Swimming

Swimming Effectively in Open Water

by Terry Laughlin

In 2002, I began open water practice at Williams Lake and Lake Minnewaska in the Hudson Valley, in mid-May. Though the water was still a bone-chilling 56 degrees, that experience gave me five weeks before the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim to acclimate to spending 8-plus hours in 64-degree water (no wetsuits allowed). And I hoped to train myself to swim for long stretches without looking. Lifting my head, say 1,000 times, would be even more tiring than the approximate 26,000 strokes it took me to complete the 28.5-mile swim.

Starting in mid-June, I also trained in an outdoor 50-meter pool, where I also consciously rehearsed strategies that would give me an advantage in open water races (I do 5 to 6 each summer). At the pool, I swam at slack times, but without lane lines; I often had to weave through bathers who wandered into my lane, giving me “open-water practice” of a sort. I practiced open-water simulation in the pool in the following ways:

Swimming “Blind.” Swimming in a 50-meter pool – particularly without lane lines – is ideal for testing how straight I swim when not following a line. Because it takes me 35 to 40 strokes to swim 50 meters, I swim 20 to 30 strokes with my eyes closed (when the pool is uncrowded) and see how far I’ve wandered from my lane. This helps me pick a sighting frequency.

Sighting. Once or twice each length, I breathe and sight to the front, specifically practicing my ability to maintain seamless balance and rhythm as I do so. I combine this with blind swimming – opening my eyes only when I lift my head – for an even more accurate simulation of the open water experience.

Drafting. I sometimes “draft” a few friends to swim with me and we practice close-order drafting, swimming single file down the pool, with the leader dropping to the end at each wall.

At the lake, I swim with a group of triathletes (most wearing wetsuits), consciously rehearsing situations I might encounter in a race. Each lake crossing is 300 meters; we cross 6 to 8 times each session. I choose a specific focus for each crossing, which gives my lake practice far more value than if I swam just for time or distance. Here are the important ones:

Look This Way
Without a line to follow, any swimmer will eventually travel in a circle; some in a 10-mile circle, others within the turning radius of a VW. In open water, you stay the course by occasionally sighting on landmarks, buoys, or swim caps. Practice can help you do that without losing your balance and flow. Here’s what I practice:

Look less often. When your technique improves, so will your ability to swim straight. I test mine by swimming increasing distances without looking. It takes me about 300 strokes to cross the lake, so I usually begin by taking 100 “blind” strokes. If I’ve gone considerably off course, I’ll take fewer strokes before looking again. This tells me how often to look in a race. The more I practice, the better I am at finding other ways to stay on course. One of the best is to breathe bilaterally and triangulate off the swimmers on either side. If I stay centered between the farthest swimmer to my right and the farthest to my left the pack keeps me on course, because everyone else is looking for our landmarks.

Sight smart. As we swim westward, our target is a dead tree leaning into the water, but sun glare obscures the tree until we move into shadow, about 50 meters from shore. On the bluff above the shore the treeline dips slightly just right of the spot we’re aiming for. So I sight on the dip in the treeline until we reach the shadows. Heading east, we aim for a dock which isn’t clearly visible until the last 100 meters, so I use two buildings behind it, one a bit to its right and one to its left, to triangulate. While warming up for a race, check for landmarks and other features that can help guide you when visibility is compromised.

Sight seamlessly. When the lake is almost as calm as pool water, I practice “surfing” my goggles barely over the surface, using my extending arm for support as I move my head forward, then roll to breathe on my side without breaking my rhythm. This is far less tiring than holding my head aloft for several strokes in a row. This sighting style is so easy to fit into my normal stroke rhythm that if I didn’t get a complete picture, I take a series of “snapshots.” And when windchop kicks up on the lake, I adjust by lifting just a bit higher or by taking more snapshots.

Breathe This Way
Breathing to both sides is a key skill for open water. Breathing both ways keeps your neck and shoulders looser. Second, you never know on which side your landmarks or buoys may be. And finally, waves, chop, or splashy swimmers on your breathing side can be a problem. So make a habit of breathing alternately. That could mean breathing every three strokes. It could mean breathing to your right on one length and to your left on the next. In open water or a 50-meter pool, it could mean 10 breaths on the right, followed by 10 on the left. Practice all kinds of alternating patterns, so you can shift easily while racing.

Practice Free Rides
Drafting can be worth as much as 10 percent in energy savings. And, you can let your draftees do the navigation while you simply follow in their wake – but do check their bearings from time to time. At the lake, I start at the back of the pack to practice drafting. I’ll do my no-look strokes, and practice following other swimmers. I try to sense their proximity by feeling the bubbles from their kick. Or by swimming alongside another swimmer (or between two swimmers) but close enough to stay within their bow wave, keeping my goggles between their knees and feet. That way I can keep my “rabbit” in view with normal side-breathing.

When practicing drafting, every 40 strokes, I’ll sneak a quick peak at my draftee’s cap or for the center of the cluster of caps in front of me. I also use the pack to stay on course by swimming to one side. I know that I typically wander to the left so if I position myself to the right of most of the pack, everyone else will keep me in line.

If you practice strategy and tactics, rather then just swim for distance, racing will be far more enjoyable.

Terry Laughlin of New Paltz is the author of Triathlon Swimming Made Easy, from which this article has been adapted. For information, visit www.totalimmersion.net.

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