First open mile swim done

[jacktheblack]

Training for a swim from Alcatraz island and I got my first full open water mile swim in yesterday. My body feels like it was used to teach riot control technique to the LA police dept, but its a good sore. The wife got a mile and a half in, damn her and her youth

Does anyone have a routine geared toward improving endurence swimming? I have been doing extra cardio and tri and back work (because that is what is the most sore the next day), but any and all imput is welcome.

[mature_1_59]

How cold is that water? (or do you want to be reminded)

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by mature_1_59

How cold is that water? (or do you want to be reminded)

warm yesterday at a whopping 56 degrees, the coldest I have been in was 52 or 53. The good news is that after your in for a minute you get kind of numb to the cold. The bad news is its hard to tell how much your hurting, or are going to hurt when you get out. Going numb is kind of scary and I would never even consider doing the swim if it was not well organized and had plenty of boats in the water ready to haul my big butt out if I was over exerted

[bluescorpion]

Sounds like a great goal! Keep it up.

I just convinced my husband to enter a race in a kilt next year (mwa hahahah!)

[Baldsnake]

I was Striper fishing off Alcatraz about 25 years ago. I didn't catch a Striper but I did catch a 400 lb.*****. Could not even hoist it aboard if we wanted to. We needed a bigger boat.

[mature_1_59]

I used to swim competitively when I was a kid (10-12 y/o), we were always told that cold water was fast water. I suppose because it is more dense, but I always figured it was because I just that much more motivated to get to the other end of the pool and get out.

Being an old guy now, I don't like getting in water below 75 degrees. And preferably 104. In fact that's where I am headed right now.

[joed]

Ya made it Jack, ya made it! Now relax...

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by Baldsnake

I was Striper fishing off Alcatraz about 25 years ago. I didn't catch a Striper but I did catch a 400 lb.*****. Could not even hoist it aboard if we wanted to. We needed a bigger boat.

You dont have to fish for strippers anymore, just go to the Mitchel Brothers place on Geary, they got plenty

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by joed

Ya made it Jack, ya made it! Now relax...

I have way more back hair then the guy in the cartoon

[Islandtroll]

Originally Posted by joed

Ya made it Jack, ya made it! Now relax...

It is sea water, you don't need to add salt

[widebody195]

Originally Posted by jacktheblack

Does anyone have a routine geared toward improving endurence swimming? I have been doing extra cardio and tri and back work (because that is what is the most sore the next day), but any and all imput is welcome.

Back in my triathlon days, we used to do intervals in the swimming pool. Basically, these were a swimming version of wind sprints. You could do something like this: 100 yards all-out, then a very slow easy 50 to catch your breath, then another 100 yards all-out, repeat until the lifeguard pulls you out . As you get stronger, increase the all-out lengths to 125, 150 or so, and decrease the rest times to 25 yards. You'll find this is a more efficient way to build up your endurance than simple distance swimming.

If your tri's are sore that means you're probably putting in too much forearm into your stroke. An efficient crawl stroke really pulls with the entire arm, with more shoulder than arm work. If you notice the bodies of Olympic-caliber swimmers, they don't have much arm size or definition, but wide and well-defined shoulders. That's where it comes from.

Good luck in your quest! Maybe you can get the cookie company to sponsor you or provide the food at the finish line. That's incentive enough to finish.

[Baldsnake]

I just figured out the punch line to an old joke..."What's smaller than a teenie weenie fleas teenie weenie?"

How cold did you say the water is?

[zootalors]

When I was looking out towards SF from Alcatraz, the water appeared to have a very strong current....it looked to me almost like a strong river current. Is this true or did my eyes deceive me?
For a flounder such as myself, this would be an impossible task.

I tip my hat to you

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by zootalors

When I was looking out towards SF from Alcatraz, the water appeared to have a very strong current....it looked to me almost like a strong river current. Is this true or did my eyes deceive me?
For a flounder such as myself, this would be an impossible task.

I tip my hat to you

It depends on what time you were there looking toward shore. If the tide was going out it might look and feel like a river pulling you out to deep water. I have full confidence that the nice folks who are sponsering the race took a glance at the tide charts but now that you mention it I am going to double chech them myself, just to be safe.

[67fastback]

You'd have to train a couple of ways, one to get used to the water temp, two to the distance. (how far is the swim total? How long do you have to train before the swim?)

Probably, unless you are already a swimmer, you should be doing intervals of 200m or 200 yds, then work your way up to 4 x 500 yds or 4 x 400 m (4 x 400m = approx 1 mile +/-)

Sounds like it will be an aerobic swim for you, start at 1 minute approx. and work your way to a max of 30 seconds rest between each 400m or 15-20 sec between 200m

If your swim will be 8km then you should build to least one 2 hour high km swim per week.

Just like lifting, you should not be training continously one type of swim practice. Say Monday might be intervals, Wednesday stroke and technique (easy), Friday high km swim 1.5 -2 hrs continous, rest rest and do it again.

You should be training in the pool at least the distance of the open swim. You should also be using a high elbow slicing type entry for open water (water polo style) so your arms cut the resistance of the oncoming waves - conserves energy (no big waves in pools)

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by 67fastback

You'd have to train a couple of ways, one to get used to the water temp, two to the distance. (how far is the swim total? How long do you have to train before the swim?)

Probably, unless you are already a swimmer, you should be doing intervals of 200m or 200 yds, then work your way up to 4 x 500 yds or 4 x 400 m (4 x 400m = approx 1 mile +/-)

Sounds like it will be an aerobic swim for you, start at 1 minute approx. and work your way to a max of 30 seconds rest between each 400m or 15-20 sec between 200m

If your swim will be 8km then you should build to least one 2 hour high km swim per week.

Just like lifting, you should not be training continously one type of swim practice. Say Monday might be intervals, Wednesday stroke and technique (easy), Friday high km swim 1.5 -2 hrs continous, rest rest and do it again.

You should be training in the pool at least the distance of the open swim. You should also be using a high elbow slicing type entry for open water (water polo style) so your arms cut the resistance of the oncoming waves - conserves energy (no big waves in pools)

thanks for all the great advice

The swim is 1 and half miles

I usually do not lift before I swim, just swimming on swim days

Always open water never in a pool (my gym doesnt have one anyway)

I have been doing half mile swims, and just did my first mile swim. The place I swim is the Dolphin club and they have markers set up in the water so you know how far you have gone, and to keep you on track if the waves get high.

No structured interval traiining yet, just swim hard for a while, relax, swim hard again until I need another side stroke or doggie paddle break

Thanks again for the imput

[jgbuf]

Great job, I remember doing the mile swim in back in my Boy Scout Day's at Camp Easton on Coeur 'd Alene Lake back in the day. Choppy as hell water and with a row boat following me.

[Baldsnake]

Visited your "Club" site and pleased to see it was ligit (hey, San Francisco does raise a rainbow...er, red flag). I love this shot under the GG Bridge. Elbows high like the man said.

Next....Escape From Alcatraz. You can do it Jack.

[jacktheblack]

Originally Posted by Baldsnake

Visited your "Club" site and pleased to see it was ligit (hey, San Francisco does raise a rainbow...er, red flag). I love this shot under the GG Bridge. Elbows high like the man said.

Next....Escape From Alcatraz. You can do it Jack.

It's actually your kind of place Baldie. Lots of old school trainers, and the favorite peice of cardio equipment is the unforgiving sea. It has a heavy Hemingway/Dashel Hammet/ kind of vibe to it. Plus any gym that also has a bar is pretty cool in my book.

PS No spinning classes that I saw so you might not love the place