A couple of questions , if I may..

buck65

1 - Can you just rock up to UL and swim any evening around 8.30? I am signed up for the swim for a mile and I need to sample a 50m pool.

2- Open water swimming - what races would you recommend for a novice that just wants to test himself and not into times or racing as such. Munster , connacht area preferably

The mile swim would be a good start but I might go further with training.

thanks

buck65

Thanks for the help everyone.

AngryHippie

:rolleyes:
Did you try calling the pool ?

What did you mean by sample a 50m pool ? they all taste the same.

I would not recommend open water racing to any novice.
If you aren't "into" times, then you really shouldn't be "racing"

I don't want to put you off swimming a mile, but the "go further with training" comment makes me think you have no clue about how much training it takes to "go further".

Years of getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning to crunch out punishing sets in the pool before work, endless hours of working on fine points of technique, altering diet to the point where your body becomes a lean swimming machine. Mind numbing cold (if you go open water) Hours of mind-numbing bone aching cold (if you train properly for open water).

After all of the above, You will still be beaten by natural talents that have been doing all of the above since they started age 5 or 6. You will still be beaten by old codgers twice or three times your age that are deceptively fit and technical masters of the art. The ones that do care about their times. If you want to swim a distance as a challenge that is fine, but don't do it with those who are out to set times. It will destroy your morale and motivation.

Be realistic about what you want to achieve, complete your mile challenge wherever you can. The length of the pool makes no difference until you have mastered tumble turns and fly kick to the point that you are only doing 5 strokes of freestyle between turns in a 25m pool.

Don't get snarky at people for not answering question that you could have answered yourself while typing less characters (Pick up the phone, call the pool), (google novice open water swim events, call the numbers that come up).

You'll find people on here are happy to help and provide advice when you come with a genuine question that only experience can answer. We aren't here to google for you.

Hope this didn't come across too badly, it's meant as friendly advice.

Best of luck with the mile.

buck65

Actually it doesn't come across as very friendly advice, it seems sarcastic and elitist. your post also assumes I have no respect for training or open water. I am a novice insofar as I have not competed in an open water event and thus more into the challenge of completing a race than racing it.
The "I might go further in training" comment that irked you was just what it said, I would like to swim more than a mile in training soon.
Yes I went elsewhere for advice and details but unfortunately there is a lot of outdated material online and I am struggling to find what I'm looking for.
That is why I posted here, not for some bollocking off a seasoned swimmer after 2 weeks of waiting for a reply.
Thank you for the advice that is in your post I will put the rest aside and use this. Actually your post has deflated me.

bradnailer

buck65 wrote: »

Actually it doesn't come across as very friendly advice, it seems sarcastic and elitist.

That's swimmers for you, it's a sport/pass time that seems to excel at been elitist.

AngryHippie

buck65 wrote: »

I am a novice insofar as I have not competed in an open water event and thus more into the challenge of completing a race than racing it.

Maybe you should have been more clear about that, capable swimmer, open water novice is a very different story to a novice swimmer. As mentioned, I wouldn't recommend open water events to novice swimmers. Bad experiences are usually the outcome.

buck65 wrote: »

That is why I posted here, not for some bollocking off a seasoned swimmer after 2 weeks of waiting for a reply.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Is what I was bollocking you about, sorry if we didn't respond fast enough, or if the normal open water OGs are not browsing boards frequently enough for you. To be fair, there are open water swimming clubs scattered across the country, and triathlon clubs everywhere. All of these will have e-mail contacts for people that are involved in the sport. Posting up here is like sticking a note on the board at Tescos. People may, or may not see it.

buck65 wrote: »

Actually your post has deflated me.

Apologies if it has, the response was a little sarcastic, but I did include any helpful advice that I had on the subject.

That's swimmers for you, it's a sport/pass time that seems to excel at been elitist.

It attracts competitive hard-working type A personalities in droves. Elitism is always going to be a part of it. I'd just like to point out that all of the hard work:

Years of getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning to crunch out punishing sets in the pool before work, endless hours of working on fine points of technique, altering diet to the point where your body becomes a lean swimming machine. Mind numbing cold (if you go open water) Hours of mind-numbing bone aching cold (if you train properly for open water).

These are things I never personally bothered to get stuck into. I recognized the fact that I was physically not the correct size(Hands and feet not big enough) and shape (Too short and stocky) to be an elite swimmer (Setting National level times) and was prone to over-training and shooting my immune system to crap. I called it and while I still did and do some training and work on my technique, it was to enjoy mastery of swimming and a decent level of fitness rather than to set records or race others.
The reason I mentioned those things is that I spent years working with and for elite swimmers that do those hard yards. When you said "go further with training" I did not take it to mean increase my distances, I took it to mean "I could get really good at this" I was attempting to point out the fact that going further competitively means starting younger, as well as working harder. Even in Masters age groups, experienced swimmers will maintain an edge.

By all means increase your distance in training. Work on some endurance pyramid sets in the pool rather than just getting in and ploughing through the full distance in one hit, it is the fastest way to improve overall endurance as it gives the body some recovery time and prevents tiredness forcing sloppy technique and inefficiency in your stroke.

Keep in mind also with your distances, 1500m is a very good length swim for a continuous swim, its the longest non-marathon olympic event and the marathon swim has only been an event for two games now (3rd will be this year)

Best of luck with it.

Freddio

I would agree with Angry Hippy. To be honest your opening post sounds like trolling when you consider the loch Dan 5 k is the equivalent of 200 lengths of the pool in 11 degrees Celsius that the winner will do in 65 minutes.

radharc

buck65 wrote: »

1 - Can you just rock up to UL and swim any evening around 8.30? I am signed up for the swim for a mile and I need to sample a 50m pool.

2- Open water swimming - what races would you recommend for a novice that just wants to test himself and not into times or racing as such. Munster , connacht area preferably

The mile swim would be a good start but I might go further with training.

thanks

1. Don't know about UL but certain they will have public times.

2. While I enjoyed the angryhippie post I think (S)he was aiming it at the wrong audience, you never said you wanted to win a race or cared about beating any of these stunted childhood pool wonders. Look up http://www.openwaterswimmer.ie - they have lake swims over 750m which is about as gentle an introduction as you will find.

Let me know of any specific queries you have, I started with the Swim a Mile program 2 years ago and have done a good few open water swims at this stage.

bradnailer

It attracts competitive hard-working type A personalities in droves. Elitism is always going to be a part of it. I'd just like to point out that all of the hard work:

That's it in a nut shell, I'm not competitive I enjoy swimming, swim three times a week, took a minute off my 100M last year and I'm not elitist, it's only swimming!