Anyone in the Grand Rapids area have access or

Welcome to the area! I think there may be a group that swims in Bostwick Lake, which is located fairly close to Rockford.

I am on the other end of Kent County on the south side and bike to Green Lake which is just over the Kent County border in Allegan County for my open water swim training.

Hopefully someone else can chime in on the Bostwick Lake option. Also, try doing a search for the Bostwick Lake Triathlon --which I just heard about late last year (missed it).

Good luck.

This is my first season training, but I live in G.R. and plan to open swim with a couple ladies in the area. So I can ask where they do it and let you know!!

Katherine

GRLA and Katherine, thanks. Somebody had mentioned they had seen swimmers out in Bostwick Lake, interesting as that is one of my favorite restaraunts!!!

Pleae let me know if you have more specifics. Hard to think of OWS with 2 feet of ice on the local lakes!!

I'm actually doing the Bostwick Lake triathlon tomorrow!! I have never even seen the lake before so it should be interesting.

Clarka, I will be there too!! Good luck!!

Wasn't it a great tri?! I was so glad that the weather held out.

pretty amazing they can pull that off, getting all the volunteer support and help.

The swim was a miserable experience for me, but the rest was awesome!!!

How did things go for you?

I loved the swim. But then it gets progressively worse after that . The bike was great on the "out", but the wind was difficulte on the "back". I thought the run was great too. Nice amount of flats and small hills. Great event!

congrats on a great swim!!! Are you an accomplished swimmer, i.e. High School swim team?

Here is my deal. Last year I did my first tri, the YMCA Camp Manitou Lin in Middleville, now called Tri de Sol by Gazelle. I did not use a wetsuit, but primarily trained in a pool wearing normal men's swim trunks. I did quite well in that OWS, only stopping a few times to site in my course.

This swim, man oh man. I trained all winter long hard, actually getting to the point of doing 72 pool laps (equivalent of Ironman swim distance). However, I now have "Jammers" which make you much faster versus normal trunks which drag you down.

When I waded out and started swimming, it felt like I was going to sink after about 5 strokes!!! So I have come to the realization #1, I need more OWS, once a week or so. #2, I need to train with normal trunks to duplicate the OWS. I believe the pool water gives more buoyancy ala salt water. #3, MORE OWS!!!!

So disapointing to train so hard over the winter and spring and then to crap the bed come my first tri of the year. In defense, I am training now for the Detroit Marathon, so I have not been logging the minutes in the water over the last month or so.

Sorry for the rant.

Yup, I swam in highschool. It really helps now.

Is there a reason that you don't use a wetsuit?? This was only my second race using one and I really like it. It takes some getting used to. Mostly, just not freaking out about the overall tightness in the chest/neck areas.

It sounds like you are doing well though. 4200yds straight is great...definitely something that most people can't do. I do think your idea of drag is good though. We did that when I swam competively...wore multiple suits to make training harder.

I think some things just come with experience. I definitely need more ows experience....I'm pretty comfortable in the pool and need to get out of my element.

Wetsuits = $$. I just dropped $800 on my Giant road bike late last summer. Right now I can't justify dumping $200 more, yet!!!

I just wish I could drive down the road, find a lake, and swim!!! That is, without getting hit by a jet ski, drown, or have to go through weeds.

It is truly amazing the difference between pool swimming and OWS, for me at least. Almost apples and oranges.

At the start, I took in some water and had a nice gasoline tast in my mouth. I thgouht to myself, wow, a Duathalon sounds good about now!!

ohhhhh....no duathlons.... It just wouldn't be right without the swim!! When you are ready for a wetsuit check out Striders in Grandville. I got a good price on mine (last year models).

thanks, for the tip about Striders. They are usally off my "radar" since they are on the other side of town.

Good luck in your training!!

Guys --congrats on completing the Bostwick Tri --I was out of town for work so could not do that one. It is a small race that flies under most peoples' radar, but my guess is that over time it will grow.

I second Striders on the wetsuit --got a blue seventy reaction 2007 model for $190, plus 20% discount for joining Strider's club for a year --I have used it in one OLY and for a couple of OWS practice swims (including one this weekend in Lake Huron around Detour (north of Mackinac) --it was awesome.

As far as OWS swim options --kinda tough to give advice because I am down on the south end of Kent County (Caledonia). Reeds Lake in EGR at Collins Park hosts some OWS swims (I think it is the spot for the Village Bike Shop Tri Team OWS workouts). I do my OWS in Green Lake in Leighton Twp. (just south of me by about 5-6 miles). Only drawback: no quiet hours on the lake so there are waterskiers out on the lake at 6am --I swim with two other guys and we don't swim across the lake, but rather swim from one shore (west) to another (north) and back in a kind of diagonal.

Always wear a bright swim cap for extra visibility; maybe you can have a buddy canoe or kayak next to you if they are not also a swimmer. Practice, practice, practice is key to a good OWS so that come race time, it is "old hat" so to speak.

Keep up the good work and are you guys doing Tri del Sol at Camp Manitou Lin (formerly Great Lakes) this July? I will be there.

I am signed up for it this yea (I did the Middleville Tri last year (my first) and got hooked on tris.)

Thanks for OWS advice. I need to make that happen.

See you at Tri De Sol!!

I did the Bostwick Tri this weekend too. It was my first one.
swim = 14:31
T1 = 2:07
Bike = 45:58
T2= 1:05
Run = 26:24
(these were my watch splits)
My finish time was 1:30:05

Yeah that wind was something.


I train with the Trizelle group and one of the trainers lives on that lake. So we have swam there a few times.
But like you I too need more OWS time.