Inspired by the Marathon Swim in Paris 🇫🇷?

Here's a detailed plan of how to prepare for a late-season 10km yourself.

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TL;DR (In Summary):

• We have listened to your feedback and have returned to offering the blog for free each week. You can still support us by upgrading to some of the cool new features of the blog (audio version, full archive of articles and Mr Smooth PRO), but not doing so won’t exclude you from your weekly inspiration.

• Let the inspiration of the Olympic Marathon Swim event in Paris fuel your goal of competing or completing a 10km swim yourself with our trusty training plan!

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Hi swimmers,

I’m sat here writing this, literally just hours away from the start of the women’s 10km Marathon Swim in Paris. You’ll be receiving this after the result is known, and also for the men (earlier today). [Ed. here are three Instagram posts I made during the events giving you insight on your own swimming: 1¹, 2², 3³]. As pointed to in my article a month ago⁴, the concern is still over speed of the current and the quality of the water. Triathletes in their three events this last week have both battled with the speed of the river and many are now reporting falling sick after their races⁵.

None of this, however, should put you off considering attempting a 10km marathon swim, and today, I’m going to share my blueprint of how to do that.

Perspective & Preparation

While a 10km swim might seem significantly more achievable than, for example, swimming the English Channel, good preparation and the right training are still crucial—not only for being competitive in your age group but also for completing the distance.

Here, we offer a best-practice guide for preparing for your first or fastest 10km open water swim, drawing inspiration from many of the professionals we are fortunate to work with here in Perth, Australia.

Calculating Training Time

The key to sensible 10km training is to ensure you don’t approach your program in a frantic attempt to get fit 'yesterday.' Aim for a weekly progression, increasing volume by 10 percent. If you currently swim 2-3 times a week for up to 3.5km at a time, allow yourself 16 to 20 weeks of preparation time. For those swimming four or more 4km-and-above sessions per week—let’s call you a ‘competitive’ swimmer—your lead time should be around 12 weeks.

Here’s an example of how a 20-week program might look from a progressive perspective. (Competitive swimmers can begin this program in week eight). Note: this is a guide only but serves as a good baseline to work from.

You could create a more bespoke version for yourself with the detail of every session using the GURU’s Dynamic Training Plan feature if you prefer. What’s more, you don’t need to be training for 10km either - the GURU has your sorted, whatever your goal!

About the Training Phases

Establish Consistency
These first two weeks are relatively light, designed to get you into the routine of training and determining how it fits with your daily schedule. We recommend completing up to eight sessions before you begin to feel like you're 'training to train,' rather than just going for a swim.

Recovery
Scheduling a lighter training week every three to four weeks is essential, where the volume is reduced but some intensity is maintained. Neglecting this can lead to burnout, staleness, injury, illness, and a lack of adaptation to the work you’re putting in. With rest comes strength.

Stroke Economy Development
During this phase, you'll establish your routine and ensure your form and technique in the water are solid. Enlisting a coach for video analysis and stroke correction tips is highly recommended at this stage. You can also start building up your interval distances at critical swim speed (CSS) pace plus 6-8 seconds per 100m. This is the pace you'll eventually swim during your 10km attempt. (For details on calculating your CSS pace, visit the GURU's free calculator). Making one of your weekly swims slightly longer than the others, with intervals ranging from 600m and above, is an excellent way to combine form and endurance in a session.

Threshold Development
Of your four sessions per week in this block, aim for one CSS-paced session in the first two weeks and two in the final two weeks. Here, you'll work on getting faster at CSS pace. Aim for a speed increase of 0.5-1.0 percent at CSS pace per week. CSS sets include: 15 to 20 x 100m with 15s rest; 8 to 10 x 200m with 20s rest; 4 to 6 x 400m with 30s rest; and 3 to 5 x 500m with 40s rest. Maintain excellent form throughout.

Sustained Endurance
It's a common mistake to do too much long, slow swimming early in a training program, then struggle to pick up the pace closer to your race. By developing your CSS pace in the previous block, you can now begin swimming longer sets at just slightly faster than your 10km pace. Identifying your 10km pace is always tricky, as numerous factors can affect your race day time, including conditions, feeding strategies, and your swimming path.

It’s advisable to perform a 4km continuous pool swim in week 13 at your best pace, then calculate your average pace from this. This result will be an ideal pace for your longer weekly sessions. Try to complete one long, continuous swim weekly at this pace. From week 13, add an additional 800m to the distance each week, reaching 8km by week 18.

Fine Tuning
As your weekly volume begins to taper off, don't let your intensity drop too much. During this phase, ensure your planned race attire, race, and nutrition strategies are all set. Maintain a couple of longer, continuous swims of 6-8km, visualizing yourself completing the race. Now is the time to make any changes—not the night before or during the race.

The right training is essential not just for competitiveness but for completing the distance.

Rhys Mainstone

Way back in November 2011, we filmed Australian 10km open water swimming team member Rhys Mainstone's triumphant victory at the West Australian 10km championships, where he swam an impressive 1 hour and 51 minutes.

We provided Rhys with a Garmin 910XT watch to track his pace throughout the swim. However, rather than adopting the even-paced approach recommended for most age-group swimmers, Rhys’s pace was erratic, as seen in the graph:

Why? Because this was a championship race. With 15 other swimmers vying for the state title, Rhys needed to break the pace to drop the minor medals off his toes.

Check out his pace between 3-5km at an average speed of 1'04"/100m, dropping all but one swimmer (another Australian team member) and the progressive build-up from 8-10km to take the title. Scintillating stuff to watch, I can tell you.

This is 10km open water racing at its best, akin to a road cycling event, where stronger cyclists aim for a breakaway well before the finish to secure victory.

Taper
Your final week should be relatively steady, with a few little pick-ups at CSS pace but preferably no more than 1,200m in a session. Ensure you get good sleep and eat and drink well. Again, avoid making drastic changes leading up to the event.

The best programs are balanced, containing a good mix of technique and specific fitness work throughout, albeit with a subtle change in focus as you progress through the plan.

Race Considerations

Nutrition
Ideally, consume 0.8 to 1.0g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour and 500 to 800ml of fluid per hour in sessions longer than an hour. This ensures you replenish your energy reserves, allowing you to finish strongly and recover quickly.

During the event, you might be limited to fueling once per lap on a typical four-lap course, which, depending on your speed, could mean a fuel stop every 30 to 60 minutes.

In some of your longer practice swims in open water, set up a similar lapped course to fuel as you will in the race. This way, you can determine what works and what doesn't.

Drafting
Drafting, or 'slipstreaming,' off another swimmer can save you up to 38 percent of your energy expenditure if done correctly. This could allow you to complete your first race in a much less fatigued state and could make the difference between winning your age group or missing the medals. Drafting is a skill like any other, requiring practice and due diligence, so include structured time in your routine to practice this with friends.

Drafting can be done around 50cm behind another swimmer or directly to their side, with your head positioned at about waist level. If choosing the side-drafting option, aim to breathe toward the swimmer rather than away.

Race Suit
In many 10km events, you have the option to swim with or without a wetsuit. Depending on your natural buoyancy, wearing a wetsuit could save you 2-3 minutes per kilometer, which over 10km is significant.

Although the hardcore open water swimming community may frown upon using a wetsuit, we recommend using one for your first 10km event. When it comes to your health and safety, a wetsuit could make the difference.

Tactics
The best way to race a 10km event is to mimic what you've done in training—with consistent pacing and even splits. Avoid setting off too fast and resist energy-draining surges during the swim.

In Summary

Training for a 10km open water swim is a rewarding challenge that can push you to new heights both physically and mentally. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or a newcomer to open water racing, following a structured training program and preparing properly will ensure you're ready to tackle this exciting event. The tips and techniques outlined in this guide are designed to help you swim efficiently and confidently, maximizing your potential on race day.

We encourage you to take on the challenge of a 10km swim and experience the thrill of crossing the finish line. Whether you're aiming for a personal best or simply completing the distance, this journey will undoubtedly enhance your skills and confidence as a swimmer.

If you decide to give it a try, we'd love to hear from you! Let us know how the advice in this guide worked for you, and share your experiences and achievements. Your feedback helps us continue to support swimmers like you in achieving their goals.

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5. https://globalnews.ca/news/10683691/paris-seine-triathletes-illness-olympics/