Too ambitious a goal?

One other note: The Great South Bay holds a lot of memories for me. I used to go to Fire Island with family every year as a child (still make some visits). That's where I took swimming lessons, got over my fear of deep water, first swam in the ocean, etc. etc. If they had a shorter open water swim event there, that would be my choice, but the 5+ mile distance is what they've got, so whatcha gonna do! Anyway, I think it would be great to commit to something like that as a way to focus my training, have a definite goal as, in running, I use half marathons and marathons for similar purposes.

i haven't heard of that swim but it sounds great... i think you should go for it! Honestly, half the fun is training for something and having a goal is what makes the training worth it...Shoot for next summer and as long as you decide that you are going to do it, you will succeed! You only live once, so go for it!!!

I'm a total newbie, so am not the best person to reply to your question, but for what it's worth I'm with bcswim - go for it! It sounds like a great swim, especially with all the good memories this area has for you. If you maintain a 45 minute pace, you would finish in the four hours allowed, so seems (in my uneducated humble opinion) it would be doable. You must be in great shape from running regularly, and that endurance training should carry over into swimming. (I did my first 5K recently, 32:11 and thought I wouldn't make it!) A lot of runners swim for cross training, but I haven't seen much about swimmers cross training with running, but seems like it should work both ways. I've been thinking about a challenging long-term goal also, the Chesapeake Bay Swim, 4.4 miles. I'm slower than you, but hope that if I start training now, I'll be ready next June. How about we both train for our dream swims for next year :cool: And then there's always the following year and the year after that...

Hey thanks you guys! bcswim, my running improved and became more consistent when I started racing... I think maybe setting a large goal where I'd have to be ready for distance would get me focused to do it. Sharkbait, my mile would probably this year be closer to 45 mins. Did the 38something last year when I had more distance behind me. I've heard great things about that Chesapeake Bay swim--a friend of mine did it and loved it! It's one I had considered for a long-distance goal, but then heard about the GSB swim and w/ all the past connections w/ that area, I thought how cool would this be to do the swim! I like your idea of our aiming for these goals together. Good luck in your training! Also congrats on your first 5k! Don't worry, the first one's the hardest! When I did my first, I thought "why am I doing this? I'm going to die.... I'm no runner!" That was in 1988, and since then I've done seven marathons, bunches of half marathons, 10 milers, 10k's, 5k's, track events.... Ha ha, guess I didn't listen to the "I'm no runner" bit!

InnerFish - go for it! Set the goal and then do the training that will get you ready. Make a plan that gradually increases your yardage. Take Leonard's excellent advice and do some training in open water. Most of all - have fun. Good luck!!

Again, thanks for the feedback and encouragement. Leonard, I pretty much grew up learning to swim in the Great South Bay.... jellyfish, crab nips, seaweed, the whole bunch. Mostly do pool swimming now, but I love the feel of waves rocking me back and forth when I swim. While I mostly swam in lifeguarded areas there, I've also done a few open water swims (including one ocean race), and yeah, they are very different, but in a fun sort of way... sometimes scary, yes, but being out in nature is one of my attractions to running and, when possible, to swimming as well. I plan on getting in at least the September Splash, possibly also the Rainbow Channel Challenge this year. I do want to do at least one of them, if not both. Really enjoyed both races.... Did the RBC last year... funny kind of thing: I was swimming, swimming, swimming... and where's that halfway mark?... seemed as if it was the same distance away every time I looked... then finally rounded it and much, much better going back! Yeah, those currents can be playful... I like them better when going with them for sure! ;)

There is no reason that, with some planning and hard work, you can't do this next year. However, keep in mind that the distance involved is the most predictable aspect of your goal. You will also have to deal with the unpredicatable: currents, waves, no black line, marine life, etc. Some people who are excellent pool swimmers don't handle this well at all. I suggest that you try to do some 1 mile-type races this summer to get a feel for the unpredictables. These will also give you a good idea as to the type of training that you need to do to make this. Good Luck! -LBJ

I did the Sept. Splash without a wetsuit and never felt uncomfortable temperaturewise. And while some had on wetsuits, a lot of people didn't. I'm 5'9" and about 140something, which while not skinny-lean is still on the lean side--and tend to be okay w/ 65-70.... but I don't remember ever feeling I was too cold. It was a warm, clear day, though, which probably helped. Why don't we both decide to do that one! I'm still unsure about whether to do the mile or two-mile, tho b/c of the time and getting there, probably the mile. RBC has the longer swim later, but if the two mile swim is a reach, 2.6 is even more so... tho I guess it better not be a reach by next year! :)

Leonard, and InnerFish, many thanks for the info! The Rainbow Challenge does look like it would be the most fun, and I'd like to try the 2.6 mile distance, but... I'm veeeery sloooow and if the swim begins at 10:15 and awards are at noon, at my current pace I might not be able to finish. Do you know if there is there a set amount of time to complete the course, after which slowpokes get pulled out of the water? I wouldn't mind finishing well after everyone else and not getting an official time, as long as I could finish. If there's a time cutoff, I'll go with the September Splash instead of the one mile Rainbow Challenge. I'm pretty confident that I can do two miles in under 90 minutes (and that one would give me another month to train and hopefully get a little faster). It wouldn't be pretty, but I don't care as long as I finish. How cold is the water in late Sept.? And are wetsuits allowed? I've never worn one, but if the water's cold, maybe I'll try it (I'm 5'3 and 112 pounds - if I'm not mistaken that's rather low body fat for open water swims, but could I go up 5 pounds or so if that would help reduce the risk of hypothermia - would it?). I know wetsuits are a controversial topic here, and I'd rather not shell out the $$$ for one, but I want to maximise my chances of finishing. The Lake Montclair swim is a 2 and a half hour drive, and I'm having doubts about doing that drive, swimming, and then turning around and driving home. (My 1 mile ocean swim was only 45 minutes away). Here's another dumb question (I'm asking a lot of these) do you usually stay at a hotel the night before a swim, or drive there and back? How long does the drive have to be for you to decide to stay overnight? So if I can do only one of the three, maybe the Sept. Splash will be it, at least for this year, since I really want to get in a two mile event (that I have a good chance of finishing) before the season ends. If I get to meet you both there, that would be terrific! Sandra

Sharkbait, I'm trying to make the same decision re. the Sept. Splash. The two mile swim seems as if it might be a push (I think I could finish it but it wouldn't be pretty--hmmm... but actually my mile swim's not all that photogenic either, ha ha). Yet then I'd get a feel for something longer before the outdoor swimming season ends. The Sept. Splash, as I remember (been a few years) was a sort of circular course... can't remember that the current was a huge factor... I don't remember ever feeling I was fighting a current, nor can I remember feeling pushed along by one. I do remember the distinct difference in the out and back mile of the RBC. As for lakes, I did a swim/run at a lake last year. The swim was 1/4 mile and the run was 5k. (Same event is tonight but I can't get there this year.) I'd done some lake swimming (not extensive, just "fun swimming") prior to this. A few lake/ocean differences: --Bouyancy: less of it in lakes--but if you swim in pools, it's not a big deal. Might feel odd going from salt water to lake swimming. --No worry about breakers and tides... in a large lake, though, you might get choppy water. (Did a canoe trip in Maine/NH lakes which mostly were pretty calm but not always... but never got as rough as I've seen bays and oceans. Not familiar w/ swimming in the Great Lakes, but I'm told they have oceanlike conditions.) --Visibility underwater. My experience with lakes is that they're more murky underwater than oceans/bays. A friend of mine HATES lake swimming for that reason... she'll take oceans any day. But for me it depends on the lake... if it's a fairly clean body of water, I can live with some murkiness... The ones I encountered during the canoe trip were lovely... very clean and enjoyable to swim in. So, I guess it's the usual "six of one, half dozen of the other" idea, depending on what conditions you're more comfortable with. For me, saltwater bays give me the best of both worlds... the bouyancy, a little help (sometimes!) from currents, plus some visibility...but w/out the nervewracking aspects of ocean swimming. But it's a very individual thing, I think. Hope I see you at the September Splash! If I can only do one, that one seems to best fit my schedule. And, hey folk... those who have done longer distance swims, what kind of training plan did you follow?