This will be my first season focusing only on marathons, (although I have a few short events in mind, just for some social fun):
SCAR
Mercer Island
Portland Bridge
Amy Hiland (Bremerton-Alki)
And possibly the length (or double) of Lake Ozette, just for fun. It's been on my bucket list after being up there about 10 years ago for a hike.
So far, I'm stoked about my 2018 training and how I feel. Keeping my fingers crossed (and hands washed!) to avoid getting sick or injured.
I hope I can check out Kingdom Week in 2019!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
After completing my first marathon swim in 2017 (Swim to the Moon 10K) and some 5Ks, I'm planning to do my first oceanic marathon swim around Lido Key (7 mi), again do Swim to the Moon (10K) with friends, and the Suck (10 mi). I also want to hit 1M+ yards again this year and beat what I did last year. 1000K would be great. I also would like to get faster, with better technique, and stronger, with times improving gradually through the year (and better than last year).
Boston Light (if I win a slot), La Jolla Rough Water Swim (if they hold one) and Maryland Swim for Life (if we don't get tornados again this year). What I can count on is lots of miles in the Chesapeake Bay with the Arundel Breakfast Club (ABC) crowd.
Although my biggest swimming goal for 2018 is to swim the English Channel, I'm so excited to be able to finally meet some of the most inspiring, motivating and supportive swimmers in the world.
After a year of hardly any swimming (last year I burned out hard) I'm back on the wagon again to reach my first 10k event. Last year I learned a lot on the mental aspect of endurance, focussing on cycling. Can't wait to apply my lessons learned to the water
I did my first real marathon sea swim last year, from the Kish Lighthouse back to the 40 foot in Dun Laoghaire -
14.8 kilometres. This year I want to do a few more similar swims before pushing the distance out again next year. I have the Fastnet to Baltimore booked as well as the Gibraltar Straight.
I didn't get in any OW last year because of a move and a new, stressful job, but this year things are settling a bit. So excited to get into STS so it'll keep me motivated over the summer.
so I achieved my first big goal in open water swimming. Completed the robben island to blouberg 7.5km ocean swim yesterday. Weather and sea conditions were perfect and swim went really well. 2hr20 and sea temp around 15 degrees apparently.
Yes I'm still in a wetsuit, will get out of it one day
Lake George- again!! I learned so much last August, that I want to see if I can feel better & stronger on the second half. Hardest part- building a crew. I'm hoping for a few to come back, and a few have actually expressed interest.
Things to work on this time-- less worry about fast feeds, more actual food ingested. I think that time spent packing in more calories would be time well spent in terms of maintaining energy. I just need to experiment with some of the carb things people have luck with and see if I can tolerate them- I get migraines from many fake foods. Also, I need to stick with my plan of sleep and eating and staying in bed before the swim! I got into the lake tired. Not good. Last minute stress and ant in my pants kept me puttering instead of resting. Not making the mental mistake of looking forward to conditions which are not current- I got chilly in the first night and hoped that sunshine would help- totally ignoring that the beach never warmed up all summer, although the open lake had been fine. And I learned my lesson- Do as I say, not as I do- for almost 30 years, I've been telling my swimmers DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! I got complacent, and didn't spit it all out. I spent many of the last hours wishing I could throw up, but not thinking it was the best time to practice. Also, didn't want to freak my novice Team 32. I must say, it is kind of interesting that I have swum in the Chesapeake and Hudson, but only threw up Lake George!
Hi ! My goals for 2018 : 5km and 10 km of the Best Fest with team Italia in Palma de Mayorca (Spain) to prepared the unofficial race Capri Napoli 2019 ...
glenn said:
would you be willing to share your training plan CFH138
Dont really have a plan to be honest.
For the next 2 months:
3 x mastersquad swimming
1 x Technique with a coach
1 x technique on my own.
Then outdoor pool opens.
One month of technique mixed with endurance.
Last months lots of endurance, mostly red mist type of sessions plus one long swim per week.
Théobulle said:
Hi ! My goals for 2018 : 5km and 10 km of the Best Fest with team Italia in Palma de Mayorca (Spain) to prepared the unofficial race Capri Napoli 2019 ...
See you in Mallorca, @Theobulle! The Best Fest is a wonderful event.
With a somewhat limited travel budget, I've sorta scuttled my plans to swim at USMS spring nationals or Pan Am Masters in July and August. I'm new to Colorado, so I look forward to swimming lakes here, and maybe some of the races I need the summer.
If it don't get to travel, and if I make that decision officially in the near term, I may try some long pool swims. I've just read that Maarten van der Weijden broke the world record for 24 hours in a short course meters pool. He's training to swim 200k in the canals in Holland. Couple that idea with what I had planned and started training for when we suddenly adopted our daughter, 2 years ago. Two German masters swimmers swam 80k in a 25m pool in 2015, so I started doing some big training for my own 80k swim, with some 12,000m swims until our daughter came along. So, I'd like to maybe work up to a swim of 8, 12, 20, maybe 24 hours. If I can swim for 24 hours, I'd shoot for maybe 70-80k. I can easily get access to a 50m pool (I'd have it measured, of course), and I'd set up a charity (I'm a Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor).
I just signed up for my first 10K in September, which will be my one year anniversary of being back in the water after over a decade hiatus. I'm not concerned about the distance, just the temperature and acclimating from pool to open water. I'm looking forward to getting into some lakes as soon as our season here starts, and have a couple shorter events planned in the meantime.
Just got back from a SwimTrek trip in the Maldives. Did about 6k/day, give or take. It was spectacular, warm and relaxing. Best vacation ever. Now it's time to start getting ready for StS.
My goal for 2018 has changed since the Russians kicked me and my family (and 59 of my colleagues) out of their country. Sigh...politics.
Thus, I'm just gonna swim where I can. Signed up for the Jim McDonnell lake swim. That's the only one I'm pretty sure I'll be in town for. It'll be nice; that was my first OW swim back in 2010.
After that, I'll just have to play it by ear. Unsure where Uncle Sam will place me next, so don't want to sign up for anything then end up not getting to participate. Already out a hundred bucks for a swim in Moscow.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
There are still spots available for Swim Ocean City. You could also do the MD Swim for Life if you are around. You are welcome to crash at my place in Chestertown if you make the trip. Both swims should have entry open close to race day.
IronMike said:
My goal for 2018 has changed since the Russians kicked me and my family (and 59 of my colleagues) out of their country. Sigh...politics.
Thus, I'm just gonna swim where I can. Signed up for the Jim McDonnell lake swim. That's the only one I'm pretty sure I'll be in town for. It'll be nice; that was my first OW swim back in 2010.
After that, I'll just have to play it by ear. Unsure where Uncle Sam will place me next, so don't want to sign up for anything then end up not getting to participate. Already out a hundred bucks for a swim in Moscow.
There are a ton of races on the Jersey Shore all summer long. Atlantic City Beach Patrol usually hosts some very good races.
so my next goal of a 10.5km ocean swim takes place tomorrow. Looking like good swim conditions with a slight head wind but current will be in the right direction. Will let you on Monday. Then the next goal for the end of the year is a robben island double. 7.5km to the island and 7.5km back.
so my 10.5km swim didn't go according to plan. I got my pacing and nutrition horribly wrong. I made it to 9.5km and could see the finish. But my body wouldn't allow to me to go further. Made the call to bail and was a good thing I did. The life guards took me out on the rubber duck and I was in and out of consciousness until I got into the club house and under a heater. Was a combination I think of hyperthermia and exhaustion. Not a good experience but learnt from it. Had been in the water for 3hrs. Will be back with a different plan of action. Was a bit frustrating to get so close but hey
Could you elaborate a little on your pacing. Did you take it out too fast or too slow? Where did you think you went wrong?
Sorry to hear that you didn't nail it this time, but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. You obviously learned things that you will apply to your next swim.
I went out at a steady pace and the route followed the shoreline. I was trying to use landmarks as a guide on how far I was and I kept thinking I was further than I actually was. I thought I'd done maybe 6km so I upped the pace way too fast. Only to realise later that I was still maybe at the 5km mark. I don't have a GPS watch and the paddler with me wasn't an experienced paddler so he wasn't pacing me. And we didn't have a watch to time feeds so I think they got stretched out too far. I also hadn't eaten a proper breakfast and only drank a bottle and a half of poweraid in the 3hrs. SO a combination of bad eating/drinking and going to fast.
I had done the 7.5km robben island swim earlier in the year and that went so well and I felt good afterwards, so under estimated this one
I've now bought a gps watch. Next time I'll monitor my pace my closer, eat a better breakfast and plan my swim nutrition much better as well
glenn said:
I also hadn't eaten a proper breakfast and only drank a bottle and a half of poweraid in the 3hrs. SO a combination of bad eating/drinking and going to fast.
It seems unlikely that this was a feed timing or volume issue (leaving open the possibility that it was a feed content issue). Feeding during a 3-hour swim has a relatively low impact as compared to a swim over 3 hours. Three hours is sort of the cut-off for feeding at all. Less than three hours, there's really not much benefit from feeding during the swim. I would not think that coming up a little short (or even way short) on calories would cause the performance decline you describe, especially the loss of consciousness.
Sounds a lot more like a blood sugar crash or hypothermia, or both (I think the former contributes to the latter). Do you normally drink sugary drinks like Poweraide? I could definitely have a blood-sugar bonk on a 10k if I started out drinking sugary drinks.
Also, calories and fresh water can help stave off hypothermia. Perhaps it was this aspect of shorting your feeds that contributed? This seems more likely that a pure "I didn't have enough calories to burn" nutrition issue. It just doesn't seem like you were in the water long enough for that.
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
@glenn, did you pee during the swim? When I was hypothermic in Issyk Kul, it was coincident with my not peeing for the entire 2:31. I didn't lose consciousness but I sure as hell felt bad.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Thanks for the help everyone. I did have a good pee around the 7km mark I think it was. I haven't done lots of lone swims so don't have a set nutrition plan. Used the sugar drink earlier in the year and went fine. Will organise another plan next time.
Hypothermia was definitely a factor. I remember in hind sight that my face started hurting which was probably the cold. And I was shaking a lot when I can out. My hands etc.
Do a 25 minute mile: I completed this earlier in the year;
Complete my first organised 10KM open water swim (noncurrent assisted) in under 3hr 10 mins: I managed 2hr 59 mins on Sunday which I’m incredibly happy with.
I owe a lot to the advice the members here provide (sometimes picking up what must be repetitive novice questions) and generally the infectious ‘can do’ nature this community has.
My final goal is to complete the distance of my 11 mile swim in September and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks all!
I've got similar goals. Doing a 1 mile ocean swim this Saturday and would love to do 26min
by the end of the year I want to do the 10km ocean swim, have managed 9.5 in 3hrs a few weeks ago
@glenn yup both of your goals are v similar to mine and it sounds like you're well on track too! Just keep taking onboard the advice the forum members offer and enjoy it!
I welcome all suggestions to help me with my goal for this next year. I live in Wisconsin. My longest swim so far has been 12.5 miles (ocean). Any suggestions on swims in the Midwest that I can maybe handle? All the best!
MLamby (Mark)
If you want to focus on the Midwest there aren't a lot of long swim options. The longest is the 36 mile End-Wet swim in Grand Forks, ND. The next longest is the 10K Swim to the Moon over in Hell, Michigan. The Minnetonka Challenge over in Minneapolis offers a 5 mile race. They used to have a 10 mile swim but I don't know if that is coming back. Lots of other shorter races around the Midwest. Check the Midwest calendar in Evan's link about and see if something piques your interest.
MLamby said:
I welcome all suggestions to help me with my goal for this next year. I live in Wisconsin. My longest swim so far has been 12.5 miles (ocean). Any suggestions on swims in the Midwest that I can maybe handle? All the best!
Fellow Wisconsinite here! Longer races really do seem pretty limited in the Midwest. I will be doing Swim to the Moon in a few weeks and hope that's a good time. If you're looking for another shorter race to add this year, I did the Big Swell Milwaukee 5k last year and it was a good time. I think it's the first week in August. I'm not sure if it's still going on, but I remember a few years back seeing a 20ish mile solo and relay race around Madeline Island.
MLamby said:
I welcome all suggestions to help me with my goal for this next year. I live in Wisconsin. My longest swim so far has been 12.5 miles (ocean). Any suggestions on swims in the Midwest that I can maybe handle? All the best!
Fellow Wisconsinite here! Longer races really do seem pretty limited in the Midwest. I will be doing Swim to the Moon in a few weeks and hope that's a good time. If you're looking for another shorter race to add this year, I did the Big Swell Milwaukee 5k last year and it was a good time. I think it's the first week in August. I'm not sure if it's still going on, but I remember a few years back seeing a 20ish mile solo and relay race around Madeline Island.
Thanks so much! Good luck on your Michigan swim! I'll check out the Madeline Island swim. Have you ever done the Swim 4 Freedom?
Comments
This will be my first season focusing only on marathons, (although I have a few short events in mind, just for some social fun):
SCAR
Mercer Island
Portland Bridge
Amy Hiland (Bremerton-Alki)
And possibly the length (or double) of Lake Ozette, just for fun. It's been on my bucket list after being up there about 10 years ago for a hike.
So far, I'm stoked about my 2018 training and how I feel. Keeping my fingers crossed (and hands washed!) to avoid getting sick or injured.
I hope I can check out Kingdom Week in 2019!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
After completing my first marathon swim in 2017 (Swim to the Moon 10K) and some 5Ks, I'm planning to do my first oceanic marathon swim around Lido Key (7 mi), again do Swim to the Moon (10K) with friends, and the Suck (10 mi). I also want to hit 1M+ yards again this year and beat what I did last year. 1000K would be great. I also would like to get faster, with better technique, and stronger, with times improving gradually through the year (and better than last year).
Boston Light (if I win a slot), La Jolla Rough Water Swim (if they hold one) and Maryland Swim for Life (if we don't get tornados again this year). What I can count on is lots of miles in the Chesapeake Bay with the Arundel Breakfast Club (ABC) crowd.
I will start this again!
Hello swimming friends!
Although my biggest swimming goal for 2018 is to swim the English Channel, I'm so excited to be able to finally meet some of the most inspiring, motivating and supportive swimmers in the world.
Can't wait!
My goals, in no particular order (although, in all seriousness, I think they're equally important):
@Rob here is a great 10k in September https://nyopenwater.org/open-water-activities/spuyten-duyvil-10k/
After a year of hardly any swimming (last year I burned out hard) I'm back on the wagon again to reach my first 10k event. Last year I learned a lot on the mental aspect of endurance, focussing on cycling. Can't wait to apply my lessons learned to the water
Catalina Channel, June 27.
Milko
https://db.marathonswimmers.org/p/milko-van-gool/
I did my first real marathon sea swim last year, from the Kish Lighthouse back to the 40 foot in Dun Laoghaire -
14.8 kilometres. This year I want to do a few more similar swims before pushing the distance out again next year. I have the Fastnet to Baltimore booked as well as the Gibraltar Straight.
I didn't get in any OW last year because of a move and a new, stressful job, but this year things are settling a bit. So excited to get into STS so it'll keep me motivated over the summer.
so I achieved my first big goal in open water swimming. Completed the robben island to blouberg 7.5km ocean swim yesterday. Weather and sea conditions were perfect and swim went really well. 2hr20 and sea temp around 15 degrees apparently.
Yes I'm still in a wetsuit, will get out of it one day
next big goal is a 10km ocean swim in May. Lighthouse swim https://www.bigbayevents.co.za/events/big-bay-event-swims.html#lighthouse-swim
Doing my first 10k in austria in august.
Going to be some hard months, still lot of work to do.
would you be willing to share your training plan CFH138
Finish MIMS on my FIRST try ... This one is the MERCER ISLAND Marathon Swim...
Lake George- again!! I learned so much last August, that I want to see if I can feel better & stronger on the second half. Hardest part- building a crew. I'm hoping for a few to come back, and a few have actually expressed interest.
Things to work on this time-- less worry about fast feeds, more actual food ingested. I think that time spent packing in more calories would be time well spent in terms of maintaining energy. I just need to experiment with some of the carb things people have luck with and see if I can tolerate them- I get migraines from many fake foods. Also, I need to stick with my plan of sleep and eating and staying in bed before the swim! I got into the lake tired. Not good. Last minute stress and ant in my pants kept me puttering instead of resting. Not making the mental mistake of looking forward to conditions which are not current- I got chilly in the first night and hoped that sunshine would help- totally ignoring that the beach never warmed up all summer, although the open lake had been fine. And I learned my lesson- Do as I say, not as I do- for almost 30 years, I've been telling my swimmers DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! I got complacent, and didn't spit it all out. I spent many of the last hours wishing I could throw up, but not thinking it was the best time to practice. Also, didn't want to freak my novice Team 32. I must say, it is kind of interesting that I have swum in the Chesapeake and Hudson, but only threw up Lake George!
Hi ! My goals for 2018 : 5km and 10 km of the Best Fest with team Italia in Palma de Mayorca (Spain) to prepared the unofficial race Capri Napoli 2019 ...
Dont really have a plan to be honest.
For the next 2 months:
3 x mastersquad swimming
1 x Technique with a coach
1 x technique on my own.
Then outdoor pool opens.
One month of technique mixed with endurance.
Last months lots of endurance, mostly red mist type of sessions plus one long swim per week.
Any feedback is welcome.
See you in Mallorca, @Theobulle! The Best Fest is a wonderful event.
See you there, folks!
My plans are:
1. 2day/week training for 1 hr. during this year
2. 5km night swim in a pool in Q3_2108
Q3_2108 - hey melciados I think you can do it this year still:)
June - 8 bridges Stage 2
July - In Search of Memphre
August - Catalina
September - 3 Rivers
October - Swim the Suck
With a somewhat limited travel budget, I've sorta scuttled my plans to swim at USMS spring nationals or Pan Am Masters in July and August. I'm new to Colorado, so I look forward to swimming lakes here, and maybe some of the races I need the summer.
If it don't get to travel, and if I make that decision officially in the near term, I may try some long pool swims. I've just read that Maarten van der Weijden broke the world record for 24 hours in a short course meters pool. He's training to swim 200k in the canals in Holland. Couple that idea with what I had planned and started training for when we suddenly adopted our daughter, 2 years ago. Two German masters swimmers swam 80k in a 25m pool in 2015, so I started doing some big training for my own 80k swim, with some 12,000m swims until our daughter came along. So, I'd like to maybe work up to a swim of 8, 12, 20, maybe 24 hours. If I can swim for 24 hours, I'd shoot for maybe 70-80k. I can easily get access to a 50m pool (I'd have it measured, of course), and I'd set up a charity (I'm a Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor).
I hope to do Waikiki Rough Water Swim
I just signed up for my first 10K in September, which will be my one year anniversary of being back in the water after over a decade hiatus. I'm not concerned about the distance, just the temperature and acclimating from pool to open water. I'm looking forward to getting into some lakes as soon as our season here starts, and have a couple shorter events planned in the meantime.
Just got back from a SwimTrek trip in the Maldives. Did about 6k/day, give or take. It was spectacular, warm and relaxing. Best vacation ever. Now it's time to start getting ready for StS.
My goal for 2018 has changed since the Russians kicked me and my family (and 59 of my colleagues) out of their country. Sigh...politics.
Thus, I'm just gonna swim where I can. Signed up for the Jim McDonnell lake swim. That's the only one I'm pretty sure I'll be in town for. It'll be nice; that was my first OW swim back in 2010.
After that, I'll just have to play it by ear. Unsure where Uncle Sam will place me next, so don't want to sign up for anything then end up not getting to participate. Already out a hundred bucks for a swim in Moscow.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Welcome Home @IronMike
There are still spots available for Swim Ocean City. You could also do the MD Swim for Life if you are around. You are welcome to crash at my place in Chestertown if you make the trip. Both swims should have entry open close to race day.
There are a ton of races on the Jersey Shore all summer long. Atlantic City Beach Patrol usually hosts some very good races.
Welcome home.
so my next goal of a 10.5km ocean swim takes place tomorrow. Looking like good swim conditions with a slight head wind but current will be in the right direction. Will let you on Monday. Then the next goal for the end of the year is a robben island double. 7.5km to the island and 7.5km back.
so my 10.5km swim didn't go according to plan. I got my pacing and nutrition horribly wrong. I made it to 9.5km and could see the finish. But my body wouldn't allow to me to go further. Made the call to bail and was a good thing I did. The life guards took me out on the rubber duck and I was in and out of consciousness until I got into the club house and under a heater. Was a combination I think of hyperthermia and exhaustion. Not a good experience but learnt from it. Had been in the water for 3hrs. Will be back with a different plan of action. Was a bit frustrating to get so close but hey
Could you elaborate a little on your pacing. Did you take it out too fast or too slow? Where did you think you went wrong?
Sorry to hear that you didn't nail it this time, but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. You obviously learned things that you will apply to your next swim.
Sorry to hear this, Glenn. So close. A wise call to bail if you were suffering.
I went out at a steady pace and the route followed the shoreline. I was trying to use landmarks as a guide on how far I was and I kept thinking I was further than I actually was. I thought I'd done maybe 6km so I upped the pace way too fast. Only to realise later that I was still maybe at the 5km mark. I don't have a GPS watch and the paddler with me wasn't an experienced paddler so he wasn't pacing me. And we didn't have a watch to time feeds so I think they got stretched out too far. I also hadn't eaten a proper breakfast and only drank a bottle and a half of poweraid in the 3hrs. SO a combination of bad eating/drinking and going to fast.
I had done the 7.5km robben island swim earlier in the year and that went so well and I felt good afterwards, so under estimated this one
I've now bought a gps watch. Next time I'll monitor my pace my closer, eat a better breakfast and plan my swim nutrition much better as well
@glenn I'm glad you are ok, but I hope you got checked out by a doctor as well. Losing consciousness in or around the water is extremely serious!
It seems unlikely that this was a feed timing or volume issue (leaving open the possibility that it was a feed content issue). Feeding during a 3-hour swim has a relatively low impact as compared to a swim over 3 hours. Three hours is sort of the cut-off for feeding at all. Less than three hours, there's really not much benefit from feeding during the swim. I would not think that coming up a little short (or even way short) on calories would cause the performance decline you describe, especially the loss of consciousness.
Sounds a lot more like a blood sugar crash or hypothermia, or both (I think the former contributes to the latter). Do you normally drink sugary drinks like Poweraide? I could definitely have a blood-sugar bonk on a 10k if I started out drinking sugary drinks.
Also, calories and fresh water can help stave off hypothermia. Perhaps it was this aspect of shorting your feeds that contributed? This seems more likely that a pure "I didn't have enough calories to burn" nutrition issue. It just doesn't seem like you were in the water long enough for that.
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
@glenn, did you pee during the swim? When I was hypothermic in Issyk Kul, it was coincident with my not peeing for the entire 2:31. I didn't lose consciousness but I sure as hell felt bad.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Thanks for the help everyone. I did have a good pee around the 7km mark I think it was. I haven't done lots of lone swims so don't have a set nutrition plan. Used the sugar drink earlier in the year and went fine. Will organise another plan next time.
Hypothermia was definitely a factor. I remember in hind sight that my face started hurting which was probably the cold. And I was shaking a lot when I can out. My hands etc.
Fluid balance is crucial. Should aim to pee with similar frequency to feeding. In = out.
So I had three goals for 2018.
I owe a lot to the advice the members here provide (sometimes picking up what must be repetitive novice questions) and generally the infectious ‘can do’ nature this community has.
My final goal is to complete the distance of my 11 mile swim in September and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks all!
well done sam
I've got similar goals. Doing a 1 mile ocean swim this Saturday and would love to do 26min
by the end of the year I want to do the 10km ocean swim, have managed 9.5 in 3hrs a few weeks ago
@glenn yup both of your goals are v similar to mine and it sounds like you're well on track too! Just keep taking onboard the advice the forum members offer and enjoy it!
Completed EC today - the value of the advice acquired from this form is hard to quantify
Big Love to all
well done stephen
I welcome all suggestions to help me with my goal for this next year. I live in Wisconsin. My longest swim so far has been 12.5 miles (ocean). Any suggestions on swims in the Midwest that I can maybe handle? All the best!
http://marathonswimmers.org/swim-calendars/us-marathons
MLamby (Mark)
If you want to focus on the Midwest there aren't a lot of long swim options. The longest is the 36 mile End-Wet swim in Grand Forks, ND. The next longest is the 10K Swim to the Moon over in Hell, Michigan. The Minnetonka Challenge over in Minneapolis offers a 5 mile race. They used to have a 10 mile swim but I don't know if that is coming back. Lots of other shorter races around the Midwest. Check the Midwest calendar in Evan's link about and see if something piques your interest.
Fellow Wisconsinite here! Longer races really do seem pretty limited in the Midwest. I will be doing Swim to the Moon in a few weeks and hope that's a good time. If you're looking for another shorter race to add this year, I did the Big Swell Milwaukee 5k last year and it was a good time. I think it's the first week in August. I'm not sure if it's still going on, but I remember a few years back seeing a 20ish mile solo and relay race around Madeline Island.
Thanks so much! Good luck on your Michigan swim! I'll check out the Madeline Island swim. Have you ever done the Swim 4 Freedom?