A pool training session for the solar equinox

Simon Griffiths shares a threshold pace pool training session designed to be used at any time of year, targeted at swimmers looking to race between 1 mile and 3km.

Many athletes use the principle of periodisation in their training. They divide the year into a series of periods, with each having a different training emphasis. For an endurance athlete, this might start with several months of long distance, low-intensity training to build their aerobic base and work on technique. 

This transitions into a strength and power phase, where the intensity of training increases. As the race season approaches, the focus shifts to racing skills and high-speed effort. Once the season is over, the athlete goes into recovery mode for a few weeks of light training before beginning the cycle again.

Depending on your training and racing goals, structured training like this can be very effective. However, there are a couple of problems with publishing training plans conforming to a rigid underlying structure in this magazine. First, structured training plans work best when they are tailored to your individual needs and aspirations. 

Second, if we want to reach a global audience, then our plans are always going to be out of sync with some of our readers. This is why we normally only publish single sessions that you can build into your own overall plans, or training plans for specific non-seasonal challenges.

For this month’s issue, with our global focus and acknowledgement of the north-south divide in our seasons, I therefore wanted to create a session you could use at any time of year. One thing I’ve found with swimming, compared to triathlon, is that I race throughout the year: outdoors in the summer and in the pool in the winter. I therefore find it useful to include threshold pace training throughout the year, and that’s the aim here. And, with a nod to the equinox, and the equal 12-hours of day and night, I’ve built it around blocks of 12. This one is targeted at swimmers looking to race between 1 mile and 3km. You can adapt it for longer races.

The solar equinox training session

Pre-session homework: Check your time from a recent long distance race (pool or open water) and work out your pace per 100m. Use this as your base time. If you haven’t done a race, do a 1500m time-trial and divide your total time by 15.

Warm up: 12 x 25m alternating 25m FC and 25m BK. Take 10s rest after each. Swim steady, relax, and focus on good technique.

Prep: 12 x 25m alternating 25m FC sprint and 25m easy + technique focus or drills. 10s rest after each.

Main set 1: 12 x 100m FC. Swim and rest on your base time plus 15s (eg, if your base time is 1:45, then your swim and rest time is 2:00). Aim to swim every 100m on exactly the same time. It should feel comfortable to begin with and challenging towards the end. If you can’t maintain the pace, start slower next time. If it’s too easy, start faster.

Rest 1 minute.

Main set 2: 12 x 50m FC as in set 1, but halve both the swim and the rest times.

Swim down: 12 lengths choice of stroke, easy pace, swim with best possible technique.

FC = Front Crawl, BK = Backstroke

Based on a 25m pool; modify as necessary.

This article is from the March 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.