Training right is essential for being competitive, but also completing.

Wow!  What a busy few weeks it’s been.  2 weeks into the new year training cycle and I feel as fit as I did several years ago.  The last few weeks training has been epic by all proportions when I look back over Training Peaks it reads like a long distance training camp.  4x 100+km bikes, 3x 5km swims and more running than I ever thought possible after the injuries of last year.  This camp has been good to me.  Shame I have to work from time to time.  

Today I tried the latest #redmist training session from SwimSmooth.  After 90 mins of swimming I could barely feel my shoulders and arms, it was tough to begin with but I think that was the lack of warming up on poolside.   What an amazing session though.   It was nice to have a few hours bobbing around in the pool and swimming 4.8km at a controlled pace in an empty pool.  Occasionally, a breaststroker would come in for a quick 400m or 800m and leave.  The only ripples on the pool were me covering the 170 lengths (33m pool).  I am truly spoilt out here.  The reason for the mega miles in the pool and running is to prepare me for this year’s events.  First I have the Fleet ½ Marathon to contend with and a challenge from an athlete of mine. I need to run under 90mins again but this time I need to try and take another 90 secs of my PB as he is breathing down my neck. It’s possible to break it and at the prescribed training paces I cover on the runs it is beginning to feel great just running again.  I have 7 weeks to go and so the tapering begins in 3 weeks.  The best part is he is competing on a different course that weekend so I will have to race the clock and call him afterwards.  I think a nice slow, long and controlled 20km run next weekend will be just right with a possible double run day the weekend after in order to cover the 30km I have planned.  Before anyone says I might be scuppering his trg.  I do what I planned for him just so I feel as bad as he does.

My second big challenge is the Big Nottingham Swim, organised by One Step Beyond.  They organise 3 open water swim events (5km, 3km, 1.5km) at Holme Pier Pont and I plan on completing all the distances.  I have agreed to swim all the events if a friend of mine swims the 5km.  I also agreed to wear my budgy smugglers for the event.  I would be fine if it were not held in Nottingham but some tropical island.  So that means I will have to spend most of the year acclimatising to the random fluctuations in water temperature at Holme Pier Pont in July and the weed infestation.  This combination of distances is a tough challenge to most people wearing a wetsuit but for someone in trunks it would be madness.  So to help me prepare I contacted 2 people in the know Paul Newsome (Swimsmooth and 28.5mile Round  Manhattan Island Swim Winner) and H2Open magazine who kindly sent me some articles to read.  The  1st “How to train and Race for Marathon Swimming” this was mainly about swimming the distances and mastering 10km and prepare for them over a 20 week period (funnily also written by Paul).  The 2^nd “Cold Water Acclimatisation”. Both were fascinating reads which have led to me scouring many more articles and specialists on the internet.  No matter how much I try and look there is no easy cheat for this.  You need to cover the mileage but also get swimming outside during the cooler months.  I have been inspired to start having colder showers and my pool sessions are beginning to sound like running distances already.  The last person I hope to get hold of is Michael Tipton (a physiology professor at Portsmouth University)who might be able to shed some light on body composition and if I will need to bulk up to keep warm.  Paul mentioned bulking up for his swims but then that was over a greater distance thn my 3 events combined.

 When you piece everything together you begin to get a clearer understanding of not only the mammoth task ahead of you but also the training required in completing it.  Almost everyone can swim anyone of these distances in a pool, hell I swim 5km in a session for fun.  It’s the open water part that adds the unpredictability and worries me.  Add in 150 other competitors and a little bit of wind, weeds and fish and suddenly everything starts to get tricky.  When you throw in the temperature sapping water and that’s when then you start to split the men from the boys.  I know what you are saying now, it’s easy... Channel swimmers have been doing it for years.  They have, I will not deny that but I have not.  I am a lean athlete who is susceptible to the cold.  Add in swimming over 9.5km in 3 hours in just a set of funky trunks and you have a challenge of the most epic proportions.  I will keep you informed as to how it unfolds over the next few months.