THE TRIATHLETE’S GUIDE TO Cold Water SWIMMING
This year will go down as one of the weirdest – and most difficult – in triathlon history. Amidst the restrictions, cancellations and uncertainty, though, I’m sure I’m not the only triathlete to find that right from when venues reopened, open-water swimming has offered a way to find calm amid the chaos. But with the off-season approaching, should we carry on in open-water? Or head back to the (socially-distanced) pools?
Extending your open-water season and swimming through the colder months has multiple benefits (more on that later), but the stumbling block for many is that cold water can be unpleasant at best – and dangerous at worst.
I’ll level with you – me and the cold have history, so my personal fears are not unfounded. At the 2018 ÖtillÖ Thousand Lakes race in Germany I ended up hypothermic and under a foil blanket (according to the race medic, seeing fairies in the water isn’t normal). Then last year I managed to crack a rear molar in a race when I couldn’t stop my teeth chattering (it later had to be extracted).
But the thing is, I really want to be good at cold-water swimming. Every year, I’m envious of people who swim all year, seeing them enjoying the physical and mental benefits of
