Hi,
I'm signed up for the maryland swim for life on July 13. There is a 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 mile option and I've chosen the 5. I've read as many of the previous posts here as possible on training. But, I would still like to ensure I'm on the right track and would appreciate some advice. I can always change which distance I'm doing if my training doesn't go well.
My Background: I'm a triathlete but I'm awful at swimming. I'm doing this swim to force myself to get better at swimming somehow. I've done some 1.2 mile swims in half irons and pure open water events. I can currently swim 2 miles in the pool without stopping. Recently I've been practicing the Total Immersion method in an attempt to become more efficient. I swim 4 days per week: 3x1500yd + 1x3000yd.
Goal: Just finish the 5 mile swim under my own power.
Questions:
1. How long should my "long swim" be in order to complete this event? How much should my weekly yardage be? Keep in mind that I've just learned the Total Immersion method and I'm still not that great at it. So, i've been trying to spend a few days a week just focusing on form.
2. Would it be advisable to wear a wet suit? I have a 5/3mm full wetsuit. Water temps are projected to be mid 70s. The wetsuit would give me an advantage and is permissible if the temp doesn't rise above 78F. But, in the mid 70s, would I overheat?
3. Does anyone have any other thoughts on training?
Thanks! :-)
-Jonathan
Number of posts correlates with working at home more than with anything else.
Here's a tip: Plan to sprint some part of the distance. This you can practice in a pool and in open water. English Channel swimmers might sprint 15 minutes out of 60. My sprint pattern for an OW meet is 21 strokes at regular speed, 9 sprint. The trick is not to drop back slower than regular.
In your position, I would build up to 2 miles for a daily swim (3-4 x/wk), doing interval training (sprinting) and work all 4 strokes. It is hard to build up quickly, but you may be underplaying your strengths right now and so find it easy just to jump to 2 miles. Another approach is to swim to tiredness, not exhaustion, keep around that plateau, maybe back off a little, for a week, then increase the distance until you get tired again. You'll be able to find the bonk point and push it out a bit further each time.
For myself, I prefer to do the full length at least 3 times before a meet, partly for confidence and partly to be sure I have fluids and nutrition dialed in correctly.
(One could, of course, just go out and do 5 miles now to see what happens.)
And for the real experts: www.marathonswimmers.org
Number of posts correlates with working at home more than with anything else.
Here's a tip: Plan to sprint some part of the distance. This you can practice in a pool and in open water. English Channel swimmers might sprint 15 minutes out of 60. My sprint pattern for an OW meet is 21 strokes at regular speed, 9 sprint. The trick is not to drop back slower than regular.
In your position, I would build up to 2 miles for a daily swim (3-4 x/wk), doing interval training (sprinting) and work all 4 strokes. It is hard to build up quickly, but you may be underplaying your strengths right now and so find it easy just to jump to 2 miles. Another approach is to swim to tiredness, not exhaustion, keep around that plateau, maybe back off a little, for a week, then increase the distance until you get tired again. You'll be able to find the bonk point and push it out a bit further each time.
For myself, I prefer to do the full length at least 3 times before a meet, partly for confidence and partly to be sure I have fluids and nutrition dialed in correctly.
(One could, of course, just go out and do 5 miles now to see what happens.)
And for the real experts: www.marathonswimmers.org
