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How to progress/develop in Open Water?

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Posted Mar 01, 2007 09:48AM

Hi, I registered just to ask this question and hope someone here can help.

Background first. I'm 44, in good health. (5'7" short :-) not carrying extra weight (well 8 to 10 lbs...). Been a surfer about 10 years. Used to run for extra fitness but hurt my back so 11 months ago I got back in a pool for the first time in about 20 years.
Anyway, the surfing made me a stronger than I expected so I started swimming regularly and very quickly got bitten by the bug.
Did a 2k open sea swim after about 2 months just to see how it'd go and I felt comfortable. Anyway I did 3 open sea races over the remainder of the summer season, getting better each time, on the last one (2 k again) finishing just inside top 30 (about 150 entries all abilities).
Over the 11 months training however I had to completely rebuild my stroke as some words from one of the local lifeguards left me realising my stroke sucked after all that time surfing.
My stroke (f/s only, btw) is much better now, I'm down to 16 strokes from about 21 per 25mt pool length. I also keep working on technique.
However there are no other Masters swimmers where I live, (small town in Ireland), no Master's club and no one who can help me progress, other than afore mentioned lifeguard who was a pool 1600m swimmer (and I'm now slightly faster than her).
As I don't have a big build I don't expect to ever be in the top places (plus I don't have a lifetime of experience behind me).
However , I have an overabundance of drive, and train as much as I can can, about 25Km per week currently. My surfing experience makes me very comfortable in open water, and actually I wish they run races in rougher conditions as I'd have an advantage!!
It's all solo (and generated by what I can read), so a mix of straight distance and what Maglisho calls EN-1 & EN-2, usually 2.5 to 3 k per day. All pool work, as it being Ireland, open water is not possible until May or so without a suit, and I don't do suits for swimming.

I've set my sights on a 6 mile open sea race in June/July but not sure if my current training is sufficient ( I do have a tendency to overtrain occasionally forgetting I'm not actually 20 anymore, but I'm getting better at controlling it).
At the end of last season, I did a 4 mile myself, and was ok, prob could have done 5 or so, very tired after but nothing terrible. I'm fitter and stronger now ( I've trained constantly over the 11 months with no more than a week off at any time) so I guess I'll find out in a few months , but in the meantime I'd like some advice on regular training for Open Water.

All attempts to get advice from others at the few races has fallen flat, so anything anyone has to offer will be appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this ramble,
Regards
Donal
Ireland
Current sea temp; 49deg F. Best summer temp; 68deg F, like tropical water for me!


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