All swim training in open water?

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2013-06-22 11:58 AM


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Subject: All swim training in open water?
I just moved back to Sweden for the summer and as the public pool is very expensive and has strange opening hours, I was thinking about just doing all my swim training in the lake 5 minutes from where I live. It has a small beach, beautiful clear and calm water, and 4 buoys in a straight line of about 150m, giving me a nice lap of 300m (or shorter if I wish to turn around at an earlier buoy).

Do any of you guys do all your or the majority of your swim training in open water? I am aware of all the safety aspects, but I am wondering if with respect to the actual swim workout, drill sets, intervals, focus on technique etc. there are any differences I should pay attention to compared to swimming in a pool? Did you feel like you can improve your swim even better because it comes closer to the race environment? I will try to balance wetsuit and non-wetsuit sessions, or would it be bad to train exlusively with a wetsuit for two months? I am using the wetsuit mainly against the cold water, not as a crutch. My 1000m TT is at a 1:40/100m pace.

Cheers,
Max

2013-06-22 1:12 PM
in reply to: Tysk-Ironwill

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Subject: RE: All swim training in open water?
9 months/year all my swim is OW. I find it's harder for me to make myself do drills in OW but that's a personal discipline issue. I just want to swim in the big open. I don't see why one can't get as good or better training in OW than pool.
2013-06-22 1:54 PM
in reply to: La Tortuga

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Subject: RE: All swim training in open water?
I do 100% of my swimming in the San Francisco Bay. I don't do intervals but with the currents, tides and wind there is always a challenging direction, then turn around and get a recovery direction.

Couple years ago I just couldnt deal with swimming in crowded pools anymore the weird hours, folks having no respect for other peoples workout(water walkers in the fast lane, people not letting others pass etc) and the expensive swim pass were just too much.

FWIW I have done 2 IM's, 1 was all pool swimming, the other all ocean: 1:20 and 1:19 respectively. I worked harder in the pool but enjoy the ocean far more and dont get burnt out, which leads me to swim more.
2013-06-22 8:24 PM
in reply to: Tysk-Ironwill

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Subject: RE: All swim training in open water?
As soon as I can I go to open water and train only there. I wear a suit until is gets warm.
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