Subject: RE: First Open Water Swim- Advice? Q ) How can I get over the slightly unnerving claustrophobia from looking down into completely murky water?
A ) I always get a little bit of neurosis when realizing I'm swimming in the middle of dirty, open water. When this sets in, I simply think about nothing other than my technique. When I do that, I find that I forget about where I am and tend to swim better. I also like training in a diving pool (15-20 ft depth ). That way, you can see how deep you are and realize that all you really are doing is skimming the top 2 feet of the water.
Q ) How much difference does a neoprene wetsuit really make? Mine is a surfing wetsuit made out of foam and it seemed to aid my buoyancy quite well.
A ) I'm no pro, but from what I've read, neoprene gives you better range of motion in your shoulders and hips, which allows you to use your more natural swim technique.
Q ) Finally, how can I get used to weeds in the water? I came to quite a bad patch and it spooked me more than I thought it should have. (Similarly, how can I now stop my fiancee taking the mickey out of me about it?
A ) If you find the answer to this, let me know! I've found that doing anything different in weeds will mess up my whole swim, so I don't change a thing. |