Adjust your goggles, wade into a lake and … start swimming!
Calm and silent except for the splash your hand makes as it enters with each stroke and the bubbles with each exhale.
Your arms and legs warm up, your breath deepens with every exhale, the cool water flows past your head and you can’t imagine being anywhere else. You can swim as far as you want and in any direction.
After a chlorinated winter of following a black line at the bottom of a pool and chasing your swim mates up and down in 25-metre lengths, the spaciousness and beauty of testing your fitness out in a lake can’t be beat.
You can add structure into your open water swim by swimming hard for intervals of time, or between shores or buoys and if you are a triathlete it is an excellent chance to practice starting fast in a group.
Comfort and safety:
A well-fitting wetsuit will keep you warm and the buoyancy is a boost for less skilled swimmers.
Tinted goggles help with vision on bright days.
Two swim caps help keep the heat in on chillier mornings.
Take a buddy. The company keeps you motivated and safe.
LifeSport coach Lucy Smith has been competing for more than 30 years as an elite athlete in endurance events from 10km to Ironman triathlon. She is a certified running and triathlon coach and assists athletes of all abilities set goals and reach their potential through sport. For more information go to LifeSport.ca.