Swimming..... Yeah not so much (and I'm nearly out of time)!
I am posting this outside of the Micro as I am hoping to acquire some beyond the coaches.
My A race this year is IM South Africa (10 April). My swimming form is better than it ever has been; my ability to carry that form for longer periods of time is better than it has ever been. My swimming fitness and my ability to swim long distances are not going to make it with me to the race 
.
My question is: Considering I have 24 days left to the race, what is the best way to increase my endurance to swim 3.86K?
- I have been swimming very infrequently but most of the swimming I have been doing has been 30' in the gulf with a few stroke sessions at my 17.5m pool downstairs.
- I recently raced the Abu Dhabi ITU as a C race and finished the swim in 29:04 ~ 1:56/100m. The swim felt incredibly comfortable. I could have easily swam this pace for the 70.3M distance. As the coaches and WSM in the Haus have mentioned - I am a one gear/speed swimmer.
- I tied myself into a local swimming resource here in the Sandbox that has drastically improved my technique, but I have not been able to translate that past 75m. As a result I become frustrated and simply cycle and run harder.
- 2013 IMWI showcased even less swimming (no swimming the last 5 weeks) and I drown my way to a 1:27.
I acknowledge I have done this to myself. Please help me!
Comments
I've been impressed over the years how many race reports I've read where triathletes claim to have done minimal swimming in the months leading up to an IM: "11 sessions in 12 weeks" ... "swam 9 times this year"... "swam 5 times in the pool, and once outdoors" ...etc. I think it's because swimming is a technique dependent sport as much as fitness dependent.
If you're looking to increase your speed on race day, it may be too late for that. You already know you can swim the distance, so I assume confidence on race day in completing the course is not an issue. While Steve makes a good point about trying to hone some muscular endurance in the time left, there are two potential downsides which should temper any volume sessions you attempt: you don;t want to interfere with your ability to hit key run and bike sessions in these critical next three weeks; and you don;t want to develop an overuse injury, like deltoid, rotator cuff, or elbow problems, from ramping up too quickly (I speak from 55 years of experience on all three).
As long as you don;t care how fast you go on the first leg and stay within yourself on race day - meaning paying attention solely to form - you should do fine. Your aerobic fitness is off the charts, and I suspect you have a fair amount of upper body strength already.
good luck
Thanks guys for the support!!
@ Derrek - I drank lots of Vodka and ate lots of ice cream which seemed to help my swim - go figure! j/k
In all seriousness, we are all ultra competitive people, and the fact that swimming doesn't work for me or come easily to me is frustrating. I cannot simply apply more effort/heart/desire/etc to swimming and expect better results. This is why I get so down on my swimming.
I was incredibly happy with my swim. The swells in the Indian Ocean were quite significant and not being able to swim in a straight line added a bit of a few extra meters to my adventure
. The swells prohibited normal sighting conditions. After passing the buoy immediately ahead it was impossible to see the next buoy. You had to continue swimming and wait for the situation to present itself to see the next buoy (you AND the next buoy had to be both on top of a swell. If you or the buoy were in the valley of a swell chances are you hand no line of sight to the next marker). I felt confident and strong the entire swim; and felt comfortable getting out of the water. I have a lot of low lying fruit to improve my swimming which is great.