location
Hampshire UK
Stephenite said:
Went for a dip yesterday. COLD. It was bearable if you moved about but after 100m of crawl i had to come out. Getting brain freeze.

Fevik, southern Norway

View attachment 539154
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gorgeous. I swam in a lake at Reading next to the M4 today. Swap you?
 
Stephenite

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
My 9 year-old boy has been taking swimming classes the past couple of years. He loves it and i'm so happy.

The classes closed in March because of corona and, now, they've started up again. The thing is there are very few pools open so kiddo's class has been moved to the local fjord! In september! :laugh: He isn't looking forward to it at all.

Today, i bought him a towelling dressing gown - as i understand the kids only spend about 15 minutes (of the total 40) in the water.

I am expecting a bit of resistance tomorrow so it's going to have to be hot choco in a flask and, perhaps, bringing the cheapo action cam as bribes. Though i suspect he is going to invoke 'the bond of brothers' - this means if he goes in I go in. :headshake:
 
S

screenman

Squire
Just finished an open water swim in the dark, well maybe not quite open water but it was an outdoor pool. Woodall Spa if anyone knows the place.
 
Stephenite

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
Stephenite said:
My 9 year-old boy has been taking swimming classes the past couple of years. He loves it and i'm so happy.

The classes closed in March because of corona and, now, they've started up again. The thing is there are very few pools open so kiddo's class has been moved to the local fjord! In september! :laugh: He isn't looking forward to it at all.

Today, i bought him a towelling dressing gown - as i understand the kids only spend about 15 minutes (of the total 40) in the water.

I am expecting a bit of resistance tomorrow so it's going to have to be hot choco in a flask and, perhaps, bringing the cheapo action cam as bribes. Though i suspect he is going to invoke 'the bond of brothers' - this means if he goes in I go in. :headshake:
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The outdoor classes are finished now. Due to illness - having a cold one time and the squits the other - of the total three outdoor classes kiddo only managed to attend one and that was today. He was the only kid who turned up from his group. A couple of kids from two other groups were there, and the instructors did a great job. The water temp in the fjord was, probably, 16C. We were in the local lake yesterday and that was a couple of degrees cooler. 2 degrees makes a big difference.

Indoor classes start up in a couple of weeks for the lucky few. The many school pools are not open, but the few public pools are, and it's a first come first served basis. I've managed to get kiddo in at the nearest pool.

The school starts swimming classes this week too. Kiddo is really looking forward to it. I think he's looking forward to showing his schoolmates he is good at sports too! Most of his mates are into football but he just doesn't get it and would rather spend his freetime at school playing 'fantasy games'. His mother doesn't want him to show off in case others might feel small but, i say it's OK to show off if you are good at something - enjoy it. Just don't make fun of those who aren't so good. My dad's mates used to call him Mark Spitz so this swimming thing might be in the genes. It just seems to have hopped over me.
 
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