Hi all,
MY 1st post! I'm thrilled I found this site. I hope you can help. I'm a good swimmer (12+ years of year-round competition when I was a kid), but have taken a LOT of time off. I'm 34, been back in the pool for about a year and feel great! I've been doing about 2000+/- yd workouts, some easy long sets, others short quick, little rest time. I have been staying in shape otherwise -- running, weights, yoga.
Here's my question: I'm doing a 1-mile open swim in June. I'm clueless about workouts. I've never trained for a distance like this. I can do a mile in a 25-yd pool in about 22 min -- pushing it hard. But I'd like to improve that time.
I dont' know how this translates into open water time. And I don't know how to train for this. I'd really like to be able to run, lift and yoga as well.
I'm looking for a 3 day per week program (is that enough?). I just want to get my speed up. I'm perfectly comfortable with the distance, so I'm not concerned about that.
Any ideas would be very much appreciated! Thanks so much.
what kind of time are you hoping to swim the mile? you mentioned 22 min now, that roughly 1:20/100. are you hoping to get down to 20 minutes? that would be just over 1:12/100.
since you have just over 2 months and suggested swimming 3 days / week that you try swimming for distance once a week. swim 20 minutes and see how far you can swim, or swim a mile and try to beat your time. but on the other days swim set of X x 100 or X x 200. after you know what you want for a split time, try swimming the 100's or 200's holding that split time with 5-10s rest.
I just swam my first ever 800m short course in march. I was hoping to hold 1:25/100m but was happy to see I had 1:18 average.
if you get a wetsuit, I suggest you swim in it a few times before the race, and rub vaseline around your neck so you don't get a "rub burn". swimming with a wetsuit helps too, because it keeps you body on top of the water.
someone else mentioned swimming in open water, if you have the opportunity I say swim as early and often outside.
In sweden we have a 3km river race water temps mid to lower 60's. I swam in a near by lake to get the feel for swimming in open water, it was harder than I though to swim 500m in one shot. and it was even harder to swim in a straight line. no black line to follow on the bottom.
so unless you plan on following the people in front of you, get some practice lifting your head up to breath every 5-10 strokes.
good luck
what kind of time are you hoping to swim the mile? you mentioned 22 min now, that roughly 1:20/100. are you hoping to get down to 20 minutes? that would be just over 1:12/100.
since you have just over 2 months and suggested swimming 3 days / week that you try swimming for distance once a week. swim 20 minutes and see how far you can swim, or swim a mile and try to beat your time. but on the other days swim set of X x 100 or X x 200. after you know what you want for a split time, try swimming the 100's or 200's holding that split time with 5-10s rest.
I just swam my first ever 800m short course in march. I was hoping to hold 1:25/100m but was happy to see I had 1:18 average.
if you get a wetsuit, I suggest you swim in it a few times before the race, and rub vaseline around your neck so you don't get a "rub burn". swimming with a wetsuit helps too, because it keeps you body on top of the water.
someone else mentioned swimming in open water, if you have the opportunity I say swim as early and often outside.
In sweden we have a 3km river race water temps mid to lower 60's. I swam in a near by lake to get the feel for swimming in open water, it was harder than I though to swim 500m in one shot. and it was even harder to swim in a straight line. no black line to follow on the bottom.
so unless you plan on following the people in front of you, get some practice lifting your head up to breath every 5-10 strokes.
good luck
