cymsteve's Full Review: Penny Dean - Open Water Swimming
BACKGROUND: After completing my first triathlon in June 2000 I was:
(a) amazed that I'd managed to swim 1000m in choppy open water,
(b) somewhat dejected that everyone else in my age-group made it out of the water before me,
(c) aware of how I'd lost time by swimming way off course and
(d) determined to do better in my next race in September.
With all these thoughts in my mind, I searched online for a book that might help and soon came across Open Water Swimming by Penny Lee Dean.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dean's accomplishment's speak for themselves - she is a world record holder in 13 events, she has been swimming open water competitively for 30 years and coached swimming for 22 years. In 1978 she set the world record for swimming the English Channel (her time of 7 hours 40 minutes held for 17 years!) In addition, Dean's world record mark for the Catalina Channel crossing - 22 minutes faster than the fastest male swimmer on record - still stands after more than 20 years. I thought if anyone knows what she's talking about, Dean does, after all I would 'only' be swimming 1000m in the Roanoke Sound.
CHAPTER 1: Dean starts the book by explaining what drives swimmers to pursue open water events, whether it's the swim leg of a triathlon or a 'pure' distance swim. She weighs up whether it's the appeal of conquering the elements or challenging the mind and body to their limits that attracts people into the sport.
CHAPTER 2&3: These 2 chapters deal with safety in the water and what equipment you'll need for your chosen event. She explains about never training alone, adapting to different water temperatures, dehydration and hypothermia, protecting from sunburn and other possible problems that may be encountered. Dean mentions the marine life that you may come across such as seaweed, jellyfish and sharks (am I really doing the right thing I ask myself?!) and also how important it is to watch the weather - the elements are one thing you can't control.
The equipment list is up-to-date and includes swimsuits, wetsuits, goggles, caps and grease. She also goes into details about support crews and boats for the longer events.
CHAPTER 4&5: Here we learn how to find the shortest distance between start and finish - sounds easy but this is where I went badly wrong last time. Dean offers navigation tips for both swimmer and support crew and how important it is to plan your event thoroughly. Most of Chapter 4 is dedicated to the longer distance swims so I skipped most of it and ploughed on to Chapter 5 where I learnt about proper techniques for speed, efficiency and endurance. It also includes drills and tips for adapting your stroke and kick for open water.
CHAPTER 6,7&8: Chapter 6 is quite complex and takes you through developing a goal, the different elements of training (swim, weights, calisthenics, flexibility and cross-training), nutrition and training intensity. There is also much information showing you how to develop your own program and how to evaluate your progress. Excellent charts and tables are included in this chapter. Mind training comes next and Dean shows her experience by sharing motivation tips, how to stay focused, relaxation techniques and positive affirmations. She also explains how to deal with pressure, pain, fear and the all too common injuries that occur. Chapter 8 details many types of race tactics, which can be the difference between a successful race or a disastrous one. Different types of swim starts are mentioned, swimming in a crowd (boy, do I remember all those arms and legs flailing everywhere and that kick in the chin that upset my rhythm in my first triathlon!), drafting, dragging and pacing. Dean's experience makes it all sound so easy but I gain confidence from the fact that many swimmers have gone through what I've felt in the water.
CHAPTER 9: Onto chapter 9 which covers the final preparations needed as race day approaches. She covers tapering your training, equipment checks, shaving, prerace meals and also nutrition both during and after the race.
SUMMARY: Dean writes with a passion that comes from her true love and knowledge of the sport. It gave me much confidence to read her thoughts and ideas and I was soon putting into practice what I'd learnt. As a newbie triathlete there is a lot you can take from the book, but there's also so much information if you're one of those impressive channel swimmers, lake swimmers or ultra swimmers (which I will never be I'm afraid!)
The book is well organized, written as a coach would write and is packed with real life stories and experiences. For my level of swimming it was a bit too technical, but it gave me valuable ideas and an insight into what goes in to a successful channel swim.
FOOTNOTE: My triathlon in September 2000 was a success. I managed to cut nearly 6 minutes off my swim time, but more importantly I enjoyed it and felt comfortable. I knew what to expect and was able to deal much better with the conditions, the bodies and my mental block when it comes to swimming in open water. Oh yes...the jellyfish and sharks stayed away too!
The one book that can serve as a complete manual for this demanding form of swimming, this book covers suit technology and selection, training program...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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