Open Water Swimming Tips

If you're like me and grew up inland, you probably have a healthy respect for open water.

These tips from TriMagCan might help you train and/or race further from shore: Conquering your fear of the open water swim

Key points from the article:

• Practice more (always good advice)
• Get a good fitting wetsuit
• Know your target swim time
• Know the swim course
• Don't get boxed in
• Ask a coach
• Visualization your swim before the race

All great advice, the only thing I'd add is that I always find building up slowly to any target/goal is a great way to push your limits without getting too far out of your comfort zone - and also reduces any risks of getting in over your head, so to speak.

If you've felt some trepidation about swimming in open water, how did you get over it? Share your experiences below

There's a new article over on CTS about open water/pack swimming skills that I thought I'd share:

Pack swimming is a relatively rare occurrence for most athletes, and it's difficult to replicate in a pool. Sure, you can swim laps right on someone's feet or even at their hip, but there's little that compares to being smack in the middle of a few hundred swimmers out in open-water. So, without much ability to practice, here is a workout and some tips to help you succeed in open-water swims.

http://trainright.com/how-to-improve-your-open-water-and-pack-swimming-skills/

Topics covered include:

• Don’t Get Pushed Around at the Start
• Protect Your Face
• Think Before You Surge
• Nick White’s Surge Power Workout