Moving Your Swim Sessions into Open Water: Everything You Need to Know | Ep 594

About this episode

Coach Rob answers common questions about transitioning from pool to open water swimming for triathletes.

It's open water season in the Northern Hemisphere, and the questions are flooding in. This week Coach Rob answers the most common athlete questions about moving your swimming out of the pool and into the lake or sea ahead of your first IRONMAN or 70.3. In this episode: When to make the switch to open water, and the simple rule for timing it What to actually practice once you're there: sighting drills, drafting technique, relaxed starts, turn buoys, and a clean wetsuit exit Why you might be slower in open water than the pool Whether to do your endurance swim in the OW or the pool How to choose the right start pen on a rolling-start race day * * * * * * * 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…

People in this episode

Host: Rob Wilby

Topics covered

• open water swimming
• IRONMAN training
• sighting drills
• drafting technique
• endurance swimming

Keywords

• open water
• swimming
• IRONMAN
• 70.3
• training
• sighting drills
• drafting

Sponsors

Team Oxygenaddict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: precisionfuelandhydration.com

More episodes of Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast

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• The IRONMAN / 70.3 Race Simulation Weekend: The Most Important 3 Days of your Final Build | Ep 592 · May 27, 2026 · 25 min
• Open Water Swim Skills: Sighting, Drafting, Managing Panic, Wetsuit Fit & Race Day Pacing (IRONMAN Q&A) | Ep 591 · May 20, 2026 · 30 min
• 70.3 Race Pace & TSS Targets, Heat Acclimation Protocol, Training Around Holidays: Listener Q&A | Ep 590 Q&A · May 13, 2026 · 29 min
• Long Run Fails, Brick Sessions & B Races: Your IRONMAN Training Questions Answered | Ep 589 · May 6, 2026 · 25 min
• Ironman Nutrition Q&A: How to Carry Fluids, Manage Carbs & Hydration, and Build Your Race Day Fuel Plan | Ep 588 · April 29, 2026 · 28 min