I have had a challenge posed to me and I wanted to see if I have any chance before accepting this bet. I have been challenged to complete a 9 mile lake swim next August. I am by no means a swimmer currently. I am a weightlifter and on again off again cyclist. So, would you much more experienced minds think it is possible to swim 9 miles in 11 months when I m basically starting from 0. If so, do you have any training advice?
Do you have any swimming experience? Can you swim freestyle well? If so, how long can you currently comfortably swim continuously?
If you can't swim well right now, completing a 9-mile swim less than a year from now seems unlikely but if you can swim OK, and assuming that there is no time limit for the swim, it really comes down to how much pain you can endure.
There is a USMS thread and a Marathon Swimming Forum thread that you will probably find helpful.
To give some perspective, a 9 mile swim is roughly equivalent athletically to a 36 mile run - for someone who is equally good at running and swimming. For a runner, swimming 9 miles might be more like running 50 miles or even more, if they are an inefficient swimmer (if they can finish that long a swim at all).
Since you don't have a strong swimming background, and you don't have much time, a Masters team with an experienced coach would be the way to go. Even with a good coach and team, there is a very good chance that a 9 miler is just too big a goal for 11 months. But, if you're highly, highly motivated, already fit, have an extra hour or 2 most days, and have a good feel for the water maybe you can do it.
