6 / / Open-Water Swim Special 2019
INTRODUCTION TO OPEN WATER SWIMMING
Thinking about taking the plunge? Here’s how to
find out more and try your first outdoor swim.GET STARTED
IN OPEN WATER
lose your eyes
and picture the
scene for a
moment. It’s a
warm, sunny day.
You’re swimming
through water
that is just cool
enough against
the skin on your
face to make you
feel tingly and alive. There are no
restrictive lane ropes, no slow
swimmers ahead of you getting
in your way. Every time you turn
to breathe, you see trees and sky;
every time you turn your face back
into the water, you see nothing
but the bubbles you make as
you exhale. Welcome to open-
water swimming.
Okay, we’re being a bit indulgent
here. But many new triathletes
are nervous about open-water
swimming so it’s important to
emphasise that, with a little
experience, open-water swimming
can become the most magical part
of your triathlon training (and let’s
be honest, it’s the bit that makes
you look tough to all your non-
triathlete friends, too!). So much
so that you’ll curse the day
temperatures start to drop and your
triclubmovestrainingsessions
backintothechlorine-tinged,
fluorescent-lit,localpool.YOURFIRSTSWIM
Triathloncomeswithsomeunique
challenges,butperhapsthebiggest
forpoolswimmersis makingthe
transitiontoopenwater.Sohow
togetstarted?Well,there’sa lot
youcandoinadvancetoprepare
yourself.Generalopen-waterskills
suchasbilateralbreathing,sighting
andturningcanallbepractisedin
thepoolsobythetimeyouarrive
inopenwatertheyfeellikesecond
nature– plusyoucanevenpractise
racedayskillssuchasdraftingin
thepool.Seeourfeatureonpage8.IMMUNE HEALTH
COLD WATER BOOSTS
GOOD ANTIOXIDANTSOutdoor swimming
has multiple proven
health benefits...MENTAL STRENGTH
OUTDOOR SWIMS ARE
PROVEN TO LIFT MOODMETABOLISM
PROMOTES ‘GOOD’
BROWN FAT STORAGEENDURANCE
NO WALL PUSH-OFFS
= MORE SWIMMING!OPEN-WATER
ADVANTAGES
For your first time in open water,
do your research into local venues
(you can find a full list at nowca.
org) and ask local triathlon clubs or
open-water swim groups if you can
join them in one of their training
sessions. Open-water swim venues
will often have times when
lifeguards are on duty, who will be
in kayaks on the water looking out
for you. It’s also always good advice
to have a swim buddy with you
whenever you swim in open water.
This would preferably be someone
else in the water swimming with
you or if not, a friend on the bank or
shore watching you as you swim.Wearing a brightly coloured
tow float (an inflatable that ties
around your waist) is a good idea,
too. For more advice on keeping
safe in open water and the sea,
the Outdoor Swimming Society
(outdoorswimmingsociety.com)
and the RNLI (rnli.org) are both
good resources.
While some swim venues are
open all-year round and cold-water
swimming is growing in popularity,
many triathletes won’t start to
swim outdoors until about May,
when temperatures are a little
warmer but there are still a few
weeks left before race season starts.A bit better than the
local pool! Triathlon
can lead to you
getting to swim in
some awe-inspiring
outdoor locations