2019-06-01_220_Triathlon

14 / / Open-Water Swim Special 2019

SEASWMMING TIPS

GREATBRITISH

SWIMSTATS

q

How do you overcome nerves

when entering the sea?

a

While most triathletes are

incredibly fit, if they’re not

used to cold water exposure they’ll

panic and all of a sudden those

perfect swim mechanics, that

bilateral breathing, will go out of

the window. When you get into

the water, you’ll instantly get that

gasp reflex, which is like [draws

breath in sharply], and you can’t

feel your hands and you’re going

‘is that normal?!’. The key is to

educate yourself about what’s

happening there.

q

After 157 days in the sea, you’re

the expert. What is happening?

a

The gasping isn’t hypothermia,

it’s something we refer to as the

‘gasp reflex’, which you need to

expect and be able to control. As

for the hands, that’s your

capillaries vasoconstricting and

pulling blood to your core from your

extremities. By knowing that, you

can understand what’s happening

and teach yourself not to panic.

q

How do you get yourself used

to swimming in cold water?

a

There’s no better way to train

for a cold open-water swim

than to just get in. By experiencing

that cold water exposure, you start

awakening those ancient, age-old

systems that I think we’ve

atrophied. It doesn’t mean finding

an ice lake and jumping in by the

way! It means working with

progressive overload. You can start

by doing 30 seconds. That’s OK. It’s

a little bit cold but you can do it.

Then after that, work up to a

minute. Before you know it, you’ll

be in lakes and rivers, you’ll be

swimming round Loch Lomond,

maybe even crushing it in ice

swimming! You just need

to take baby steps.

q

Does sea swimming have some

unique challenges?

a

Yeah! It’s like running. If you’re

a great runner on the road, it

doesn’t mean you’re going to be

a great fell runner or mountain

runner. It’s a completely different

technique, completely different

muscle groups. With sea

The first person to swim the entire

coast of the UK in 2019’s Great British

Swim, Ross Edgley shares his tips on

cold water, waves and jellyfish...

swimming, for example, you could

find yourself swimming into a

headwind and all of a sudden you

need to alter your technique as

you’ll be taking waves on the

shoulders. You need to learn to

adapt and change your technique.

q

But can the sea also make

things easier on race day?

a

Absolutely! I found this with my

Great British Swim when we

had a strong tailwind. Andrew

Cotton,who’soneofBritain’sbest

bigwavesurfers,lookedatmeand

said,“Whyareyoutryingto

swim?”I askedwhathemeantand

hesaid,“Mate,thewavesarehuge,

justbodysurfthem!”Sohetaught

metobodysurfandI realisedI was

wastingsomuchenergythere.It’s

aboutfeelingwithyourfeetthata

waveis abouttocomeand

holdingyourarmsoutin

frontofyouandthen

bodysurfingit.It can

carryyouforwardup

totwometresif you

catchthewave

rightandwithvery

littlecostto

energy.I waslike,

“Wow!WhywasI

swimming? The waves were

trying to help me!”

Q

On race day, is it important

to judge the conditions?

a

Yes. Every swim and every tide,

I would sit on the edge of the

boat and look at the sea and think,

“Hmm what kind of swim is this

going to be today? Is the current

with me, is it not? Is there a

headwind, a side wind?” With the

sea, it can either be your sparring

partner or your dance partner,

depending on the day’s conditions.

Each day I needed to decide

whether to put on my boxing gloves

or my dancing shoes. It’s about

swimming smarter, not harder,

when it comes to the sea.

q

Did you ever worry about

what’s ‘in’ the sea?

a

With the jellyfish and the

‘things’ in the sea, education

was key. People would say to me,

“Woah, Ross, you’re fearless!”. I

wasn’t fearless because at times

I was terrified, but I think

fearlessness is different to courage.

You find out the risks. We were

speaking to marine biologists and

coastguards. I asked local people

who live and work by the sea. They

told me things I wouldn’t otherwise

have known, about creatures but

also about an eddy, a rogue tide...

q

What’s your best tip

about kit for race day?

a

I always think of it in

terms of limiting your

limitations! Make sure

you’ve found the kit that

work best for you in the sea

long in advance!

This man knows a

thing or two about

swimming in the sea.

He also recommends

a large beard as the

best way to prevent

jellyfish stings (sorry

female triathletes!)

12

HRS SWIMMING

PER DAY

1

A GAZILLION

JELLYFISH STINGS

BANANAS

CHOMPED

505,219

CALORIES BURNED

OF SWIMMING

DAYS AT SEA

157

2,883KM

MASSIVE SALTY

BEARD GROWN

4KG OF LUBE USED 610