Oooh! I've been paged.
OW swimming is a transcendent experience. It is like hiking in the woods for the first time when all you've known is the concrete sidewalk.
The non-chemical water; the birds; the sand; the trees on the edge; the wind; the gentle currents; and yes even the fishies.
I did 40 min. in San Francisco Bay last night. The time flew by. We would have done another 20 min. but got a bit chilled. (That amount of time in the pool, for me, is an eternity.)
The good news, for you, is that most of us started out with the heebie-jeebies and most of us have overcome it. I vividly recall those first few swims in lakes around here and in the Bay. Just going out to those first buoys was mega-scary. I remember my heart rate. I remember wondering what would rouse itself from the bottom of the lake to come eat me. Yeah...all that!
In terms of how to get over your fears; most people have already touched on these:
1. TIME! Practice! After you've been out a few times, and no creatures have attacked, you'll just naturally forget that you ever felt unsafe. For me, this happened after maybe 6-8 swims.
2. Start out floating on your back. COMPLETELY relax. See how you are just floating in your wetsuit? Shift your mental image of the water. The water is your friend. See how it is holding you up? (I don't know if you do any ocean swimming, but that mental imagery helped me deal with ocean swells, too. The swells are just there to lift you up and gently lift you back down. They are rocking you.)
3. Yes, swimming with others helps. If your hubby is slow, perhaps you could stay near him by sort of lapping him.
4. Try focusing on your stroke. Work on the things you'd work on in a pool. Your catch, your glide, whatever it is. It is a good distraction. (And it might keep you from losing your form while in OW!)
By the way, I'm not a swim star. I'm usually bottom 25% in the swim split in races. You don't need to be a fast or a highly experienced swimmer to get graceful at OW swimming.
OW swimming is a transcendent experience. It is like hiking in the woods for the first time when all you've known is the concrete sidewalk.
The non-chemical water; the birds; the sand; the trees on the edge; the wind; the gentle currents; and yes even the fishies.
I did 40 min. in San Francisco Bay last night. The time flew by. We would have done another 20 min. but got a bit chilled. (That amount of time in the pool, for me, is an eternity.)
The good news, for you, is that most of us started out with the heebie-jeebies and most of us have overcome it. I vividly recall those first few swims in lakes around here and in the Bay. Just going out to those first buoys was mega-scary. I remember my heart rate. I remember wondering what would rouse itself from the bottom of the lake to come eat me. Yeah...all that!
In terms of how to get over your fears; most people have already touched on these:
1. TIME! Practice! After you've been out a few times, and no creatures have attacked, you'll just naturally forget that you ever felt unsafe. For me, this happened after maybe 6-8 swims.
2. Start out floating on your back. COMPLETELY relax. See how you are just floating in your wetsuit? Shift your mental image of the water. The water is your friend. See how it is holding you up? (I don't know if you do any ocean swimming, but that mental imagery helped me deal with ocean swells, too. The swells are just there to lift you up and gently lift you back down. They are rocking you.)
3. Yes, swimming with others helps. If your hubby is slow, perhaps you could stay near him by sort of lapping him.
4. Try focusing on your stroke. Work on the things you'd work on in a pool. Your catch, your glide, whatever it is. It is a good distraction. (And it might keep you from losing your form while in OW!)
By the way, I'm not a swim star. I'm usually bottom 25% in the swim split in races. You don't need to be a fast or a highly experienced swimmer to get graceful at OW swimming.