Open Water Swimming

Triathletes love to tell war stories. Every hill is Iwo Jima. Every run is a Death March. And every swim is a Normandy Landing. One war story is true however; triathlon swims involve hand to hand combat. Most race directors split the field into 75 or 100 person waves in an effort to spread people out, but that inevitably puts slower swimmers out in front of faster swimmers and delays by a few minutes the inevitable collision. When slow swimmer and fast swimmer meet, there are no bayonets or firearms, just an innocent grab of the swimsuit, a push on the shoulder, and the unavoidable kick in the head.

There are no atheists in foxholes. And there are no saints in triathlons. We're all guilty. She's trying to get to dry land and he is in her way. Stuff happens.

The one consolation is that at least everyone has the same objective and is trying to go in the same direction. Colliding with another swimmer isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means at least one and possibly both of you were going the wrong way. So contact indicates it's time to look up and change direction or "encourage" the other swimmer to do so.

I know a swimmer who actually uses contact as her sole means of navigation. She starts right in the middle of her wave and blindly swims along like a drunken tank driver. Hit someone on her left - turn right. Hit someone else on her right - veer left. If she doesn't hit anyone for thirty seconds, she stops and looks up to see if she has been jettisoned from the pack, then makes her way back into the fray.

This method takes full advantage of the draft swimmers get following close behind someone else. It saves a significant amount of propulsive energy, but requires an equally significant amount of pugilistic effort and mental stress.

I prefer to attack the swim from the right flank. I am most comfortable breathing to my left so I can spot the pack easily on almost every stroke. Following a pack in this way makes it slightly more likely you are going in a straight line. A group of swimmers is statistically less likely to go AWOL than a lone wolf. Following a single swimmer might feel fast and efficient, but if you happen to be following Wrong Way Feldman, you're screwed.

So I steer for the calm water which makes it easier to see the buoy targets up ahead. It also allows me to focus on my stroke and power without having to worry if the crazy swimmer next to me is Taliban or al-Qaeda.

A couple more notes on navigation; some people breathe bi-laterally or every third stroke hoping this counteracts their strong right arm and keeps them going straight without having to look up. Sorry, bi-lateral breathing is no guarantee you won't end up in the weeds. If you don't have the luxury of a trusty escort next to you in the water, you have to poke your head up to see where you are going every 20 or 30 seconds. You can swim off target by 45 degrees in only a few strokes and in that event you might as well be treading water 'cause you ain't makin' progress. I have literally seen people swim in a complete circle only 40 feet in diameter, head down the whole time. What a colossal waste of energy.

Peeking forward from time to time is only one of the navigation skills you need to successfully swim in the open water. If you are swimming in the middle of a group all wearing colored swim caps you will quickly be frustrated trying to spot a course buoy amongst all the bobbing orange heads. The solution is to line up your objective with some large object on shore or on the horizon. It is easier to spot the giant radio tower on top of the hill than a buoy sticking three feet out of the water.

And this may seem obvious but when you do notice that you are off course, don't make radical corrections trying to get back on your original line. I see this all the time; swimmers zig-zagging down the course because they over-correct over and over again. You may be a great swimmer, but every stroke in the wrong direction is just another step further into no-man's-land.

Now that I have scared the bejeesuz out of you first timers, I will briefly discuss the triathletes best friend, his wetsuit.

Originally used for warmth, wetsuits in the late 80s allowed race directors to extend the season and make uncomfortable water almost swim-able. Like modern cushioned running shoes, the wetsuit brought triathlons within the orbit and ken of the general public.

After people swam in the first crude wetsuits, they noticed they were not only warmer, they were faster. Very quickly designs became sleeker and better fitting. And people got faster still. These days, warmth is almost an afterthought, people use wetsuits for speed and the fact that they make a very marginally skilled swimmer feel like Michael Phelps.

The trend in 2010 are hyper buoyant suits with 6, 7, even some 10mm panels of neoprene designed to make even the most inefficient swimmer float like a cork. If you have ever read this column before, you probably know what I think about this trend. It's legalized cheating.

Fortunately, the caretakers of the sport are intervening and setting some limits on the floatyness of wetsuits. The ITU and Ironman franchises are limiting suits to a maximum of 5mm. An arbitrary number no doubt, but a reasonable compromise between necessary warmth and unseemly flouting the spirit of triathlon.

If the 5mm of neoprene in your suit still leaves you cold, there are other ways to take the chill off your next swim. Your mother told you to wear a hat on cold days, and the same is true for cold swims. A neoprene cap under your latex cap makes a huge difference. If that seams extravagant, then just use two latex caps or put your knit polyester running beanie under your latex cap. You can also buy swim gloves and footies, and they help a little, but covering your hands and feet make "feeling the water" much more difficult. Swimming will feel like you have wooden blocks on the ends of your arms and legs, so I suggest you just suck it up.

Finally, a tried and true way to deal with cold water is to get used to it. A periodic dip in the lake is great training for body, mind, and anal sphincter. It is mostly a mental challenge but is a challenge none the less. Unfortunately it takes five to ten swims in cold water for you to notice any difference, and by then the water will have warmed up considerably!

So ditch the pool with its lane lines, warm water, and dressing rooms. Real swimming happens in the open water. Keep your head up!


Open water swims this year in Seattle;
Fat Salmon, July 17.
Swim for Life, August 18.
Emerald City Open Water Swim, August 21.
Park to Park Cross Lake Swim, August 29.