Train smart. Race fast. Conquer your sprint swim. Six weeks of structured pool workouts, open water sighting technique, bilateral breathing, and a race-day plan built specifically for the 750m swim — so you exit T1 energized for the bike.
Sprint Triathlon · 6 Weeks
$13.99
4 Markdown files · Instant download
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Triathlon Swim Programs — Find Your Distance
What's Included
This download includes 4 complete Markdown files — your training plan, race-day reference, workout log, and full program guide. Open them on any device, print poolside, or laminate the Quick Reference card for open water.
The 6-Week Structure
Every session in this program is calibrated for the sprint distance — the short, fast demands of a 12–25 minute open water effort. You'll train longer than your race distance, develop sighting and breathing efficiency, and arrive at race day having already done the hard work.
Who This Is For
The sprint program assumes you can already swim 500+ yards continuously. If you're not there yet, the Adult Swim Method builds you up — Phase 1 gets you to 500 yards, Phase 2 gets you to 1,500 yards.
→ Start with Phase 1 of the Adult Swim Method to reach 500 yards, then return to this program.
Open Water Strategy
Open water swimming isn't harder than pool swimming — it's different. You lose the black line on the bottom. You can't push off walls every 25 yards. You might have 200 other athletes starting around you. And you're about to bike 12 miles and run 3.1 after you finish.
The sprint program builds the skills that actually matter for race day: sighting every 6–8 strokes so you swim a straight line, bilateral breathing so you can navigate regardless of sun position, and conservative pacing so you don't blow up in the first 200 meters and pay for it through the rest of the race.
Two open water practice sessions are scheduled and structured — you'll arrive at the race start having already done this in moving water, not just in your head.
Questions
How far in advance of my race should I start this program?
Start 7–8 weeks before your race. The program is 6 weeks of structured training, which leaves a comfortable buffer week before your taper begins in Week 6. If you have 10+ weeks, you can add easy base swimming before starting Week 1 — the README includes guidance on extending the lead-in period.
I can swim 500 yards but I've never done open water. Is this right for me?
Yes — that's exactly who this program is built for. Pool fitness is the prerequisite; open water skills are what the program builds. You'll get structured sighting drills in the pool, bilateral breathing practice, race-start strategy, and 2 scheduled open water sessions with specific goals for each one.
What format are the files? Do I need special software?
The files are Markdown (.md) — plain text that opens in any text editor, Notes app, Notion, Obsidian, or VS Code. You can convert them to PDF instantly in most apps. Print the Quick Reference card for poolside use or laminate it for open water sessions. No special software required.
What if I want to move up to Olympic distance after my sprint?
The Olympic Triathlon Swim Program is the natural next step. It builds on the same open water skills — sighting, bilateral breathing, conservative pacing — with 6 weeks calibrated to the 1,500m distance, a negative-split racing strategy for the longer effort, and 3 open water sessions instead of 2.