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Swimming in a strong current
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 2009-06-15 12:31 PM |
Expert  1123   Falls Church, VA |  Subject: Swimming in a strong currentSo I just had my first race yesterday and even though it was a short swim, it was quite hard for me since I wasn't mentally prepared for it. Basically we had to swim from one side of a river to the other, and the current was fairly strong, go up against the current for about 50-100 meters, then back across after a quick run to a point furter upriver. You couldn't stop to sight/rest while in the water, and I think that I tried to fight the current too hard. I'm thinking that I should have just sighted wide of the buoey and swam my normal stroke, and just be patient. I guess I just wigged out that I was going to get carried down the river if I didn't push it hard, so I was really zapped after my swim and it really made it hard the rest of the race. I know some people have to deal with stronger currents in their swims so I'd just like to get some feedback in case I have to swim a similar style course. BTW, my HR monitor was working in the water since I had a top on, and I was pushing close to 170 at one point.. waaaaaay to hard. I did a 1 mile OW swim in preparation for this and I would rather swim 2 miles in a lake/calm water than that 1k swim. |
| 2009-06-15 2:03 PM in reply to: #2218714 |
Expert 2547   The Woodlands, TX | Subject: RE: Swimming in a strong current Without being there it's a little hard as there are a bunch of variables, but to bottom line it I would live by 2 rules. #1 Current is strongest in the middle of the river. #2 Try and use the current to your advantage. So, The first crossing of the river, I would aim for the inside of the turn buoy, knowing that the current will correct my aim. Turning upstream I would try and find some feet to draft on, even if it means swimming a tad slower. If there aren't any feet to draft, then I would get as close to the shore as reasonable, where the current is weaker. I would then swim past the turn buoy( how far to be based on the speed of the current) and then swim striaght across the river, letting the current correct my direction and not needing to fight it in the middle. Sounds like a fun race. Hope this helps. |
| 2009-06-15 6:22 PM in reply to: #2218714 |
Expert 1123 Falls Church, VA | Subject: RE: Swimming in a strong current Yeah, this isn't a typical swim, the irregular surface made for some unpredictable currents. One of the strongest areas was the start/finish. When the sport group started they got pulled down river and had to fight against it just to make the first turn. I guess I was also asking since I'm not sure if it was my sighting that was the problem, since I made the first turn on the money, but I basically wore myself out in the process. I was kind of wondering how some others had to deal with it, like swimming alcatraz. The current was pretty crazy, as many people would just use it like a treadmill while warming up. A quick search already has a tip to not try and use the swimmer in front of you to sight since that'll point you in the wrong direction. |
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