The Ironman 70.3 Swim

How I am training my son for his first Half-Ironman

Happy Sunday!

I wanted to share in a quick article how I am helping my 19yo son to train for his first Ironman 70.3.

Openwater is a different animal, and it requires a different mindset and slightly different prep, especially when you're aiming to complete a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim around the wharf (although it is unclear if the swim will be there, as the wharf got damaged by big waves this past winter.

So yes, as a father, I am a little nervous about my son swimming in Santa Cruz, so I want to help him and myself be mentally ready.

Well, here's some inspiration and a practical plan.

He's using my My Swimming Workout 160 macrocycle (LINK) program as a base, swimming 3x/week, and we’re layering in targeted open water prep sessions every two / three weeks. You can easily do the same for fun or your triathlon.

BTW, this plan works perfectly fine for the Olympic distance.

The Swim: What You’re Training For

The Half Ironman swim is:

• 1.2 miles / 1,900 meters

• In open water – ocean or lake, often with waves, chop, or currents. Usually very dark. This is all to say, it is unpredictable.

• Wetsuit (usually), due to cold water. The average in Santa Cruz in September is 65f.

• No walls, no flip turns, and often no visible pool lines to guide you

• Hundreds of other swimmers close to you, not maintaining a straight line, crossing you, hitting you, etc.

Your biggest limiters aren’t your lungs:

• Pacing errors (going out too hard)

• Poor sighting/navigation (swimming way more than you should)

• Mental stress from the dark below you, waves, tight wetsuits, wildlife, or other swimmers (could lead to panicking if unprepared)

Let’s train for all of that.

As mentioned above, you can use My Swimming Workout 160 Macrocycle for the bulk of your training, and you will do good. However, it is important to add specific openwater workouts to get you ready.

The way to do this is by replacing a 160-macrocycle week with the plan below, and doing it every 3rd week, until race day

Open Water Focus Plan - Every 3rd week