Triathlon Swim Workout: Mastering Speed Changes for Race Day

A new swim workout designed by coach Sara McLarty, titled 'Start Fast, Finish Fast,' focuses on preparing triathletes for the dynamic speed changes encountered during a race Source. This approach moves beyond simply swimming fast, emphasizing the ability to change pace and recover effectively without external assistance, simulating open water conditions.

The Challenge of Race Simulation

The core of McLarty's workout lies in its focus on replicating race-day scenarios. Triathletes often need to accelerate at the start, around buoys, and nearing the finish, or when drafting Source. The true skill, according to McLarty, is not just the ability to sprint, but to decrease heart rate quickly and easily afterward while continuing to move. This is particularly relevant given the absence of walls for recovery in open water races.

Practical Recovery Techniques

To mimic open-water conditions, the workout suggests alternative recovery methods instead of holding onto a pool wall. Athletes are encouraged to roll on their back to float, perform breaststroke or sidestroke with their face out of the water, or swim easy freestyle Source. This trains the body to maintain continuous movement while recovering, a critical skill for triathlon success.

Adapting to Fitness Levels

McLarty provides three distinct workout options (A, B, and C) catering to different fitness levels and available training time, ranging from 1,700 to 3,500 total yards. Each option includes a warm-up, two main sets focused on kick, swim, and pull with designated fast segments, and a cool-down.

Workout Structure Overview

Warm-up: All workouts begin with a swim, incorporating fast 25-yard dives at the start of every 100 yards to simulate race starts. This is followed by a choice of strokes or IM order drills.

Main Set #1: This set cycles through 100-yard kick, 200-yard swim, and 300-yard pull segments. The first and last sections of each segment are designated as 'fast,' with a 30-second rest between each repetition Source.

Main Set #2: Similar in structure to Main Set #1, this set repeats the 100-yard kick, 200-yard swim, and 300-yard pull, but with the 'fast' segments typically on the first and third sections. The repetition count varies based on the overall workout length.

Cool-down: Each workout concludes with an easy cool-down tailored to the total yardage.

This structured approach aims to build both speed and endurance, alongside the crucial skill of in-race recovery for triathletes.