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.
Kevin I was told that glycogen was replenished when taking vitamin E by Dr Shute years ago. I took 3000 units of E everyday when training and competing in marathon races. The Dr also said not to over do the cosumption of Iron.
Not medically low, but the low blood sugar due to depletion of glycogen reserves, yes I have had that happen many times in every sort of endurance activity I do. It varies in strength but yes, I have had it happen. It took me about 6 years to realize that the mental and speed related ups and downs in long events are related to blood sugar. That when you feel like doing nothing but stopping and then get that hit of gatorade or other food, you can't even remember why you felt that way ten minutes ago.
But once I figured that our and started to deal with it in training and got realistic with nutrition, things got much better for me.
Chaos
I am considering Gibraltar Strait, Tsuguru Channel, Boston Light, Loch Ness and many others over the next 2 years....................................likely an attempt at Cook Sttait and North Cnannel are in the mindset for 2012-2014 to complete the Ocean's 7 andthen the Still Water 8
Chaos
I am considering Gibraltar Strait, Tsuguru Channel, Boston Light, Loch Ness and many others over the next 2 years....................................likely an attempt at Cook Sttait and North Cnannel are in the mindset for 2012-2014 to complete the Ocean's 7 andthen the Still Water 8
I like the idea of knocking off a bunch of big swims in rapid succession. I suspect it won't be long before we see someone go for the O-7 in a single calendar year. Logistics would be the biggest obstacle.
Are you guys swimming for pleasure?? I only swam distance races beause there was prize money.
there is no prize money for old folks.
I swim because I can.
there is no prize money for old folks.
I swim because I can.
Chaos, I think of it as reverse prize money. I give the prize money for people brave enough to let me swim.
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
Here's a link to my Channel swim on Youtube. There are about 15 minutes of it still to upload, but this is most of it. A lot of the techiques in training and racing that I've used in the past are shown here. Probably the most important one is how I feed during a swim. Talking with your crew only wastes time and prolongs your success.
Here you go:
2001: Chris Derks' Swim Odyssey - YouTube
