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.
The simple answer to this question is that all you need is the determination to make the commitment to train, the refusal to quit when it hurts, and to be honest with yourself.
16000 a week is not going to be enough yardage to get the job done. When I'm gearing up for a big swim I'll routinely hit 60-70K per week in only 6 workouts. I'll save the very long swims for the weekends when time is not at a premium. In a marathon you can not stop, sit down, or coast your way through it. You need to put in the time in order to get used to the time.
Train in the open water as much as possible. It is a different feel than what you get in the pool. Swim when the water is cold, rough, and/or in bad weather. What will you do on race day if the conditions aren't nice and calm? Go home? Of course not. (Make sure to have an escort for safety.) I'm not a huge fan of 5-6 hour OW swims because I feel that you are in an area of diminishing returns and open yourself to over-use injuries and other problems. I feel just as crappy after a hard 3 hour swim as I do after an 8 hour race. That's just my opinion. 3 hour pool swims with occasional feed brakes are killers that will tell you a lot about yourself.
Relish adversity. If you have a big swim like the English Channel coming up, make sure that it isn't your first marathon. You'll want to know how your body and mind will react when things aren't going well. I suck in hot water and found out the hard way (1995 Pan Pac Trials in Lake Lanier). I wish I had more experience before one of the biggest swims in my life.
Never quit. I've been pulled out of three races in my career. Two of them were against my will. If you quit once, the second time will be easier.
Just a few thoughts.
Chris
The simple answer to this question is that all you need is the determination to make the commitment to train, the refusal to quit when it hurts, and to be honest with yourself.
16000 a week is not going to be enough yardage to get the job done. When I'm gearing up for a big swim I'll routinely hit 60-70K per week in only 6 workouts. I'll save the very long swims for the weekends when time is not at a premium. In a marathon you can not stop, sit down, or coast your way through it. You need to put in the time in order to get used to the time.
Train in the open water as much as possible. It is a different feel than what you get in the pool. Swim when the water is cold, rough, and/or in bad weather. What will you do on race day if the conditions aren't nice and calm? Go home? Of course not. (Make sure to have an escort for safety.) I'm not a huge fan of 5-6 hour OW swims because I feel that you are in an area of diminishing returns and open yourself to over-use injuries and other problems. I feel just as crappy after a hard 3 hour swim as I do after an 8 hour race. That's just my opinion. 3 hour pool swims with occasional feed brakes are killers that will tell you a lot about yourself.
Relish adversity. If you have a big swim like the English Channel coming up, make sure that it isn't your first marathon. You'll want to know how your body and mind will react when things aren't going well. I suck in hot water and found out the hard way (1995 Pan Pac Trials in Lake Lanier). I wish I had more experience before one of the biggest swims in my life.
Never quit. I've been pulled out of three races in my career. Two of them were against my will. If you quit once, the second time will be easier.
Just a few thoughts.
Chris
