For those open water crazies who can swim hours and hours non-stop, I have a question: how in the world do you do it?I just cannot imagine swimming like 50 miles or so.And what do you feel while swimming?Pain?If so, how can you endure it for so long and not have your muscles shut down on you?I noticed when I swim for a long time(well, not even that long), I reach the point where I almost cannot get my hands over the water because my muscles tighten up so bad...
“how in the world do you do it?” One stroke at a time.
“just cannot imagine swimming like 50 miles” Neither can I, my limit is 30 miles.
“what do you feel while swimming?” Over the course of 8-10 hours you go through lots of different physical and emotional highs and lows. As Leonard said “is a lot of mental gamesmanship”
“how can you endure it for so long and not have your muscles shut down on you?” You train properly before the swim and pace properly while swimming. Race pace is critically important; no one ever won a marathon swim in the first hour, but plenty have lost it in that first hour.
“I reach the point where I almost cannot get my hands over the water because my muscles tighten up so bad...” You reach that point for a couple of reasons; first is pace, try Leonard’s suggestion of a 30 minute easy swim and see if you tighten up (don’t get bored and cheat by sprinting a 50 or 2), second be efficient, marathon swimmers are usually very efficient in the water, third work on upper body flexibility.
“how in the world do you do it?” One stroke at a time.
“just cannot imagine swimming like 50 miles” Neither can I, my limit is 30 miles.
“what do you feel while swimming?” Over the course of 8-10 hours you go through lots of different physical and emotional highs and lows. As Leonard said “is a lot of mental gamesmanship”
“how can you endure it for so long and not have your muscles shut down on you?” You train properly before the swim and pace properly while swimming. Race pace is critically important; no one ever won a marathon swim in the first hour, but plenty have lost it in that first hour.
“I reach the point where I almost cannot get my hands over the water because my muscles tighten up so bad...” You reach that point for a couple of reasons; first is pace, try Leonard’s suggestion of a 30 minute easy swim and see if you tighten up (don’t get bored and cheat by sprinting a 50 or 2), second be efficient, marathon swimmers are usually very efficient in the water, third work on upper body flexibility.
