We we were blessed with one of the best days I have ever experienced in Langebaan. It is the middle of May, normally associated with single digit temperatures and pouring rain in the Western Cape of South Africa, however, yesterday we had 30°C air temperatures and a fresh 13°C water temperature for the annual Around The Island Swim 2013.
I have taken a new approach to Open Water Racing this season, and have tried to avoid the extreme cold of the West Coast of Cape Town. I have found that the fitter I have become, the leaner I have gotten and the direct result of this is a lower threshold to the cold water. After a bit of persuasion from my training partner, Richard Willmore, I decided to join him at Camps Bay for this years Human Rights Day swim 2013.
Rich came to pick me up at 06h30, we headed off to Newlands pool for our regular training session. I managed to fit a very comfortable 5,5km before we packed up and headed on to Camps Bay for our “Main Set”, the 5km Human Rights Day Swim. This years event featured an 800m swim, a 1 mile swim and a 5km swim.
Over the last few months I have had numerous requests to host an Open Water Swimming Skills session for both Open Water Swimmers and Triathletes. I have been privelaged enough to have attended a host of Open Water clinics myself and I feel it is time for me to share a couple of the tips and secrets I have learned over the last few years.
The plan is to cover a few crucial areas of Open Water Swimming, providing tips that will hopefully save you time and energy whilst you are out there in the water.
Open Water Swimming Tips
Feel free to contact me on the details above in order to book your place.
Where: Silvermine Dam (at the top of Ou Kaapse Weg)
When: Saturday 16 March 2013
Time: 14h00 Start
24 September, Heritage Day or as South Africans like to call it, National Braai (barbecue) Day. The event this year was slightly different to normal, an option of either a 1 mile or 3 mile race. In previous years it had been either 2.5km or 5km. The course is set up as a 1 mile triangular loop alongside the world famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. The course is set out in a Clockwise direction, starting from the Oceana Powerboat club. This race offers spectacular views of both Table Mountain and the magnificent Cape Town stadium, built for the 2010 soccer World Cup. The water was slightly warmer than usual in the Atlantic Ocean, sitting at around 15 deg C.
Oceana Powerboat Club and Cape Town Stadium Continue reading