I worked w/ a coach for the Great South Bay Swim (~5.5 miles). I might have had lower yardage than some here, but completed the 2015 event w/ a personal best (though I didn't beat Lyn!) :)
My training consisted of
--a mix of team practices and on-my-own workouts (team practices supervised by the guy who wrote my training schedule, and the workouts on my own were his creations). The latter involved longer and longer distances until I got to 10,000 yards in the pool;
--regular open water swimming (ideally I'd have liked more time in salt water, but I don't live that near the ocean--however, there were twice-weekly group river swims plus a series of open water races.)
--Two Bridges Swim in the Hudson--this one was brutal! Although I chose the 2.5k (there was a choice of 2.5k or 5k), I found the Great South Bay Swim a LOT easier going; latter had a current assist pretty much the whole way, whereas Two Bridges was partly against and partly w/ the current--and going against the Hudson River current--if that doesn't prepare you for any adventure, nothing will! (BTW, as hard as it was, the organizers totally rocked, so I have no complaint on that score.)
--Lots of great feedback on technique
--A nutrition plan that involved regular feeds and testing those feeds prior to the actual swim. I did decently w Hammer products but also Glukos gummies (similar to Clif shots). My Glukos sports drink--probably okay but my review is inconclusive, since the bottle fell overboard partway through the bay swim (I think the bay must have found it energizing b/c toward the end of the swim, I hit some chop, lol), :) so after that it was the Hammer powder, water, and the above-mentioned gummies the rest of the way. These proved just fine!
Good luck in your swim! Which one are you planning?
I worked w/ a coach for the Great South Bay Swim (~5.5 miles). I might have had lower yardage than some here, but completed the 2015 event w/ a personal best (though I didn't beat Lyn!) :)
My training consisted of
--a mix of team practices and on-my-own workouts (team practices supervised by the guy who wrote my training schedule, and the workouts on my own were his creations). The latter involved longer and longer distances until I got to 10,000 yards in the pool;
--regular open water swimming (ideally I'd have liked more time in salt water, but I don't live that near the ocean--however, there were twice-weekly group river swims plus a series of open water races.)
--Two Bridges Swim in the Hudson--this one was brutal! Although I chose the 2.5k (there was a choice of 2.5k or 5k), I found the Great South Bay Swim a LOT easier going; latter had a current assist pretty much the whole way, whereas Two Bridges was partly against and partly w/ the current--and going against the Hudson River current--if that doesn't prepare you for any adventure, nothing will! (BTW, as hard as it was, the organizers totally rocked, so I have no complaint on that score.)
--Lots of great feedback on technique
--A nutrition plan that involved regular feeds and testing those feeds prior to the actual swim. I did decently w Hammer products but also Glukos gummies (similar to Clif shots). My Glukos sports drink--probably okay but my review is inconclusive, since the bottle fell overboard partway through the bay swim (I think the bay must have found it energizing b/c toward the end of the swim, I hit some chop, lol), :) so after that it was the Hammer powder, water, and the above-mentioned gummies the rest of the way. These proved just fine!
Good luck in your swim! Which one are you planning?
