5K Training Advice

Thanks for the info. I wish I knew as much about swimming as I do about weight training & nutrition. But I am learning fast though. It is sure great to be involved in a sport where you can see improvements workout to workout rather than year to year. I am a novice swimmer and training very hard so I am making huge gains right now. How many days a week should I be training in the pool to prep for this 5k? 4 days/week should be sufficient? Thanks for your thoughts.

How many days a week should I be training in the pool to prep for this 5k? 4 days/week should be sufficient? I just did a 5K last month for the first time, but it was my fourth open water swim. 4-5 days per week is my norm, but after fatiguing in this summer's 3K, I took the last four weeks before my 5K and upped the training to 6 times/week and making sure that I swam a non-stop 5K distance in the pool at least twice during that period. Worked wonders. Felt good and bested my goal time. (Swam it in 1:20 to put my level of fitness in perspective) In the interest of full disclosure, my idea of a nutrition regimen is beer and burgers.:drink: But then I always argue that what speed I give up in weight and drag, I gain in insulation against the cold water temps. Good luck.

srcoyote, Thanks for your thoughts. I will be bumping up my swimming even more, and will try a 5k non-stop swim (200 laps in 25m pool...) and see how that feels. I have never swam that far before, ever. But I know based on my workouts that I could no problem. I completed a 3850m session in about 75 minutes with very little fatigue. I'll see what a straight non-stop 5000m race distance feels like. 1:20 would have got you 2nd place overall at the EcoSwim in '07. (1:18:12 won.) I am always eager for tips/hints guys, thanks!

Todd: I just looked the EcoSwim up. Looks like great fun. Doubt I could do a 5K in 1:20 in the ocean, though. Mine was in an unusually serene Lake Michigan and was good enough to get me the statistical median in placing (and runned over by some of the grey caps = over 45 ). Water temp also makes a difference for most folks. I prefer the 69 degrees that Lake Michigan gave me in Sept. to the 80+ you are likely to get in the Carribean. Anything 83 or over and I begin to fatigue after a couple miles. But then I train in a pool that's usually about 84 (my only option with schedule and budget). It sounds like you have more than enough mental and physical stamina. Nothing to do but enjoy the scenery when you get there.

Thanks srcoyote, I am the exact opposite and function well in warmer temps. I train at 4 different pools here and I find the coolest one at 81F very cool even during intense longer sessions and always have my best workouts in the 87F pool. I hope the Caribbean Sea is very warm the week of Bonaire trip.

Another way to train for th 5 K, instead of swimming straight is to do 5 X 1000 on starting on the 20 minute for the first one. Number 2 is done on say 19:45, 3 is on the 19:30, 4 is on the 19:15 and number 5 is finished by 19:00 minutes. That way you are having to swim harder as the time is reduced. You can break-up your 5 K in any fashion as long as you are reducing the time as you get tired. Good luck and have fun. Animal

Animal, That workout looks interesting, fun, and effective. Thanks for the tip, it is appreciated.

If a 5000k is your race, figure out the time you want to swim in a 5 K. Then do a lot of race pace training. Train at the pace you want to swim. Most of your repeats shoud be at race pace. You should throw in some sprint work so you know in the heat of the race you can also pick up the pace for periods.

Sat. Nov. 22nd SWIM - 5000m on 1hr, 17min, 34secs. 2 weeks to race day (Bonaire EcoSwim). I went 5000m today, the full race distance, this is the furthest I have gone non-stop. I had a hit of water/Gatorade mix at 2500m which would be the 1/2 way turn-around point in the race where you can get a drink. Everything was going great, I counted off in 100's, hauling ass for that distance going mod/fast pace, but still not what would be my "race pace", and at 3950 I got a wicked stitch in my right side which radiated quite sharply up into my right shoulder. (??) I had to ease way back, switch to *** for a few strokes a couple of times, and the stitch stuck around until I finished, but eased off somewhat at 4600m. Kinda weird going up into my R shoulder joint/socket though...??? I think things were going so well the first 4000 that I really kept pushing and picked it up close to entering the last 1000 (I still had a lot of juice left) and that brought on the spasm. Not really sure though.. I have not swam this time or distance continuously before. My workouts have been 2500-4500 all in sets/intervals. Never got a stitch of any kind in my other training. My time for 5000m was 1:17:34. I am very pleased with this but really wonder what it would be without the stitch. That slowed me down quite a bit. (A LOT.) I was shooting for 5000m in 60 mins. I hope I don't get that during the race... (!) I leave for the island in 10 days. Any tips/ideas/suggestions?? This is my first OWS race.

That's a tough one. It might be a simple case of being too amp'ed. When swimming all out at that distance, I find I have to focus not only on intensity, but also on staying relaxed. If you don't balance power with flexibility, you can easily overwhelm your muscle groups and cramp. In the days when I routinely swam all out for 5K in a 25 yd pool, I always described the first 500 yds as spooky fast. Not because I was that fast, but that it spooked me to realize I had to do 10 more of those in a row. I finally adjusted mentally to that with practice. It helped me relax and my times improved.