Chris B.
In today’s video, I take you on a swim around the lake while offering some tips on open water swimming.
For our first turn, we’re going to skirt the edge of the lily pads before following the contour of the lake north. At water level, the lily pads can be tough to pick up, but you can see the glare of the sun shining off them.
As I close in on the lily pads, I’m going to sight forward and then make the turn. The water’s pretty clear, so I can also see them under the water. After making the turn, I’m going to follow the shore line to the other side of the lake.
While I will sight forward from time to time, I also take cues while side breathing. When I breath towards the shore, I like to see a little bit of sky above the trees. If I see all trees, I’m too close to shore. If I see too much sky, I’m drifting off towards the middle of the lake.
When sighting forward, I try to incorporate my sighting with my breathing. I take my breath, sight forward, then look back down. Get my breath, sight forward, then down. When sighting, I only lift my head high enough to see. Notice that my mouth is still in the water. I’m trying to see where I’m going not get a breath.
Sometimes, I’ll hold the sighting position for more than one stroke, like now as I go past another patch of lilly pads. What am I looking for? Well, in this case, I’m looking for a dock off to the left, and I’m looking for a break in the trees along with a house at the other end of the lake.
Once I reach the corner, this pine tree marks the turn. At the pine, I turn right and follow the shoreline… aiming between two rafts. After I past the first raft, I have another raft and docks dotting the shoreline that I can use as guides. A little farther up, a buoy that marks where another raft is often anchored also acts a good visual aid.
A look back shows how far we’ve come. Once I reach the northeast corner of the lake another tree will mark our turn. I eye this pine tree in the clearing, turn right, and look across the water for more rafts and a tall tree.
I make the turn, and then zoom across the bay. A dozen strokes past the final raft, I turn right before bumping into some lily pads. From here, I’ll follow the shore line to the point, and then head for home.
More docks will guide my way… before the point comes into sight. As I round the point, the light blue canoe and reddish dock light my way to the finish line. The final sprint! Almost there… A few more strokes… Made it!
