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Look, you might be feeling a little squirrely in the week leading up to your race, but that doesn’t mean you should panic train. In fact, doing extra workouts during your taper, whether to burn off nervous energy or to convince yourself that you’re really ready to go, is a bad idea. The point of your taper is to show up to the start line rested and ready to race!
Instead of doing hard sets and long brick workouts, try these race-week tune-up swims from coach Sara McLarty to get the blood flowing without burning all your matches. Bookmark this tune-up workout to try in the week before your next race:
For more on tapering, read Triathlete’s Expert Guide on How to Taper or check out Mark Allen’s Ironman & 70.3 Triathlon Taper Plan.
A:
300 swim warm-up
8×50 on :60 (25 kick/25 swim build to fast)
300 swim (no walls, Tarzan drill* every third 25)
6×100 on 1:50 at steady race effort
300 pull (smooth)
8×50 on :60 (25 non-free/25 free)
100 cool-down
Total: 2400
B:
300 swim warm-up
6×50 on 1:10 (25 kick/25 swim build to fast)
200 swim (no walls, Tarzan drill* every second 25)
4×100 on 2:30 at steady race effort
200 pull (smooth)
6×50 on :60 (25 non-free/25 free)
100 cool-down
Total: 1800
C:
200 swim warm-up
4×50 with 15 sec rest (25 kick/25 swim build to fast)
200 swim (no walls, Tarzan drill* every second 25)
4×50 with 15 sec rest at steady race effort
200 pull (smooth)
4×50 with 15 sec rest (25 non-free/25 free)
Total: 1200
*Tarzan Drill: Swim with head out of water, face forward and back arched, keeping feet near water’s surface.
Looking for more swim-spiration? Check out our complete archive of Weekend Swim Workouts from Coach Sara McLarty.