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Latest Magazine Ironman Swim Workout

armstrong_jackarmstrong_jack Posts: 82
in General Chat
Afternoon all,



I just got through reading the latest magazine and really enjoyed the bit on Ironman swim training. I normally don't have much structure to my workouts in the pool (more of a what do I feel like doing next!). I have my first 70.3 coming up this June though so thought I would give this workout a go and was just wondering how my times stacked as I have no idea what I should be aiming for to be complete the event reasonably competitively.



I shortened it slightly as it was meant to be 3.7k, but I reduced the warm up/build/warm down and just did

500m - Warm up with technique

250m - Build, speeding up each 50m



Main set:

1 x 400m - 35 sec rest - 6:50

2 x 200m - 30 sec rest - 3:20/3:19

4 x 100m - 25 sec rest - 1:36/1:37/1:36/1:35

2 x 200m - 30 sec rest - 3:23/3:22

1 x 400m - 35 sec rest - 6:52



250m - Warm down



Is this any good? What should I aim to do the 1.9k of the Ironman swim in?



Should I just start doing this every week and aim to bring down/level off my times?



Thanks for the help!

Comments

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    Looks good, plenty of volume - which I'd be wanting to increase over time as well as watching the speeds.



    There's a risk in a distance session like this that you can end up plodding, so you need to make sure that you try to up the pace. Your times are very consistent, but I'd like to see the back half of your 'valley' set improve such that your times are markedly quicker than the front half.



    Don't just do this set every time you swim. You'll get bored. Also, you will be reinforcing any bad technique with long plodding distances. I'll PM you a 3300m session that includes drills, distance and speed... try it if you want, delete it if you want.
  • armstrong_jackarmstrong_jack Posts: 82
    Do you mean I should aim to swim the second half of the pyramid faster than the first? I would think that natural fatique setting in would facilitate a drop in speed as you start to get lactic acid build up. The aim is to improve your fitness and anerbolic threshold so that your times deterioate as slowly as possible.



    Variety would be good though, this was much more fun than just my usual UT2 3k swim I must say, so if you could send me your workout it would be appreciated.



    Jack
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    By going out slow enough to allow a speed improvement in the second half you are learning to pace yourself. It's pretty easy to swim progressively slower and slower, but increasing the pace will bring the same fitness benefits - and getting faster as you get more tired will push you hard.



    Perhaps every other go see if you can turn those times around backwards?
  • STAPLEHURSTTRILOVERSTAPLEHURSTTRILOVER Posts: 66
    Have never been much of a swimmer - this is the first structured swim session I have ever done, I enjoyed it and surprisingly enough was not entirely knackered after first set. Being a beginner I halved the distances, after all my first race is only 750m. I did....



    1*200 - 30 sec rest - 3.47

    2*100 - 25 sec rest - 1.50/1.51

    4*50 - 20 sec rest - .50/.51/.50/.52

    2*100 - 25 sec rest - 1.50/1.52

    1*200 - 30 sec rest - 3.58 (This will be less than the first on next session.



    Would def recommend to anyone like me who dies after 400/gets bored and loses count just going up and down.
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