Six Months to IRONMAN: Smarter Swim Training for Busy Age-Groupers | Ep 572
Oxygenaddict Triathlon PodcastShow Notes
If you’re coming into triathlon from running or cycling, you’ve probably assumed swimming works the same way: The more you swim, the faster you get. Nope! In this episode of our Six Months to Ironman series, Coach Rob explains why most age-group triathletes are not fitness-limited in the water, they’re technique-limited… and why that’s actually good news, because it means you can make big gains without adding endless extra swim volume. This episode is aimed at the adult-onset swimmer: the busy Ironman or 70.3 athlete who feels like their aerobic fitness from the bike & run doesn’t translate in the pool, and how to fix that. We cover: Why swimming is more analogous to gold or tennis than running or biking
The “more swimming” trap that keeps slower swimmers stuck and embeds bad habits
A useful benchmark: why ~7:00 per 400m is often the point where technique becomes the biggest lever
How to build endurance without letting fatigue wreck your stroke
How to identify your single biggest limiter with simple cues
The order to fix your swim: breathing → balance → propulsion
Simple, high-impact drills including: Sink-downs + “bubble” exhale for breathing
Fist drill for catch and feel of the water
The “Waltz / Unco drill” to connect rotation, hips, and propulsion
This episode will help swimming stop being the IRONMAN discipline you dread, and help turn it into one of your main strengths in a matter of months!
* * * * * * * SPONSORS * * * * * * * * Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2026? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life. We’ve just reopened for new athletes with only a handful of slots available. Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict for the coming season here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
* * * * * * * * * * * * precisionfuelandhydration.com Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event. And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy. Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply click this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Watch on youtube Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts
More from Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast
Struggling with stomach problems on the IRONMAN run? This week Coach Rob Wilby answers a listener question from Tracy, who finished IRONMAN Kalmar but had stomach trouble on the run and wants to fuel with real food instead of gels.
Your questions answered by coach Rob this week: How do you rebuild confidence after a DNF? A listener pulled from IRONMAN Wales with hypothermia asks how to come back. Rob covers debriefing with your coach, modelling your predicted race, carrying a spare tube with tubeless tyres, and kit planning so you protect your finish rather than your finish time. What bike TSS should you target for a 70.3? After finishing IRONMAN Wales at around 350 TSS against the 280 target, Andy asks what the equivalent is for the middle distance. Rob explains the TSS starting point and the % of FTP guide. How do you train for an IRONMAN on 12-hour night shifts? A police officer working 60-hour weeks asks how to structure training. Rob covers why a long work week isn’t a recovery week, how HRV tracking takes out the guesswork, and keeping the habit going.
Coach Rob answers this week's listener questions on getting faster, fixing run nutrition and stepping up from 70.3 to a full IRONMAN, plus a Kona preview and some brilliant listener success stories. This week's questions: Faster over sprint and Olympic distance: Why the training that makes you faster at short distance is different from what improves your IRONMAN, and why traditional run speed work carries a much bigger injury risk for athletes in their 40s and 50s. Rob explains the safer alternative and why bike intervals are low-risk by comparison. Can't eat on the IRONMAN marathon: Why struggling to take on nutrition on the run is often a bike pacing problem rather than a fuelling problem. Rob covers the race day bike TSS number to check against your data, why it only works with a recent outdoor FTP test, and the open water bug that can wreck your stomach hours after the swim. 70.3 to IRONMAN: How much extra training time you actually need. Rob explains why only your long swim, long ride and long run get longer, how to build over the final 12 weeks, and why you should separate your long run from your long ride rather than doing both on the same weekend.
Feeling flat during your taper? Worried you've never ridden the full 56 miles before your first 70.3? Coach Rob answers listener questions on why tapering feels rubbish (and why you'll feel so much better by race day), and why you'll ride faster on race day than in training. He also covers whether you need a TT bike for Ironman courses like Austria (spoiler: there are probably more impactful upgrades to make first), how to train for the swim in a lake, and how fit you need to be a year out from IRONMAN. Plus athlete success stories from Ironman Wales and Leeds.
This week Rob answers more listener questions, plus a couple of brilliant finisher stories. Sophie's racing her first 70.3 in Australia and needs to fit her race simulation weekends around travel - I explain her options for rescheduling Chris hit serious GI issues on the bike at IRONMAN Leeds. Rob explains why pacing (not fuelling) is often a big culprit, and how to build carb intake in training even if your longest ride only reaches 5-6 hours. Samantha has three weeks of travel 14 weeks out from her full-distance comeback race, and wants to hold onto fitness without turning the trip into a training camp. Plus two inspiring listener stories, including a 12:15 finish at IRONMAN Copenhagen after a 12-month transformation.