Training for the 10K Postal Swim

I've done the 10k a couple times. First on my list would be to get the shoulder checked out. Second, in my experience it's more a mental thing than anything else, just knowing that, "hey, I can do this." I broke the race down into 500m segments. (That worked for me, anyway.) Given that sort of approach, five to ten repeat 500s at or near target pace with modest amount of rest between might work to convince her that the 10k is a doable thing. Skip (out of the water with a shoulder thing right now...)

I did it last summer without training at all, not knowing the MIT pool was switching over to short course in a week and a half... At the time I had no shoulder problems. I had been doing about 3000-3500 meters 4x/week in practice. First I did the 5K; no problem. Then someone recommended that I swim for 2 hours straight just to get my body used to the shock this might cause. I did this. Then it was time to do the swim. I love distance swims, but I definitely picked the wrong feeding materials (banana chunks and pineapple/mango/orange juice). Ick. I did fine until about the 8600 meter point, at which time I feared I would throw up and also thought I was having a heart attack. I had a 14-year-old counter who assured me I was not having a heart attack and to keep swimming. Despite feeling like I was cement, I never went over a 2:00 pace, which I find interesting. I did finish and it was a great feeling. I'd do it again if my shoulder were stronger. If your wife is having shoulder pain at 1500 meters (? if I am remembering correctly), I would recommend she not do it. It was my swimming the one-hour swim last January, with shoulder pain, that did me in. Don't ignore shoulder pain! Anyway, that's my story. There's always next year. I would be very careful about swimming that many meters with any kind of shoulder pain. At the time, and through the following December, I had no shoulder pain. If I ever swim the 10K again, I will train for it over a number of weeks, increasing my distance up to about 7000 meters, and then swim it. I also will drink gatorade/water and maybe nibble on crackers. It was the coolest feeling in the world to finish. But not worth tearing up your shoulder over. I would say increase the distance slowly over about a month, so that she can swim 7000 meters nonstop once a week (final, longest once a week long swim), as long as her shoulders don't hurt, and she would be good to go.

How did it go? So if I understand well, in prep for this, she lived on a 3x1500 per week regiment? Done how? Typically 300 warm up,400 free,400 kick(she likes to kick and it rests the shoulders) and 400 Back(backstroke is her best pool event.) She was just under 2 1/2 hours which would have made the top ten for 60-64 last year.She split 2:45 100s for the first 1500 then steadily slowed to 3:05.She said after 1500 her arms felt like lead.

I've had someone tell me they do it as 100 X 100.

My wife just finished the 5 K How did it go? So if I understand well, in prep for this, she lived on a 3x1500 per week regiment? Done how?

Be careful with the shoulder she needs to build up to 4 or 5k a practice maybe even do a few shakedown swims, like a 4k 6 weeks out 6k 4 weeks out & 8k 2 weeks out swim sensibly when doing the actual swim the goal is to make it you can stop when ever you want and rest on the wall I really know very little about training for distance events so I am asking for help.My wife just finished the 5 K and decided she was not ready for the 10 K this year,but wants to be ready next year.She is 61 with a strong swimming background from college.She hurt her shoulder and life intervened so she didn't swim for about 20 years.She has eased back the last couple of years.She is consistently doing 1500M 3X per week.She thinks she is ready to increase distance and times per week,but every time she has increased very much she has gotten a return of the shoulder pain.She wants my help coaching so I am asking for yours.

Typically 300 warm up,400 free,400 kick(she likes to kick and it rests the shoulders) and 400 Back(backstroke is her best pool event.) She was just under 2 1/2 hours which would have made the top ten for 60-64 last year.She split 2:45 100s for the first 1500 then steadily slowed to 3:05.She said after 1500 her arms felt like lead. It's an interesting case. Very interesting. Your wife, though being very far from showing elite level performance, would benefit to be extra careful in the way she's going to increase her training load. Just like those Elites who train to the limit. So in her case, the question isn't as much about the ideal program for preparing for a 10k, but rather how to start from where she is now and progress toward the optimal 10k based program. If I understand well, she likes to make most workouts pretty much the same is that is? If so, she should definitely continue to do so. No fancy new stuff that she never tried before while she's going to be increasing the mileage. Also, no intensity work while increasing the mileage as well. In an ideal world, it would be good that she gets seen by a very good swim coach so that a technical injury prevention set be design specifically for her. Also, I would strongly recommend that she adds swim cords injury prevention before or after every swim workout. Exercises could be designed by a good swim coach as well. Then, swimming wise, aim for a progression that is as smooth as possible. You can try some linear pattern where she increases by say, 100m per workout per week. Or you could try a pattern where you build for 3 weeks then ease off for a week then resume building for 3 other weeks etc. My opinion, without injury prevention and without being extra careful in manipulating the workload increase, she might become injured again.