10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

mlnugent — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:21:44 GMT

Thanks for your input Jeff. It definitely sounds possible, with the swimming I have been doing now. I will keep my eyes open for the date. The boat escort for the swim might pose some problems, so if you know of any teenagers we could pay to help us out, that would be great. If the kids were there for the whole swim, that would have a long wait for mom:). This weekend I am participating in a swim (Swim for Freedom) across Lake Geneva (8 miles) to raise money for Special Warrior Operation Foundation. The water is not as calm as Morse Reservoir, but it is for a good cause and good practice for the distance.

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Jeff Maydak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:27:53 GMT

I am a member of the host team (NASTi). My understanding is that the 25K will be held in June next year but I'm not sure if that is official yet. A June date should keep the water 5-8 degrees cooler (mid-high 70s) than the 2008 25K and this year's 10K. I swam both events. Melodee, what specifically do you want to know about the 25K? As you can guess it will be five laps of the 5K course and will probably require a personal kayak as a support boat. Other than the 25K two years ago, my only swims longer than 5K have been 10Ks in 2007 and this year. My training for the 25K didn't differ too much from this year's 10K except that I peaked higher for the 25K during the last month of heavy training (prior to a week of taper). Let me know if you have questions that I may not have covered here or you need more detail.

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

mlnugent — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:43:33 GMT

Hi: The 10k swim was a very well organized swim - thank you ***! Anyone participating in the 25K next year who has never done it before? I am thinking about it, but would love to talk to others. The farthest I have swam was 8 miles in open water, but can I almost double that???? *** mentioned that the 25K doesn't have a date yet, but he is hoing to have it earlier next year, so the water would be cooler. That would help. Melodee :) WI Masters

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Jeff Maydak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:36:58 GMT

I'm very much a minimalist when it comes to training (and coaching) - I'll never be accused of over-training! You mention that you've swum nearly 100 miles this month. I've swum 170 miles all year (assuming my FLOG is right) although 54 of those came in June. My weekly training for the 25K two years ago went like this (all converted to yards): 14K, 12K, 13K, 14K, 13K, 14K, 16K, 23K, 23K, 27K, 32K, 29K, 44K, 19K. So my heaviest four-week period of training was "only" 75 miles, not nearly what you're training now. My only real goal was to finish the race. IF I swim it next year, I'll have a benchmark time to beat so I would probably increase my yardage from what you see here. In fact, my training this year for the 10K was good on a per practice basis but I only swam four days/week. I would increase that to 5-6 days each week for a 25K. It sounds like you're training enough to not only complete the race but to swim a respectable time as well. How did you feel after the 10K two weeks ago? If you were hurting, use that as a guide. I felt terrible after the 10K but nowhere near as bad as finishing the 25K. It felt like I had been in a car wreck; I hurt everywhere! Regarding the kayaks, in 2008 kayaks were available for rental for $30 but it was the responsibility of each swimmer to provide a kayaker. Our team provided a lot of kayakers at no cost but there's no guarantee that this will be an option next summer. I had my own kayak team since I didn't want to subject one person to being on the lake for 7.5 hours. I had one person for laps 1 & 3, another for 2 & 4, and a third for the final lap. It worked well for me but I had "practiced" a time or two with the first two guys. I hope this helps.

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

mlnugent — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:01:04 GMT

Jeff- Thanks for responding....and I am glad to know that you only (that sounds strange "only") did the 10K prior to that. I was just looking for training tips that might help, for example, how much yardage were you getting in for the heavy training? I have been a participant of the Go the Distance event for the past three years and I try to beat the prior year. This month I am close to 100 miles (mostly lap swimming (4-5 times for lake swimming). Since I swim on my own, I use the Workouts in the Binder for workouts and often double the main sets to get more yardage. I like descending sets, so I am thinking that I would maybe increase these to longer descending sets.....Your thoughts? My family came with me this year (kids 7-13) - so I would probably need someone to be my escort. Would that be difficult to do?

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Former Member — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:05:40 GMT

To *** Sidner, Thank you for hosting a great event. I appreciate all the work and hours that all the volunteers and you dedicated to make this event possible. From the time that I arrived and registered on Friday afternoon to the time that I departed on Saturday, every thing was perfect. Dane Griffin

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Former Member — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:55:33 GMT

This was one the best races I have swam so far!GREAT job to all that worked so hard to make this well organized! The coarse was so great! So easy to fallow and to have a boat tour the day before was and out standing idea. I will for sure be back next year for the 25K!!! Was the best!!

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Former Member — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:51:14 GMT

I agree with all of these posts. This race was incredibly well organized and supported. The boat tour of the course the day before made it so much easier to navigate the race the next day. THe course itself was ideal. As a first time 10K racer, I would recommend this race to any first timers whose goal is simply to finish. Yes, there are incredibly fast swimmers in this race, but I think everybody felt welcome and part of the event. If you are thinking of doing a 10K swim, this is the one! John Raleigh, NC

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Former Member — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:26:21 GMT

Outstanding job to *** and Lisa Sidner for the Morse 10k! The Morse Reservoir races (10k in 2010 & 25k in 2008 & 2011) are easily the safest races I have ever been involved in. The entire course is in a no wake zone that is very well patroled by Police, DNR, Fireboats, Lifegaurds, and swimmer escorts in kayaks. As a 25k swimmer and a 10k volunteer I have seen both sides of the USMS Morse races. The races have outstanding sighting, allowing swimmers to either use large numbered bouys or contrasting landmarks - your choice. Most of the race can be swum from shore point to shore point and the points are visible from much further than bouys. Course tours, led by experienced Morse open water swimmers, were held the night before to show the course, point out exact sighting landmarks, and answer any questions to reduce that pre-race anxiety. I strongly recommend either of the Morse races, 10k or 25k (or their relays) to anyone. Whether you are a competitive open water swimmer, recreational, or just want to finish, the USMS 10k / 25k races at Morse Reservoir are for you. I'll be there at the 25k next July - will you?

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Mel — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:29:18 GMT

What a great event!... Thank you for allowing me and the ISF Volunteers and Swimmers to participate and be apart of this wonderful event...Open Water is where growth in membership will come...We need more events like this...Already looking forward to volunteering next year for the 25 K. Mel

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

Marcia Cleveland — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:19:19 GMT

I couldn't agree more. This event was such a well-organized, fun experience. The Nastis do an exceptional job at summoning the strength of the group. *** & Lisa Sidner deserve major kudos for their effort to make everything RIGHT. I'm looking forward to the 25K next summer. Marcia Cleveland:banana:

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

smeltgirl — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:20:51 GMT

I agree with everything everyone has said. What a well run race! I really, really appreciated the boat tours of the course. That took a lot of anxiety out of the race the next day, despite the extremely hot racing conditions. Because everything leading up to race day had been so well-organized, I felt confident that safety would be job one for the organizers, so rather than totally freaking out about 87 degree water, all I had to do was concentrate on swimming my race and paying attention to my body. I could see all of the bouys and remembered the sighting points from the boat tour--I did not experience one moment of "now how did I end up HERE?" A FANTASTIC practice other organizers would do well to imitate was this: NUMBERED BOUYS. This is an innovation like ziplock bags or the light grids on the back of wrapping paper--why weren't things always done this way? Even small details were taken care of: the goodie bag had great stuff in it--I like the luggage tag and the cool 2010k cup the most--a very cool, well-designed t-shirt, a tent to protect folks from the heat post-race, food and beverages right there after the race, a hose with a shower attachment for post-race clean up (made the drive home to Chicago SO much comfortable), and even lots of raffle prizes! It's amazing how much sponsorship the organizers lined up for this event. I also have to commend *** Snider for responding to my emails immediately, even right after the race! A very nice guy. Noblesville is a pretty place to visit, too, I might add. I am a Chicago girl, and a Lake Michigan swimmer accustomed to swimming in temperatures between 60 to 70 degrees, so Morse Reservoir is tough for me due to its warmth. But I plan to return and do the race again because it was the best run open water race I have ever done, and because I so enjoyed the camaraderie of the other swimmers. I agree that this was a very fast field of competitors. Still, regular mortal swimmers like me also had a great time. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Such fun! Ruth Giles-Ott, Chicago Smelts

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

evmo — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:33:49 GMT

+1. It was an incredibly well-run event, from the Friday evening course tours to the post-race spread. The 10K isn't designed to be a pleasant experience, but *** Sidner & NASTI's attention to detail made it a gratifying challenge - the highlight of my O.W. season. And what a field! It was an honor to share the lake with so many impressive athletes (including a couple on this thread). Evan www.freshwaterswimmer.com

RE: 10k OWS, Noblesville, IN

vlrian1650 — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:05:13 GMT

***, Lisa & Team NASTI- Thank you so much for putting on a great 10K. Everything was wonderful.......registration, boat rides to view course, well marked course, food, volunteers, etc. !!!!!! Thank you for all the hard work put into this event. I really appreciated it. You all are great!!!!!!!! I can't wait until next year for the 25K and another wonderful event. V :applaud: