I had the same issue. I'm a strong swimmer, but the OW was freaking me out. I did have some anxiety at my first tri, but I was able to calm down and keep swimming. The main difference is that you can't see as well as in a pool. In some lakes, you can't see at all unless you pick your head up out of the water. Just expect this and practice sighting out of water. Another difference is all the people. That part doesn't ever bother me, but my advice is to just stay near the back of your wave, then slowly make your way up. If you can get in the water before the tri, it will help a lot. That's the one thing I did differently at my last tri, and I had my fastest swim time! I had NO issues with my heart racing at the beginning! The fear of the unknown is hard to deal with, but you will get through it. Good luck.

Kelli

Try and get to the race early and swim a few hundred meters just to get used to it so it`s not a complete shock. It should be enough...

It's better for your morale if I don't share my first OW experience, but there's a very important point: Try to do an OW swim before the race, even the shortest one, for 10-15 minutes!

Most of what you'll encounter in OW (lack of visibility, cold temps, the disorientation of no black line to follow, learning to sight, different taste than pool water, weeds, fish, etc.) will primarily be a mental challenge, and not something that will really endanger you. That said, you cannot underestimate the mental component, and how powerful your brain can be when part of it says, "hey, this is new, I don't like this."

Any time you can get in OW before the race will be a huge benefit to you. Even if it's only 10 -15 minutes early on the race morning. The more you can get the better. If there's anyway you could hook up with Mobius and his group, jump on that opportunity. If a swim during the week doesn't work for your logistics, try to arrange one on the weekend.

If getting to open water ahead before race day is impossible, that's one thing, but if it's merely inconvenient or difficult, find a way to make it happen. And make sure you don't go out alone... maybe if you can't make that Thursday session Mobius mentioned, you could still contact him or his tri club to see if someone would be willing to swim with you on a different day. Tri-folks are friendly and VERY inclined to help others get started.

As for simulating OW in the pool, about the only part you can imitate is swimming continuously without stops at either end. You can do this by using the T at the end of the black line as a buoy and swimming around it without stopping or pushing off at the wall. Of course this may not work if your pool is crowded.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by cocarrie:
That, and swimming with your eyes closed or your head in a bag to simulate not being able to see!
[/B]<HR>

Good idea! (The eyes closed part... the bag would probably add too much drag. )

The lack of visibility and the shock of cold water (mid to low 50's) was so disorienting to me on my first time out (not in a race, thank goodness), that I couldn't keep my face in the water. Every time I put my head down to swim, it popped right back up. The cold also made it hard to get my breathing under control. It was extra funny because most of my brain was totally jazzed to finally be swimming in OW, but a small and very powerful part of my brain was convinced it was a terrible, terrible idea. The next time, I went where the waves weren't so huge (first round was with a stiff ocean break), and the water was a little warmer... I eased into the water more slowly to get used to the temperature, and that swim went TONS better than my first outing.

Not trying to freak you out... just encouraging you to get out there before the race. With perseverance, you'll get through it either way... but you'll probably enjoy it a whole lot more if you have a chance to practice first.

Even if, by some chance, you don't get to practice in open water, don't worry. I did an ocean swim two years ago having not done ANY ocean swimming for years (I'd been to the ocean, but that was for just wading/getting cooled off, not going out past the breakers). After some initial anxiety getting through the breakers, I was fine. At any official swim event, you'll have a lot of people on kayaks, in boats, maybe also on surfboards who will be looking out for you. In my ocean swim, I met an "angel" on a surfboard who talked me from the end of the breakers to the first mark I had to round. She was wonderful! In all of the swims I've been in, the volunteers patrolling the water have been GREAT--really helpful and friendly.

Yes, if you can get a chance to swim in open water, go for it--but I have done open water swims with little or no open water practice in the weeks/months preceding, and I've been okay. It might have helped that a lot of my early learning to swim wasn't in a pool but in a bay. I think that makes me less prone to panic if I encounter things like seaweed, chop, etc. In lots of ways, it's more fun than a pool--more freeing, close to nature, often in beautiful surroundings (not that you can see them too well concentrating on swimming, but can always enjoy before/after), more interesting than just going back and forth.

Resist the urge to sprint out.from the start, because often that's what unsettles people--I've done that and have to stop and catch my breath and calm down. Once I did this, I was fine, but it's better if you don't worry about the people sprinting out ahead. Some of them may be going out too fast and not able to hold the pace they started with, and you'll likely catch them if you keep your own pace.

Good luck!