10km Training recommendations

Welcome to the world of marathon swimming... it's addictive!

I hate to be negative about a sport that I really encourage people to get into but it sounds like you are leaving yourself very tight. A 10km swim is roughly considered the equivalent of running a marathon. I know I would need many months of training, gradually building up to that distance to get ready to run a marathon. It is possible to wing it with little training, but not very advisable imo.

Based on your time, if you add in feeding, inevitable slowing and not swimming in a perfectly straight line you could be in the water for easily 4 hours +. How your body reacts after 1/2/3/4+ hours swimming is very different to a short swim and takes time to build up that endurance. Physically it is very different to running. For example, I did a 17km swim a few weeks ago, and was (more or less) grand after; however I tried to do a park run a while ago and had to walk the last km - I was spent! But if you have the mentality to run a marathon, maybe that could get you over the line on the day. You'll have some very sore and broken shoulders tho.

If you are going to try you need to get in a lake as much as possible (it's a 10km lake swim right?). Pool swimming is so so different and no substitute, and swimming in a lake has different challenges to the sea. All this is particularly important especially if you are struggling with the cold. Hypothermia can kick in very quickly and easily, and ain't much fun (from experience ). It takes time acclimatising to water temps if you are going to be in it for a multi hour swim. Being able to swim for an hour in, say, 16c water doesn't mean you'll be able for 4 hours.

Your plan sounds pretty solid: some speed work, technique and long swims of increasing distances over time, just very truncated if you're looking at August. You sound like you are relatively novice at swimming distances - I would really say you should be training properly for a minimum of 4+ months leading into it to do it safely and enjoyably. I would humbly suggest scrapping the idea of doing it this August and look to build for the event next August, when you could have a proper crack at it...

This is a good general resource on how to build your training for a 10km swim: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/dart10k-training-manual.pdf

[EDIT: this is a very good article from the loneswimmer (a very experienced marathon swimmer) on training for long events: https://loneswimmer.com/2013/05/17/how-much-do-i-need-to-swim-for-x-open-water-distance/]

However there are people who have done some crazy endurance events of v little training so it can be done I guess.

The very best of luck either way, and keep us updated with whatever you decide to do!

Ha - oops! I did think this August sounded a bit mad :pac:

A year is plenty of time to prepare for it. For the rest of this summer get as much OW experience in as you can, but no pressure as it'll just be to build up confidence & experience. Come winter build up your sustained speed and improve your technique in the pool. You'll be doing 1000's & 1000's of arm rotations so small faults in your stroke multiply up quickly and will mean a big difference in speed - but more importantly will bring on injury. Basically set yourself up with a good base before the OW season starts again next year. By next April/May swimming 5km in the pool should be reasonably comfortable. Then with about 3 months to go before the swim, start doing increasingly long swims in OW to build that endurance. Try the odd long pool swim if you want, more for a psychological boost than anything else.

If you can get in a sea swim (however short, a couple of minutes) even once a week or every second week throughout winter it will stand to you hugely next year in terms of acclimatisation. Not essential but does help.

The fear of the unknown is something I can relate to. To begin with I found it very difficult to swim any reasonable length in OW unless there was someone else in the water beside me. I just didn't have the confidence to push myself. Which, tbh, was probably a good thing from a safety point of view. Do you find it easier if swimming with someone? I don't live in Ireland anymore so can't recommend any groups, but if you have any swimming buddies try and enlist them for long swims. Or maybe someone else on here can recommend some groups.

In terms of limiting the amount of time in the water.. you're still going to be in there for quite a long time. Swimming 10km in even 3 hours is considered quite fast so you'll be subjected to the cold for long enough to get hypothermia regardless of how fast you are. Getting yourself acclimatized to the temperatures is key. And no way round that other than sucking it up and getting cold for 10 minutes. Then 20 minutes next time. Then 30mins... and keep going till you can do multi hour swims. This bit is most definitely not to be done alone!

I used to be an absolute wuss when it came to cold water. Would turn my nose up at any body of water that wasn't akin to a bath. But I've learned that a lot of getting used to cold water is a mind set. And learning the difference between being 'cold', when you've just got to stop complaining and get on with it, and cold, when it's time to get out asap!

If you are going to be swimming it in a wetsuit then train in a wetsuit for your OW swims. It's different to swimming skins and will help you understand what your body feels like in the water with one. And how you can cope with the cold in one. and remember to lube up. I don't wear one but have seen the chaffing they can give over time... not pretty.

A wetsuit is for sure going to help insulate you, but I wouldn't use it as a safety crutch. Be comfortable swimming for a long time in a wetsuit in the temperature it is likely to be.

In terms of swimming in bad conditions - the more OW swimming you do, the more you get used to all the different conditions the water can throw at you. It's part of the beauty of OW swimming really! You'll build confidence and develop different techniques to swim in those kinds of conditions the more you do it. Take baby steps and be comfortable swimming short distances in tough conditions and build step by step from there rather than looking at the end point of potentially doing it for 10km.