It’s time to start planning your summer of swimming

Brush up on your open water skills and plan ahead now to make the most of summer swimming season, says Simon Griffiths

Despite recent growth in year-round activity, outdoor swimming will always be seasonal. As the weather and water warms up, the amount of kit we need decreases and the distances we can swim increase. Back when we started Outdoor Swimmer in 2011, winter dipping was very much a minority and eccentric pursuit. We looked forward to venues opening and lifeguards returning to beaches in April and May.

Now so many people swim outside all year, this transition to the ‘open water season’ generates less excitement but it’s still worth noting. For one thing, not everyone chooses to or can swim outside all year. Second, it’s the start of that brief window (if you live in the UK) for events and long swimming challenges.

We only have about 16 to 20 weekends each year suitable for open water racing and long swims. Take away a few for holidays, family outings and the possibility that you might want to do something other than swimming. This might leave you with 10 or fewer weekends for swimming events. I recommend planning now to ensure you make the most of them.

How to choose your swims

You could start by reflecting on why you swim and what you want to get out of it. You could have many reasons. Mine include seeing new places, doing challenging things, spending time with friends and staying fit. Then, list the types of swims you would like to do. For me, those include: a big challenge swim (I’m doing Ultraswim 33.3 in May); a medium-length self organised adventure swim with friends; a family walking and wild swimming trip; at least one event I haven’t done before (I’m doing the Dart 10k for the first time in September) and a couple of swimruns. The next challenge is coordinating calendars with everyone else involved, finding the events you want to do on dates you can actually do them, and booking it all in. It doesn’t just happen!

Make it happen

Once you have lined up what you’re going to do, you need to ensure you’re fit enough and have everything you need. A good place to start is to review your kit. If you packed your wetsuit away for winter, check its condition and whether it still fits. Do you need new goggles? I like to have a nearly new pair for events. Is your tow float still air-tight?

Have your open water skills got rusty over winter? If your main stroke is front crawl, check how straight you swim. Even if you’re skilled at sighting, you can get out of practice. Frequent sighting puts strain on your neck, shoulders, lower back and hips. Make sure they can handle it. Also, if you haven’t worn a wetsuit in a while, those first few swims may feel heavy on your shoulders. Finally, if you’re going to be racing, have you dialled in your pacing and worked on drafting? Both are worth doing if you want to optimise performance.

There are hundreds of things you can do with swimming over the summer but your weekends are limited. Set your priorities and get organised now.

Photo: © Mark Lloyd_ UltraSwim 33.3