Training for the 10K Postal Swim

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.

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.