Weekend Swim Workout: Open-Water Session

Look, we get it: Swimming in a pool is just easier. The water is clear, the path is clearly marked with lane lines, and you don’t have to hassle with putting on a wetsuit. But unless your triathlon takes place in a pool, it’s a good idea to hit the open water for at least a few swim workouts before race day. As coach Sara McLarty explains in the video below, you can replicate just about any pool workout in a lake, ocean, or other body of water. The key is to count strokes instead of meters or yards. Here’s one workout from coach Sara McLarty that shows you how.

For more on open-water swimming, check out these resources:

• Triathlete’s Guide To Going From Pool To Open Water
• How to Sight When Swimming in Open Water
• Open Water Swimming Fear: How to Overcome It
• What to Wear for Open-Water Swimming (Even When it’s Cold)
• The Best Triathlon Wetsuits

Open-Water Swimming Workout

Warm-up

5 min easy warm up swim, finish at beach or dock

Main Set

*count 1 arm only
*turn around after the effort
*swim easy back to your start area

100 strokes build to fast, swim back easy, rest 30 sec
80 strokes build to fast, swim back easy, rest 30 sec
60 strokes all strong, swim back easy, rest 20 sec
40 strokes all FAST, swim back easy, rest 20 sec
*REPEAT the above set if you choose*

5 x 20 strokes MAX EFFORT, swim back easy non-free, rest 15 sec

Cooldown