By tjfry | January 19, 2009
Being a strong swimmer, I’m often asked about wetsuits. They ask about brands, types, price ranges, fit, etc. I think that wetsuits can be one of the most difficult equipment purchases we have to make. The reason is three-fold. Wetsuits all fit differently. I liken them to women’s jeans. Each brand cuts and sizes their suits differently, so a wetsuit that fits me like a glove might not fit you at all. So a glowing recommendation from a friend or training partner may mean nothing, unless you are able to try one on. Which leads us to problem number two.
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By tjfry | January 16, 2009
I’m often asked about how to prepare for an open water swim in a swimming pool. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer. They are very different venues. It is sorta like preparing for a mountain bike ride on an indoor trainer. It’s pretty hard to practice certain skills in such a structured environment. There are, however, a few things you can do that can help prepare you for certain aspects of an open water swim.
Bilateral Breathing – Learning how to breathe comfortably on both sides will help you in open water in two ways. First and foremost, bilateral breathing helps to keep your stroke balanced. This means that both arms are pulling with about the same force and one arm isn’t doing anything drastically different than the other arm. Doing this will keep you swimming in a straight (or straighter!) line.One of the biggest problems in open water swimming is trying to stay on course, so the straighter you teach yourself to swim in a pool, the better off you will be in the lake. Bilateral breathing also gives you the ability to switch your breathing to the side that you can sight better from and/or have the fewest obstacles with. Often in ocean swims (or any rough swim for that matter) you will find the need to breathe away from the source of the waves. It gives you a clearer shot at a breath without swallowing water. It will also allow you to switch sides when you have the sun in your face and are unable to see anything. This can be critical for sighting the course. Read More »
By tjfry | January 7, 2009
If you have ever competed in an open water swimming event, whether it’s the swim leg of a triathlon or just a stand alone swimming event, you learn very quickly that swimming in a large body fo water is night and day from your training in a swimming pool. Every year I put on swim clinics in the weeks leading up to one of the largest sprint races in the area, and every year I see the same thing. People who are strong swimmers in a pool have all kinds of problems in a lake, and some don’t finish. For some, it’s the anxiety and fear associated with the large group of people you start with, for others it’s the muddy water and what might be lurking just a few feet below them (the movie “Jaws” comes up often), and still others it’s the problems they have navigating around the course and all the elements that come into play.
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