How do you know if your overdoing it on training?
I started swimming again last Tuesday after many years off. I did a short 10 minute out and 8 minute back swim that I figured would take me 15 minutes each way. I was very surprised.
The next night I did a 17 minute each way swim going further then the previous night. The 10 minute turnaround point the night before, a bouy only took me 7 minutes on Wednesday night.
Thursday night I did a 1.6 mile swim, 32 minutes out and 34 minutes back. This time it only took me 6 minutes to make it out to the first bouy.
All the swims I have done thus far has followed the same route, they have just went further along the shoreline each time.
Friday night I swam out and it took me 31 minutes to make it to the turnaround point from Thursday evening. I continued on and extended the swim further. I turnaround at the local yacht club marina. I had 45 minutes out and 52 minutes back for a 2.4 mile swim.
Sunday I decided to go for the biggy thus far. It was going to be a 3.7 mile swim roundtrip. I knew after this I was going to start running into problems with refueling so I knew anything further north than this particular point would require some added strategy into the equation.
I got to the lake and saw the water surface and was shocked. I didn't think the wind was blowing that much. I knew this was going to be the roughest water I had swam in thus far. I still managed to meet or beat each of the way points on the way out to the turnaround point from Thursday night until the very end. I managed the 31/32 minutes in 32 minutes. I headed on up north along the shoreline and reached the yacht club in 44 minutes. I was surprised. I reached the turnaround point in 1:10. I got back to the yacht club and had the big surprise awaiting me. The lake had kicked the roughness us a bit. I pretty much swam *** stroke along the yacht club for safety. I didn't want to find myself getting tangled up in any of the anchor lines on any of the boats. I mananged to get back to the finish point in 2:28, right at a 1.5 mph pace.
I was still feeling fine, better than I did Friday night when it almost seemed like I had a bit a 'motion/sea sickness'. It was the weirdest feeling I've ever experienced. Thankfully it only lasted 20-30 minutes.
How do you know what your overtraining. I could go out tonight and swim another 2-3 miles and not think a thing about it. I do have other obligations that are going to keep me from doing it.
Right now I'm looking at a 4.2 miler possibly tomorrow...depending on the weather and maybe a 5 miler on Wednesday, taking Thursday off to get ready for a much longer swim on Friday, maybe 8-9 miles. I have to fully work out logistics of the refueling before I even think of trying the longer swim.
It just seems strange that I haven't hit any kind of brick wall on any of the swims yet. I would have thought I would have noticed something that would suggest that I have overdid it. The only thing would have been the Friday evening 'motion sickness'.
My pace is pretty much consistent throughout the swim unless I hit rough water conditions like I did yesterday and I get pushed by the waves on part of the swim and then pay for it on the return leg.
Parents
Former Member
I swam competitively as a kid. That has pretty much destroyed my life ever since. As a result I know better than to get myself into competitive environments...they're suicidal. If your mind has a reason, even if it is irrational, for keeping you out of a certain environment you best stay away or you'll not like the consequences. That's what I've learnt in life. So...no, I have zero intention of doing any 5k or 10k races.
For me right now it is simply a matter of seeing how crazy I can be and how long I can go before I hit the wall. I'm truly surprised I haven't hit the wall already. I've thought about swimming the perimeter of the lake I've been swimming on(23+ miles) roundtrip(46+ miles) over a number of different legs. Potentially doing it all in one month, just for kicks. I originally thought about swimming the perimeter in one swim, again just for kicks.
I know for me it seems like when I get involved in something like this I typically beat it to death and accomplish the goal and walk away to never be heard from again. Other than the perimeter idea their is only one other thing that I even think would be interesting to do but it would first take finding the right location which would probably have to be on one of the Great Lakes. It would be used to see how the mind would respond to the situation it was placed in.
I guess one of the other things I'm trying to do right now is get use to the idea of open water and the waves when it comes to breathing. It always seems like after 2-2+ minutes I always start to feel 'claustrophobic' or something in that general nature of things. It always seems like trying to get a decent breath is much harder so I switch over for about a minute or so to *** stroke before switching back for another 2-2+ minutes of freestyle. I would like to get over that hump/complication. It does seem like each time I go out the length of time swimming freestyle is improving. Pretty much unless I run aground in shallow water or something along those lines I don't stop swimming until I get back to shore...I just change what stroke I'm using. I have found I don't like back stroke with goggles on. I used to be real good at back stroke as a kid but I didn't wear goggles back then.
I swam competitively as a kid. That has pretty much destroyed my life ever since. As a result I know better than to get myself into competitive environments...they're suicidal. If your mind has a reason, even if it is irrational, for keeping you out of a certain environment you best stay away or you'll not like the consequences. That's what I've learnt in life. So...no, I have zero intention of doing any 5k or 10k races.
For me right now it is simply a matter of seeing how crazy I can be and how long I can go before I hit the wall. I'm truly surprised I haven't hit the wall already. I've thought about swimming the perimeter of the lake I've been swimming on(23+ miles) roundtrip(46+ miles) over a number of different legs. Potentially doing it all in one month, just for kicks. I originally thought about swimming the perimeter in one swim, again just for kicks.
I know for me it seems like when I get involved in something like this I typically beat it to death and accomplish the goal and walk away to never be heard from again. Other than the perimeter idea their is only one other thing that I even think would be interesting to do but it would first take finding the right location which would probably have to be on one of the Great Lakes. It would be used to see how the mind would respond to the situation it was placed in.
I guess one of the other things I'm trying to do right now is get use to the idea of open water and the waves when it comes to breathing. It always seems like after 2-2+ minutes I always start to feel 'claustrophobic' or something in that general nature of things. It always seems like trying to get a decent breath is much harder so I switch over for about a minute or so to *** stroke before switching back for another 2-2+ minutes of freestyle. I would like to get over that hump/complication. It does seem like each time I go out the length of time swimming freestyle is improving. Pretty much unless I run aground in shallow water or something along those lines I don't stop swimming until I get back to shore...I just change what stroke I'm using. I have found I don't like back stroke with goggles on. I used to be real good at back stroke as a kid but I didn't wear goggles back then.
