Hitting the open water...

As many of you know I swim quite a bit as part of my new lifestyle. Of the three disciplines in triathlon it is definitely the one I work the most at. I am part of a masters class that swims three mornings a week at 5am. We have about 5 or 6 of us that regularly show up, and we have a coach that puts us through a workout. The workout is done at an indoor pool which definitely has it advantages, but also its disadvantages.

It is nice because it is a controlled environment, so you can always get your workout in regardless of the weather conditions. You are the only one at the pool at the time so you don't have to worry about crossing paths with other people. And it is much easier to keep track of exactly the distances you swam. On the other hand though, swimming back and forth for 50 meters at a time can become very repetitive and boring. With nothing to look at but the line on the bottom of the pool it definitely takes more concentration to stay focused and not let your mind wander. In fact I haven't concentrated so hard on a following a straight line since the last time I got pulled over driving home from the bar, but I digress....

Well my pool that I go to had originally been scheduled to be closed down for two weeks for yearly maintenance. That wasn't going to be a huge deal because I was going to be out of town part of the time, and I still had my weekend group training sessions out at the lake. Well we are about to go into 4 weeks of it being closed and we still don't have a date when class is going to start back up again. While most people would bitch and moan, I have taken it as a chance to work more on my open water swimming.

Although most of the same form and mechanics are the same, open water swimming vs pool swimming is a completely different animal. You have to worry about sighting to make sure you go in a straight line. The more you zig zag, you are just adding more length onto your distance. You also have to worry about the conditions. Is it cloudy? Is it sunny? Are you swimming straight into the sun? Is it windy? All things which can effect how you handle the swim.

But at the same time open water swimming can be some of the most peaceful swimming you can have. I have been getting out to the lake before sunrise so I can hit the water the minute it gets light enough. Most days I am the only person out there that early, and there is nothing more serene then looking out along the glass like lake as you walk into the water.

Soon enough my pool will be open again, and it will be back to the hamster style workouts of swimming laps. Don't get me wrong those are great workouts, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them, but in the meantime I am definitely going to take advantage of the early morning lake swims as long as I can. Cause on some mornings there is nothing better than hitting the open water....