Preparing for an Open Water Swim Session?
Open-water swimming is beneficial to your mental health, fitness and wellbeing. There is something very unique about immersing yourself in nature you when you swim, whatever the season. Swimming throughout the year in cold water has the added benefit of relieving aches and pains. But you also enjoy a rush of adrenaline that lifts your mood. That lifting of mood is actually down to dopamine, which stimulates a feeling of euphoria and excitement. Studies show that you enjoy a greater surge of the happy hormone when exercising outdoors compared to indoors. In short, open-water swimming is the best and cheapest medicine around.
In your kit bag
A bright colour hat, goggles and tow bag are always required when swimming on one of our sessions. Hats help keep you visible to our lifeguards in the water and googles help you sight marker buoys to navigate around our 50m, 200m and 400m courses. A tow bag will provide added visibility in the water and act as a floatation device to hang onto should you require assistance. Anyone can get cramp and need help, and there is little to no drag effect when swimming.
Some basics but easily forgotten are flip flops, towel and shower wash should be a staple items in your kit bag. This will help ensure you are not padding around the site barefoot, and are able to warm up in the hot showers of the watersports centre after your session. A small combination padlock will allow to you stow away your possessions safely whilst you are out on the water.
Preparing for the conditions
Open water swimming at Swim Lakeside makes taking to the water safe and enjoyable. Free parking is available at the Lakeside Shopping Centre. Our brand new watersports centre boasts brand new facilities including changing rooms and hot showers. So in the cooler months when the water temperature is lower, a quality 4/5mm wetsuit will keep you toasty during a swim. Neoprene socks and gloves are also recommended to protect your extremities during your session.
When the water is above 16c wetsuits become optional, remember though that 2/3mm summer suit still has its benefits, providing some protection from the sun and giving you additional buoyancy & hydrodynamic advantage making your swim more efficient. The lake is clean and sheltered by al tall tree line, providing calm water for swimming even in the most blustery conditions. A slipway allows for easy access to the water on our lifeguarded sessions.
Allowing time to acclimatise to the water temperature is crucial, as it reduces shock, which can in turn lead to panic. Start by dipping your hand and feet into shallow water. This gives the body clues as to what’s coming. When you finally fully submerge, roll and float on your back and control your breathing, gathering yourself before setting off around the course will ready you to carry out your swim comfortably, remember to build your pace and control your breathing. Adapting to Open water swimming isn’t about distance, it’s about adapting to the conditions whether it be water temperature and wind, and your ability to sight the course and stay on track.
Fuelling your Open Water Swimming
As with most physical tasks you ask of your body, they can only be maximised when fully fuelled. Open-water performance is increased when blood supply is used to support your muscles and not for digesting food. That's why it’s important to eat a meal at least 90-minutes before a session. Plus you’ll experience stomach discomfort if you enter the water too soon after eating. Our go to meal would be porridge, honey with a diced banana on top. A good balance of slow digesting carbohydrates along with simple sugars ensure your body has a balance of energy ready to absorb ahead of your session. Almond butter on toast and a banana is also an it’s easy to digest meal that forms a similar nutritional profile. If you’re embarking on a long swim, it’s beneficial to top up with a gel just before. This is particularly important for beginners whose bodies might be less adaptable at utilising fat for fuel and so rely more on sugars. Hydration can often be forgotten with swimmers as you don't notice yourself sweat, if your begin to feel thirsty then its likely your already de-hydrated, sipping little and often in both the build up and post swim will help you keep on top of this.
Open-water swimming is increasingly an all-year-round activity, delivering a huge number of physical and mental benefits. And performance, too, with regular outdoor swim sojourns of, ideally, at least once a week is essential to enjoying a PB-beating triathlon season. Just remember to swim safe, choose the right gear, fuel correctly and most importantly enjoy the process.