Hi All,
I've been swimming for about a year now, and the last few months I've started to take much more of an interest and kicked up my routines.
I do 2-3k (yards and meters; pool switches) 4-5 times week, and I usually average about and hour for 3km.
I just signed up for an OW mile in 1.5months, which I don't think I'll have too much trouble with, but I'm also considering a current assisted 10k (they say it swims like a 6k, avg times are about 2hrs) at the end of Sept, which gives me just about two months...so:
1. Is it feasible to train for this kind of race in that amount of time?
2. What kind of diet is optimal for this kind of training? I've been operating in a 500kcal deficit for the last few months, but I sort of think that I should be eating more in preparation for an event of this kind.
3. Water temps should be 65-70F for these races - is a wetsuit necessary for this kind of temp?
I've searched these forums and the net for answers, but in the end it seemed prudent to just ask, as the other resources weren't yielding much. Thanks in advance.
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... :(
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... :(
