I am 30 years old and decided to do the 1 mile bay bridge swim in Maryland. The event is June 10th. When I get a chance I have been swimming in the pool. I have worked up to a 1/2 mile in about 30 mins. That is with taking breaks. I was wondering how to train for an event like this. I can not get to the event site to practice, so what should I do in the pool so I am ready? How many days should I swim? How far? I am clueless and can use any advice. Also, do you think getting a wetsuit is a good idea?
Jaime
Good for you! Just FYI, the Bay will require that you use their own colored cap for safety reasons. I'm training for the 4.4 mile swim, and in general I'm not a big fan of getting in a lap pool and just swimming laps continuously. I like to do a warm-up and then get into a main set of intervals. You might try to do a set of 5 200s, or 10 100s, or 4 300s with 20-30 seconds rest in between each one. The benefit of this is that you can swim at a slightly faster pace than race pace, but still get the rest needed to complete the set. And, it's so much more interesting than continuous swims (IMHO).
I agree with the previous poster that you need to get to a point where you can swim LONGER than a mile. With open water you don't swim in a straight line, so you've got to account for that extra yardage in your training. Try getting in the pool 3-4 times a week, and up your total distance about 10% each week. Mix up your training sessions so that sometimes you do long swims at a really easy pace, and some where you do faster sets (like a set of 5 50s at 80-85% effort). Your body and your mind will get cranky unless you keep it interesting for them...at least that's what I find.
Also, add in some heads-up swimming, where you swim with your head out of the water. Open water swimming can tire out those back and neck muscles because you're constantly picking up your head to see where you are. Practicing heads-up swimming will strengthen those muscles before the race; an example of a set might be some 100s where the first 25 you swim with your head up, the second 25 you swim with your head down, the third 25 is head up, fourth is head down.
Do you live near the swim site? Lots of people use the weekends leading up to the Bay to swim at Sandy Point State Park on the west side of the bridge. You can swim parallel to shore and follow the buoys (so you get to practice sighting something) and that'll give you some practice in open water with the waves, saltiness, etc. I think it's $5 per person to get into the park, and it's well worth it to practice, even if just once.
Good luck with your training, and I'll see you on June 10th!
Good for you! Just FYI, the Bay will require that you use their own colored cap for safety reasons. I'm training for the 4.4 mile swim, and in general I'm not a big fan of getting in a lap pool and just swimming laps continuously. I like to do a warm-up and then get into a main set of intervals. You might try to do a set of 5 200s, or 10 100s, or 4 300s with 20-30 seconds rest in between each one. The benefit of this is that you can swim at a slightly faster pace than race pace, but still get the rest needed to complete the set. And, it's so much more interesting than continuous swims (IMHO).
I agree with the previous poster that you need to get to a point where you can swim LONGER than a mile. With open water you don't swim in a straight line, so you've got to account for that extra yardage in your training. Try getting in the pool 3-4 times a week, and up your total distance about 10% each week. Mix up your training sessions so that sometimes you do long swims at a really easy pace, and some where you do faster sets (like a set of 5 50s at 80-85% effort). Your body and your mind will get cranky unless you keep it interesting for them...at least that's what I find.
Also, add in some heads-up swimming, where you swim with your head out of the water. Open water swimming can tire out those back and neck muscles because you're constantly picking up your head to see where you are. Practicing heads-up swimming will strengthen those muscles before the race; an example of a set might be some 100s where the first 25 you swim with your head up, the second 25 you swim with your head down, the third 25 is head up, fourth is head down.
Do you live near the swim site? Lots of people use the weekends leading up to the Bay to swim at Sandy Point State Park on the west side of the bridge. You can swim parallel to shore and follow the buoys (so you get to practice sighting something) and that'll give you some practice in open water with the waves, saltiness, etc. I think it's $5 per person to get into the park, and it's well worth it to practice, even if just once.
Good luck with your training, and I'll see you on June 10th!
