Hi folk,
First off, anyone here familiar with the Great South Bay Swim?
Obviously, this year would be out even if the entries weren't closed, since my swimming distance lately is pretty modest. I swim about 3-4 days/week, but not far (1000-2000 yards or if feeling ambitious and have time, up to maybe 2200-2300).
I've done one mile open water swims in bays and oceans, not fast (38ish mins. was fastest). This swim is 5.25 miles, so I suspect it would be a reach to be able to swim this next year... but out of the question? Or would it be better to plan for two years? I also run regularly--about five days/week, including two interval workouts, long run of abt. 2.5 hrs--so I'm generally fit, if not speedy.
So, first question: do you recommend making this a two years from now goal or do you think next year is doable? Second, can you suggest some good training plans?
Note: although I'm currently swimming on my own, I expect to return to the masters' group I swam with during the winter/spring. (They change their location/time in the summer...doesn't fit my schedule). As for type of workout, I'm more or less winging it, depending on how much time I have to swim on any given day. The USMS site has yielded some helpful workouts, and my coach also e-mailed me a bunch of practices of different distances, but I suspect I'll need a more organized month-by-month plan to get from here to a 5.25 mile swim next year or the year after.
First, Leonard, apologies for not responding to your message just before mine... I think we were writing at the same time, so I didn't catch yours.
Since it was a while back when I did the Sept. Splash, I don't remember the problems Leonard mentions.... Ha ha, subconscious blocking maybe? But I did remember it was pretty calm and swimmable. The RBC swim isn't likely for me.... time and $$ this year. But I expect to be easily able to get to the Sept. Splash.
My bf has been very good about coming w/ me to these swims, even tho he's not a shore person... and not having a car, I've found that very, very helpful. But I won't ask him to go w/ me the night before again unless I reserve somewhere... When I did the Plunge for Patients, we got a campground finally but it was a sheer headache to do so. I expect we'll start fr/ the Philly area early a.m. and the two mile might require an earlier start than he'll want to make. The one-miler should be manageable, however.
As for the Sept. Splash, one other item I remember about it: you don't start from shore (at least not for the mile)... you have to swim out to the start... not all that far--maybe 200ish yards? I remember having gone out almost to the start and then we were all called back for some sort of meeting, then sent out again. So it felt like a lot of swimming before I even started the race. So it's good to be ready to swim more than the distance they say. I knew NOTHING about open water swimming then, absolutely NOTHING and didn't even train w/ a masters' group. I was an injured runner who badly missed competing, and since I was using swimming as a substitute for running, decided maybe I'd try a swimming race instead. It was a lot harder than I expected, but I had no regrets... actually enjoyed it despite being s-l-o-o-o-w. Learned from that experience that you can have a good time without having a "good time." (i.e. a fast time.) And that it's good to test your limits, take some risks.
Once I'd recovered from the running injury, I turned my attention back to running, but a few years later, when the opportunity arose to try a masters' swim group at my local Y, I jumped at it. I won't substitute swimming for running now, but I see it as a necessary and fun component to my training.
First, Leonard, apologies for not responding to your message just before mine... I think we were writing at the same time, so I didn't catch yours.
Since it was a while back when I did the Sept. Splash, I don't remember the problems Leonard mentions.... Ha ha, subconscious blocking maybe? But I did remember it was pretty calm and swimmable. The RBC swim isn't likely for me.... time and $$ this year. But I expect to be easily able to get to the Sept. Splash.
My bf has been very good about coming w/ me to these swims, even tho he's not a shore person... and not having a car, I've found that very, very helpful. But I won't ask him to go w/ me the night before again unless I reserve somewhere... When I did the Plunge for Patients, we got a campground finally but it was a sheer headache to do so. I expect we'll start fr/ the Philly area early a.m. and the two mile might require an earlier start than he'll want to make. The one-miler should be manageable, however.
As for the Sept. Splash, one other item I remember about it: you don't start from shore (at least not for the mile)... you have to swim out to the start... not all that far--maybe 200ish yards? I remember having gone out almost to the start and then we were all called back for some sort of meeting, then sent out again. So it felt like a lot of swimming before I even started the race. So it's good to be ready to swim more than the distance they say. I knew NOTHING about open water swimming then, absolutely NOTHING and didn't even train w/ a masters' group. I was an injured runner who badly missed competing, and since I was using swimming as a substitute for running, decided maybe I'd try a swimming race instead. It was a lot harder than I expected, but I had no regrets... actually enjoyed it despite being s-l-o-o-o-w. Learned from that experience that you can have a good time without having a "good time." (i.e. a fast time.) And that it's good to test your limits, take some risks.
Once I'd recovered from the running injury, I turned my attention back to running, but a few years later, when the opportunity arose to try a masters' swim group at my local Y, I jumped at it. I won't substitute swimming for running now, but I see it as a necessary and fun component to my training.
