Interesting Fitness Programmes
On November 17, 28 amateur open water swimmers competed in the Mumbai stretch between the Atal Sethu Bridge and the Fitting Gateway of India. In addition to seven mixed relay teams, including teenagers and sexagenarians, it featured solo swimmers like Bhagwatkar.
In India, there aren’t many chances to participate in a completely supported open-water swim. The 64-year-old Baliwalla says, “I usually have to travel to Goa for an event, so I just had to do one which was right under my nose.”
He trained six days a week, swimming two to three times a week, with a monthly goal of 40 kilometers. He also jogged and cycled, particularly as he prepared for a triathlon in which he competed, with monthly mileage of 50–60 km and 250 km, respectively.
How Indian ultra cyclists are getting ready for the Cliffhanger in the Fitting Deccan.
“My training doesn’t change when an event is approaching because I train all year long. But since I like swimming the best out of the three, it’s always the Fitting in focus. Training for the relay was adequate because I qualified for the Oceanman World Final Championship, which is a 5 km swim held in Dubai in December, adds Baliwalla.
As a member of the organizing team and the only female swimmer competing alone, Susrita Sen had a lot on her plate in the weeks before the competition. After completing a 10km Oceanman Swimathon in Krabi, Thailand, in May, she decided to sign up. She worked on her speed work from June to August, and her corrections from June to August.
They set off in rough seas at 6:30 a.m., cautiously navigating the boat traffic nearer the bay. Before allowing a teammate to take over, each refitting relay team member swam for 45 minutes. To overcome the early challenge presented by the tide, the lone swimmers had to wait patiently.
