Start open water swimming - Looking after yourself

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Sunday, 07 March 2010 14:38

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safety

Swimming alone in open water is not a good idea - ever. Always do your best to swim either with at least one partner or where there are people (yachties, surfski paddlers, surfers) close at hand who can assist you should you get into difficulty. Having the luxury of a support boat following you in long open water swims is top prize.
For the smaller detail, if you're swimming between 10am and 3pm, don't forget sunscreen. You can still get fried by the sun even if the water is cool!

fuel yourself

For your training sessions in the pool, take along a water bottle with your regular sports drink and sip between sets. Drinking while swimming long open water events is not possible unless there are feed stations. Make sure you are well-hydrated before events longer than 5km and fuel up with an energy drink and a small snack. Don't eat too much or you may feel uncomfortable during the swim.