I have been swimming for some time now. I usually do about 4000 yards four days per week. I have never done a long distance swim. I'm not sure why but I have been tossing the idea around in my head to swim a 30-38 mile Fresh water swim at the end of August. I'm not concerned about the time it takes. I'm thinking I would need a support crew, nutrition while underway, lights etc. etc. I would appreciate any feedback and insight you could lend regarding workouts to build up, experiences, recommended suit, food, etc. etc.
Lets hear it.
You had one rule of thumb earlier about swimming the race distance weekly.
Another rule of thumb is that you should have swum 60% of the distance of the swim at least once.
Dover Solo is a good reference, Penny Lee Dean's book on open water swimming is also good in terms of seeing how much swimming you'd be looking at.
For my own part, I have gotten a lot of good out of two particular diametrically opposed workouts.
1. Long swims underfed. Something like 10k intentionally without any food or sugar before practice and then with only 100 calories pr so per hour during. This is to replicate the depletion, low blood sugar and low mental state you will inevitably feel on race day.
2. Long swims practicing nutrition exactly. I am continually surprised by how many people don't do this. mix up exactly what you will use on race day and drink it in exactly the amounts you intend to drink on race day and at the same intervals. Start with 1.25 calories per pound per hour as a first guess on how much will work for you. I use maltodextrin mixed into gatorade, others have their own favorites.
Good luck,come on out to some of the other open water races, it's fun.
You had one rule of thumb earlier about swimming the race distance weekly.
Another rule of thumb is that you should have swum 60% of the distance of the swim at least once.
Dover Solo is a good reference, Penny Lee Dean's book on open water swimming is also good in terms of seeing how much swimming you'd be looking at.
For my own part, I have gotten a lot of good out of two particular diametrically opposed workouts.
1. Long swims underfed. Something like 10k intentionally without any food or sugar before practice and then with only 100 calories pr so per hour during. This is to replicate the depletion, low blood sugar and low mental state you will inevitably feel on race day.
2. Long swims practicing nutrition exactly. I am continually surprised by how many people don't do this. mix up exactly what you will use on race day and drink it in exactly the amounts you intend to drink on race day and at the same intervals. Start with 1.25 calories per pound per hour as a first guess on how much will work for you. I use maltodextrin mixed into gatorade, others have their own favorites.
Good luck,come on out to some of the other open water races, it's fun.
