I would love to see what kind of yardage some of you are doing out there. Just ball park numbers. I realize there is much more to swimming than how many yards one does, and training for different events entails differences in yardages, but I would still like to see what everyone is doing so I can know where I fall within the "norm". Also, if anyone knows, I would like to know what some of the masters All American's do as far as yardage. I see times for Jeff Commins in the *** and IM events and wonder how much he must train.
You two are somewhat correct. In 2007, I swam 350 miles. That was the optimum distance that particular year, with > 350 = obsession and 406.7 = obsessive
That's the equivalent of swimming the Ohio River from Dam 1 in Pittsburgh to Dam 33 in Maysville, KY (~60 miles southeast of Cincinnati.)
That would be one heck of an OW swim, even if it was with the current. That's sick, too!:applaud:
The Ohio River
For what it's worth, I swam 406.7 miles last year.
And also show you the true outliers! This year's champ bested 2000 miles for the year (2000.32 to be exact). With 366 days in 2008, that's an average of 5.5 miles per day or over 67,000 yards per week. Wow.
That's...sick. If you use the standard 4x multiplier effect for converting swimming to running, that's close to 22 miles running per day, or nearly a marathon, every day of the year.
I think that many of us swimmers have obsessive tendencies, but this seems to me to be bordering on the faint cusp of pathology. Assuming he/she can hold a 25 minute pace per mile, and swims the workouts straight through without intervals, that's 2 hours and 17.5 minutes per day, seven days a week, in the pool.
Perhaps a little Prozac added into the filter system could be beneficial.
For what it's worth, I swam 406.7 miles last year. By defnition, this is the optimal distance. Anything over this is obsessional. Anything less than this is laziness.
Note: for those who want to use my swimming as a way of planning a neither-pathological-nor-lazy regimen for themselves, please understand that optimum distance is subject to change this year depending on what I do or fail to do!
I'm going to have to keep better track of my swimming in 2009. based on what I have written down I would have to guess that I swam between 350-360miles in 2008 in a pool, and then another 58-62 in the lake.
Thanks now I have one more thing to document in my road to Worlds logbook :-)
Swimshark and Ourswimmer: quit your jobs, put your children into foster care, and focus on what is important in life. What is the point of money and family if you are not swimming the optimal distance?
Hm... send rambunctious toddler to Thornton's house so I can swim more in 2009. That's my plan!:bolt:
In other words, what is the point if one isn't Jim Thornton? :)
Finally, finally, an ex-Olympian gets it! Thank you, Chris Stevenson, pride of Greece!
PS I think your swimming may have fallen a bit into the obsessive category last year. If you want, I can do a psychiatric and pharmaceutical consult with you at a 10 percent discount from my usual fake-doctor fee.
Hm... send rambunctious toddler to Thornton's house so I can swim more in 2009. That's my plan!:bolt:
One woman's ranbunctious toddler is another man's free house-cleaning servant!
Note to self: buy candy and toddler-sized Swiffer body suit. Hide candy in every dust bunny rabbit warren of filthy home.
