I have swum a handful or 5K open waters over the past few years and am seriously considering swimming my first 10K next August (National Championship in Little Traverse Bay, MI 8/1/2009). In most all of my 5Ks (even the rough/cold condition ones) I felt pretty good afterwards, could have swum farther, and luckily didn't cramp up at all.
My question for those who have swum a 10K and 5K, how much of a difference are they on a pain/exhaustion scale? Like is swimming a 10K 30% more painful and/or exhausting or is it more like 500% more painful/exhausting.
I am a relatively slow open water swimmer and would be aiming just to complete the swim in or around a time of 3 1/2 to 4 hours (barring any major route miscalculation or dibilitating physical side-effect).:drown:
Thanks for your thoughts!
I'm not sure how the race will be set up; if there will be a feeding station or if your paddler can have your fuel.
One way is to have a squeezable water bottle filled with your fuel and have your paddler toss you the bottle during the race. There are lots of endurance/energy drinks out there such as Accelerade, Heed (Hammer), Powerbar, Nuun, etc. Just look at a sporting goods, bike or triathlete shop in your area. This is a good way because you can turn over on your back, keep kicking and take your drink. When you're done, toss the bottle back to your paddler and let them pick it up out of the water while you turn over and start swimming again.
I've heard some swimmers tuck a pack of energy gel (Gu, etc.) in their suits so they can take that during the swim.
Depending on the water temp and conditions, unwrapping a solid bar and chewing it can be hard to do but doable for some people. Some people like those jelly type of fuels like Clif Shot Blocks but, again, they can get hard to chew during a swim.
You should always practice with your fuel BEFORE the race. Sometimes, the mixture or food may upset your stomach. You don't want that. Find something that agrees with you and will keep up your energy. And, practice the way you're going to take it.
Good luck!
I'm not sure how the race will be set up; if there will be a feeding station or if your paddler can have your fuel.
One way is to have a squeezable water bottle filled with your fuel and have your paddler toss you the bottle during the race. There are lots of endurance/energy drinks out there such as Accelerade, Heed (Hammer), Powerbar, Nuun, etc. Just look at a sporting goods, bike or triathlete shop in your area. This is a good way because you can turn over on your back, keep kicking and take your drink. When you're done, toss the bottle back to your paddler and let them pick it up out of the water while you turn over and start swimming again.
I've heard some swimmers tuck a pack of energy gel (Gu, etc.) in their suits so they can take that during the swim.
Depending on the water temp and conditions, unwrapping a solid bar and chewing it can be hard to do but doable for some people. Some people like those jelly type of fuels like Clif Shot Blocks but, again, they can get hard to chew during a swim.
You should always practice with your fuel BEFORE the race. Sometimes, the mixture or food may upset your stomach. You don't want that. Find something that agrees with you and will keep up your energy. And, practice the way you're going to take it.
Good luck!
