Swimrun Strength Endurance

Markus from the mighty ‘German Sparkle Party’ racing Breca Buttermere 2016 & showing us how its done!!

Strength Endurance pretty succinctly summarise what swimrun swimming is all about. Dragging yourself in your wetsuit, race bib, pull buoy, shoes and socks through large expanses of open water for stints that can stretch to well over a kilometre. And if you are looking to go fast you will almost certainly want to use hand-paddles. All of these factors lead to a massively increased load on the shoulders during swimrun swimming when you compare it to normal laps in the pool. So Strength endurance is key.

How to Build Up to Race Day

Hand Paddle Selection

Like with so many things in life, start small and work your way upwards, Rome was not built in a day and your upperbody strength wont be either. To much to soon = sore shoulders, injury and set back. If you have some experience using hand paddles then by all means use the ones you have, provided they are not to big. If not, i suggest starting with finger paddles. Here are some you can easily get online: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/speedo-biofuse-finger-paddle/ As you can see by following the link, hand paddles are pretty cheap so growing into larger sizes is not going to break the bank.

Swim Technique

If you are new to swimrun and are using hand paddles for the first time you may find the hand paddles slipping off while swimming. If this is the case there is a strong possibility that you have an issue with your swim technique. One very common thing is dropping the elbow during the catch part of the stroke. If this happens the paddle can start to slip off meaning you will really struggle. If this is happening its time to get some help as you need to have a half decent stoke to use hand paddles. A good test for this is to use a hand paddle that has no straps. This means you must keep pressure on the paddle in the right direction during the stroke, if you don’t they will slip off. These particular paddles are great for technique and come in different sizes: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/finis-agility-paddle/

Building Up Over Time.

Now (January) is the best possible time to start building up swimrun strength endurance. Start incorporating the hand paddle swimming into your sessions now and build up that strength endurance. Like anything your body and muscles will adapt, but it takes time. Gradually you will be able to increase the load and duration, so by the time the season comes around you will be ready for the open water sessions in a wet suit….. and Shoes!!

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

If you have ever raced or seen a race over in Sweden (the home of swimrun) you can’t help but notice some Swedish thoroughbreds using bloody great dinner plates they call hand paddles. Yes this might work for them, but everyone knows a tiny chassis cant support a huge engine. If you weight 50 kilos then dare i say monstrous sized hand paddles are not going to do you any favours. Use the pre-season to find your suitable hand paddle size. You must be able to maintain technique, keep a decent stroke turnover and most importantly not overload your shoulders. If in doubt stick with the smaller paddles for this season and re asses next year.

Ankle Bands & Drag Pants.

As your swimrun training progresses its worth incorporating some kind of drag into your training. This will go some way to simulate what it is like to swim with your trainers on. Start off with a pull buoy and strapping on an ankle band (simply ties your ankles together to stop you kicking, very easy to home make) and doing some lengths like this. If this becomes easy you can try removing your pull buoy which will cause your feet to start to sink, increasing drag. Another option to use drag is ‘drag pants’ which catch the water as you swim. A cheaper alternative to buying drag pants is just to swim with baggy board shorts on!! Either way it makes life harder and increases the load.

Resistance Work

Finally doing some on land strength work is going to really help set you up for getting the best from hand paddles. Press ups and wide arm pull ups are a great start to building up some upper body. Then if you want to add in a little more; some triceps dips along with some resistance band work will really help, especially if you have limited pool time. Check out this specific band work out article: 9 Stretch Cord Exercises To Improve Swim Strength And Technique

Consistency

Constancy, perseverance and discipline. Want to improve rapidly and successfully then stick to the plan. Don’t skip sessions, keep working at it. There is so much literature out there pointing to success coming from dedication to training/practice more than any other factor. The most ‘talented’ performers are simply the most dedicated trainers. Building up your strength endurance ready for the swimrun season requires focused training and consistency. Start this week and build to the summer!

Swimrun -The 10 Things You Need To Know.

Swimrun recently celebrated its 10th birthday. Since the first race in 2006, swimrun has picked up momentum and it is the new go-to multi-sport adventure race and for good reason. Typically undertaken as a team of two, you and your partner will traverse rugged areas of natural beauty, running in your wetsuits and swimming in your trainers. You wear the same kit throughout the various swim and run sections (of which there are typically several) – so if you want to swim with a pull buoy and hand paddles, don’t forget you also have to run with them!

An avid triathlete, I (Alan Scott) cut my teeth in Swimrun back in 2014 when racing the Otillo World Championship in Sweden. The Otillo is to Swimrun, what Kona is to Ironman. Since then my team-mates and I have continued to race and develop as Swimrun athletes, achieving such results as 6^th place at the Otillo World Champs, 3 x winner of Breca Buttermere and 3^rd at the inaugural Otillo 1000 Lakes.

Here are my top-10 tips that should help you in your Swimrun adventures:

1. GET THE RIGHT KIT

Having the correct equipment and getting used to it is a key aspect of Swimrun (this topic probably merits an entire blog post in itself!) In short, the key bits of kit you will need are:

Wetsuit:

Either Swimrun specific or an old triathlon wetsuit cut above the knee. Depending on conditions you can decide on cutting the arms off above the elbow or not. If it’s your first race don’t worry about using an old suit – I have always raced in an old triathlon wetsuit, it won’t hold you back.

Shoes:

Your shoes need to drain well and have good grip on the trails. I have always raced in inov-8 X-TALON shoes, which are lightweight and offer amazing grip. Also, thin socks are a must as they stop grit working into your shoes and rubbing like sandpaper.

Hand paddles:

Not essential but these will help you. If you do want to race with them you must train with them first and build up your strength endurance (see tip 5). Start with small paddles and build from there.

Pull buoy:

You fasten this to your body via a bungee cord – as don’t forget, you will have to run with it too. It acts as flotation, helping your feet sit higher up in the water while swimming, which will certainly help reduce the drag of swimming with your shoes on.

Mandatory kit:

Read the race brief as most races insist on some form of mandatory kit be carried at all times such as a compass, whistle and pressure bandage.

Lube: Chaffing can be a big issue with Swimrun so healthy dollops of Vaseline will help alleviate this problem. Yes, it’s not good for the suit, but unfortunately the water based lubricants just don’t last the day, so it’s your skin or the suit!

Extra layers:

If it’s going to be a cold race then consider neoprene base layers, gloves and hats, all of which can make a big difference in the long swims. Last year we raced the Otillo 1000 Lakes in October in Germany in 7 degree air temperature and 11 degrees water temperature. The extra layers we wore proved to be the difference between 3^rdplace and a DNF!

breca swimrun 2 photo by Wildman Media

2. PRACTICE TRANSITIONS

There will be upwards of 20 transitions between land-to-water and water-to-land during a Swimrun and so you need to make sure you practice this before race day. Where are you going to put your hand paddles for the run? Are you going to strip the wetsuit to the waist for the longer runs? Think about when it is best to take off/put on your goggles and swim hat. By perfecting your transitions you can save a lot of time over your rivals.

3. NAIL YOUR NUTRITION

This is the ‘3rd’ discipline of Swimrun racing, just like it’s the ‘4th’ in triathlon. Nailing your nutrition can be the difference between a great day and a horrible day! Find out what is going to be provided on course, then practice taking this nutrition and have a plan for race day. It’s a long day and you need to stay fuelled. I always keep a spare caffeinated gel tucked in my suit for emergencies. Nothing is worse than bonking mid-race!

4. PREP FOR THE COURSE

Swot up on the course and write down the distances of each swim and run on your hand paddles or arm so you can remind yourself exactly how long each leg is going to be. This will help manage effort levels and is good for moral too. It can also be a good idea to note down where the feed stations are, and also if there are any particularly tough/hilly sections.

5. WORK ON YOUR STRENGTH ENDURANCE

Swimming with trainers and potentially hand paddles creates a much bigger load on your swim stroke and thus you need to develop your strength endurance in training ahead of race day. Furthermore, if the running stages are going to be technical and hilly (they often are) then working on your leg strength will really help too.

Breca Swimrun 1. Photo: Wildman Media

6. PACE YOURSELF

This has two parts. If you are going to be competitive then you need to position yourself towards the front of the pack as bottle necks can be created at the start of the run. It may sound a little contradictory but not going out too fast is also key – you must manage your energy levels. It’s a long day and you don’t want to create any extra fatigue early on by burning unnecessary ‘matches’.

7. TEAMWORK IS EVERYTHING

Virtually all Swimrun races are done as teams of two and this is a huge part of what makes this racing so special. Be sure to meet up with each other for key training sessions. Work out each team member’s strengths and weaknesses, practice swim drafting and decide if you are going to attach a tether (lightweight elastic cord) to each other on the swims and runs. There will be hard times and good times, but supporting your buddy is a massive part of Swimrun. If you haven’t bonded before the race you will certainly have by the end! The guys who I have raced with are now some of my best friends. #bromance

breca swimrun 5. photo by Widman Media

Blog post author, Alan Scott (front right) leading out the field with his team-mate at the 2017 Breca Buttermere Swimrun event, which featured 38km of trail running, 6km of open water swimming and a total of 18 transitions.

8. USE A GPS WATCH

Having a GPS watch is really useful for working out your pace and effort, but most importantly it will keep you up to date on when the next transition is approaching so you can prepare for it. An example of this would be as you are coming to the end of a 5k run leg… it’s at this point you may want to start putting your swim hat and googles back on, zipping your wet suit back up and having your hand paddles ready to go. All this helps for a seamless transition.

9. TRAIN SMART

Sounds obvious, but the best way to train for Swimrun is to practice Swimrun. Find a local lake with some trails nearby, or even better around it. Jot down some of the race course distances and recreate them in training using your race kit. It’s amazing the things you will find out during the training sessions…. goggles that mist up, hand paddles that are too big, shoes and wetsuits that rub etc. By addressing these in the build up it will go a long way to mentally preparing you for race day.

breca swimrun 6. photo by Widman Media

10. SMILE IT’S RACE DAY

Come race day make sure you have a bloody good time. You are going to be racing through some stunning areas of natural beauty with a great mate or significant other, so soak it all up. Swimrun is one of the few races that you can share in the experience together. Enjoy the challenge… there are bound to be many of them!

*Follow Alan Scott on Instagram and check out his triathlon

*All photos used courtesy of Wildman Media were shot at this year’s Breca Buttermere Swimrun, supported by inov-8. Discover more about Breca Swimrun events.

Category: kit

Swimrun: Training with Hand Paddles