Marathon Swim Training

(If you have something you want to submit, send it to me and I'll post it... or if you have a question, send that to me and I'll answer it here too)

1) Open Water Swimming Library

Here is a list of all the best books written about Marathon Swimming... because if you are, or want to be, a Marathon Swimmer there are a few must reads here!

View The Swimming Library (PDF)

2) Marathon Swim Training

Okay, first of all there is far too much that could go in this section for me to write about... so I'll just give you a very cursory idea of how I train for Marathon Swimming.

a) Pick a Goal

This usually isn't a problem, most people want to do a Lake O Crossing or the English Channel or something. You need to give yourself at least one year preparation... as a minimum! Often it makes sense to pick a smaller race or swim, rather than starting with either of two of the hardest marathon swims in the world. There are lots of great solo swims and races out there.

b) Get in Shape

I'll assume you aren't starting from scratch. You should be starting with some kind of a base level of athleticism... and a reasonable swimming background. The main way I would recommend "getting into shape" would be to join a Master's swim team. I've swum with Oakville Masters, Burlington Masters, Etobicoke Masters (not to mention LOST Masters, of course!) and would highly recommend them all.

Marathon swimming is tough, not just the actual swim or the countless hours spent in the pool actually swimming, but staying motivated too. So having buddies to train with for at least some of your swimming is not only nice to have, it is almost essential for those dark winter days when it is hard to drag your butt out the door!

And by the way, going out a couple of times a week with a Masters team isn't enough. You need to be doing 4-6 workouts per week... of high quality interval workouts. No cutting corners. Swim meets are a good idea too... they keep you focussed and motivated, give you something to work towards and help you monitor your progress.

Also, it's never too late to get some minor stroke correction that your Master's coach will likely be able to help you with. If you have even the smallest imperfection in your stroke it will show up when you are swimming hour after hour... and will likely result in an injury that wouldn't have shown up in a shorter swim!!!

c) Endurance Training

After you have a decent base level and you've trained with a Master's team to get into "good" shape for 4 months or so, it's time to start ramping up the mileage. You should have been doing about 15–30 km per week of high quality swimming. Now starting at about Jan 1 (in addition to your Masters workouts):

By the time you finish this, it should be early May... and good to get outdoors! As I always say "pool swimming is to open water swimming what treadmill running is to trail running!"... no comparison.

Once you are comfortable with how long it takes you to swim 5k or 10k, don't count lengths!!! Just swim the time. Being able to switch your brain off and just go is a real skill and has to be learned. But once you have it, it makes all the difference in the world – it takes a long swim from boring to... meditative.

d) Cold Water Training

This is all about walking that fine line between cold water acclimatization and hypothermia. And it's tough.

With regards to losing feeling/control of your fingers... it's called "the claw!" Yes, it is common, any marathon swimmer worth his salt has had it... your body is just pulling in all the warm blood from your extremities, your fingers and toes initially, to keep your core warm... which is the early stages of hypothermia... but really no big deal.

Hypothermia is on a sliding scale, it is all about the degree. By definition it is "the lowering of the body core temperature", which leaves it pretty wide open. It can be anything from shivering at the bus stop... to convulsions, seizures, unconsciousness, pulmonary edema and eventually death, but usually somewhere in between.

It is also important to tell your crew that you have the claw, etc. so they can monitor you as well, and pull you if need be. One of the signs of severe hypothermia is that you become less lucid... you can't answer the simple questions that your crew asks you when testing you.

The good news about hypothermia is that it's easy to treat. You just need to warm up. Warm liquids is best... lots of clothes... hugs (ie someone else's body warmth)... get out of your wet clothes. Be aware of "after-drop" – your body core may drop even further after you get out of the water as cold blood from your extremities returns to your core.

* It is recommended that a swim be terminated if the swimmer definitely has moderate hypothermia or has the beginning of moderate hypothermia with any risk factors.

e) Open Water Training

This happens at the same time as your cold water training and continues as the water warms up. It is important to note that if you are swimming across Lake Ontario or the English Channel, doing your open water swimming in a rowing basin or a small quarry is of very little value. You need to get out in the big water and be tossed around a bit. These are the things you need to practice:

• Waves – not necessarily bad, especially if they have a nice long wave-length
• Chop – much different and tougher than waves
• Cold – there's a whole section on that
• Jetsam and flotsam – from sea weed, to logs, to dead giraffes (yes, in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim one fell in from the Bronx Zoo!)
• Salt water – depending on the swim
• Night swimming – learning to deal with the aquatic boogie-monster
• Nutrition – what to eat
• Feeding – how to eat
• Peeing – hey, this is really important, believe it or not!
• Sea-sickness – not just for the boat crew!

There is one other section that I haven't touched on, because it changes with each race, but it is also very important... the logistics! Money, flights, accommodation, timing, crew, equipment, etc... oh, and did I say money!

So that's the short answer as to how to become a marathon swimmer! Pick a goal... get in shape... add some distance... acclimatize to cold water... learn open water swimming... then go do it! And learn from your mistakes for your next big one!

And you know what... even though this whole section should have scared you a bit... don't be overwhelmed, it's tough but do-able... and most importantly, it's worth it!!!

3) Water Pollution

E. coli levels can be an issue in any body of water and that is true for Lake O as well. E. coli is the most common pollutant to cause a body of water to be closed to swimming. If it seems like you hear more about it in Lake O, it is because it is not tested by the government in most smaller lakes, and therefore not reported by the media!

Generally speaking the E. coli issues in Lake O are over-blown. I have found that the press sometimes makes gross generalizations, like "Lake O is closed for swimming" or is "unsafe for swimming"... without qualifying the statement. However, given that it is the 11th largest lake in the world, that statement is virtually impossible! Some areas may have levels that are too high, but that is not at all true for the vast majority of the lake.

The factors that contribute to high E. coli levels are: water temp, circulation, water depth, wildlife, sewers. An area that is warm, shallow, in a protected bay, and doesn't circulate well... is far more likely to have E. coli issues.

For LOST Swimming, we swim in Oakville which, fortunately is a great place to swim. Where we swim is pretty much the deepest part of the lake, which means it is cold (good for preventing E. coli), it is on a straight shoreline rather than a bay (better for circulation), and there is no sewer outlet. In several years of swimming here, no one has had so much as an ear infection... so, yes, it is a great place to swim!

4) Nutrition

This is key. Period.

As any Ironman will tell you, nutrition is the 4th discipline... swim, bike, run, eat. Because it is as important as any of the other three disciplines in determining if, or when, you finish the event. There isn't an experienced Ironman out there that hasn't screwed up their nutrition... and had to pay the price. Paying the price usually involves some combination of: bonking, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, over-hydration, fainting.