A 7-step process for achieving your goals in outdoor swimming

Conceptually, becoming a better swimmer is easy. Doing it takes a bit of work.

Early morning training © Isabel Young

Simply getting into natural water does us good. There is no need for a training programme or a fitness regime. You don’t need audacious goals to enjoy a sunrise from the ocean and get an endorphin boost. On the other hand, if you want to push yourself, outdoor swimming offers a rich diversity of challenges. This also presents swimmers with a conundrum: where do they want outdoor swimming to take them? Do they want to race, complete long-distance challenges or test their tolerance for the cold? Or some combination of the three? Whichever you choose, the physical challenges essentially boil down to three things: how to swim further, how to swim faster and how to tolerate cool water for longer.

Before diving into these, it’s worth noting that these aren’t the only helpful attributes for outdoor swimmers. Skills such as being organised, able to plan, build a team or raise funds can all come in useful, depending on what you want to do. Your long-term diet and event-day nutrition are important. Being able to cope with different water conditions is useful, as is being able to swim straight and navigate effectively. But let’s focus on the core swimming attributes of distance, speed and cold…