This is an updated version of a post from a few years ago on following marathon swims online, with the specifics mostly aimed at English Channel swimming. This is mostly for those unfamiliar with following a swim and I’ll try to explain a couple of anticipated questions before they arise. Channel swimming is a sport…
Varne Ridge Caravan Park is such a personal part of the Channel swimming experience for myself and so many others that it is impossible to contemplate a Dover visit without Varne (as it is called) being an integral part. Every Channel swimming or crewing trip of mine to date (and I’m losing count) has involved…
I’ve written a couple of previous annual posts reviewing various goggles, (one, two) that I’ve used, of which it seems there have been quite a few. (There are few greater swimming pleasures than wearing brand new goggles!) I am a relatively recent user to Swedish googles (aka Swedes), I’ve been wearing them for less than…
During the summer of 2013 I indexed all the cold and cold water swimming How Tos for your easy perusal. This time I am indexing the HowTo articles, each again getting a brief description. HOWTO be an open water swimmer… One of the first posts on loneswimmer.com HOWTO: Open water swim tips for beginners open water swimmers…
It’s a long time since I mentioned this subject but we do need to talk about this. Really. Do you shower before swimming in an (indoor)? If not, why not? Do you pee in the pool? In two UK and US studies, 1 in 5 adults admitted they have and in the UK study 70%…
This list below was originally based on Freda Streeter’s English Channel check-list though it has evolved quite substantially. I’ve reorganised the PDF by swimmer/crew/feeds/travel for ease of use. By the third version I added version numbers so you can keep track. Major changes for June 2013 (Ver 3.0) include a new Travel section. The list includes some…
This follows up Part 1 and Part 2 of common triathlon swimming techniques and remedies, and Evan’s tips on the best use of a public pool for training and a simple effective front crawl stroke tip. I’ve written various How To’s about different aspects of open water swimming in detail. This post is intended to…
Following on from Part 1; Scissors-kick This is common and may be partially caused by increased thigh strength built up by running and cycling training. The legs kick wide, passing outside the silhouette of the body as seen from the front and adds very significant drag. In an elite sprint swimmer the kick only provides 15% of…
This post is one of a combined series of triathlon swim articles with Evan Morrison. Evan is a top American open water and marathon swimmer who holds several long distance records including Santa Barbara and the Ederle marathon swims. His article considers some common mistakes people make while pool swim training (not technique errors) and how to improve.…
With the Northern hemisphere open water season getting underway, and temperatures in many locations edging around the magic number, (10C/50F) , open water related questions inevitably arise as each year brings new swimmers and more triathletes. A common question is some variation of: I want to swim 1.5k/3k/3k/10k, can I do it or what should…
Because I live and swim in Ireland, I am constantly made aware of the large tidal range here. I’ve written extensively about tides previously because I feel they are an aspect of open water swimming not appreciated by enough swimmers and because global variations can mean that many people never see nor even realise the…
The variety and utility of different breathing patterns for open water swimming is a subject of different concerns to pool swimming, as with so much of our side of the swimming sport. I once read an US coach who said about breathing patterns; “if they gave medals for bilateral breathing, I’d coach bilateral breathing“. I…
Beginning or intermediate swimmers considering a long or marathon swim nearly always start with two area of concern: Worrying about their capacity to endure cold water, and asking what training is required. I’ve covered cold water extensively, probably more so than elsewhere, and will continue to so do as long as I find things to…
I think I may have reached a new level of banality with this one. Or have I? Can I get more banal? After all, I’ve previously told you how to wash your swimsuit. And yet when ever I write a banal HowTo post, it ends up being useful to someone. Funnily enough, at MIMS this…
(Apologies to the subscribers who got three unfinished versions of this on Saturday. I was sick for a few days and should have stayed away from the computer, especially after the first mistaken post). Feed schedules for long swims are often discussed amongst swimmers, but for some reason we are reticent to show them, possibly…
In a world of short attention spans, why write one post when I can write two three? 🙂 I had intended the previous post on Moderate and Severe Hypothermia to include diagnosing hypo in swimmers, and what to do when it happens. In fact that was how I started writing this series originally. And I’m…
Previous article: Understanding hypothermia in swimmers: Mild hypothermia. Moderate hypothermia is obviously more serious than Mild hypothermia which I covered previously in the first part of this series. I’m always a bit bemused by the medical terminology of hypothermia. Many serious open water swimmers will have experienced moderate hypothermia and can tell you there’s nothing moderate about it.…
When all fails and I am at a loss for something to write about, I can write about cold, my favourite subject. Especially in the context of Cork Distance Week coming in two weeks, when we had a few people pulled from the water with hypothermia last year. For anyone involved in open water swimming…
When writing the article on how to swim in rough water, I acknowledged that it’s an area I need to do a bit more about. And the popularity of the post caught me a bit by surprise, as it always does when such happens. But I wasn’t sure what I could do next. After all…
When talking to different open water swimmers one often find that they may highlight different skills and areas on which they believe it’s important to focus. Since I’ve written a lot about cold, it’s a safe assumption (and correct) that subject is one of mine. But there’s another I don’t write about enough, parly because it’s…
I’ve been picking up pain in my left shoulder for the past couple of weeks again, so I’ve just started doing a little Theraband work, good old swimmer’s shoulder. Therabands are just large elastic (latex) bands, categorised according to resistance/strength, which can be used to isolate and work specific muscles. The colour indicates the amount…
We put ourselves through torture, pain and injury and that’s a good day. And we do it obviously in and around one of the most dangerous environments on earth. So you need to be somewhat prepared. Obligatory IANAD (I am not a Doctor) disclaimer! Warning: In this post I will using, with no shame, terminology…
Evan did a great 4-part series on open water marathon feeding and nutrition. I’ve covered the possible use of Choline supplementation and I’ve a long-standing request in with a friend for a guest post on the subject of further supplementation. Given some questions that have arisen though, it seems we haven’t covered enough of the…
First, Happy Imbolc, the Celtic first day of spring, more commonly known as St. Brigit’s Day and also known as Candlemas. Pool and marathon swimmers use intervals to train. One of the regular misconceptions we come across is the belief that our training involves lots of slogging up and down the pool whereas we train…
You know, right? All those towels ready for wash, in the wash, drying, hanging up? I thought I’d sort it for you so I wrote this flowchart. On a completely separate note, many of you will know USA swimmer and idol Janet Evans qualified for the 400 & 800 metres in this year’s summer Olympics,…
LoneSwimmer 