Hi. New to the board...I have a few questions:
I am training for a two-mile ocean swim in Southern California at the beginning of August. I have been in the water for about 6 weeks, swimming two days a week, around 2,000-2,500 yds.
My first question: How many yards should I be getting in at each practice? And will stepping it up to three days a week be adequate for the rest of my training?
Also, how much open water training do I need to do before the race? Will 3-4 times in the ocean be adequate? (I used to be a competitive swimmer and an ocean lifeguard...but I haven't been swimming for the last several years.)
I am not doing this to compete, but to finish solidly. Any and all advice is much appreciated! Thanks so much. Hannah
For your first open water race, I would suggest hanging back a bit to keep from being clobbered. Unless you are one of the top 5 to 10 swimmers who are able to break out of the pack, someone starting in the middle of a large crowd can expect to be accidentally kicked, hit, swum over/under/through 10 to 50 times in the first 400 meters. This is in addition to the kicks and hits you inflict on others.
My personal preference is to go to the far left side of the pack (for right side breathers) or to the far right for left side breathers. If you bilateral, choose the side that allows the drift to take you to the turn buoy. You end up swimming a little longer course, but often the energy saved by not thrashing in the pack more than makes up for any lost time.
For your first open water race, I would suggest hanging back a bit to keep from being clobbered. Unless you are one of the top 5 to 10 swimmers who are able to break out of the pack, someone starting in the middle of a large crowd can expect to be accidentally kicked, hit, swum over/under/through 10 to 50 times in the first 400 meters. This is in addition to the kicks and hits you inflict on others.
My personal preference is to go to the far left side of the pack (for right side breathers) or to the far right for left side breathers. If you bilateral, choose the side that allows the drift to take you to the turn buoy. You end up swimming a little longer course, but often the energy saved by not thrashing in the pack more than makes up for any lost time.
