{"id":92,"date":"2022-11-30T09:49:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T09:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/?p=92"},"modified":"2023-06-08T22:08:25","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T21:08:25","slug":"tim-dons-tips-for-swimming-in-the-open-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/tim-dons-tips-for-swimming-in-the-open-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Don\u2019s Tips for Swimming in the Open Water"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tim Don\u2019s Tips for Swimming in the Open Water<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Tim Don has been one of the most successful athletes with an impressive globetrotting career split between short-course and long-course racing!  He is a three times Olympian and four times World Champion in triathlon and duathlon making him an undisputed legend of British triathlon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The most valuable tips for open water swimming really are the simplest ones!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth taking your time to ensure you find a wetsuit that fits well and Zone3 <\/a>certainly know what they are doing when it comes to wetsuits! You wouldn’t go for a run wearing running shoes that are too small or too big, or a ride a bike like a barn door if you\u2019re 5\u20194\u2026as they say \u2013 try before you buy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s certainly worth trying out a few different wetsuits too. Some are designed to keep you warm in cold conditions<\/a>, whilst others aim to offer extra flexibility or extra buoyancy. The best one for you is the correct fit with the best properties for what you want the wetsuit for. You may want to lean on the side of thermal wetsuits around this time of year for those Christmas swims! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Before you Swim:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is always worth putting on some anti-chafing balm. Your neck and under your arms are areas you need to apply this, particularly if you are wearing a race suit underneath. This is especially important if you are swimming in the sea, as salt water can really chafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some small things will go a long way to making the whole experience much more enjoyable. I would recommend taking some flip flops so you can walk to the waters edge, and it’s essential to put some anti-fog into your goggles as this will go a long way to improving your sighting in the open water. I always wear a bright swim cap<\/a> and if the current and swell is big, I wear a safety buoy<\/a> around my waist for extra visibility. Take a bag to put all your wet kit in after your swim, maybe have a warm hat or a big parka robe<\/a> if you know you will be cold after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ZONE3 SWIM SAFETY BUOY \/ TOW FLOAT – 28L<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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ZONE3 SILICONE SWIM CAP – 48G<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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ZONE3 POLAR FLEECE PARKA ROBE JACKET<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Entering the water:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Enter the water slowly and get used to the water. If you are new to swimming in open water and feeling nervous, don\u2019t stress about everyone around you, take your time and get comfortable in the water before you start to swim. I recommend having a session or set plan ready and I always do my open water swims on time, not distance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a good idea to get in and only do a small warm up, as come race day it is very rare that you can do any swim warm up at all. It is important to train to race; mimic a race day situation in training so come the big day, it is service as normal. Due to the new rolling start to most big races, it will benefit you to be used to the process of getting in and just swimming at race pace with no warmup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work on sighting when you are swimming \u2018hard\u2019 or at least at race pace and not just when you are swimming easy. It\u2019s better to train to race, not train to train, so you need to practice the things we need to do in races, in training. Pick a point, such as a buoy on the horizon, to swim to. You want to swim from A to B in as straight line as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swimming with others of a similar ability can really heighten your training. Get in the hustle and bustle and practice swimming on feet or swimming round people. Swim tight and not in a loose group, just like a race situation. You could also take it in turns to lead the group and sit in on the feet or hip, this way when it comes to race day you will be used to the larger groups around you. By swimming on the feet, you can save up to 30% energy\u2026 think about that, it\u2019s like drafting on the bike but its legal in the water! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Leaving the water:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished your swim, do the last few 100m at pace and add in some extra kicks to get some of that blood into your legs so you are ready to hit dry land, and really take your wetsuit off quickly, a race simulation so to speak. It makes so much sense to practice this and then work out how to do it at a faster pace. Practice makes perfect right, and in a race, you will be so much more stressed in transition (trust me) so let\u2019s take some of that away by having a routine, a flow, a process to smooth out that transition one and get you ready for the bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And remember to enjoy your swim, whether it be river, lake, sea or even a pond, get in and have a go! We all have to start somewhere, and you will be surprised how friendly everyone is at your swim venue, so if you are not sure, ask questions, that\u2019s the beauty about Triathlon and open water swimming, it\u2019s such a community-based sport, we are in it together and loving it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shop All Zone3 Here!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Shop Open Water Swimming Here! <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Tim Don\u2019s Tips for Swimming in the Open Water Tim Don has been one of the most successful athletes with an impressive globetrotting career split between short-course and long-course racing!  He is a three times Olympian and four times World Champion in triathlon and duathlon making him an undisputed legend of British triathlon. 1. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[669,668],"tags":[667,679,680,665],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wild-swimming","category-zone3","tag-open-water-swimming","tag-the-board-base","tag-tim-don","tag-zone3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theboardbase.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}