OK I got in. The most I have swam is 2 miles open water. I swim about 10K yards a week with 2 masters workouts a week. Now what. This race is 4.4 miles.
The race date is June 8. I think I can answer my own question... double (or triple!) my weekly yardage, hold yourself back on the start, finally, grit your teeth and "enjoy" gutting it out.
Ideas for training?:confused:
I'd continue to do a mix of interval and slow, long-distance sets if I were you. The slow and long sets are the core of your training because they're going to provide you with the endurance to keep going in the last mile and a half, but I feel really strongly that you need to incorporate some faster work in there too, either on your "off" days or incorporated into your long-distance sets. Not sprinting - doing 100 repeats full-out is not what I'm talking about - but strong swims at a slightly higher pace than what you plan on swimming during the Bay.
The biggest challenge in the Bay is dealing with the currents, which are different every year. They're especially challenging in the shipping channel smack in the middle of the Bay. It's easy to get "stuck" in a current, making little forward progress. This is where your speed training is going to come in handy, as the only way to save yourself is to pick up the pace and muscle your way through. If you've incorporated some faster-pace work into your training, you'll have the strength to make it through the rough spots but still have the endurance to finish the race (and trust me, that last mile and a half seems to go on for. ev. er.).
So, create sets of 1000s that build by 200; or do long, slow distance sets, but go strong on the last 25 of every 100; etc.
I'd continue to do a mix of interval and slow, long-distance sets if I were you. The slow and long sets are the core of your training because they're going to provide you with the endurance to keep going in the last mile and a half, but I feel really strongly that you need to incorporate some faster work in there too, either on your "off" days or incorporated into your long-distance sets. Not sprinting - doing 100 repeats full-out is not what I'm talking about - but strong swims at a slightly higher pace than what you plan on swimming during the Bay.
The biggest challenge in the Bay is dealing with the currents, which are different every year. They're especially challenging in the shipping channel smack in the middle of the Bay. It's easy to get "stuck" in a current, making little forward progress. This is where your speed training is going to come in handy, as the only way to save yourself is to pick up the pace and muscle your way through. If you've incorporated some faster-pace work into your training, you'll have the strength to make it through the rough spots but still have the endurance to finish the race (and trust me, that last mile and a half seems to go on for. ev. er.).
So, create sets of 1000s that build by 200; or do long, slow distance sets, but go strong on the last 25 of every 100; etc.
