With warmer days here and race season fast approaching, it’s time to take your swim training outdoors. New to open water, though?Never fear, here’s all you need to know…
WORDS HELEN WEBSTER IMAGES ZONE 3
MEET THE EXPERTS
ANDREW SHEAFF
Andrew Sheaff has been helping people improve their swimming for over 20 years. He’s worked with everyone from children to Olympic medalists to masters triathletes and swimmers. He specialises in helping triathletes improve their swimming via online coaching. He is author of A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching.
PROFESSOR MIKE TIPTON
Professor of human and applied physiology at Portsmouth University, Mike Tipton has spent 35 years working in the areas of thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology. He’s the author of over 600 papers as well as the books The Essentials of Sea Survival and The Science of Beach Lifeguarding.
HELEN WEBSTER
220’s editor is an ASA Level 2 open-water swimming coach and RLSS open-water lifeguard.
She runs workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol, with a focus on helping new outdoor swimmers build skills and confidence.
JOHN WOOD
Level 3 British Triathlon coach John Wood has been involved in swimming for 25 years and has competed at national and international levels. He has coached multiple national finalists and champions and has coached triathletes for the last six years after getting hooked on the sport.
ACCLIMATISATION
Kicking off with an important one – your acclimatisation or ‘habituation’ is a key factor to consider, especially if you’re starting early on in the season and are new to open water.
Here in the UK, the RLSS classify water under 15°C as ‘cold’, under 10°C as ‘very cold’ and under 5°C is known as ‘ice swimming’. To put this into perspective, our core body temperature is 37°C and the average UK swimming pool is about 28°C! So long story short? Open water is chilly – and you need to start small and stay safe.
Things that can affect the amount of time you spend in the water as you start your training will include:
1. Experience of cold-water swimming/dipping previously.
2. The type of kit you’re wearing (e.g. wetsuit, swim cap etc).
3. Your health/body composition
4. How you’re feeling on a given day (e.g. lack of sleep, poor nutri
