Compared pool swimming to open water swimming and it was night and day

I trained all winter at the YMCA pool near my house in Columbus. Did 500 laps easy. Thought I was ready. Then I did my first open water swim at a local reservoir last Saturday. Within 2 minutes I was panicking, couldn't see the bottom, and my breathing went all over the place. Pool swimming is way easier because of the lane lines and clear sighting. Anyone else get blindsided by open water or did you prepare differently?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.seth11d ago

Man, that sounds rough but I bet a lot of people can relate to that panic. What nobody really talks about is how pool swimming trains you for controlled repetition, not the constant micro-adjustments you have to make in open water (like suddenly having to breathe on your weak side because of a wave). The biggest difference for me was realizing I had to stop fighting the water and just let the chop push me around a bit instead.

diana31411d ago

So you basically had to learn the hard way like most of us? I had the same shock when I tried my first lake swim after months in a pool. It's a whole different animal when you can't see the bottom and the water decides where you go.