As the New Year approaches, many people are looking to set some new goals for the year ahead. Why not make yours an open water swimming goal? Over the next few days we will give you some ideas to get you thinking about your 2012 swimming goals.
First of all…choosing a swim. Why not aim for a swim that has been done by one of our Sandycove swimmers? Our recently-updated long swim list can be viewed here. This list, compiled by Ned and ratified by members of the Sandycove Island Swim Club Committee, contains swims of over 5km distance completed by Sandycove swimmers. Many of the swims are local swims, but there are also many national and international swims on the list. Some have only been completed once, others are annual organised swims.
If you’re looking for a shorter distance goal, take a look at our calendar of summer swim events here. The 2012 list of Munster swims is not available yet, but you can look at the 2011 list to see what was on this past year. If you have a particular interest in any of the swims on the list you can check with the organiser to see if it will go ahead again in 2012.
Or why not choose your own swim? There’s plenty of water out there and lots of swims that have never been completed…yet!
carolcashell
lecummins
sandycoveadmin
theloneswimmer
Sandycove Swimmers 
Do you have any recommendations for someone who has only been swimming in lap pools?
I’ve got some spots reserved for the next few years, inudcling right before the Olympics next year (and a solo #1 spot in July). I have some youth relays lined up, but a Masters one would be a possibility. What were you thinking?Dave
Open water will feel very different to pool swimming. Use your first few open water swims to just get used to the differences-the waves, the cold, etc. You may not enjoy these swims, usually it takes people two or three swims before they start relaxing enough in open water to enjoy it. Give it a chance, it’s much more fun than the pool once you get used to it!