Zen and the Art of Open Water Swimming
117
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1216 days
sljv posted 2 years ago.
umm i know up towards the front the thrashing only lasts for a minute at the most, and then everyone gets on some feet and its pretty relaxed.. you wont get tangled in lakeweed, there most likely wont be any since the guys in front of you would have already destroyed a path for you.. and all the skin crawlers probably attached to the guys in front as well...
do you ever run trails and have some of the brush rub against your legs.. its the same type of thing.. critters are way too scared of you anyway, thats if there is anything there.. at least its not the ocean right? youll be fine.. stay off to the side in the beginning so people dont swim over you and then get a good line after a half minute or minute.. enjoy! every stroke you take is closer to t1!!! (even though thats what i dread)
-josh
214
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1023 days
Iron Man posted 2 years ago.
Go and find a lake and swim in it till you are comfy, i used to hate the Surf....sharks, rays, jelly fish, seals..etc but i just kept doing it till i was not freaked out about it any more
and as sljv says, unless your leading the swim, there will be a paths thrashed out for you!
My only tip is ENJOY IT for what it is because you never know when you may get the chance to do it again.
Speed Kills. Strength Punishes
461
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1314 days
rbreddin75 posted 2 years ago.
That kind of anxiety will disappear if you just focus on the swim and the event... also.. try swimming some in a lane pool with your eyes closed... it'll help you deal with the murky water..
... hopefully...
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1012
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1204 days
PJT posted 2 years ago.
Relax. Northern lakes are some of the least threatening bodies of water on the planet. Be thankful you're swimming in one. Think about it: No tides, no currents, and limited chop/wave action (the Great Lakes are sometimes an exception here). Also, there are no animals worth worrying about--no sharks, hippos, alligators, crocs, jellyfish, anacondas, pirhanas, electric rays or eels. Sure, there's an outside possibility that Nessie and Champ might exist, but you're not going to be in either of their lakes so you should be OK. ;)
In all seriousness--if you do get a panic attack in the water, flip over onto your back and float. This will allow you to get your breathing under control to continue the swim. If you need lifeguard assistance, flip to your back and raise one arm and yell (note, in some races this could be the end of your race day. In most races, as long as you don't advance in the water with the lifeguard's assistance, you can return to the race--ask your RD what the rule is beforehand).
As others have said, lake weeds are more of an annoyance than a real hazard for a surface swimmer--practice will get you accustomed to them. Also, some race directors do run a weedcutter around the swim route before a race--so there might not be any problem at all.
194
Member
1145 days
vmarwin posted 2 years ago.
I agree, you should feel very relaxed that you're swimming in a northern lake. I used to take the crystal clear lakes I grew up with for granted. Now that most of my open water swimming is in the ocean/bays along the mid atlantic, I wish I could jump into a clean lake for a swim. I'm usually at the beach on the weekends and although the pine barrens around southern NJ (Cape May, Stone Harbor, etc) are great for riding and running, I am forced to swim in the ocean, which I have to admit, freaks me out. I am constantly hallucinating visions of grey torpedos.
If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.
2
Member
1155 days
kushane posted 2 years ago.
I knew exactly how you feel. I am a pretty decent swimmer and can swim a 1500 easy, but the first time I was out at the lake (about a month ago) - less than a minute into the water, I was panicking, breathing shallow etc and just flipped over to my back and headed back to the ramp. Tried 3 more times the same day with the same results.
Went back to the lake last Saturday and I kept telling myself, 'I am a good swimmer' and it's all in my head etc. The very first time out was the same result as before, but on the second try, something clicked and I was able to breath normally and just kept on swimming. It just happened like the flip of a switch.
Don't be disouraged, just about everyone I swim with have had almost the same experience when they first started swimming in open water (trust me - I asked them). Just stay with it and it will get better.
Good luck.
1040
Member
1397 days
Tikal Dog posted 2 years ago.
:rolleyes: Ahhhh the good old Openwater panic!!!
I remember the first time I swam in OW!! The next day was my first tri and boy when I put my head in the water with the googles and saw nothing!!!! I was really scared. I couldn´t breath because of the fear.
If I can tell you something is..... You made a good thing by swimming in OW with enough time before the race. Take it easy the fear will go away I can assure you that.
After you complete your first race the only thing you´ll want is "your next race"
Take it easy and focus to overcome your fears.
Hyperactive Trifueler!!!! (I refuse to let the status go :p)
Help!!!!
So my first triathlon ever, a sprint, is next weekend. I feel pretty prepared for the bike and the run. I even felt prepared for the swim until I did my first open water swim this weekend.
I can swim the 500 yd distance in the pool with ease, but put me in a lake and the idea of fish or lakeweed touching me has me freaking out! Actually, I'm getting over the fish thing because I realize that with 200+ people trashing about in the water, there is not going to be any fish anywhere me, but for some reason the murkiness of the lake and the way the weeds just brush against your skin- its making my skin crawl just sitting here writing about it!! :eek:
I think I can handle the trauma for the 10-15 minutes max it will take to do the swim for the sprint tri, but what is making me even more nervous is that the day before I did my first open water swim, in a fit of over-confidence and enthusiasm, I signed up for a Olympic in 4 weeks. (Dear god, what have I done?!?!?!) I can easily swim the 1500 yd of the Oly- IN THE POOL! But now I'm all freaked out about how I'm going to handle 30-40 minutes of trashing limbs, lakeweed and skin crawling murkiness. :(
Please, please, please, if any of you veteran triathletes have any pearls of wisdom on how to handle this new fear of swimming, I would be ever so grateful if you could find it in your heart to bestow them on a poor, woeful n00b such as myelf!!
"You cannot run away from a weakness, you must sometimes fight it out or perish, and if that be so, why not now and where you stand?" ~Robert Louis Stevenson