swim/race without goggles

I wear goggles in the pool now (unless I forget them) but actually never wear them for races.

When I did my first tri a few years ago, I got my goggles kicked off right at the beginning of the OWS and couldn't get them right for the whole swim.   I haven't worn goggles for an OWS since then and love it.  Not only is there one less thing to worry about in the swim (don't have to worry about forgetting, leaking, fogging, losing them, etc) but I don't have to see all of that "nature" in the water with me.  All that kinda freaks me out...

Even though I wear theem for practice, in my shorter competitions I do without.  I don't know why I have so much trouble, but I have too many times gone off the  blocks and had the goggles around my neck slowing me down.

However, I just got a pair of really low profile Sables, and may try them off the blocks for the Senior Oympics this year.

I come from a swimming background and I wear contacts so I wear goggles, always.

I can't imagine NOT wearing goggles. What possible benefit could it have? OW sighting is hard enough when you dont have water in your eyes...!! Seriously how do you see where you are going? Granted, I look down when I am swimming, but wearing goggles allows me to sneak an 'alligator peak' every 5 or 6 strokes to make sure I am on course. Hard (impossible?) to do that without goggles.

FWIW, I have yet to swim at a pool where the lifegaurd does not have a lost and found bin somewhere with extra swim goggles you can borrow.  Just ask.  Even poorly fitting ones are better than none at all.

The goggles do nothing!

I forgot my swim goggles once.  Because it was a triathlon the pool dumped in an extra measure Chlorine.  The sun was rising in the east.  The pool had windows that let the sun shine right down at the edge of the pool.  By the 3rd lap I could barely see the wall.  I don't think it was until about half way through the run I could actually see much more than a blur.

I've never been in a pool without goggles since then.

contacts = must wear goggles or else...

Yes, i wore goggles and swimming cap when i swimming

If swimming in a pool, I prefer to use goggle most of the times, except for a brief period. If the pool is not dirty there is no problem for me without goggles, but most swimming pools are dirty, and in some particular dirty pools my eyes burn immediately upon entering the water without googles. (We are not allowed to use goggles in life-saving training, if the pool is dirty my eyes burn like hell afterwards!)

If swimming in a sea, it depends how clear the water is, and how long I am going to swim. If it is crystal clear, able to see the bottom clearly more than 4 m deep, I don't use goggles if I am doing less than 3 km. My sighting is better without goggles, although I have some shortsightedness, I can still look for my target some distance away, but goggles blur the vision to the extent that I can basically see nothing far away thru them (I suspect it may due to the aging of my goggles and I have just bought a new pair, but I am going to take it out only a few weeks before my next race, see if it helps or hurts, and use it sparingly). I even open my eyes in sea water to see the feet of my drafting target. I use goggles only if the swim is long (probably 5 km or more) or the water is of questionable quality.

In mass-start races, I no longer use goggles because of the sighting problem mentioned above, and no chance of goggle mishap without goggles.

Hell no.

Not in the pool or in open water.

Goggles 100%.

I misplaced my goggles and didn't have time to buy new pair, so I was training in the pool without them. Eventually, I was very, very comfortable with no goggles, no problem seeing under the water, no problem sighting (well, it was the pool, but I still was able to see absolutely everything outside the water). On one day after very long swim my eyes were itching, but only a little bit. It was the only one time when I had that itch.

I will give it a try in an open water swim, and if it works, I think I will go without goggles in races. I feel like it is less annoying than fog and leaking once you get used to it.

Yeah, I've been one of those people who have 'lost' goggles during a race. I didn't actually lose the goggles. I actually accidentally rubbed sunscreen on the lens and couldn't see with them on. (my second triathlon ever) I grew up swimming in a lake without goggles so I just put them on top of my head and swam the rest of the race without them and it didn't bug me too much. But chlorine kills my eyes and I can't imagine running safely after a swim like that.

My suggestion would be to go to the pool's lost and found and borrow a pair. There's always about 40 pairs of goggles floating around at each pool. (damn kids always forgetting their stuff )

Good luck in your 1/2 in a few weeks! Keep us posted on how it goes.

I had a teammate (Swimming) who trained with goggles but didn't race with them out of fear they might come off/fill up etc. She was pretty successful. Her coach was hired to coach here right after this and she followed. In 99 she set 13 world records.


She is in Lane 4 in this one.
https://youtu.be/TmrBgOT_G7Q

Edited by simpsonbo 2019-02-23 2:23 PM