Hello Tri-Fuelers
I am new to this site and will be doing my third TRi in New York on August 30th with my wife who is also a member here. While I have done 2 Tri before it has been more by grit then by method ( I am a good cyclist and runner but in the past have been the most god awful swimmer you have ever seen next to Eric Moussambani ) see youtube clip below for a better idea. Anyway that was last year.. this year I really have focussed on swimming and have improved beyond belief both in the pool and Open water.
My first question is when everyone here refers to a mile are you referring to a "swimmers mile" which is set at 1500 meters or a true land mile which is set at 1609 meters
My second question is I train both in a 25yd pool for a mile and Open water for the same distance.. does anyone else find it easier to swim OW than the pool even when it is choppy and wavy.I am finding a weird sort of comfort in the open water that I am not getting in a pool. When I turn to breath and see the ocean out in front of me I find it very relaxing and my arms and legs just keep going. I literally glide thru the water ...the pool is like running on a tread mill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woYG6Uq6OVU
Thanks
The 1500m swimmer's mile is
The 1500m swimmer's mile is just a pool thing... so in open water it really is a land mile. Although that then does depend on how accurately the course is measured, since is harder in open water than in a pool.
I swim in a 25y pool. When I
I swim in a 25y pool. When I swim a "race distance" workout, I do 2,000y and call it good. No need to overthink it, and the extra distance accomodates for poor siting and a mental edge that I've trained longer than the race actually is.
As for the distance during a race, I don't think it's ever spot-on 1500m or 1609m because markers move, GPS devices to measure are probably being used by people who don't know how to use them, and all sorts of other things.
Consider yourself lucky to be more comfortable in the open water. It took me a whole month to get comfortable in open water and swim with a good technique, but I'm nowhere near being more comfortable in open water than a pool.
Hi Tony, I'm like you, I
Hi Tony,
I'm like you, I just learned to swim properly a couple of years ago and I LOVE the open water. The waves moving you up and down, the space, the bigness of it, even the fish and other things. Living water is so much more interesting and fun than the pool. I am on Long Island and am lucky to be near the beach and I love to go swim out in that big water. Pools are totally boring and confining, just like a water treadmill, like you said.
The other day I went swimming and the ocean was all billowy and pillowy, these nice uplifting swells, and I was so grateful I had finally learned to swim well and enjoy them. Honestly, I feel like a dolphin out there sometimes.
The swim used to be my most hated/dreaded event of any tri but now I love it and am thinking of doing longer swims in the future--there are ones where you swim across the Hudson (upstate where it's cleaner) or even across Long Island Sound...
Are you and your wife doing the TOBAY tri on Aug 3? Right near my house, a great tri. Good luck to both of you and have fun! I am probably going to volunteer there.
I've been pool-free for 14
I've been pool-free for 14 months now. It's not that I've been swimming in open water very much, I just really don't like going to pools. The last time I did swim at the beach it was a little choppy. Although I don't like getting a mouth full of water, feeling myself rise and fall with the waves is cool.
Same thing with a treadmill for me. It was well over 100 degrees once during lunch so I decided I'd take the easy way out and run in the A/C on a treadmill. I set a modest goal of 3 miles, and called it quits after 2.5. Even when it's 100 out and I have to take walk breaks, I can still gut out a 6.7 mile loop outside.
A pool mile (25yd pool) is a
A pool mile (25yd pool) is a 1650.
I LOVE swimming in the open
I LOVE swimming in the open water also. I feel very "squished" when I am in the pool and when I am swimming out in the OW I really feel like I can strech out. I think it is more because you catch your momentum and it doesn't stop until a turn.
Well, for me it depends.
Well, for me it depends. It's nice to swim in an open water because of the natural waves that would be helpful as you joined more tougher contests such as the Iron Man.
However, if your faraway from the ocean shore your last resort would be to practice in the pool. I think there are available pools that are made for swimmers.