Transitioning to front crawl in open water

Armed with her new ZONE3 open water kit, competition winner Miaya Dangol KC is learning front crawl and preparing for her first swim event this September. She shares the highs, challenges and lessons from her training so far.

Excited is an understatement, when I received my parcel from ZONE3. My kit contained: the Advance wetsuit, a branded swimming costume, a tow float, Microfibre robe, not one, but two googles, a beautiful teal transition bag, a water bottle, two swimming caps, and most importantly – an ‘anti chafing’ stick. Thank you, ZONE 3. Like a little child with a new toy, I was so excited to go for a swim with my new kit.   

Initially, my training was in the swimming pool where I was practising my technique, especially my front crawl. I have been watching swimming videos and getting other swimming friends/staff to give me tips. I am getting better at front crawl, but I was really awful before, so anything would be an improvement. I attend a swim fit class at the gym, and the class instructor, Terri Durrant, complimented me on my improvement in breaststroke. This really boosted my morale. I still have a lot to do to improve my front crawl, but as it is work in progress, I am optimistic.

Adjusting to the cold

As I haven’t cold water swam for a while, I started adjusting my showers from hot water, reducing by a couple of degrees at a time, to acclimatise to the cold water. 

The weather has been a lot warmer, and with all my new gear in, I had no excuses. In fact with the recent heatwave, I have really appreciated the cold water. I arranged to meet a few of my Swimmerbolts friends, at Quays Swim in Surrey. The Quays is such a beautiful lake, and the staff and community are so friendly. They know me as the ‘picnic lady’, as after we finish the swim I always unpack a picnic to enjoy together. That is one of my highlights of open water swimming – there has to be something to look forward to after the swim. A form of treat.  What could be a better treat than eating with a serene lake view?  

A helpful spotter

I tried my wetsuit on for the first time, and it fit perfectly. My friend Hannah is an experienced triathle and I figured if anyone could help me to master my open water swimming technique it would be her. She watched me and gave me some useful tips. I always end up with water up my nose when I front crawl, and my catch is not great, so I expend a lot of energy. But I have tried, and that is the most important part of this challenge. I have seen some small improvements. 

The Advance wetsuit really has made a world of difference, aligning with whichever stroke I want to do at the time. I was super impressed as I headed to the 150m buoy and got a boost of confidence and I made it to the 500m buoys swimming alone. I felt very proud of myself. I am looking forward to making it around the 1000m loops next month. Watch this space.

Stay tuned for more updates on how Miaya is getting on with her swim training and preparing for Swim Serpentine in her new ZONE 3 kit.

ZONE3 design high-performance swim products built through athlete experience, technical precision, and real-world testing. Their mission is to create equipment that delivers speed, efficiency, and confidence in every environment, supporting swimmers of all levels with proven performance they can rely on. Find out more