Continuous 3000 m Long Swim
A 3800 m advanced session with a continuous 3000 m freestyle swim, paced as an even or slightly negative split for long distance races.
- Duration
- 1 h 18 minestimated
- Distance
- 3,800 m
- Effort
- 98
- Level
- Advanced
- Focus zone
- Endurance
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
100% is your threshold pace. Higher values are faster, lower values are slower.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy freestyle | 400 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 2 | Rest | 20 s | |
| 4 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 3.1 | Warm-upEndurance Freestyle, build each 50 | 50 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 3.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 4 | IntervalEndurance Freestyle, steady, settle in | 1500 m | 85-90% CSS pace |
| 5 | IntervalEndurance Freestyle, hold or lift the pace slightly | 1500 m | 87-92% CSS pace |
| 6 | Rest | 1 min | |
| 7 | Cool-downRecovery Easy backstroke | 200 m | 75-85% CSS pace |
About this workout
A continuous 3000 m swim is close to the swim distance of a long distance triathlon or a 3 km open water race, and swimming it in the pool lets you control the pace length by length. The aim is a steady aerobic effort that you could hold for even longer, with the second half as fast as the first or a little faster.
Your watch splits the swim into two halves of 1500 m without a break, so you can check your pacing at halfway. Settle into a smooth rhythm in the first half and stay patient. In the second half, hold the rhythm or lift it slightly while the stroke stays long. Relax the shoulders and breathe out fully under water.
Swim this every two to three weeks in the base phase, or in the build phase before a long race. A quiet lane or a 50 m pool makes it much easier to keep a steady rhythm.
Tips
- Keep a bottle at the end of the lane for after the swim.
- Check each 500 split on your watch and keep them within 10 seconds of each other.
- Use bilateral breathing for part of the swim to keep the stroke balanced.
Good forPoolOpen waterHalf-distance triathlonFull-distance triathlon
Season phaseBaseBuild