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Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts?
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Decided a few months back that for 2021 I wanted to focus on ultras and have been in the pool once since December. I have a deferral for Florida 70.3 in 6 weeks but and always thought I would just further defer but randomly this weekend got the itch to do it.

My run fitness right now is very strong and bike decent. I’m relatively low on time and would much rather spend more hours running/biking than trading out a 2-2.5 hour run/bike bike for 1 hour swim where I have to drive to pool etc. Further I want to keep my run volume higher than 100km/week to continue building for some tough 50milers.

Usually a 30m 70.3 swim split while a FOP biker and 1:30ish runner.

Ultimately I’m leaning towards doing all bike/run and then maybe 2-3 swims a week or two before the race, accept I’ll have a bad swim but will make up for in on the bike/run.

Anything consequences I’m not taking into consideration?
Last edited by: T2LV: Mar 8, 21 10:56
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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T2LV wrote:
Decided a few months back that for 2021 I wanted to focus on ultras and have been in the pool once since December. I have a deferral for Florida 70.3 in 6 weeks but and always thought I would just further defer but randomly this weekend got the itch to do it.

My run fitness right now is very strong and bike decent. I’m relatively low on time and would much rather spend more hours running/biking than trading out a 2-2.5 hour run/bike bike for 1 hour swim where I have to drive to pool etc. Further I want to keep my run volume higher than 100km/week to continue to stay for some tough 50milers.

Usually a 30m 70.3 swim split while a FOP biker and 1:30ish runner.

Ultimately I’m leaning towards doing all bike/run and then maybe 2-3 swims a week or two before the race, accept I’ll have a bad swim but will make up for in on the bike/run.

Anything consequences I’m not taking into consideration?


Last year I did a 70.3 with only 4 or 5 swims, none more than about 2500m. All these swims were within 2 weeks of the race, prior to that my last swim was around 3 months before and had just been using stretch cords. My swim was around the same as normal and so were bike and run. As a better swimmer though, you may have a bit more speed to lose.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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If you normally swim the 1.2m in 30min, then maybe you'll lose 10 mins. If you were super comfortable in the water before, you probably won't even lose that much (especially if it's wetsuit legal). You were swimming in the 1:30s. Losing 10mins would put you at 2:00. That's a lot slower than your normal, and I suspect you wouldn't lose that much.

I would do it, knowing it's not one of my A races.

You've already paid for it and if you want to do it, do it.

Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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I was in the same exact spot last year with Tempe 70.3. I typically swim 28-30 for 70.3 races. I hadn't been in the pool for at least 8 months prior. Five weeks out, I started swimming 3x week (40-minute sessions) and just did 100s and 200s until my time was up, after a 500 warm up. Rest was 10-20 seconds. Came out at 31:18 and wasn't trashed. I'm happy with my decision to put in those sessions.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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A concern may be that you get in the water, feel good, get back into your past swim cadence and overcook the swim. Get into the pool as soon as possible and give yourself an opportunity to assess your swim fitness and go from there.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [vonschnapps] [ In reply to ]
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vonschnapps wrote:
A concern may be that you get in the water, feel good, get back into your past swim cadence and overcook the swim. Get into the pool as soon as possible and give yourself an opportunity to assess your swim fitness and go from there.

This is a concern of mine and would have to be smart. The one time I’ve been in the pool since November I expected to be significantly slower however I hadn’t lost any speed...until I keep that for up a couple sets and hit a big wall lol
My slowest 70.3 swim was 38 min so doubt I’d be anywhere near there and I’m okay with that time loss, I guess my only concern is that I swim a 30-35 and feel horrible the rest of the race.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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Biggest thing is the extra fatigue you may have from not swimming prior to the race.

Sure you'll have no issues completing the swim, crushing the majority of folks and at worst you'll probably only be 10-15 spots back from normal in your AG.

Once a fish always a fish.

I'd expect some extra residual fatigue on the back end of the race. Does that mean 3 min slower, 23 min slower or somewhere in between? IDK

From experience I know I can stay out of the water for months and months, put in about 4 weeks of 8-12k/wk and swim sub 30 on a legit course. But to swim in that 28 range requires more work, at least for me. In all but 1 half I've done since 2018 going 1:30 slower would have meant the difference between winning a race and finishing 2nd OV, winning my AG in a 70.3, placing 2nd in my AG in another and the 70.3 I rode 45km with 15psi in my front tire 1:30 slower would have been the difference between 5th and 7th in my AG. I passed 6th & 7th inside the last 7 & 4k of the run.

What I can't do if I've not been in the water and I have people on my feet is surge into a buoy then sprint out of the turn gapping the people on my feet. I can't get into a drag race to the 1st turn or if I see a group 25-30yd ahead surge for the 2 min it's going to take to get onto their feet or if there are 2 lines of swimmers heading for the first buoy get into a drag race and see if I can chop their turn off at the buoy.

Now give me 8 weeks and pretty much all of the above becomes moot if I'm consistent. I've seen that same sort of pattern from the many FOP swimmers/former college swimmers that I coach(ed).

(fwiw I consider 30:00 and under FOP for AG racing, well really 26 and under for truly FOP but that 26-28:30 range lets you exit the water in contention and that 28:30-30:00 will leave you near the back end of the top 10-15 in most AGs. 30:30 well.....and one should never, ever say that is FOP. Ever.)

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
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Last edited by: desert dude: Mar 9, 21 6:44
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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Lots of good points.
The residual fatigue is a likely result.
To get in 10-12km/week I would likely have to drop my overall training volume by 3-4 hours so not sure it’s worth the payoff for me.

My hope is that although I may be more fatigued from the swim, my run fitness is the best it’s ever been right now as usually I am only doing 50-70km/week where I have been averaging close to 100km so if I fatigue during the run, I’ll have such better run fitness than I can overcome.

Not going to WC slots or anything as I wouldn’t go anyways but just doing decent I think would be enough for me. Traditionally I underperform on the run so maybe that has the chance to be a silver lining.
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Re: Ditching swim training with focus on bike/run for 70.3. Thoughts? [T2LV] [ In reply to ]
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T2LV wrote:
Lots of good points.
The residual fatigue is a likely result.
To get in 10-12km/week I would likely have to drop my overall training volume by 3-4 hours so not sure it’s worth the payoff for me.

My hope is that although I may be more fatigued from the swim, my run fitness is the best it’s ever been right now as usually I am only doing 50-70km/week where I have been averaging close to 100km so if I fatigue during the run, I’ll have such better run fitness than I can overcome.

Not going to WC slots or anything as I wouldn’t go anyways but just doing decent I think would be enough for me. Traditionally I underperform on the run so maybe that has the chance to be a silver lining.

Desert dude basically covered it.

If you want to capitalize on your run and since you are a good swimmer once past the first 100m to check if you are overcooking or not just breath every five strokes every so often. If that is only mildly uncomfortable then you should be fine to access your run fitness. If you are quickly hyperventilating then dial it back if not you may swim 31 and run 15 min slower. Between to swim 32, transition fast and run 15 min faster

Also if you do get to the pool. Make sure you do a lot of kick sets and then don't use that kicking in racing other than for anchoring feet against water to apply force thru hips to shoulder. That's all the kicking you need. Don't go crazy on high force 6 beat when you have done zero swimming before racing.
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