Swim coach Cassie Patten has great advice for a busy paramedic who has signed up for a 15km swim

“I am a shift worker and have no idea how to make a training plan work around my shift patterns. I work in the Emergency Services as a paramedic. My shifts run over 15 weeks and are a mix of 12-hour days, nights and late start shifts. Trying to follow a training plan is really hard.

This year I have entered the Dock2Dock 15k. Other than being ‘sensible’ and having a decent amount of months before the event, is there a recommended approach to training when your mind and body may very well be fatigued from shift work? I did the Oceanman 10k in Cyprus last November and just had to be as forgiving to myself as possible. If I was fatigued, then I’d change my swim to suit. It did make me really understand my body and how to treat it. Thanks.” Carl

Cassie’s answer

Firstly, massive respect for the work you do as a paramedic! That’s no small feat, and juggling that with training for a 15k open water swim is tough. I understand how tricky it must be to weave structured training into a demanding schedule.

Training for events when already tired from work is hard so it’s about being as proactive as possible in structuring sessions around your working week plus listening to your body and adapting accordingly.

Here are a few tips and ideas that might help:

1. Ditch the rigid weekly plan. Instead, think in training blocks. For example, over a two-week span you may aim to swim six sessions. Aim to swim a mixture of: two endurance, two technique/recovery and two interval/ threshold workouts. That way, if a brutal night shift wipes you out, you’ve still got a flexible framework to fall back on.
2. Train by feel, not just schedule. If you’re exhausted, it’s okay to swap a tough session for a gentle recovery swim – or even a nap. Fatigue + training = injury waiting to happen. Be kind to yourself and don’t play catch up. If you’ve missed a session it has gone, don’t try and squeeze it back in the next week.
3. Use shorter sessions when needed. Even 20–30mins of focused work (drills, tempo efforts, or technique) can be effective, especially if you’re tight on time or energy. Plus, you will feel better for doing something rather than nothing.
4. Prioritise quality sleep and hydration. It’s easy to forget but good sleep = better recovery = better swims.
5. Speak to a coach. I write training plans for people like yourself. What my swimmers do is tell me what their goal is and I fit it into their schedule for them.

Training for 15k is a great goal, remember what matters most is consistency over time, not perfection every week. You’ve got this!

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Swimming coach Cassie Patten answers a frequently asked reader query about how to prepare for your first ever outdoor swimming event

I have entered an open water event this summer. It’s longer than I’ve ever swam before and I’ve never swam an event in open water. I’m starting to get a bit nervous. Have you got any tips on what I should be doing to prepare myself both physically and mentally?
Suzy

Cassie’s answer:

Congratulations! Entering a long swim is a huge step and feeling nervous is completely normal. I remember my first 10km and I felt exactly the same. The good news is that with the right preparation, both physically and mentally, you can turn those nerves into confidence and make sure you’re ready for the big day.

My motto is “Train smart, not just hard.” Here are some top tips to help you get there.

Gradually build up distance

If your longest swim so far has been in the pool, it’s time to start increasing your distance in manageable chunks. Aim to add 10-15% more distance each week so your body can adapt without risking injury.

Simulate race conditions

Open water swimming is very different from pool swimming. When it gets a little bit warmer start swimming out in open water whether that’s a lake, river, or the sea. This will help you get used to factors like sighting (lifting your head to navigate), currents and water temperature – also outdoor swimming is amazing! Until then you can practice these skills in the pool, every first length in four lift your head like you would be sighting in open water. The more you do it the better you’ll become.

Work on endurance and pacing

In open water, you won’t have pool walls to stop and rest at. Practice swimming at a steady pace for extended periods to build endurance and learn to pace efficiently.

Add in strength and mobility training

Because you’re stepping up the distance, if time allows incorporate dryland exercises like core workouts and shoulder mobility drills exercises to enhance your overall fitness and reduce injury risk. These can be found at the WaveCrest Swimming website or YouTube channel – scan the QR code or search for ‘WaveCrest Swimming’. Now it’s time to train your mind as well as your body…

Practice managing race day nerves

As part of my pre-race ritual, I used to spend time thinking about my upcoming events. I would do this while brushing my teeth or making a cup of tea. The unknown can be intimidating, so run through virtual simulations of event today. It will help you stay calm and enjoy the moment more.

Break it down

Instead of focusing on the full distance, mentally divide the swim into smaller sections. This for me was the most important part of swimming a long distance, I would always break up the swim into laps rather than the actual distance. Where you can do this is to think about reaching the next buoy, getting through the next ten minutes, or just focusing on your breathing. This makes the challenge feel more manageable.

Have a race day plan

Knowing what to expect will reduce stress. Plan your nutrition, warm-up, and pacing strategy in advance. If you’re using a wetsuit, practice getting in and out of it efficiently and finally practice what you were going to feed on in the swim. It is important to be able to train your digestive system as much as it is your body.

I hope all of these tips have helped, and most importantly, enjoy the experience!

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You can still work on your open water skills when you’re training in an indoor pool. Swimming coach Cassie Patten shares her favourite pool drill.

What are the best sets and drills for outdoor swimming for an hour-long pool session?
@danGoodway, via X

Cassie’s answer:

I love open water sighting drills. Swim half a length with your head up, focusing on crocodile eyes and pushing the water down to maintain the correct sighting position. The next length you would swim five strokes with your head up, focusing on crocodile eyes, and then five strokes down repeat this for the entire 25m. Finally, you would swim the entire length sighting every third breath. This is a progressive drill to enable your body to perfect the correct technique. Another idea is to swim an entire session without touching any walls. I turn at the flags and then just keep going. Only do this if there is space in the lane and it is safe to do so.

Cassie Patten is a British freestyle swimmer and Head Coach at Wavecrest Swimming. Cassie won bronze in the 10km open-water event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Read more advice from Coach Cassie.

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“What are swimming drills? I have heard lots about them and there’s hundreds of YouTube videos about them, but I have no idea where to start.” British freestyle swimmer and Head Coach at Wavecrest Swimming, Cassie Patten has your guide

“What are swimming drills? I have heard lots about them and there’s hundreds of YouTube videos about them, but I have no idea where to start. I swim in the open water and in the pool, should I be incorporating drills into my swims? If so, what do you recommend I should try and what should I avoid?”
Alexa, Outdoor Swimmer reader

Well, before we open a Pandora’s box, let’s try and simplify what we mean by swimming drills. I believe a drill is anything that is not full stroke, and its aim is to perfect a singular element of technique by isolating it and repeating it continuously. Little disclaimer here, I don’t necessarily count kicking or pulling as a drill, they are standalone practices.

There are hundreds if not thousands of different drills for the four swimming strokes, from very technically simple drills, for example, swimming with your hands in fists, to extremely difficult and hard to coordinate drills. 

My recommendation is to pick one or two that sit within your swimming ability and focus on them. Each drill will have a specific part of the stroke that it will assist in improving. There can be some overlap in this, for example, the extended doggy paddle drill can work on rotation as well as the catch.

I was a competitive swimmer for close to two decades and I know the tendency to want to pick the easiest drill that takes the least amount of brain power to get the metres done. However, as I matured and understood the reasoning behind drills, I tried to ensure that every drill I did had a clear outcome. 

I always recommend doing them with fins and small finger paddles on, as you don’t want to be getting a lot of propulsion from the broken-down element. If you have a snorkel that is even better as that allows you to keep your head still while focusing on what your arms are doing.

When I’m coaching, I use a handful of tried and tested drills to improve catch and rotation, these are:

• 11 and one – kicking 

• 11 and one – press

• 11 and one – catch

• Extended doggy paddle

• Archer

Simple and easy to follow videos of all these drills, alongside my break down of why you need to do drills, can be found at on my YouTube channel. I hope that helps in unpacking what a swimming drill is and which ones you should do.

Cassie Patten is a British freestyle swimmer and Head Coach at Wavecrest Swimming. Cassie won bronze in the 10km open-water event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Read more advice from Coach Cassie.

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Marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas has advice on getting back on track after an unplanned break from swim training.

You signed up for a race. You dialled in your training plan. Everything is going along swimmingly. You’re feeling strong and excited for your big event.

And then real life happens. Injury. Ear infection. COVID. Changed jobs. Got promoted. As a result, you have to take unplanned time away from training. What do you do? How do you know if you need to withdraw or defer? Can you get back on track? When the panic sets in, these are the questions I consider so I can make a logical decision on how to move forward.

Question 1: How far out am I from my event? 

If I’m close enough that I’ve done all the work, I roll with it. A couple extra weeks of rest won’t hurt anything as long as I’m still able to swim a few times a week. If the bulk of training was completed well, I will stay signed up for the race. I taper a little less to ensure I don’t lose fitness, but otherwise trust the previous work. Generally, you can’t make gains within two weeks of an event, so if something happens three to four weeks out, it’s not a huge miss. I work on staying focused and positive.

If I’m still six months out, I don’t stress at all. I get back on track with the plan and call it good.

However, when I’m right in the crux of the hardest part of training and disaster strikes, that’s the hardest time to decide. You have to ask yourself a few more questions.

Question 2: Do I think I can get back on track?

In other words, is what derailed my training resolved, or will it continue? If I caught the flu or suddenly had a week of unexpected work travel but know things will chill out, I know the derailment was temporary and that I can get back on track. But, if it’s a family crisis or work pressure that is going to keep me consistently away from the water, that’s a different consideration.

If the break in training was a short one to two weeks, I take a look at my plan and readjust. Those few weeks are now “recovery” and I rework my build and taper schedule. If you’ve been doing the work, you’ll bounce back quickly and are likely fine to continue to your event.

If the break is longer than two weeks or will continue, you need to ask one final question.

Question 3: How was my base and build six months ago?

If you maintain a pretty steady training volume year-round or are a lifetime swimmer, you can likely go into a long swim on less than ideal training. However, and this is where you have to be very honest with yourself, if you don’t train regularly and don’t have a great fitness base, this is the time to consider dropping your event or deferring until next year. Sometimes, good sense says to take a break from training, focus on life and come back stronger next year or later in the season. The last thing you want is to injure yourself by not being prepared. The water is ready when you are!

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Also known as a sleeper wave, a sneaker wave is a disproportionately large coastal wave that can appear without warning.

A beach with big crashing waves (like the one pictured) is a safe beach in the sense that due warning is given of the power of the sea, and breaking waves are dissipating energy. Sneaker waves are dangerous because their force comes with little warning and they surge across beaches, knocking people over and dragging them out to sea.

They form as induced waves that are made by variation of average water height under the passage of groups of waves. When distant storms increase water height variation, beaches at the edge of deep sea are where sneaker waves can occur.

Can you get sneaker waves in Britain?

Around Britain and Ireland shallow seas – our deepest water is inland in Loch Morar – restrict induced waves from building into sneaker waves. Sneaker waves are a phenomenon to keep in mind when travelling to beaches that edge deep sea and have steep drop-offs. Reynisfjara, the famous black sand beach in Iceland, is prone to sneaker waves because of an underwater cliff.

Along America’s West Coast from California through Oregon and in Washington State, northwest and west facing beaches catch sneaker waves – here’s one caught on camera at Coos Bay, Oregon. So, when travelling keep in mind that wave behaviour on familiar beaches is not how waves work everywhere.

More ‘You Ask, We Answer’ stories at Outdoor Swimmer.

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Swimming coach Cassie Patten answers this reader Q about how to prepare for the around-Brownsea Island swim in June – a distance of 6.5km – with very little prior swim training

“I have been lucky enough to get an elusive spot on the around-Brownsea Island swim! But I don’t know how or where to start with preparing for it. It is in June, in about 10 weeks’ time! Which isn’t very long for someone who hasn’t done any proper swimming for about six months.

I have done similar swims in the past, so I know I can do the distance in theory. I have a reasonable front crawl steady pace, will probably take me the full 180 minutes – which is their cut off. I am reasonably fit, but nowhere near what I could be. It currently takes me about 45 minutes to swim a mile. It would be good to improve my swim time a little too.

I will have to do most of my training in a pool as water temperature still too cool. I was never a competitive swimmer, or part of any clubs or masters – so when I look up training plans on the internet I have no idea what I am really looking at. I often just go to the pool and do an hour of front crawl and see how far I can go. But I see training plans that are more about different things like arms and legs, body position. I also get bored swimming in a pool.

When it gets warmer, I have some distance swims planned in my local river with a friend. But what can I start to do now? I have kit – fins, kick board, webbed gloves – but I really am in a ‘all the gear and no idea’ situation. How much swimming should I be doing every week? How best to build up the distance? In the past when training, I have just swum as much as I can and then hoped for the best. But I would love to be in a stronger position this year and maybe enter another event in early autumn/late summer. Any help would be gratefully received.” Deb

Cassie’s answer

How exciting that you have such a great event in the diary! First, don’t panic! 6.5km is manageable with not a lot of training. However, we want it to be enjoyable, not just doable! Let’s go into detail and look at some other things that you mention. I completely understand that if you haven’t had a swimming background, some of the training jargon and kit needed can be quite a lot to take on board. So, what do you need to be doing?

Try and make sure that you are mixing up ‘just swimming’ with some tailored training. Let me explain why. If you get in and swim the same distance at the same pace, you are going to get a bit fitter through the low-level aerobic training, however, you will plateau quite quickly, and you’ll find it harder to get faster or fitter. If you add some intervals where you are pushing your body a little bit harder with punctuated rest intervals, you will find that both your fitness and speed will increase.

Training plan suggestion

A nice simple session to get started is to do a gentle warm-up of around 5-10 minutes and then swim up to 10×100m with 20 second rest, depending on your current fitness levels.

The first four 100s you want to swim at around 4/10 pace, focusing on technique and maintaining a good stroke rate (the amount of your arms go round in a minute). The next three 100s swim at around 5/10 pace, you should feel slightly more out of breath, that is okay. The next two 100s you’re pushing onto 6/10 effort, you may find that you need a little bit extra rest here to begin with, take an extra 5-10 seconds per 100m to allow your heart rate to come down before you push off again.

The final 100 swim at 7/10 effort.

Do this for a couple of weeks, then to make it harder you can either decrease the amount of rest you are having, or start at 5/10 and travel up to a finishing point of 8/10 effort. Finish off with a swim down.

You can do a similar session in open water, but you will go off time rather than precise distances, for example, instead of doing 4/3/2/1 x 100m you could do 10 minutes, then six minutes, then four minutes, then finish off with two minutes. Without seeing you in person, this is a generalised plan.

Without knowing how far you are swimming per week, it is a little tricky to prescribe how much you should be doing. However, a very general rule of thumb is, if you can swim just over your target distance in a week, you can hit that distance in a day. But over 20k this will change. It is important to train for an open water event. Too often I see people thinking ‘I’ll be okay on the day’ – you still have plenty of time to train for this.

I really hope that this helps you and your event goes well. If you want any more information on training programmes, I have a section on my website wavecrestswimming. com which has sample training sessions and I also can provide individualised remote training plans if that is something that you are interested in.

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Swimming coach and Olympian Cassie Patten has advice for if you find yourself feeling dizzy when swimming – and how to rebuild your confidence in open water

“I once had a dizzy spell during a swim. Nothing bad happened but I have been anxious about swimming ever since and lost the confidence to swim far from the edge of the lake or into deep water. I now get anxious about getting anxious – help!”

Firstly, what I would recommend is to speak to a doctor or have your blood pressure checked by a nurse. We just want to rule out any health issues that may have caused that dizziness. I know I can feel quite lightheaded and dizzy when my blood pressure is low, or if I am either dehydrated or in need of some electrolytes.

Start slow and steady

In terms of swimming and regaining the confidence you feel you may have lost; I want to let you know that this is not unusual and you are by no means a failure. My recommendation for you is to start slow and steady, try and alleviate any pressure on yourself. I recommend visualisation. Imagine yourself swimming out into the lake, close your eyes and feel the water all around you, take some slow deep breaths telling yourself that you are okay, and you are safe. Repeat this several times a week. By doing so you are helping to create neural pathways that are overcoming the feeling of anxiety and replacing them with a sense of calm.

For your first couple of sessions back in the lake, don’t try and swim the entire way across, or go out of your depth. Set yourself a goal of staying close to the shore, where you feel safe and can put your feet down at any time. Invest in a tow float, although they are not rescue devices if you roll on your back and hug them, they will give you enough support to help calm you down. Repeat this action again and again when you know you are within a depth where you could easily stand up. What we are aiming to do is to re-train your brain into feeling safe and secure in the water and calming down your land mammal mind. 

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Do I need a wetsuit for open water swimming? How do I choose the right one? How do I put a wetsuit on? And how do I care for a wetsuit so that it lasts for years? Watch our new Outdoor Swimmer x Zoggs video series where we tackle issues and questions all outdoor swimmers have.

As Zoggs launch a brand-new range of wetsuits, we are thrilled to be working with the brand on a five-part wetsuit guide video series which aims to help swimmers decide how to choose a wetsuit, put one on correctly and care for it so it lasts for many years. 

Plus, as an Outdoor Swimmer magazine reader, you will receive an incredible 25% off Zoggs wetsuits when you purchase using discount code DIP25. You can also get a free pair of Predator Flex goggles worth £42 with the purchase of any Zoggs wetsuit when you use the code FREEPRED at checkout! 

Do I need a wetsuit for open water swimming?

One of the most common questions we get asked at Outdoor Swimmer is, “Do I need a wetsuit?” Outdoor swimming can be fun, spontaneous and done with very little kit. If you find a swim spot remote enough, you might not need any swimwear! But, for longer, more adventurous swims or events, a wetsuit is an excellent piece of kit. Watch our first part of the series – an introduction to wetsuits.

How do I choose a wetsuit for open water swimming?

A good wetsuit for open water swimming will offer key features like, a level of thickness depending on need, buoyancy, flexibility, good fit, durability and reliable details like zipper and closure. Ask yourself, what kind of swimming do you want to do? What stroke are you swimming? Are you doing long-distance swimming or mostly short, leisure swims? What is your budget? Watch our video for more insights and to help you choose the best wetsuit.

How do I put on an open water wetsuit?

A decent wetsuit is an investment, so you will want to look after it. Often it is when you are putting on and taking off a suit when accidents happen! Things that can help put a wetsuit on – short fingernails, gloves, plastic bags and glide creams. Watch our step-by-step process of putting on the suit.

How to look after your open water wetsuit

In this video, we talk about how to care and maintain your wetsuit. We cover how to wash a wetsuit, then dry and store it carefully. How to repair tears and snags as they happen to prevent further wear and tear. Plus, how to recycle your wetsuit when it reaches the end of its life to save it from landfill.

How to swim in an open water swimming wetsuit

In this video we explain how to swim in a wetsuit. Swimming in a wetsuit isn’t very different from swimming without one, but if you have never worn a wetsuit before, it will take some getting used to. There are common concerns or misconceptions about swimming in a wetsuit – often they are seen as restrictive, uncomfortable or for wimps! Modern wetsuits are not only a brilliant piece of kit they are also for every kind of swimmer and many open water swimmers wear wetsuits for events, long distance swims, to keep warm or to help them swim faster.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel or sign up the The Dip – our weekly free newsletter – to get notifications of the next film in our series. With huge thanks to our sponsor Zoggs, photographer Roger Taylor, Bruno Teves Visuals for filming and the team at Quay Swim for hosting us. 

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British freestyle swimmer and open water coach Cassie Patten has advice for avoiding cramps when swimming in open water and staying safe

“I had a terrible experience with a body crunching cramp in my calf in deep water. I needed two people to help me. If I had been swimming alone, I don’t know what I would have done. Since then, I notice I get cramp after swimming for an hour or more. I can’t find a way to get rid of it. I have tried diet, supplements, sport drinks, yoga, rest, massage! I have huge anxiety around long-distance swimming but I want to do a 6.5k event this year, so I need to tackle it. When training I find myself not swimming the big 1k loop at the lake or prefer rivers as I can put my feet down at the edge quicker to stretch if needed. It means I can’t get into a flow-state of training and I give up without training properly. How can I overcome this?”

Cramp is the worst, it is such a debilitating pain and can come out of nowhere. My first advice is to make sure you always are swimming in an environment that is safe and lifeguarded, I know you had some fellow swimmers around you to assist in stretching out your leg, but we want you to be safe.

Let’s talk about the biomechanics of cramp. For those of you that have never felt it is a short, sharp muscle spasm which can occur in the foot or calf. It can be incredibly painful but does release with stretching. Cramp can occur when the muscle is fatigued and has been overused, a common cause of cramp can be dehydration or a deficiency in electrolytes of the blood.

Another cause of cramp convey is the muscle is particularly tight from other forms of exercise or a strenuous previous swim. I coach a triathlon team and I can always tell when they have been doing hard interval training the day before, as several of them will suffer cramp during my training session, especially during a kick set.

You have mentioned you have been working hard to prevent cramp, by staying hydrated and stretching, as it is vital to maintain flexibility in your foot and calf to help alleviate cramp. Are you warming up well before you swim? If not try and factor in a five-minute warmup where you walk on the spot, do some gentle calf raises as well as mobilisations through the legs can help.

My next piece of advice would be to assess your kick efficiency. If you are over kicking or have too much stress at the knee which is pulling on the muscles in your leg, you will be fatiguing quickly which can be the main cause of cramp. My top tip is to think about using your legs as balance, rather than for propulsion. The kick needs to be from the hips and glutes rather than from the knee and hamstring. Watch the video linked below for my top tips on how to kick efficiently. If you are unsure whether your kick needs adjusting please do speak to a local coach or alternatively you could send me a video of your kick and I can analyse it for you.

Try not to become focused on whether or not you’re going to get cramp. The more you think about it the more it will be in your consciousness, I feel like from what you said the cramp is being caused by a combination of an inefficient kick and fatigue due to overuse. Please do seek out a coach and work on the efficiency of your leg kick and fingers crossed that cramp will be a thing of the past.

Cassie Patten is a British freestyle swimmer and Head Coach at Wavecrest Swimming. Cassie won bronze in the 10km open-water event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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