Advice: new to OW

That's the thing, I've never done any open water before. I'm pretty confident I could do 2-3 hours in a pool, so I guess I'm sort of wondering how that translates to OW. Pool swimming can develop conditioning and speed, but won't prepare you for the conditions (water temp, chop, physical contact w/ other swimmers, etc.) you will encounter in open water. Generally I'd say it's inadvisable to sign up for a 10K (even if it's current assisted) if you have little (or no) experience in open water. Doesn't LRLS have entry restrictions to this effect? You live in New York - not sure if that means NYC or upstate. Why not go to Brighton Beach and swim with the CIBBOWS a few times?

Can you swim for 2-3 hours in open water without having to be rescued? That's the thing, I've never done any open water before. I'm pretty confident I could do 2-3 hours in a pool, so I guess I'm sort of wondering how that translates to OW. My goal was to do long distances in the pool and work up to a straight 5-6k, with some fast interval stuff mixed in. I signed up for the 1mi to get some experience, but it's so close to the Red Lighthouse swim that I would like to make a decision sooner. Thanks for the help.

Pool swimming can develop conditioning and speed, but won't prepare you for the conditions (water temp, chop, physical contact w/ other swimmers, etc.) you will encounter in open water. Generally I'd say it's inadvisable to sign up for a 10K (even if it's current assisted) if you have little (or no) experience in open water. Doesn't LRLS have entry restrictions to this effect? You live in New York - not sure if that means NYC or upstate. Why not go to Brighton Beach and swim with the CIBBOWS a few times? I agree with this 100%. I'm a great pool swimmer, and have swum since I was 7 on a USAS team, through college, and a little beyond that. Took 8 years off, and restarted masters. 2 1/2 years into masters swimming, I decided to sign up for my first 5K OW swim last summer. I didn't know exactly what I was getting into either...I figured I could make it easily too. Then in the race, I bailed out after nearly completing the first lap of two. I just wasn't prepared mentally for the race. This year I've done a 1 mile OW swim, and have two others coming: 1.76 & 1.5 miles swims. At least I know now more of what to expect and look for in this environment. My advice...start small, and see how it is, then if you want to, increase the distances a little. It's better to be safe than to swim with the fishes forever... :(

I'm in the city. The 1mi I signed up for is the CIBBOWS aquarium swim, but it was just so close to the Litte Red race that I figured if it was realistic, I would try and sign up for it earlier. At this point, I think I'm going to try to do some short OW events when I can this summer and go for the bigger ones next summer. Thanks again. I would suggest getting as much OW experience as you can, even if it is little dollops. (Bigger dollops better if you decide to plan a long swim.) Dialing in nutrition and rehydration for a long swim is important, both during and after. Sunscreen. Managing leg cramps. A very big change is the huge temperature drop from a typical pool temp to OW of 70 or below. Cold-water acclimating is a long, slow process. Right now, an hour at 70 may leave you feeling chilled to the bone. If you can swim OW once a week through to end of Sept, you'll be in much better shape next season. OW is marvelous. The water is alive, responsive, might play with you or beat you down. A following current can surprise you! You'll probably alter your stroke, or learn how to adjust it to different conditions. And you meet the nicest people! And have access to 10-mile lakes, and confidence to go for a swim! :bliss:

I'm in the city. The 1mi I signed up for is the CIBBOWS aquarium swim, but it was just so close to the Litte Red race that I figured if it was realistic, I would try and sign up for it earlier. At this point, I think I'm going to try to do some short OW events when I can this summer and go for the bigger ones next summer. Thanks again.

Doesn't LRLS have entry restrictions to this effect? On this, the only restriction is a 4.5km swim in under 2hrs. The nycswim.org site sort of advertises this event as a good intro to long distance OW, which is pretty much the only reason it was in the back of my head to try at all. Clearly, there is much more to OW than I thought.

1. Is it feasible to train for this kind of race in that amount of time? Can you swim for 2-3 hours in open water without having to be rescued? If yes, you will probably be OK for the Little Red Lighthouse Swim. It is current assisted. Even if you are very slow, the river will get you there as long as you can keep swimming. 2. What kind of diet is optimal for this kind of training? No special diet is necessary for training 2-3km, 4-5 times per week. A healthy, balanced diet is fine. 3. Water temps should be 65-70F for these races - is a wetsuit necessary for this kind of temp? No. But you should practice at least a few times in the expected water temp, for the expected duration.

Just go do it ... Like tomorrow. exactly.

Just to echo some of the things already said on this thread... I did a lot of lake swimming in a non-competitive status over the years (BSA mile swims; workouts at local inland lakes; even a couple of mile-swims in Lake Michigan) before I signed up for my first open water race, 2.4 miles. I was very comfortable in OW and still found that first OW race intimidating. I wouldn't sign up for anything over that if it's going to be among your first OW experiences. I plan on working my way up to 10K, 10 miles and beyond now that I've done 5K, but as James says, start small. As far as diet, you don't need to put in "more" calories (though I wouldn't run a "deficit" on hard workout days, or before/after long swims). More important than quantity is quality... get your vitamins, complex carbs, proteins, but avoid the simple carbs and fats. I've just gained ten pounds in the last 4 months, all muscle I can assure you :afraid: yeah, right... I should follow my own advice! Swimming is not a license to eat whatever!

Clearly, there is much more to OW than I thought. Well, don't take my word for it! Just go do it. It's not like you live in some landlocked, open-water-less place. CIBBOWS are much more than just their organized races. Go down to Brighton Beach and join them. Like tomorrow. If you can do their 5K loop (Brighton 4th to Coney Island Pier, back to white house, back to Brighton 4th), you'll be more than ready for LRLS.