SWIM THE ULTIMATE RACE-PREP SWIM SESSIONS

Achieve the perfect race start with these short, sharp workouts

Race preparation is very personalised, but good planning and preparation, not least for your swim, is essential for achieving a perfect race start. For key races, this starts with reviewing the swim course, planning your swim and practising key skills, e.g. left/right turns, deep-water or beach starts, sea swimming, T1 transitions, etc.

As you approach race day, your last race-prep swim should leave you feeling good not fatigued, having practised your skills and short, race-pace efforts. Ideally, swim on the course if racing open water, or at least recce the course from the shore.

Given the chance to warm up in the water, take it, even if it’s just to acclimatise. Have a contingency plan in case you can’t, e.g. using a theraband to warm up and a bottle of water to flush your wetsuit ready for the open water.

Practise and adapt the two (for pool and open water) race-prep and warm-up sessions, right, in training and get ready to smash your swim PB in 2018.