Wetsuits

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

03/28/11

Wetsuits

            Having owned and worn various versions of wetsuits, I find them to be not only practical for swimming in colder open waters, but also incredibly fun. It is much like slipping on an outer layer of skin, soft and rubbery, like the hide of a leopard seal. The better quality body suits, such as those made by Blue70, are more expensive, and take about thirty minutes of tugging, sweating, and grunting to get on, but the payoff is incredible. Not only do they keep most of the body heat insulated and contained, but they also save on energy. They are much like the Hybrid Prius of swim suits. Other more bulky suits are like the hummers of swim suits. They are thick, bulky, unnatural, but keep the swimmer completely insulated and warm. There are various types and shapes of wetsuits, depending on the need of the swimmer. Some prefer that their entire body be covered, and therefore are covered from wrist to neck to ankle in sleek rubber skin. Others just need something to keep their chest warm, so they use the shoulder to thigh suit that many surfers employ. But the big question is do they work? In competitions the more streamlined design of the suit, the better. There is less resistance. But that is only a sideline perk of the suit. The real reason people go out and spend a hundred bucks on the high-tech suit is for energy-saving benefits. When a swimmer gets tired, the first thing to go is always the legs. The kick slows down, and the legs begin to sink. The suit changes that. If the material is made of thicker, then the legs will remain floating. Or, depending on the speed of the swimmer, the water will rush around and through the suit, buoying the swimmer’s body to the surface, much like a kite catching a gust of air. This means that the swimmer does not have to exert as much energy into their kick or arms to keep their body afloat. The suit helps the swimmer stay horizontal.

            While there are numerous benefits to the wetsuit, the one danger that is often not taken into account is over-heating. The wetsuit itself is great for keeping the swimmer’s body insulated, but when it’s summer and ninety-five degrees in the sunny waters of Southern Florida, that thick black rubber can become dangerous. Like an egg left in the sun, whatever’s inside the suit will begin to cook. So if you are trying to figure out if you need a wetsuit for your next open water swim, there is just one thing you need to be sure to check out beforehand: water temperature. If it’s going to be cold, consider it. If it’s going to be warm, then that sunlight will feel mighty good after a cool dip in the ocean.  

Swimming To Infinity (and possibly beyond)

Gulp&Go Open Water Swimming

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

03/20/11

Blog Post #6

Swimming to Infinity (and possibly beyond)

            When you walk up to the middle aged man wearing a jammer, goggles, a number on his shoulder, and a huge smile on his face, and ask him why on earth he is about to go jumping into water that is seventy degrees or lower, he will probably give you answer you by asking you the same question. People do it because they love it. Many open water swimmers will speak about that feeling of being totally limitless. When they are in the ocean they can go anywhere. There is a sort of freedom that comes with the challenge of getting out there and swimming against the current. Another swimmer with longer hair and a couple of tattoos might tell you that they’re ‘bonding with nature.’ No harm in that. The ocean is wild and very much untamed. While other swimmers stick to their puddles built into concrete holes, and other athletes compete on manicured squares of grass, open water swimmers, like the dog-sledders of Alaska, are out in the elements. Fighting for breath against the crashing dark green waves, these athletes know how it is to live. Some will tell you that they have grown tired of the safe yet numb environment of the gym. They see them as limitations. I prefer to see them as training trials that must be overcome to truly succeed and break into the ocean waters.

For many other swimmers it is also a way to escape. They go diving out into the water to find for themselves a place to focus. In many ways, the raging and crashing of the ocean waves forces the swimmer to hold their calm. It is like chaos breeding serenity within the mind. Hearing the constant hum of the ocean in the ear and feeling the water ripple across the skin is an unforgettable experience. There are no membership cards, no sweat-stained locker rooms, and no smelly gear bags to drag around. There is only the open horizon and a sea of possibility.

Featured Record Holder:

            On June 1^st, 1998, Susie Maroney swam from Mexico to Cuba in thirty-eight hours and thirty-three minutes. She covered one hundred and twenty two miles without flippers, out in the open ocean, making her the record holder for longest distance ever swum without flippers. She holds the fastest two-way English Channel Crossing (England à France à England) with a time of seventeen hours and fourteen minutes. She was seventeen when she achieved that. She hold numerous other records, and is a fantastic swimmer in her own right. Now a mother, her time as a swimmer is over, but her name still stands as one of the greatest open water swimmers of all time.

Fuel

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

03/14/11

Fuel

Open water swimming requires months of training and mental toughness, but to truly be successful, one needs to keep up a healthy body and healthy lifestyle, in and out of the water. During prolonged exercise, the body's fuel deposits are used to provide energy for the muscular contractions. The primary fuel sources for the body are fat and carbohydrate. During the long and often grueling races that take place out in the open water, large quantities of fuel will be burned to sustain the effort. The average competitive swimmer must eat between 3,000 and 6,000 calories a day, but there is something far more important and easy for any athlete to do, and that is stay hydrated. 60% of the human body weight is water.  Believe it or not, dehydration can be a problem in swimming, especially if the air and water temperature is warm. Now that is not always the case in open water swimming, but the same principles apply. Sweating is the body’s main mechanism for cooling itself, and even though most swimmers practice in the water, a swimmer can still lose a lot of body water from sweating. Dehydration robs the body of its primary means to cool itself and generate energy. A rule of thumb is to drink every fifteen minutes during practice, and drink 2-8oz glasses of water for every pound of weight that is lost during exercise. Drinking water and staying hydrated builds energy, and replenishes the body’s essential fluids. Without proper hydration, a swimmer’s body could shut down during a race. Water carries minerals, proteins, vitamins, and nutrients through the body to where it needs to go. The better hydrated the body is, the better it functions.

However, one of the mistakes many athletes make is over-hydration. Nutritionists and coaches the world over tell their athletes to keep drinking until they need to urinate during their events to avoid dehydration. While dehydration has a terrible effect on an athlete's effectiveness, over-hydration can be just as bad. Water, by its nature is great at carrying other substances into our bodies, but when a swimmer over-hydrates, all those vitamins, proteins, and minerals that they worked so hard to put in their bodies are carried away by all that water they're passing through their body and into the toilet. Another rule of thumb is that if the swimmer has to urinate more than once every two hours, they're over hydrated and losing effectiveness both in and out of the water. By cutting back a little on the water, the swimmer will be able to recover from over-hydration.

When preparing for an open water swim, it is best to avoid milk, soda, and orange juice at least twenty four hours before the race. It is best not to drink those extra calories or risk the acidic side effects of a fruit juice (no matter how healthy it is), and especially not the hard-to-digest side effects of dairy products. Sodas are a really bad idea because they can leave the swimmer feeling bloated, gaseous, and jittery with sugar and caffeine. Water keeps the swimmer hydrated without additional calories or unexpected side-effects. Depending on the length of the open water swim, it is best to try and get some water and nutrients sometime during the race, especially if the race is over ten miles long. Drinking water often is a healthy life choice for everyone, and especially for open water athletes. The hard part is often not just drinking the water, but avoiding other junk-products that can hurt the swimmer’s system if take too close to race time. That’s where the mental toughness comes in. The best of the best are always on their game, in the water, and out of it. Stay strong, stay hydrated, and keep swimming.

Slipstream

Stephen Clendenin
English 202, Writing About Sports

03/06/11

Slipstream
In the wide world of swimming, most people find drafting to be an effective way of keeping up with somebody in front, while not doing quite as much work. When swimmers catch a draft, it is much like a cyclist catches a draft. They ride almost directly behind the cyclist in front of them, using that cyclist as a shield against the wind. The same can be said for open water swimmers. By swimming close on the heels of somebody in front, that swimmer can catch hold of water that is already moving. The swimmer in front may have their eyes on any bumps and bangs that creep up, but they have to break the water and waves themselves, and this uses a lot of much needed energy. The swimmer drafting along in the slip stream on the other hand, can conserve energy until the right moment, and then use that extra reserve to help them slip past the swimmer in front. Open water swimmers are able to calculate how hard their working by using their pulse. A swimmer who is going against the waves might have a heart rate of about 160. A swimmer who is drafting will go the same speed, but only have a heart rate of about 140. Conserving energy is what drafting is all about. Plus, the swimmer in back only has to focus on the swimmer in front's feet, and doesn't need to worry about where they're going. "Drafting reduces energy expenditure by a marked reduction of resistive forces against a swimmer." This lessening of resistance makes for a better swim all around.

The best place for drafting is in the bubbles given off by the swimmer in front. Another rule of thumb: find a swimmer with a strong kick to swim behind. The slipstream created will be better. Be aware however, that once the swimmer behind touches the swimmer in front's feet, the swimmer in front knows they're there, and may decide to try and break away.