Research and planning for a swimming challenge

Adaptive swimmer Sophie Etheridge on the importance of doing your research and planning ahead for a swim challenge

Living my life can often feel like I am walking on a tightrope; it’s a balancing act between daily life with a chronic health condition and training.

If I do too much, then I will cause myself a pain flare up. However, if I don’t push myself and train hard, I won’t improve and won’t succeed in my Channel swim challenge in 2023.

So how can I possibly find the right balance to succeed with my challenge?

It is tough. it’s a fine line and I’m not sure that anyone could perfect it. However, you do gradually learn how much your body can take.

Previous experiences of training for marathon challenge swims taught me a great deal and I hope it’ll help with my training to swim the English Channel solo.

Rest is important

As mentioned, I quickly learned what my body and mind could tolerate, and I realised that resting is as important as swimming!

The other thing I have learned from years of experience both in swimming and living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is to simply listen to my body and remember to be kind to myself.

Ideally, according to most marathon swim training plans you should be swimming almost every day and every session listed has a specific purpose and goal to meet. Well, that just won’t work for me.

If an intense session fell on a bad pain day I would be frustrated if I couldn’t complete it.

Do your research

So, here’s my advice if you have set yourself a swim challenge: Research: Look up other people who have done the swim, find blogs and articles to read.

Gather as much knowledge about it as possible so that you have a rough idea of what it may take to complete the challenge. The more information you can arm yourself with the more likely your training plan will be suitable for what you want to do.

It’ll also help you mentally as you will know what to expect on the day.

Make a training plan

Start at the date of your swim and work backwards. Remember to include rest and be realistic with what you will be able to achieve each week/month.

Set goals

SMART goals are great but if you have a chronic health issue then being so specific with your training and goals can sometimes be unhelpful. Remember to set goals that work for you.

Nutrition

Something people often forget is to think about nutrition; its vital for a long swim. Make sure you practice it during training and don’t try anything new during the event.

Prepare mentally

It’s all very well being physically ready for a long endurance swim but you also need to prepare yourself mentally. Swimming for hours on your own can feel lonely and isolating. It’s easy to get distracted and that tends to be when the “I am not sure I can do this” thoughts start to slip into your mind.

You need to be mentally tough enough to tell yourself that you CAN and WILL keep going for the full distance. Boredom can also be an issue, for me, I play games like finding something you can see that starts with a particular letter of the alphabet.

Be prepared

I find it helpful to visualise what will happen on the day of the swim. What will I do that morning? What will I eat? Is there something to calm your nerves? What is it you need from your support crew? Have you made a plan for them to follow? Have you told them how they can help you if you are struggling? Talk through the plan for the swim.

Most importantly – enjoy your swim and good luck!

This article is from the February 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.

Browse more of our swim training articles.

To see all the online content from the February 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer, visit the 'Challenge' page.