Hi, I apologize for the newbie question. I'm new to swimming (kind of) but wanted to get started doing open water swimming once the weather in Chicago starts to behave. I'm currently swimming 2000-2500 pool yards 2-3x a week (in addition to running 20 miles a week.) I did sign up for the Big Shoulders 5k outdoor swim mid September as a outdoor goal. I'm not swimming for time - I'm swimming just to compete and finish.
So a few questions:
1) Suggestions on wetsuits? I don't want to say "money is no object" but I'd rather pay to do it right the first time.
2) Did I bite off more than I can chew? I can do little over 1000 yards without stopping but 5 months to 5k - bad idea?
3) Any other advice?
Totally agree with Lyn ^^ You can do a 5k this summer if you keep up with it. Plan on a longer swim on the weekends, gradually working up to 4000 or 4500 tops. Mix it up a little so you can work on focusing on your stroke or speed - sometimes doing sets of 200's and others doing sets of 500's or a few 1000's. There are some really good workouts on the Open Water workout page that you can tailor to your needs. Keep track of some of your longer workouts - the blog feature on this site works well or you can keep it more personal and just do it yourself. You might want to do a "time trial" of a 1000y or 1650y (mile) every 4-6 weeks over the summer to measure your progress.
For wetsuits, see if a local triathlon shop has any for rent that you can try out and practice in. I don't know that I'd actually buy one unless you think you'll continue with the sport. And this race sometimes ends up on the edge, temperature-wise, of allowing you to wear one or not. Maybe you should just keep an eye on the water temps through about mid-August and if it looks like it'll be warm enough, you may not need one after all.
Where do you live? Are there places you can OW swim before the race?
Totally agree with Lyn ^^ You can do a 5k this summer if you keep up with it. Plan on a longer swim on the weekends, gradually working up to 4000 or 4500 tops. Mix it up a little so you can work on focusing on your stroke or speed - sometimes doing sets of 200's and others doing sets of 500's or a few 1000's. There are some really good workouts on the Open Water workout page that you can tailor to your needs. Keep track of some of your longer workouts - the blog feature on this site works well or you can keep it more personal and just do it yourself. You might want to do a "time trial" of a 1000y or 1650y (mile) every 4-6 weeks over the summer to measure your progress.
For wetsuits, see if a local triathlon shop has any for rent that you can try out and practice in. I don't know that I'd actually buy one unless you think you'll continue with the sport. And this race sometimes ends up on the edge, temperature-wise, of allowing you to wear one or not. Maybe you should just keep an eye on the water temps through about mid-August and if it looks like it'll be warm enough, you may not need one after all.
Where do you live? Are there places you can OW swim before the race?
