3000 Swim Challenge Sept. 1 to Dec. 5 2014

Would love to do it, but NOBODY is going to be willing to count laps/take splits for the amount of time it would take. It took a couple of weeks just to find someone to time me for 100m for one of the previous challenges. Anyway it would take me roughly twice the time it would take you!

This might be interesting come winter time here in NY when I am relegated to only pool swimming. The wife would LOOOOVE to sit poolside clicking away on my garmin. Maybe re post come winter. I might be down and newly in the M40-45 cat

PS...sure I would come nowhere close to what you can probably do. Never even bothered with training flip turns in the pool. But I am excited to see my pool times, because I have worked some rough choppy ocean swims this season to strengthen my swims

Edited by TJHammer 2014-09-09 11:33 AM

I will try at some point--I can probably get the nicer lifeguard to check my count. But this is the dude who said, after I first managed to do the 800m IM
(a challenge from my master's club in Oregon) last year, "That was really slow!" Yes, I know that just under 17 minutes is slow. But the point was that I finished it without drowning or DQing.

I'm really out of swim shape, though. Think it's similar to that thread about slowing down on the swim. In my case I think it's from being injured in July (thrown out by a big wave) while doing OWS in Hawaii. My ribs got very bruised up and I couldn't really swim normally, or without wearing my wetsuit, for about a month. Better now but I think my form's gone down the toilet as a result and I don't have a coach here. No way to film underwater either. Never had great DPS for my size but my normal 22 or so per 25m has been going up to 27-28 whenever I try to sprint--something's not right. I think I'm not engaging the right muscles because those were the ones that hurt when I was injured. Worked on it for a while yesterday and got to where I could do 25m at normal speed and stroke length. Need to get this sorted out before I try a longer time trial.

I did 2000m (I think....within 50m either way!) at 1:45/100m yesterday (if I was 50 short, then about 1:47-8) so getting back to it with the long stuff. Will work up to 3K. The 2K didn't feel that hard, so either I really miscounted or there's a very fine line for me between hard and easy (best 1500 TT in past year is at 1:42 pace). I don't know how to pace this stuff--actually my fastest tri swims are often the longer ones--go figure. I'm guessing if I worked on it for a few months, I could do an IM swim in the pool or flat OWS at 1:45/100m without too much distress. Why 1:40/100m feels so much harder is beyond me. Probably something about my stroke, but I am like this with biking and to a lesser extent, running as well--a very fine line between cruising, which I can hold for a long time, and dying.

Not many takers, I guess. So of I do it, do I get to take the women's BT division? (Yanti??) Thinking about giving it a try a week from Saturday. I'll be tapering for a HM so won't be hammered from 2 hour plus runs like I've been for the past month or so of Saturdays. Plus we have a Thanksgiving potluck a few hours later, which would be excellent for refueling. Just going to try to keep a steady pace. I did 1500m just under 26 last week and not even really working all of it (50 easy/50 tempo) so maybe aim for about 52-53.

Didn't do it today--too hungry (no lunch as turkey feast approaching), no lifeguard on deck for part of it, and didn't have mental wherewithal to count laps for that long. Probably not going to bother since no one else has stood up for the challenge, at least for the ladies. Might do it sometime just out of curiosity when i don't feel like swimming intervals.

Extend to Jan 30 to include USMS T60?

Did 1000 scm in 11.45 on Sunday. Will aim for 3000 on Sunday.

Sure--might be up to it on the 13th. Racing this weekend in Cambodia and we have been having a water quality issue lately--it's so cloudy I can't really see the wall. Hopefully it will clear up by then--it's a 25m pool and 3000 is a whole lot of flip turns! I've been in a run focus and doing a lot of mileage (for me) lately so often too tired to really hammer the swims--won't be ideal but my endurance for the longer stuff is okay.

Okay, did it! Do not laugh. I'm no speed demon/fish like you but I'm an Energizer Bunny on land and at sea and don't slow down.....Plus if no other women sign up I get to take the women's BT division by default!

3000m in 50:57. For me, a good effort, since my last 1500m TT (in spring) was 25:30. Quite certain I counted right, lifeguard claimed I did, though not done under "official" conditions with splits every lap. The 1500 time is probably better now since lately I've hit just under/over 26 several times in a workout where I alternate 50 tempo/50 easy. Felt I had plenty left at the end--I've never done a 3 km TT, or a one-hour swim for distance, so no clue how to pace. Just tried to put it a notch easier than 1500 effort, started a little easier and ended a bit harder. This is how my body works--above a certain threshold, unless I get overheated, I really don't slow down much. If not for boredom, could have probably kept going another 2 km or so without drastic slowdown.

Popped head up to check watch, then 525 more meters. Exactly 3525m in 60 minutes--I had just flipped and my feet were touching the wall when the timer went off.

25m pool so this involved a whole lot of flip turns. No wetsuit, of course. I did wear my "speedsuit" (an Arena lycra suit that claims it's a trisuit, but more like a swimskin). Wouldn't want to do a tri in it but it's an awesome suit that has just the right amount of compression. Pool was perfect temp for this-about 26--"winter" temps.