I am trying to make a decision, quite soon, about entering a 2K swim race in about a month. It's a "downhill", meaning with the current, race.
I really want to do this, and I assess my fitness as ready for this. I swim 3 workouts a week that are longer and more intense than the 2K, plus I swim recovery workouts 2-3x/week as well. My pace puts me in a position to be competent as well. No prizes, but a finisher with dignity.:)
So I think that it is mostly being mentally ready and being used to having no walls to bounce off!
I have the ability to workout 1x/wk in an open water environment that is super safe--Barton Springs in Austin which gives me a straight distance of about 200 m. I could swim it as a rectangle I suppose and get 500 m I'd guess.
In that sort of context, how might I go about training and structuring my time there? Beyond just doing 2000 m and practicing sighting?
What i've done so far is do laps, varying my speed, raising my heartrate and then swimming my heart rate back down. I've drilled and done the "stuff" that makes me feel good and ready to swim in the water. I am comfortable sighting and breathing bilaterally when needed.
Thoughts? Cautionary tales?
