Bryan

Swimming Without A Watch: Focus, Technique, And Presence In The Pool - Triathlon Swim Squad Swimming Without A Watch: Focus, Technique, And Presence In The Pool - less data, more feel: swimming without a Garmin

I no longer wear a watch when swimming - so I thought I’d draft a post with my own reasons for this.

▪️ Wear - or don’t wear - your Garmin.

But know why you do - or why you don’t!

This post might help with that thought process.

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In the last couple of days I have had my athletes messaging me with some of their latest race entries.

Ironman Lanzarote
The Brutal Extreme Triathlon
The ROC Wales
The Outlaw
The Outlaw Half
The Shakespeare Marathon

Planning next season - it’s exciting isn’t it?

Third swim - and almost 10k of swimming - this week.

Loving it.

Will I manage to fit in another one this weekend?

Another week in our Swim Squads!

✅ One technique session
✅ One 1-1 session
✅ Three Swim Squad sessions
✅ More than 80 swimmers

VO2 Max on Monday, Threshold on Wednesday. Some technique and easy endurance in between.

Progress and fun!

#triathlonswimsquad #swimsquad #triathlontraining

Swim Squad: Swim Speed In The Winter - Triathlon Swim Squad Swim Squad: Swim Speed In The Winter - Why we’re adding speed alongside our more intricate technique work this winter.

As we move into autumn and winter, you’ll notice some faster, short sets appearing in our Swim Squad sessions.

Why now?

triathlonswimsquad.com/2025/10/23/s...

“I’ve got to say, without having you there to hold me accountable, I’m not sure I’d have done that session. Set off for work about 6:30am and got in after 7pm, but I knew I had it to get done and I did it.”

Accountability: Just one of the reasons athletes value coaching.

Ironman Portugal-Cascais

What a day of racing!

Another five of our Swim Squad join our Swim Squad Ironman wall of fame!

It’s been a privilege to be part of their journeys, supporting them and watching their progress over many months.

Monday Swim Squads this week …

Technique Focus: Developing our catch and improving our body position.

Main Set Focus: VO2 Max set. High speed, high effort, high heart rate.

We’re all improving one session at a time!

From Sprint To Ironman: Finding A Lifestyle You Love - Triathlon Swim Squad From Sprint to Ironman: Finding A Lifestyle You Love

“I’m in this for the long haul. I love it - the whole lifestyle of it all. The races, the training, the places I’ve been … it’s been amazing for me and my family.”

One of the athletes I coach sent me this message.

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😍🕺

😍

Words Of Wisdom: Powerful Quotes From Triathletes - Triathlon Swim Squad Words Of Wisdom: Powerful Quotes From Triathletes - Fifteen powerful quotes from professional triathletes guaranteed to inspire!

Looking for a boost of motivation?

We’ve gathered 15 powerful quotes from triathletes that will inspire you to push past limits, stay focused & keep going - whether you’re training for your first race or your next big goal.

Check them out and get inspired!

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The Sunday long ride.

✅ Not late to the meeting point (for once)
✅ 130k
✅ 8 Swim Squad riders
✅ Loads of laughs
✅ Feeling pretty good
✅ Sun (eventually) came out

Same time next week?

“If You Can Keep Your Head”: The Triathlon Swim Start - Triathlon Swim Squad “If You Can Keep Your Head”: The Triathlon Swim Start - Mastering the triathlon swim start will set you up for a great day.

“If You Can Keep Your Head”: The Triathlon Swim Start

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Enjoying my running at the moment. Mostly short runs, mostly steady pace, always with short walk breaks.

Slowly, slowly …

It’s marathon race week!

We have lots of our athletes running London, Manchester & Blackpool marathons this weekend.

Exciting!

The hard work is done and it’s now all about recovery, freshening and a little sharpening.

We’ve got this!

The Secret To Swim Speed - Triathlon Swim Squad The Secret To Swim Speed: A great catch and a focus to get the most from each stroke will significantly improve your swim speed

Ah, where the magic happens …

triathlonswimsquad.com/2024/03/12/t...

Triathlon Training: A Sticky Patch - Triathlon Swim Squad Triathlon Training: A Sticky Patch - Navigate your way through crazy shift patterns, busy work, family demands & unexpected stuff!

Overcoming a sticky patch

In this post I wanted to offer a few solutions for when training is difficult, other priorities in life are taking over, you are feeling a bit meh and you are not sure what to do.

triathlonswimsquad.com/2024/06/21/t...

Making the most of time!

40 minutes available for a swim means a quick set of 20 x 100m this morning.

20 x 100m
1 - 5 off 2’
6 - 10 off 1.55
11 - 15 off 1.50
16 - 20 off 1.45

Cool Down
2 x 50m + 4 x 25m

Swimming: Trust Yourself - Triathlon Swim Squad Swimming: Trust Yourself - The message is “Don’t let the watch psych you out. Trust your instincts. Trust how you feel.”

When it comes to training and judging your effort, follow Sallie’s lead and trust yourself!

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Swim Squad session included a bit of everything tonight!

400m personal bests
A solid threshold set
Strength endurance work
3000m - 3700m covered!

Great swimming!

Three consecutive rides to end the week. Friday, and Saturday indoors (1.45 each) and then today’s four hour group ride with many of our Swim Squad.

The quest for bike fitness continues!

Training Through Stressful Times! - Triathlon Swim Squad Training Through Stressful Times! Some strategies to enable you to maintain training without adding to that life stress.

Have you ever had a period in your life which has been particularly stressful?

If you have – and you probably have – you will know that training whilst under this stress is really hard!

Here are some strategies and things to think about.

triathlonswimsquad.com/2025/02/10/t...

Swimming: Fastest or Slowest? - Triathlon Swim Squad Swimming: Fastest Or Slowest? Are you going to be the fastest in your lane and lead, or one of the slower swimmers and follow others?

When you swim in a group swim session – like our Swim Squads – deciding which lane to go into is interesting.

Lead the lane or follow others?

Here are a few pros and cons of your lane choices.

triathlonswimsquad.com/2025/02/25/s...

Purposeful Warm Ups - Triathlon Swim Squad The Warm Up: Make It Purposeful Purposeful Warm Ups When you are getting in the pool, do you have some warm ups that you go to? Some favourites? Or do you do the same thing every time? Warm ups should...

Your swim warm ups should be purposeful and deliberate, setting you up for a great swim session.

Depending on what you want from the session, what your main set looks like, depends on what the warm up should look like.

Here are a few ideas for you …

triathlonswimsquad.com/purposeful-w...

Views from the bike this afternoon.

Memories and memorabilia creating inspiration, motivation and perspiration!

How To Improve Your Swim Speed - Triathlon Swim Squad How To Improve Your Swim Speed - Changing rest intervals to change swim intensity is a key ingredient in swimming faster.

Struggling to increase your swim speed?

This may help you move past that plateau and help you set some best swim times.

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Would you rather …

1️⃣ Use part of your swim session to think about your stroke / do some drills / technique focus

Or

2️⃣ Get stuck in to the work / main set?

🤷‍♂️

Swimming: 2000m Main Sets - Triathlon Swim Squad Swimming: 2000m Main Sets - I love 2,000m Main Sets during a swim session. Here are a couple of new ones to try!

Looking for a good swim set to do?

I’ve got two for you!

triathlonswimsquad.com/2025/02/07/s...

Tried and tested by myself and the Swim Squads - all with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews!

Swimming: Testing & Benchmarking - Triathlon Swim Squad Swimming: Testing & Benchmarking - A few simple ideas on how you could measure and test your swimming progress.

It’s funny which posts get picked up and have a lot of traffic. Today, the most accessed post on our website is about swim testing and benchmarking.

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How do you like to test your progress?

A time trial? A specific swim set eg 10 x 100m? A CSS test?