Making and Breaking Waves

Gulp&Go Open Water Swimming

Blog Post 10

Stephen Clendenin

04/18/11

Making and Breaking Waves

            Breaking waves is like breaking new boundaries. Each stroke you take that breaks you through a wave is like breaking through some new challenge. It’s another step closer to the end goal. You feel your body climb, and then it suddenly dips back down. It is an endless see-saw motion that most people find nauseating, and somewhat scary. You have no control over the waves. But there is something you do have control over: your body.

            When first going out into an open water race, the first and last obstacle you will encounter is the breakers. That’s the point near the shore where the waves are breaking, sending splashes and plumes of white water everywhere, all around your body, creeping into your ears, mouth, and nose. It takes timing and lots of exhaling to keep yourself from choking on water. There are plenty of ways to avoid this. Firstly, there is seeking. Seeking is when the swimmer lifts their head just enough so their eyes are out of the water, watching the approaching waves. If the wave is a good distance away, then in the same motion, the swimmer swivels their head to the side and grabs a quick breath. Seeking is done throughout the swim as a way of looking where you are as well.

            When you are heading into breakers however, the best option is to take a quick dunk under the wave, and let it break overtop of you. So instead of wasting energy and fighting through the wave, you can easily slip through. Some people prefer to power through the waves because swimming above the water takes less time than going under it. But if you are like me, and prefer to not to get water-logged, going under is an easy way to work on breath control.

            Once you get past the breakers, depending on the weather, the waves should be much calmer and easier to get through by simply seeking, and breathing when a wave is not right on top of you.

            When I swim, I don’t focus a lot on strength, powering through the water like an animal. I focus on the feel. I love the feel of the calm sloshing of the waves slipping down my arms, past my side, and back across my legs in a smooth, fluent motion. If I feel sluggish, I know that my technique is off, or I could be tired. That can easily be fixed by changing up the technique and giving the mind something fresh to think about and focus on. But the feel is so important. It has taken me years of hard work and training to get to know my body. That is sometimes the hardest part. You need to be feeling each part of your body work and move along so that everything can slip through the water with ease. Know your body.

Know Your Course

Gulp&Go Open Water Swimming

Author: Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

04/10/11

Blog Post #9

Know Your Course

There are over 3,000 sanctioned open water swimming clinics, camps, tours, races, and events in 158 countries. There are distances varying from a single mile, to a marathon in the water. The terrain varies from the tropical paradises of Barbados, to the frozen tundra of the arctic (popularly called ‘Polar Bear Swims’). Where there is water, people swim. Common places such as the English Channel, the Hudson River, or the Cole Classic (Australia) usually host thousands of swimmers yearly. To date, the world’s largest mass participation open water swimming event is the Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival in central Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake (Jih Yueh Tan in Taiwanese) has between 18,500 and 22,000 swimmers take on the 3.3 kilometer distance. Imagine all that white water, the flailing limbs, and perhaps even the hungrily awaiting sharks sitting at the bottom of the lake, waiting for some unfortunate soul to be lost among the mass of swimmers. I shudder to think. But truly, the likelihood of that happening is not nearly as high as the Rottnest Channel Swim. True to its name, this open water swim is a 19.2 kilometer struggle through some of the strongest currents in Western Australia. This swim is also known as having some of the most abundant amounts of marine life to deal with. In my own limited personal experience of marine life in open water swims, I think I was stung by a jellyfish in a tiny spot just under my bicep. In that same race, my friend Brad became entangled in the slimy clutches of a Portuguese Man-of-War. The PM-O-W is among the top ten most deadly jellyfish in the oceans. Its tentacles can grow up to one hundred and sixty five feet long, and are filled with venom that create whip-like welts on the skin (lasting two or three days) and can be extremely painful. Upon exiting the water, my friend Brad was immediately taken and doused with hot water, given lots of medicine to rub on his skin (it was green and looked like twice-digested algae). Not to worry though, he lived, and enjoys telling the story much more than I do. But ANYWAY, the point of that story is: always be aware of the course. Moments before getting in, the lifeguards had posted a warning, telling us that there was dangerous marine life out in the water. Now, warnings such as these may not deter the more hardened open water swimmers, but the smart ones will stay weary. Swimmers who swim the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim need to be aware that when circumnavigating Manhattan Island, they will be dealing with 28.5 miles of temperatures between sixty-four and sixty-seven degrees, various flotsam and jetsam, and who knows what else. Know the course you are getting into when you join an open water swim.

Night Swimming

Gul&Go Open Water Swimming: Blog Post 8

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

04/04/11

 Night Swimming

Open water swimming is a daring sport at times. Out in the elements, waves crashing, sea creatures swarming, freezing cold temperatures, it is enough to make one quiver at the thought. And just when it could not get any crazier, imagine doing open water swimming at night. Looking out over the horizon, all you see is the dim reflection of the moon (if it’s out) being caught by the rippling waves. The sand is significantly colder, but that is the least of your worries. The ocean is an untamed element. That is part of what makes it so mysterious and frightening. There is so much that could happen to you while you swim. Add that to the darkness of night, and it might give you chills. Night time can be like the ocean: you can’t see too far into it, and there are strange things out there that you don’t know about. Night time open water swimming is for the swimmers who are braver than most, and smarter than most. You don’t just go running into the ocean at the stroke of midnight and hope you somehow make it back to shore someplace. It takes some careful thinking and preparation.

            Mentally, it is a battle. All the fear and uncertainty that can creep into your gut and make you wimp out must be blocked by your own will power, and the knowledge of cold hard facts. Now when you think of swimming at night, you might think that it would be much colder than swimming during the day. In a way that’s true, but only out of the water. The temperature of the water generally does not change, just the air temperature. And if you’re worried about visibility, be smart and take precautions. Don’t use those nice mirrored goggles that block the sun. Get some clear goggles that are un-tinted. Oh, and of course, DON’T SWIM ALONE. The roughest part of swimming in the dark will probably be the landing. When you are coming up on shore, you want to be able to know where you are and see what you’re doing, so make sure you have someone waiting for you at your finish point with plenty of lighted markers.

            For this, know what equipment you need. Don’t be foolish and just go for it without some kind of lighted beacon. There are three types of lights you can use during the swim: pencil-shaped light-sticks (battery operated), a disc-light to place on top of your head (it has a strap, or attaches to the back of your goggles), and of course, glow sticks. And of course, DON’T SWIM ALONE.

            These are just some helpful tips and rules for people who are gearing up to swim an individual or group marathon swim. Nick Adams is a brilliant swimmer who swam the English Channel at night, and has some more facts about it on this site. Check it out before you decide to diving into the ocean after the sun has set. And for information on other awesome open water swimmers, check out the Swimtrek Guides page.

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.