Hello everyone! I’ve talked about pool and open water swimming, so for this post I will share with you my Tips & Tricks for ice swimming. Hope you enjoy and find this post helpful.
- What is Ice Swimming?
It is swimming in water temperatures of 5C or less. Swimmers are only allowed to wear a pair of goggles, one silicon swim hat and a standard swimsuit, no wetsuits or grease/Vaseline allowed! In competition swimmers cannot do tumble/flip turns, only touch turns (one or both hands touch the wall and then the push off the wall), this is for safety reasons as swimmers should not submerge as we are dealing with cold water, it can disorientate people easily.
- How I progressed into Ice Swimming:
Like I mentioned in one of my previous post (My Pathway) I started off swimming competitively in the pool, then open water, later venturing into ice swimming after being asked if I’d consider partaking. After taking time to consider ice swimming I decided in December 2018 to go for it.
- Training/Acclimatizing for Ice Swimming:
Acclimatizing to cold water was the key part for me. I started slowly by taking cold showers, training in a cold lake and ice baths. My training was goal specific, to allow me to cope with –0C water temperature, as I was training to compete in the 3rd Ice Swimming World Championship 2019 in Murmansk, Russia. My training helped me physically prepare to race in cold water, I was equally mentally prepared to race.
Tip: Cold water effects everyone differently, it is important to know when your body is at its limit and get out of the cold water. Simply even saying/thinking 1+1=2 to see if you are still mentally aware, if you find yourself struggling, you should get out as quickly as possible to warm up.
- How to cope with swimming in Ice/Cold Water:
I won’t beat around the bush, swimming in cold water is a challenge, the hard part is warming up afterwards. It is important to know that coping with cold water involves being mentally and physically prepared before, during and after swim and being able to warm-up effectively. This is a trial and error process as everyone is unique and copes with the cold differently. There are different methods of warming up after a swim. For me I warm-up best naturally, sometimes with a hot water-bottle. I know other ice swimmers who like to warm up in saunas and jacuzzis. Training is a great way to mentally as well as physically prepare to cope with the cold water, each time depending on the water temperature, push to stay in the water for longer periods of time to get use to swimming in the cold water.
Trick: Get a some of cold water and pour it down your back, from the neck down. This helps the nervous system and body quickly adjust to cold water temperatures. Another trick would be to put your face in the water and blow bubbles, this helps control your breathing. I found both of these tricks to be most effective.
I hope these Tips & Tricks helped you gain a better understanding ice swimming. Hope you enjoyed the post and stay tuned for more upcoming posts! Don’t forget to hit the follow button!
Swimming Tips & Tricks 