this might be a silly question but... does anyone out there have any tricks on how to keep from getting sliced, guaged, ripped open or punctured while entering and exiting on an open water swim? i swear-everytime i go to open water swim practice i come home with another foot injury which wrecks my running regimen for a good 3-4 days. one of these days i'm gonna need stitches. :(
Haven't tried it myself, but could you buy some wetsuit shoes? I know they exist, don't know how they would affect your swimming.
Brian
I tried swiming with those wetsuit shoes, and felt like I had a five pound wieght straped to each foot. It was serveral years back - so perhaps the technology has improved.
Swim off of a dock or roll out the red carpet, I mean beach towel to the water with your flip flops on it?
wetsuit shoes probably do have too much drag. there isn't a dock where i go to practice... just a shoreline with lots of jagged shells/ (broken glass?) in the shallow water. i try to swim in the really shallow water to avoid stepping on the sharp stuff but i still end up getting cut.
my feet have really taken a beating this summer. my skin is really dry and calloused. i did find ths great ointment called Kerasal which helped soften the soles of my feet up tremendously!
I don't know how far out the rocks go before its deep enough to swim, but maybe buy one of those carpets that they use in races for coming out of the water. Don't know how much or where from, but maybe if you talk to one of the organizers for your race, they may be able to tell you.
Brian
Amy,
How about neoprene socks? They're very lightweight and conform to your foot. I have a 2mm pair I got for flyfishing, but they get most of their use now keeping my toes warm while cycling in colder weather. Luckily, I have an extra pair of cycling shoes that are slightly too big for my feet - but perfect for winter use with extra socks .
Neoprene socks are available from Orvis, Cabela's, LL Bean, etc. for $15 to $30. For a wider selection of thickness, etc, check out kayaking supply houses, such as NRS:
[url]http://nrsweb.resultspage.com/display.php?p=Q&ts=custom&w=Neoprene+Socks...
thehitman
I would go with some cheap flip flops into the water and the caprt/towel idea isn't bad.
OR,
Is there another place to swim that is more foot friendly? :confused:
beads..."foot friendlly?" LOL ... i wish!
unfortunately, the flip flops/ towel idea wouldn't work. the sharp stuff is amongst the icky, gooey, slimey seaweed in about 2-4 ft water. the carpet is a great idea. but i don't know if the team would go for it. they'll probably tease me about being a prima donna or something annoying like that.
hitman, i do think those socks you mentioned might be the solution. i just need to get them thick enough to offer a barrier, yet thin enough that they don't cause a drag. i would only use them for practice... not in a race situation.
thanks guys... for all your suggestions!