First open water swim.....what a disaster

I am no swimming expert, but this is very normal.  OW is very different than lap swimming until you get used to it.  This happened to me in a race and I hyperventelated the entire race - and half way home.  My lungs were shot for the day.  You probably were short of breath at the beginning due to nerves, anxiety, etc.  It will get better.  Every time in the water gets easier.

Others will have opinions, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

Smart of you to get in open water well before your first tri.

I'd suggest just getting used to being in your wetsuit. Just hang out, floating in a swim position and feel comfortable. Then when you swim go easy in waist or chest deep water even with the shore. Feel okay stopping as necessary to feel calm and safe. In time you will more and more comfortable in open water.

Lots of folks get in and swim directly out from shore which can make folks feel uncomfortable.

Find some friends to go and do ows 1-2x a week until your race and if you can go to the tri location and swim in lake/pond or body of water you will swim in for race.

It will get better..promise..keep at it!

oops double post


Edited by KathyG 2010-06-06 8:36 PM

1.  This is completely normal.  Since a wetsuit isn't your normal swimwear, it'll take a bit to get used to it.  It does compress your chest slightly, put slight pressure on your shoulders, etc, all of which you will get used to.  It just takes time in the water.

2.  Cramps are a tough thing to diagnose.  It could have been the compression on your calf from the wetsuit, it could have been that you were keeping your toes pointed too much, it could have been that you swam past your fitness level, nobody really knows since it's a highly individualized problem.  Thing that it was most likely NOT: lack of electrolytes.

You'll need to learn to relax in the water and not panic.  The wetsuit will keep you buoyant no matter what.  I'd recommend taking it to the pool and getting some more practice if OWS is not convenient for you.  Get in the water and just float.  Lean back, let your legs come to the surface and relax.  Ease into your swim.  Focus on getting good body roll and breathing easily, you'll get it. 

One note if you're going to use the wetsuit in the pool, soak the wetsuit in clean water before you take it into the pool, and rinse the suit really well as soon as you get out of the water.

Something similar happened to me yesterday, so you're not alone.  First OWS and I thought I was doing ok before the start.  Did a short 25 yards out and back in, felt fine.  However, when the wave started I noticed I was breathing pretty heavy.  I got a little freaked out about spotting buoys, which really threw me off.  About way through, I swallowed a bunch of water and panicked.  I waved my arm for a kayak and ended up hanging on for a couple of minutes until I composed myself.  Fortunately, the second half of the swim went much better.  My first tri with an OWS is next weekend (I've done 3 with pool swims)... hopefully the swim will go like the second half of this weekend's and not like the 1st half.

Patrick, sounds exactly like my first tri - started out, panicked, swam kayak to kayak for the 1st half, then did better the 2nd half.  It is all about relaxing in the water.

The problems you described are quite common for people not used to open water swimming and I suggest thay were 10% physical and 90% mental... (actually most Triatheletes are 100% mental but that's a different thread...)

I find my technique and breathing are always crappy until I reach my 'Swimmers Zen State' - after 100meters my mind goes blank and I just swim... As long as you can do it in a pool, you can do it in the lake. Remember the wetsuit makes you float and swim better.

One excercise to try is to swim out 20 meters and then just bob upright in the water. Your wetsuit will keep you floating without the need to tread water. Once you mind realizes you have that as a 'safety backup', its easier to relax and only think about nice front crawl technique...



Edited by mgalanter 2010-06-06 9:03 PM

Lauren~

I had the same thing happen with my first ows. Of course it was my first tri and I ended up doing the back stroke the whole way just to get through it. This year I took my wetsuit to the pool and swam in it 2x before my first race. It was good for me to do this. I got used to how the wetsuit felt while swimming and it helped me relax. I also realized that there was no way I was going to sink in it - I was very bouyant! If you can't get in an ows, try the pool - it should help with some of the anxiety!

When I arrived at my tri this past weekend. I spent some time in the water just floating and putting my face in the water - this was very helpful. I was able to relax before I started my swim. I did have a hard time finding my rhythm with breathing, but I did a good swim with my face in the water! This really helped my confidence.

Good luck!

Happens to a lot of people.  I've been swimming in open water since I was a kid and was a swimmer in HS, but I still pretty much blew up on my first OW tri swim.  All the same stuff...hyperventilating, having to stop and breaststroke to get reoriented, the works.  Absolutely gets better with practice.  Good decision to start early getting acclimated to wetsuit swimming...the actual race will likely throw another whole set of curves at you, though.

I think this is so important once you can swim the distance that I would focus on it. Learning to enjoy and feel comfortable and safe in the water is a huge advantage, so take time in the OWS's to acclimate- float around, stare at the sky, feel the sun on your face, and let the water be your friend. 

That's a great idea about the torpedo bouy.  I'll have to remember that! 

I'm finding out that much of the stress is mental.  I am very comfortable in the water, but as I read posts here and there I find myself freaking out a little bit!  To quote one of my favorite movies,you just have to  "Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place!"  (That's Nemo, btw.  Fitting, I think.    )

Edited by sungirl919 2010-06-06 10:53 PM

where was this post last week! Like an idiot I swam in my wetsuit for the first time in a race which just happened to be my first OWS also! Needless to say my swim was lacking some of the technique that I had learned. I spent my swim  getting kicked in the head multiple times because I did not realize how much faster a wetsuit can make you! I thought I was getting passed when actually I kept catching, getting kicked in the head,stopping for air and to fix my goggles and then repeating this process. THANK GOD this was only a 500yd swim!!!

Glad to read all of this.  I have my first OWS tri next weekend and I just tried my wetsuit for the first time this past weekend and experienced "all of the above" not to mention almost swallowing a dead fish and getting tangled up in a buch of seaweed.  I swam first Saturday morning then again Saturday night and Sunday.  Its so amazing that I could swim non-stop over 1 mile in an indoor pool and not be able to make it 100 yards my first time in a wetsuit in open water.  If there were lanes I would have also gotten a ticket for a DUI.  I was not drinking but I was certainly swimming like it.  I thought I was going straight only to find that I was perpendicular to the line I started on.  I think that practice makes survival in this case.  I hope to get in 4 more OWS before Sunday's tri.
Best wishes to all those in their new wetsuits.
Tom 

x2 get in the water as much as possible between now an then, let your breath come back to you, then swim.

It will get better with time.

Best place we found for torpedo buoy to bring along is Keifers on line. We have two....I just put it around my shoulder diagonally across my chest. My husband and I swim together but I swim farther and go across the lake where he is working on feeling comfortable so he stays closer to shore. He wanted his own so we just bought a second one. I think it was about $50.

Do a google search as they sometimes have free shipping coupons. Swimoutlet.com sells them but they are more expensive but they always have free shipping if you spend more than I think $75.

The only thing that makes me struggle for air during an OWS is cold water.  During the last OWS, I got in and allowed the cold water to get into the suit.  It made me gasp but I got used to it.  I then started a warm up swim and as soon as my head went into the water it was like starting over.  I realized I need to allow not only my body, but my head to get used to the cold water.  I played around in the water for at least 15 min prior to the race.  I swam underwater, crawl, backstroke, did a few cartwheels and even got up and ran across the surface a bit.  (may have embelished a bit there... not sure if I did a full cartwheel)

At any rate, get in the water and get used to it.  Then do a warm up.  Your heart and breathing will thank you.

Ditto this.  I had my first OWS in a tri two days ago.  It was my second wet suit OWS, but my first in a race.  It was also the first time I have EVER swam that distance non-stop.  While I grew up swimming in lakes (I prefer them to pools), this was very different.

For me, I *think* it was a combination of race nerves/excitement/anxiety and the visual distance.  I felt great in the water (it was a perfect temp for me) and I never once thought I'd drown...I just couldn't get a rhythm and it felt VERY difficult to swim and I just could not catch my breath at all.  My HR was through the roof and I was convinced that if I didn't relax and take it easy, that I'd have nothing left for the bike and the run.  I pretty much side-stroked the whole damn thing!  When I rounded the last bouy (about 150 - 200m to go), I told myself I'd swim freestyle the rest of the way and I actually did it.  I was kicking myself that I hadn't tried to do it earlier because I did start to relax somewhat.

I think I was just too amped up and I couldn't get under control.  It sucked, really.  Not a good experience but one I hope to learn from for the future...

As many others have stated, OW swimming is very different from training in a pool. Consider what differences you can identify between a pool workout and an OW workout and think about training techniques that might help you better prepare for open water. Here are some thoughts after reading your OP...

When you train in a pool, what are your turns like? I often see people take such slow turns with each lap that they can catch their breath and get a 'mini-recovery' with each 25 yds they swim. This doesn't happen in OW, so this could make it seem like you're working much harder. If this is a problem, make sure in your pool training that you take just a quick breath on each turn and focus on relaxing/recovery while swimming. Don't rely on turns to give you any kind of rest or opportunity to catch your breath.

How do you warm up in the pool? How about during your OW swim? In pools, most people do a fairly lengthy warm up set, often in OW people just jump in and go, sans warm up. This can lead to obvious problems, including feeling crappy while swimming and cramping as you didn't warm up your muscles in the usual way. At the start of any OW swim go nice and slow at a warm up pace, perhaps for as much as 5-10 minutes, then you can ease into a faster pace if you feel comfortable.

How did you pace yourself in the OW swim? The waves, open water, lack of lane lines and bottom markings, and dark/cloudy water make you feel like you are going slow, or not moving, and often the response it to swim harder to compensate. Chop can really mess with you, making you feel like there's no forward progress, and again the response is to try to speed up. Instead, try to slow down your turnover, but use longer strokes and a pronounced glide between strokes. And don't make the mistake of trying to keep up with others swimming near you. Swim at your comfort pace.

You mention your calves cramped after you switched to a partial dog paddle/breaststroke. Do you swim like this in training? Breast stroke's whip kick can cause calf cramps if your legs are not used to the motion and if you don't train doing breast stroke kicks in the pool. You can also have hamstring issues w/ breaststroke kick. If you plan to use this as a fall back stroke, practice breaststroke and it's kick during your pool workouts to help prevent cramping. BTW breaststroke kick can be hard on the knees, if you plan to use it make sure you practice it under low stress frequently to strengthen the area.

With a wet suit, body position is different and this can lead to cramps or aches that you don't get in pool swimming. For me, it's my lower back - it aches during long OW swims but never in pool swims. I think this is in part due to body position, and partly due to flip turns I do in the pool, which stretch my back on each turn. I counter this by doing additional back stretches and exercises to strengthen my back. I also find swimming with a pull buoy for one set during each workout simulates

To summarize, compare your pool training routine to OW experience and ask yourself questions to identify the key differences and determine how to adjust your pool workouts to better support the OW swim. I hope this helps.

Thank you to all for your responses. Its nice to know I'm not alone and there were lots of good ideas, number 1 being getting out and getting lots of practice.

Econway, your post had tons of things that caught my attention. I am a weak pool swimmer in general, and I do take a very lengthy turn with a big "recovery" breath every 25. Never gave it much thought but I see now that I use that break as a crutch.

Also, I don't know how to breaststroke and never use it, so I bet I made a hash of it and that could have led to my cramp.

Lots to mull over and work on it, but better to know now than race day!!

Lauren,

Just did my 1st OWS tonight in the Long Island sound tonight off of a boat & I got so freaked out. I think it was a combination of the figid temps..the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere & the not getting into a rythmn..My 1st sprint is 7/18 so I have some time to try & get some control over this but its a work in progress for sure..