Mark Allen's Hawaii From Home Workout: Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of our Hawaii From Home workouts, which are brought to you by six-time Ironman world champion turned coach Mark Allen.

What is Hawaii From Home? Thanks for asking!

As athletes prepare for their 140.6-mile challenge from Oct. 4-11, Allen is providing one key workout each week that is designed to get you ready to tackle the big race week. Of course, you’ll still need to do plenty of swim, bike, and run training in addition to these key workouts, but view it as one of the most important sessions of the week and try to avoid doing any hard bike or run workouts the day before.

This week’s workout is a swim session for which Allen has provided a beginners’ version as well as an advanced. Pick the workout that best suits your swim fitness, experience, and time available.

The beginners’ session is 3,000 yards in total. After a swim/pull warm-up, you’ll do 10 x 50 progressing through one to five (getting faster one through five) and then repeating that pattern with reps six through 10.

The main set involves six repeats of 300 yards—the first three should be progressive effort, one through three. Reps four and five are with buoy and paddles, while the final one is done as a broken 300 (3 x 100), swimming each 100 as fast as possible taking 15 seconds rest between each. Finish off the workout with a 200 easy cool-down.

Allen said: “This workout incorporates both endurance as well as some slightly faster swims at the very end. It is a great way to practice pacing in the water and developing different stroke rates and breathing patterns.”

The advanced workout is 4,500 yards in total. Allen said: “Doing a workout that is longer than the full swim in an Ironman will enable you to get out of the water so much fresher than if you never go beyond the length of the swim in a workout. This helps set up your entire day to be a much more successful experience! You don’t need to do this type of workout very often, but even having two or three swim workouts longer than the race swim will give you a great advantage on race day.”

Begin with a 500 easy swim/pull warm-up plus 4 x 50 swim on 20 seconds rest. The main set involves 6 x 600 with the first three swims progressing effort one through three taking one minute rest between each. Allen said: “Progressing your effort will help train your body to get faster in the race as you go.”

The next two 600s you’ll do with pull buoy and paddles, steady effort, taking one minute rest between each. Pulling helps build general arm strength, Allen said.

The final 600 will be swum as a broken 600 as 6 x 100, taking 15 seconds rest between each, and swimming each one as fast as you possibly can. Finish off the session with a relaxed easy 200 cool-down.

Mark Allen’s Hawaii From Home Workout: Week 3

Beginners’ Workout

Warm-up

200 swim, 200 pull, 100 swim
10 x 50 on 20 sec. rest. Progress the effort in sets of 5, so 1-5, 6-10.

Main set

6 x 300 as:
#1 to #3 as swim on 1 min. rest, progressing effort with each one
#4 + #5 with pull buoy and paddles on 45 sec. rest, steady effort
#6 – broken 300 as 3 x 100 with 15 sec. rest between each, swimming each 100 as fast as possible

Cool-down

200 easy

Total: 3,000 yards

Advanced Workout

Warm-up

200 swim, 200 pull, 100 swim
4 x 50 on 20 sec. rest

Main set

6 x 600 as:
#1 to #3 as swim on 1 min. rest, progressing effort with each one
#4 + #5 with pull buoy and paddles on 1 min. rest, steady effort
#6 – broken 600 as 6 x 100 with 15 sec. rest between each, swimming each 100 as fast as possible

Cool-down

200 easy

Total: 4,500 yards