Moved to a new place and swimming with a good masters group, quite possibly the best masters team I’ve ever swum with. The workouts are just great, so far a minimum of 5,000y. One complaint: they have a 1:10 base lane and then a 1:20. I’m a bit in the middle, only getting 2-4sec rest during the pre-main set feels tough. And when I’ve led the slower lane, I can sense folks wondering why I’m pulling the lane too hard… and at least once I’ve ended up the only one in the lane as everyone bailed 3/4 through the set, but that could be coincidence. The longer stuff works a bit better in the faster lane in terms of making the send offs, but the next fastest guys in the lane are finishing 5-10sec faster, so I’m definitely not qualified to be swimming in this lane.
Regardless, it’s good for me and to be swimming 5:35 500y repeats on the 6min and staying completely aerobic and in control and having fun tossing in some surges to try to bridge the every-growing gaps, all which is really good for me.
Problem is that the pool temp was 70 on Monday, 68 last night. My hands are going numb, turning blue, white and purple, my legs are cramping in the cold and I feel disoriented and cognition is impaired, and though I’m bringing a fleece for the post swim walk to the trolley, I spend the rest of the evening shivering on and off. Heater will be fixed in 3-4 weeks time.
So, do I stick with the great masters group and deal with the hypothermia (ok, not really considering that. I’m going to impair my immune system and get sick if I keep that up), switch pools for now and swim alone, or show up in a wetsuit a smiling idiot knowing I’m the joke I am (with or without the wetsuit)?
I don’t own a swim skin, but that can be resolved if folks think they retain body heat enough to withstand 68 degree water, noting that I’m skin and bones and get cold very easily.
Chlorine and Neoprene do not play well together for very long. I wouldn’t recommend wearing an expensive (not a throwaway) wetsuit in a pool for more than a couple of short swims, and even then it should be either soaked in freshwater or taken out for a swim in OW soon after.
And I’m jealous of your pool temp. I’m floundering in one that’s 85+ right now. It sucks.
So actually just came from an 86F outdoor pool, so I understand! And definitely eating enough and have a water bottle with efs that I drink from between pretty much every set.
Going to order the vest - think that’s the way to go. The team is too good to go swimming by myself right now.
So, do I stick with the great masters group and deal with the hypothermia (ok, not really considering that. I’m going to impair my immune system and get sick if I keep that up), switch pools for now and swim alone, or show up in a wetsuit a smiling idiot knowing I’m the joke I am (with or without the wetsuit)?
If you do this, ask the coach to take some pics, then post them so we can all make fun of you.
To reduce the shivvering all day, try going in the sauna after (if there is one) and get hot fluids immediately after you get out. Could try sipping tea between intervals, too.
Saw you work in topology; riding partner is C. Reidys
That’s cool!
I don’t actually work in topology (though had a course in it and followed Grisha Perelman’s work with interest), I just like the joke I specialise in mathematics education research - trying to make maths easier for people to learn.
I blame swimming for the maths career; I got good at base 60 arithmetic at a very early age!
My general rule of thumb for surfing is:
65 and up (it doesn’t get warmer than 70 in SoCal)- 2mm thermal top
60-64 and below: 3/2 full wetsuit. (your swim wetsuit is probably 5/3)
Below 60 - It better be a good day + 3/2 + boots
You should be fine with just the vest, but adding the shorts will definitely help if you are still cold.
First of all people comparing their surfing/ocean swimming is way off base. 68 degree fresh water is waaaay colder than 68 degree ocean water, so there is that.
Most likely you are swimming in a salt water pool? If so just swim in your wetsuit, the water in those is virtually drinkable, it is not going to hurt your suit. And even if it is not, still swim in the suit, just move to the 1;10 lane and find your spot there with your new speed, perhaps you will have to even lead it.
Just rinse the suit out good each time, they are not that fragile. But you seem to be intolerant to cold water so take this time to get acquainted with your wetsuit, people don’t swim enough in them…
First of all people comparing their surfing/ocean swimming is way off base. 68 degree fresh water is waaaay colder than 68 degree ocean water, so there is that.
^ This is true. The thermal conductivity of salt water is worse than fresh water and pool water. So 68 in the pool (even a salt water pool) is going to feel colder than the ocean. I didn’t think of this when I wrote my post.
First of all people comparing their surfing/ocean swimming is way off base. 68 degree fresh water is waaaay colder than 68 degree ocean water, so there is that.
Most likely you are swimming in a salt water pool? If so just swim in your wetsuit, the water in those is virtually drinkable, it is not going to hurt your suit. And even if it is not, still swim in the suit, just move to the 1;10 lane and find your spot there with your new speed, perhaps you will have to even lead it.
Just rinse the suit out good each time, they are not that fragile. But you seem to be intolerant to cold water so take this time to get acquainted with your wetsuit, people don’t swim enough in them…
Monty - What would you say is the differential between salt water and fresh water, i.e. if I can swim comfortably in 75* fresh water, would 70* salt water feel about the same??? Or 68 or 72??? Just wondering if anyone has ever come up with the equivalent of the heat index and wind chill factor.
Moved to a new place and swimming with a good masters group, quite possibly the best masters team I’ve ever swum with. The workouts are just great, so far a minimum of 5,000y. One complaint: they have a 1:10 base lane and then a 1:20. I’m a bit in the middle, only getting 2-4sec rest during the pre-main set feels tough. And when I’ve led the slower lane, I can sense folks wondering why I’m pulling the lane too hard… and at least once I’ve ended up the only one in the lane as everyone bailed 3/4 through the set, but that could be coincidence. The longer stuff works a bit better in the faster lane in terms of making the send offs, but the next fastest guys in the lane are finishing 5-10sec faster, so I’m definitely not qualified to be swimming in this lane.
Regardless, it’s good for me and to be swimming 5:35 500y repeats on the 6min and staying completely aerobic and in control and having fun tossing in some surges to try to bridge the every-growing gaps, all which is really good for me.
Problem is that the pool temp was 70 on Monday, 68 last night. My hands are going numb, turning blue, white and purple, my legs are cramping in the cold and I feel disoriented and cognition is impaired, and though I’m bringing a fleece for the post swim walk to the trolley, I spend the rest of the evening shivering on and off. Heater will be fixed in 3-4 weeks time.
So, do I stick with the great masters group and deal with the hypothermia (ok, not really considering that. I’m going to impair my immune system and get sick if I keep that up), switch pools for now and swim alone, or show up in a wetsuit a smiling idiot knowing I’m the joke I am (with or without the wetsuit)?
I don’t own a swim skin, but that can be resolved if folks think they retain body heat enough to withstand 68 degree water, noting that I’m skin and bones and get cold very easily.
Why not go for a short run after your swim??? I would imagine just a 30-min run would warm you right up, espec if you did it on a T-mill.
Monty - What would you say is the differential between salt water and fresh water, i.e. if I can swim comfortably in 75* fresh water, would 70* salt water feel about the same??? //
It will of course vary from person to person depending on their actual perception of cold and hot water, but for me it is just about 10 degrees difference. Just sit down and think about it for a minute. When you get into a 70 degree ocean what does it feel like? To me it is very pleasant and feels like I could be out there all day. Now how about an 80 degree pool? It is actually in a lot of cases on the chilly side, most pools are around 82. I always felt like that 82 pool felt exactly like a 72 degree ocean. So plus or minus a degree from that I would imagine, depending on the concentration of salt in the ocean you are swimming in.
My general rule of thumb for surfing is:
65 and up (it doesn’t get warmer than 70 in SoCal)- 2mm thermal top //
The past month or so it has been about 71 to 74 at San Onofre, crazy warm. I have a black rash guard and I wanted to ditch that too!!
**Then all of a sudden yesterday I jumped in what I though would be my happy Jacuzzi ocean and bammm! It must have been 65/66, dropped in just one day. Didn’t hit it today as the swell has dropped to almost nothing, so hoping we have at least one more good month of warm water ahead of us. If not, could make for some fun cold water ocean swims around here for the rest of the season. I got the Tiki coming up middle of sept. **
Monty - What would you say is the differential between salt water and fresh water, i.e. if I can swim comfortably in 75* fresh water, would 70* salt water feel about the same??? //
It will of course vary from person to person depending on their actual perception of cold and hot water, but for me it is just about 10 degrees difference. Just sit down and think about it for a minute. When you get into a 70 degree ocean what does it feel like? To me it is very pleasant and feels like I could be out there all day. Now how about an 80 degree pool? It is actually in a lot of cases on the chilly side, most pools are around 82. I always felt like that 82 pool felt exactly like a 72 degree ocean. So plus or minus a degree from that I would imagine, depending on the concentration of salt in the ocean you are swimming in.
Thanks for your insight. I live in TN so I don’t get to the ocean all that often, maybe 2 wks/yr, plus accurate water temp readings are hard to come by. This summer though I bought my own thermometer so next time I go to the beach, I’ll report back.
