During the summer months we move to our summer house which is only some 5-600m from the sea.
Should I do all swimming in the sea? Or some in the sea, and some in the pool (only some 10k away)?
Swimming in the sea is more like the real deal (i.e. as in competition); there is no fighting for space in swim lanes during training, no time limits… one can train siting etc. But there is no clock. I have my 910XT and I have a Finis Tempo Trainer… when I google “Open Water Training/Sessions/Sets” all the articles I find is about getting used to the elements, finding the buoys blah blah blah.
Of course that is important. But I’d like to improve speed too.
When swimming in the sea, I follow the coast line. Usually the wind/waves make it easier/harder one way than the other. It is difficult to decide what tempo to swim at, due to the elements. How do you deal with this?
What’s your advice? I’m a beginner, BOP swimmer at races. My form is gradually becoming better but it sure is taking a lot of time and patience to get better. I currently do 3-4 swim sessions/week (and have done so the last 18 months) at one hour each. I only do sprint triathlons (400-750m).
I am a beginner, BOP everything, who lives right by the lake. I swim 2-3x a week in the pool, and 1x in the lake. Seems some kind of balance for technique vs open water.
50% chance I drown in my tri, if I stop posting it didn’t work out for me.
I almost never swim OW, by which I mean I pretty much only swim the day before a race, and only if I travel to the race so can’t get in my home pool. Even those days, I’ll do some “accelerate for what feels like 30 seconds in my head” but it’s nowhere near as accurate feedback as “leave on 1:15, descend 1:10-8-6”
unless you’re figuring out how to do some sort of workout in the ows vs just swimming you’re better off, and by that I mean you’ll be faster, by heading to the pool instead of the ocean.
OWS skills are important, but based upon what I’ve seen the avg triathlete has no idea how to develop those ows skills.
as desert dude said, if you dont know the way to train open water, then, it might be better option for you to do most of your training in a pool. that said, if you have learn the rope and trick of training in open water, then, it s a even better tool than the swim pool.
I swim exclusively in open water and same with my local athletes as we are very lucky in penticton to have nice lakes with calm and rough condition for all the purpose we need.
I swim exclusively in open water and same with my local athletes as we are very lucky in penticton to have nice lakes with calm and rough condition for all the purpose we need.
I didn’t know it ever got warm enough in Canada for the ice to melt!
Unless the open water swimming you are doing is under race conditions, swim in the pool. You are wasting your time and practicing getting slower in open water if it’s just a “practice swim.”
I swim exclusively in open water and same with my local athletes as we are very lucky in penticton to have nice lakes with calm and rough condition for all the purpose we need.
I didn’t know it ever got warm enough in Canada for the ice to melt!
I swim exclusively in open water and same with my local athletes as we are very lucky in penticton to have nice lakes with calm and rough condition for all the purpose we need.
I didn’t know it ever got warm enough in Canada for the ice to melt!
I swim exclusively in open water and same with my local athletes as we are very lucky in penticton to have nice lakes with calm and rough condition for all the purpose we need.
I didn’t know it ever got warm enough in Canada for the ice to melt!
OW swim training is not really necessary for success at OW swimming. Most successful OW swimmers who compete at FINA long distance events (5km, 10km, long course races) train in the pool.
IMO you can get better workouts in at the pool but since you will be located just a short distance from the OW I would integrate it into your schedule so that you swim more frequently. Since you focus on short distance tris you could practice starts and exiting the water but I’d keep in mind that this is very location and time specific and you should observe the current, waves, etc. prior to any OW start. In your situation I’d use the pool for quality, high intensity work and the OW for some longer steady swims and entry/exit.
I swim about a 31’-32’ for a HIM swim and ever since the water became warm enough to swim in the lakes up here in Canada I have been very happy to swim open water and ditch the pool completely. I use a small lake nearby with a section that is about 600m across and do repeats across at faster than race pace while taking a minute break. I vary the number and intensity to mix it up or I will do a long continuous 3-4k swim.
I am not a swimmer and would much rather be outdoors. I have also found that in the last month my ‘wetsuit’ technique has improved as well and I have been getting quicker. I also think the different current, wave and wind conditions build confidence and have swam in some pretty choppy and windy conditions lately.
to each his own i guess but the mental break of laps is sure appreciated.
Exactly!!! That could very well be the most important part of swimming because, as I am sure you are aware, putting in on backwards can lead to some very poor swim times.
I think sighting is important as well as getting used to various conditions such as waves and wind and being able to breath on both sides. You use different muscles with a wetsuit so that is important to get used to. If you have a gps watch for swimming you could do a swim fartlek and mix up the paces. You could practice your starts from the beach, running and jumping in doing a modified butterfly until you are past the shallow area. If you have a partner you could take turns drafting off each other.
I enjoy the mental break from the pool and I find OW much more enjoyable.
not really what I was referring to but the video was helpful. i was referring to the changes in your stroke from wearing a wetsuit and getting used to it. apologies as I thought you were being an ass;)