Preparing For An Open Water Swim.

I just got back from Noblesville, Indiana where I swam in the USMS 5K National Championship. It was a great event and very well run. 154 swimmers finished the race.  I swam a personal best by 5 minutes. I did not win but I could not have swum any faster so I am happy with my swim. Along the way, I think I learned something about myself.

In previous years, I wanted to protect my strength prior to an event. So I would back down on swimming in the week before the event. This is called tapering. My coach would ask “tapering from what?” but that’s a subject for another day.  Lately, I’ve come to believe that I can lose my feel for the water very quickly. If I swim on a Monday and then again on Wednesday, by Wednesday I’ve lost the feel to the extent that it will take me 1000 to 2000 yards to get it back.

This year, I kept swimming right up to the day before the event. The event was on Saturday.  During the prior week, I alternated between pool and lake. I did not swim far. But I did swim each day. I worked on breathing and balance.  Monday – 2100 yards; Tuesday -  1600 yards; Wednesday -  2400 yards; Thursday -  2300 yards; Friday -  1000 yards. These are not great distances. They protected my strength and they allowed me to retain my feel for the water. It worked for me.